<p>I need advice on how to convince my parents to let me have a car up on campus. I go to school about 6 hours and 53 minutes away from my house (according to my GPS). My parents are adamant on not allowing me to have a car since it is "too distracting". So how do I get home? Here are the 3 possible ways.</p>
<p>Take a school sponsored bus that leaves the school at 5 pm gets me into a city an hour away from my house at 2 am. The returning bus leaves at 10 am and gets back to school by 8-9 pm.</p>
<p>Take a school shuttle to a train station 2 and a half hours away (if I take said shuttle I have to skip a class). Take a 5 hour long train ride and get into a town an hour away. Returning back to school can be even more difficult. Train may be late. Also have to wait in sketchy train/bus terminal for up to 3 hours for a shuttle that gets me back to school late at night.</p>
<p>Take a greyhound bus that leaves from a cafe 10 minutes away. It leaves at 1:25pm and gets into New York City supposedly at 9:40 pm. I get home around 11:45 pm after taking a train home. However, sometimes the bus runs late and I'll miss the transfer and have to wait several hours for another bus.</p>
<p>Those 3 methods of transportation home are so stressful. I have to make sure to sign up in advance for the school sponsored bus, make sure to buy the train tickets before they sell out, and finally get to the bus station in NYC early enough so that I can get on the bus. When I complain about this they tell me to find someone to give me a ride home, but I can never find anyone to give me a ride home. Also they are more than willing to pay the like 2,000 dollars for the buses/train. They always tell me that I am the one who chose the school and to suck it up about how difficult it is to get to and from school. However, I try to tell them that the only reason it is difficult is because they won't let me have a car. It is so frustrating.</p>
<p>The buses and trains add an extra 2-4 hours onto the total journey, interrupt my school work, and stress me out. I told them I was more than willing to pay them to let me have a car on campus but they still aren't so sure.</p>
<p>Anyone have any advice on how to convince them to let me have a car? I am willing to pay for gas and maintaining it.</p>
<p>How often would you be going back and forth anyhow? Probably not that often, I would convince them otherwise since all students have to deal with going back home w/o a car (like this would just be an hour plane ride and alot of students do this)</p>
<p>If you’re willing to pay all that, I don’t see what else you can do, haha. Fess up all the possible reasons you could possibly want/need one and leave it at that. Seems like you may not be too far from getting them to agree.</p>
<p>I think I may be shipped off without a car, too, and it’s too bad. My family will move 9 hours away in a month, and I commute with their car. So now I’ll be on some campus possibly without a car (very weird feeling for me). I’m really used to being able to go where I need when I need to. <em>sigh</em>.</p>
<p>I agree with your parents, a car in college for a first year student can be a huge distraction and could inhibit your chances of making the connections that are so important your freshman year. The travel issues are common to many, many college students and are part of the whole college experience. I think you should just get used to the idea of not having a car and look forward to having a great first year! The time will fly by and soon enough you will be a sophmore, hopefully you will have your car then. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>I am a current first year. My college is in the middle of nowhere. There are no airports that are actually close by. I went home for mid-semester break, thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break, and easter weekend. </p>
<p>My dad still refuses to let me have a car as a sophomore. I am trying to convince him to let me have a car my sophomore year. I have had miserable experiences heading back and forth from school on those aforementioned methods of transportation. I was stuck in a sketchy train/bus station from 6:45-10pm. I’ve sat next to a guy on a greyhound bus who left his arm caressing my leg and refused to move it as well as refusing to move himself/letting me get up and move.</p>
<p>Do you already own a car? Or do you expect your parents to buy a car for you? How much would the insurance be on the car? How much would the upkeep be? How much do you know about car maintenance? Can you be trusted to rotate the tires, change the oil, take care of other routine and exceptional maintenance issues on the car? Do you know how often you have to do each of these things? Where would you get it serviced? How much servicing would there be? Can your parents trust you not to lend out the car to other students? Not to drive drunk?</p>
<p>Can you stay on campus for mid-semester break? Thanksgivng break? Spring break? Easter? </p>
<p>Your parents are correct - you chose the school, knowing it would be difficult to get home. If you expected that you could then convince your parents to buy you a car, you were wrong. Suck it up.</p>
<p>I have a car that is already insured. I paid for this car. I pay for the upkeep. I take care of this car and do everything that you asked. It is my baby and no I would not trust anyone else to drive it. Moreover, I do not drink so driving drunk is not a problem. </p>
<p>I am not allowed on campus during thanksgiving, winter, and spring break unless I want to pay a lot of money.</p>
<p>It sounds like you already have a car, so I think you should be able to keep it with you on campus. Not having a car is such an INCONVENIENCE. You have to rely on other people when you want to run simple errands like go to Target. It saves you so much trouble. My friends with cars only really use it a few times during the week for errands and then more so on weekends when we want to go somewhere. I don’t think it’s a distraction at all.</p>
<p>Take the school sponsered bus and get in at 2am. Your parents will have to pick you up right? After a few times coming home by 3am, I’ll bet they’ll get tired of that. Make up excuses why you can’t use the other options, or use the ones you have. :)</p>