<p>Right now I have a car that costs me $130 a month for the car payment and $75 a month for insurance. Basically $200 a month. I currently have a part-time job in my hometown that I do to pay for it, but I HATE having a job when my main focus is school. It's more manageable in high school, but in college I want time to do internships and study abroad and other activities without having to think "Is this going to cut into my time set aside for a part-time minimum wage job that has absolutely nothing to do with my college education?"</p>
<p>When I go to school, I plan to have an on-campus job doing research assistance, student government, or student admissions representative. Something that I will ENJOY, not something I'm forced to do because I have bills to pay. But I don't want to turn around and spend all of my income on a car that will sit in the parking garage until I have to drive home.</p>
<p>I'm planning on going to either New College of Florida or Florida State University. I'd love to hear from students from one of these schools, or students in general. How much do you really need a car in college? I just don't think it's worth the expense of keeping up a $200/month bill to have one.</p>
<p>A car is really not all that necessary. I come home on weekends because of a family obligations, but I think I’ve driven off campus for other reasons only 3-4 times since school started in August. Most of the things I need are available on campus, and whenever I go out with friends I ride with someone else to save gas money. My school also has a pretty good bus system available that I could easily to use to go get groceries, go to appointments, etc if I didn’t have my car. </p>
<p>I’m not familar with FSU or UCF, but as long as there are busses or other options available, you should be fine without a car. I would advise saving your money if the public transportation is decent and you don’t have a legitimate reason to keep the car. </p>
<p>I know FSU has a pretty good bus system to get people around Tallahassee since it’s both a college town and Florida’s capital city.</p>
<p>New College is a small LAC in Sarasota, Florida, which is largely a tourist / retirement town. Not really sure how their transportation is, but I’ve heard their campus is like a bubble, so students don’t ever have a reason to leave. </p>
<p>It really depends on the person. For me, having a car would be more of an inconvenience and unnecessary expense than anything else. I live right by campus, and there is a plethora of options for public transportation. It’s easy enough to walk from place to place while actually on campus. The expense of owning, operating, and parking a car would be a huge inconvenience that I simply do not want. Some people are in situations where having a car is almost essential during college, so my situation is far from universal. </p>
<p>If you’re living on campus, then there’s a very good chance that you won’t need one. There is ample public transportation on most college campuses. Parking can be more of a hassle than it’s worth, and the parking often isn’t free. </p>
<p>Agreed that you don’t really need a car if public transportation is easily accessible. The only time I would recommend one would be if you regularly need to go somewhere off-campus not serviced by bus, such as a job or research position. Then it might be worth considering. Also, remember that parking passes usually cost a lot per marking period! A friend of mine brought his car to campus and has driven it once on a trip to Target, haha. </p>
<p>Once you decide where you want to attend, I would try asking around and seeing what current students think about bringing a car. Like you said, a small retirement community and college town will have different things to offer in terms of transportation.</p>