I won’t have a car when I go to college this fall, since I can’t drive. The college I’m attending is in a large urban city that has public transportation, so it’s not that bad. Also, I walked to elementary and high school every single day, so walking doesn’t bother me (although, rainy days when my shoes got soaked did suck). I read one thread in the parents forum and many of them were saying it was a necessity to know how to drive before you go off to college. I think it really depends on your situation
I just want to hear from any of you guys who have been in the same situation. Did you find it annoying having to walk or bike everywhere? Or was it not even a big deal?
Even those of us who can drive and have cars rarely were able to drive on campus.
I don’t think it’s a big deal especially if public transportation is good.
I have a car but I don’t drive it to/from campus. Walking, biking, or public transit is fine unless you have to drive far away for something.
I didn’t think about this, but it also depends on the size of your campus. I guess if your campus is smaller, there’s no need to drive.
I hear that parking permits for the semester are expensive too
Literally would not last 1 day without it. But I’m from a small town in a rural state.
I’m 24 and I still don’t know how to drive a car. I do know how to ride a motorcycle, but I don’t have one or plan to buy one. I take public transportation and like it. I’m studying urban planning for public transportation administration. Buses and trains are my thing.
Then again, I live in San Francisco. There isn’t really anywhere you can’t get here. I live at one end of the city and commute to the other end for work, and it only takes an hour to an hour and a half. That’s fine on a transit vehicle where I can surf the internet or read (same thing I’d be doing at home, really). I only pay $70 a month for unlimited rides. I couldn’t park in the city for that, let alone gas and insurance.
Many schools don’t allow freshman to have cars. Even if you can have a car and afford a parking pass, that parking pass may only be a permission to hunt for parking all the time. My daughter has gotten by just fine at an urban school with public transportation and walking. She has a restricted overseas driver’s license so knows how to drive a car, but no license in the US yet. I am not sure when she will get around to getting a stateside license, probably when her situation requires one.
I don’t have a car here, and have never needed one. It would be convenient for things like grocery shopping, but it’s definitely not necessary. The town my school is in has a very good bus system and is easily bikeable though. And frankly I’m happy about that, because I hate driving and only do it when absolutely necessary even when I do have access to a car.
One of my roommates is 22 and has no idea how to drive, and has no intentions of learning anytime soon. She gets by by biking, taking public transportation, and carpooling with people (when she’s at home).
With regards to campus size, my school is huge and most people don’t drive, not to class at least. That’s partly because it’s just not necessary, and partly because parking is way too much of a hassle when you consider how much you’re paying for a permit and how hard it is to find parking. Instead, people bike pretty much everywhere and the campus is built around the bikes. If people aren’t biking, they’re probably taking the bus, or just walking if they live close enough to campus. Just being on a big campus doesn’t mean that people drive.
@Spaceship When my mom visited San Francisco last year, she was shocked at how good the public transportation is there. We live in Texas, so there’s pretty much zero public transportation (it’s terrible).
@NorthernMom61 Wow, I wasn’t aware that some school don’t allow freshman to have cars. I have a friend who goes to University of Texas and she told me that finding parking is a huge hassle.
@PhantomVirgo I may end up being like your roommate. I mostly likely won’t have any need to drive anywhere, so I’ll probably just end up not learning how to drive for a long time.
My sister lives in Boston (has amazing public transportation) and she didn’t drive until she was 26. The only reason she learned how to drive was because she got a job that provided her with a company car.
You’ll be fine in your situation as long as you bring a bike or longboard.
Download the uber app if you ever need a ride. Or get a bike.
I can’t ride a bike. But, I will get Uber for whenever I want to explore the city
My D really wants her car at school. The closest city/airport/bus station is 35 miles away and is a $60 cab ride. She hasn’t had a lot of luck with transport to the city for trips home or to go see friends so its becoming $$. She is walkign distance into town and there’s a school van that goes back and forth every hour or so but nothing convenient into Albany, or at least not convenient for travel purposes. If she lived in a city, I wouldn’t even consider a car. Uber, bike, cab, walk…