Do you need a car as a freshman?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
1

I wonders if the school has bus goes directly to DC, BWI airport, and so on? Or you need a car to drive around?

2

The bus will bring you to the metro which goes to Reagan Airport and DC. During winter and spring break the school offers a bus to and from BWI. The airports also offer shuttle service. My SD doesn’t have a car and is fine. She will use the bus or use Uber to get around town.

3

I don’t have a car and I’m fine. Most freshmen don’t have cars anyway. There are several buses/public transit that can get you between airports. From the College Park metro, you can get to Dulles, Reagan, and you can metro to the bus stop where you can hop on a bus to get you to BWI. (All these options are year-round, not just during holiday seasons.)

4

Resident freshmen are not eligible for campus parking permits, but they can request an exemption. Here is the applicable link

http://www.dots.umd.edu/student.html

My D, a graduating senior, has never had a car on campus and she gets around just fine.

5

Def do not need a car on campus, especially as freshman.

Here the page with the info about bus arrival times at various stops so you can track for convenience
http://www.transportation.umd.edu/nextbus.html

There is also a ridesharing option
https://umd.rideamigos.com/#/

And if you really want a car for a specific reason, zip car allows rentals to 18 year olds
https://www.zipcar.com

For transport to airport DURING BREAKS, UMD has FREE shuttle, so plan trips around BWI availability rather than Reagan/Dulles
(http://www.dots.umd.edu/trips.html)
Shuttle Service to/from BWI Airport
The Department of Transportation Services will operate free shuttle service to the Baltimore/Washington International Airport during Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring break.
Pickup Location:
All shuttles will leave from Cole Field House and pick up passengers from BWI Airport from Door 18 at the International Arrival terminal. This is the last door in the terminal.
Dates & Pickup Times:
Departure from Maryland to BWI Friday, March 16th (Leaves from Cole Student Activities Building)
5am, 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm
Departure from BWI to Maryland Sunday, March 25th (Returning to Cole Student Activities Building)
8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, 10pm
We require no reservations or tickets, but passengers must show a University ID to ride.
If you have any questions please email dotsTrips@umd.edu. For Charter Operations call (301) 314-7271 and select option 1.
Transportation to BWI is also available by connecting to the Greenbelt Metro Station from College Park on the Green Metrorail Line and taking the B30 Express Metrobus to BWI Airport.

For airport info any other time, here is a page with options - note the mention of super shuttle being $28 one way
https://www2.cscamm.umd.edu/visitors/directions/airports.htm

6

My son is currently a freshman. He has a car with him because between dual enrollment and AP exams he entered with 66 credits so technically he is a junior. He filled his car with gas in college park the morning he moved into the dorms which was around August 23. I visited him December 1 and I put gas in the car because he had 1/4 of a tank. He then tells me he has never filled it up since August 23. So - you don’t need a car at all.