Car at Duke?

<p>So I am applying to Duke, and a host of other schools, but I figured I might as well just post this here since Duke is my first choice. Does one need/should have a car for their first year at Duke? How hard is it if you don't have a car? Will you be a n00b if you don't have one? All thoughts, quarries, and advice is welcome and appreciated!</p>

<p>It’s unnecessary there are the busses for east to west campus and the rest of it is walkable</p>

<p>Just to clarify, no one drives between east and west.</p>

<p>I mean, would I need a car to go other places? I am fairly certain I can manage on campus stuff. Do most people just bum rides off of friends if they want to go off campus or other places?</p>

<p>There is a mall about 1 mile away, it is walk able, but a car might be nice. Then there is the Bull City Connector which will take you into downtown Durham for free. You could bring one, it would be nice to go around occasionally off campus to things, but in no way is one necessary.</p>

<p>It’s nice to have at least one friend with a car. While it’s not necessary, it’s definitely helpful for doing off-campus stuff (restaurants, movies, Target, whatever). If you already own a car, I’d bring it. If you don’t own one, I wouldn’t buy one.</p>

<p>What percent of the freshman class has a car? It is a lot? I mean, I don’t want to be stuck on campus or hindered by my lack of vehicle.</p>

<p>I think the oft-quoted statistic is about a third of the first year students bring cars. This is probably about correct since about a third of the class is from the Carolinas usually and that’s not too much of a drive. </p>

<p>If the expense or effort of bringing a car is too much, consider just getting a zipcar membership for at least the first year. They are available on campus (last I checked) and you probably don’t need a car for a lot of things anyway so an occasional rental should suffice.</p>