<p>Do most freshman arrive with a vehicle?
Do many parents wait a semester before making that decision?
How is parking on campus?</p>
<p>For those with cars, do you make long drives home (5+ hours), or do you just use the vehicle around Blacksburg?</p>
<p>TIA for any responses!</p>
<p>Hi MyzzBee,
Unless it has changed, freshmen can have cars. Son did not bring car freshman year as he was on campus. This year, he is off campus and has car. Long term parking is a large fenced lot, walking distance from dorms, but it is called "The Cage". I believe his parking sticker as an off-campus student was around $75.00.</p>
<p>My son took a car with him, we're from NJ. He uses it for the long trips home and often gives rides to others in our area. The only other reason he wanted a car is b/c hs grandparents live about an hour and a half away and he likes to visit them once a month.
He also likes to go over to Christiansburg sometimes for a change.</p>
<p>Parking is fine, but around game times it can be tricky. He tries to not have to leave campus then! He is never, ever able to park anywhere close to his dorm, but he also has never complained about that.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>Septembermom, when your son was a freshman, were there a lot of kids there without cars? Did it seem to make all that much of a difference?</p>
<p>Zimmer, that's quite a trek home - how did your nerves survive? I don't mind him having a vehicle at school. It's making the drive back and forth from home to school that has me in a panic. I keep thinking we will just pick him up for the big breaks. Unreasonable?</p>
<p>Hi Again Bee,
Freshman year, son had a few friends with cars, but certainly not everyone. He was able to get rides easily to airport and bus transportation to airport worked great for trips home. We are 12 hour ride away-so he flew freshman year for breaks. This year, he made his first solo trip at Christmas. As a freshman, he really didn't need car-downtown is easy walk and he could get all he needed in Blacksburg. If he needed ride to Christiansburg, buses ran to stores or someone in dorm could give ride. For us, we saved quite a bit of money by taking car off road and put insurance on hold, so that was a plus for us!</p>
<p>Myzzbee, it is such a straight shot to NJ from VT - straight up 81 to 78 (we are central Jersey, right off 78), and he almost always has a rider or two. He always stops 2x - once for gas and once for food (just to break it up) - more if someone needs a pit stop, of course. His passengers have been one or two of the following: a girl from our town, a guy from the next exit north of ours, a guy that he drops off in Phillipsburg (NJ border), a guy from north Jersey whose parents drove down and met them at our exit, and a girl whose parents drove up an hour or so from south jersey (up 287 to 78) and met at our exit. He's a really good driver (I can sleep in the car when he drives!!). If it were my other son, I would not be so comfortable! That was all last year as a freshman. 3 of those kids have their own cars at school now.</p>
<p>He texts us when he leaves, and at at least one of his stops. Last year it was because he knew I was a nervous ninny. Now he does it in the hopes of having food ready to be eaten as soon as he walks in the door! Typical skinny starving man-child!</p>
<p>5+ hours is not a bad ride. I don't know what roads you take or direction you're traveling in though. You know he'll have to stop once for sure, for the gas/bathroom/food stop, making it a very doable 2.5/3 hour stretch at a time. He'll probably only come home for Thanksgiving week and then at the end of the semester.</p>
<p>Thank you both so much for your thoughtful replies. You have given me much to consider. We'll be there in a couple weeks, and again a couple more times this summer, so we'll have a decision made by August.</p>
<p>Much appreciated!</p>