We are still a few years away from in-depth college planning but my anxious D26 is already thinking about the type of school she would like to attend. She has a mild form of epilepsy and cannot drive so she is most concerned with finding a campus where no driving is necessary. When researching colleges how do I go about finding a self contained campus where everything is walkable, has shuttles or transportation to classes, dining, sports, etc.
Driving to get to class isn’t necessary at most schools, even the big ones. That said, smaller will obviously result in much less walking.
I linked the Macalester map. It’s a nice example of a very small, very walkable campus. There are LOTS of them though. Knowing more like what she might want to study and what part of the country she’d like to be in would be helpful.
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OP- at most urban campuses, having a car is rare. Just costs too much to park it, so the U’s provide shuttles, buses, and the students are very accustomed to getting around without cars.
Don’t worry about it! A city with good public transportation makes it easy for students to explore- and they often have discounted subway/bus passes as well.
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I agree that many (most?) college campuses don’t require students to drive; at many, students aren’t even allowed to bring a car the first year. Also, if there is a distance that is better managed via than via walking, university buses are usually available. Does your D need a small campus, or just a campus where everything is walkable? What other criteria does your family have (budget, location, majors, etc)?
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I didn’t even have a car on the huge UT-Austin campus until I was a senior, and that was just because my dad bought me one. I found I didn’t need one.
Ditto, I was halfway through senior year before I got a car!
Both of our kids went to colleges that were urban. Neither ever had a car. Very walkable campuses, and good public transportation. And this was before Uber or Lyft were a thing.
Many many many colleges (and bit necessarily urban) are walkable campuses with at least some things within walking distance for students.
What does your kid want to be able to walk to that is NOT college sponsored? I ask, because for sports, there are shuttle buses if the event is too far to walk.
I attended a SLAC in a rural location and never had a car. Most of my friends didn’t have cars either. With most students living on campus it wasn’t really necessary - for times you wanted to go into town there was a shuttle service. I don’t think you need a car at most colleges unless you are a commuter.
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One daughter attended a small university. We looked at multiple small universities and LACs, and none of them would have required a car. A bicycle was also not needed nor particularly useful for any of them. In many cases the parking lot was further from the campus than the dorms were from the classes and meals.
I also agree that for most urban universities a car is neither needed nor particularly useful. Public transit and/or walking works better. For an urban campus there are more likely to be internships accessible via walking or public transit.
Both daughters did at one point want a car for internships and/or part time jobs. However, at least one daughter only used a car for her first internship, and it turned out that there were other students with internships in the same site that could have provided her with a ride. Her next two internships did not require a car at all – they were on campus. She could have picked all of her internships on campus if she had wanted to. The other daughter had off campus jobs and internships only because she was interested in large animals and that was where the large animals were.
Some students get a car because they live off campus and use it to drive to campus. The obvious solution is either live on campus, or select an apartment which is very close to campus.
I didn’t even learn to drive until after I got my bachelor’s degree.
There might be a small handful of campuses where this might be an issue, but I would expect that for most campuses this would not be an issue at all. There will be many, many universities where the majority of students do not own a car.
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Thank you all for the quick responses! I can put her at ease that driving is not necessary at most colleges. She would like to study sports medicine (kinesiology, physical therapy, etc.), stay within about 6 or so hours from NJ - and has a competitive (UCA, NCA) all girl cheer team. She thinks she wants a smaller school - but we plan to have her look at both. Current (in process) list to consider is below - this only encompasses UCA cheer schools with the criteria above- we will pull NCA cheer schools in April and adjust as we go. When researching schools - what is everyone’s go to site for stats - I gathered info from US News and Niche. Thanks!
Pennsylvania State
Temple University
University of Delaware
University of Massachusetts
Towson University
The College of New Jersey
University of Mount Union
James Madison University
University of Rhode Island
Sacred Heart??
Elephant in the room question. Are the out of state public universities on this list affordable?
Or rather, what’s the budget?
With respect to websites, two that I use (depending on what type of search I’m looking for) are:
One thing besides the usual considerations is how your daughter will get medical care if needed and what that will cost. Colleges have insurance policies you can purchase but it’d be worthwhile to start researching that. Also not all colleges guarantee housing on campus all 4 years. TCNJ doesn’t and they’re about to start a big construction project with their dorms which could affect students over the next several years.
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Does she want to be able to walk into town? Or just get around campus? Many suburban or rural schools are in small towns, but that is not always walkable from campus. Most colleges are self contained, meaning it is possible to never leave campus because you have everything you need there.
Temple’s campus is small and contained. Main bus line right there. Neighborhood is sketchy though. Maybe Drexel or St. Joes in Philly?
Pitt would fit the bill. Walkable and tons of buses. Chatham is nearby if she wants smaller.
Huge elephant in the room - honestly the higher end price tags not really but they on the list for discussion - we also have Rutgers to add but of course she is dead set against it - I think its a teen requirement to dislike your local schools… even though she does like TCNJ.
Thanks for the links. Honestly I have to figure out our budget…we are just starting to tip toe into the pool. its overwhelming to say the least.
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Thank you! I will look into these suggestions.
Take a look at Springfield College. They have great kinesiology and PT programs. No cars for first year students and several of the students I know there never had one.
ETA It’s a perfectly doable trip from NJ - my cousin went there from Ocean Township.
Linked is a list of 97 schools that have fewer than 9,000 students, cheerleading, an exercise science/PT-type major, and is likely to be within 6 hours of New Jersey.
The schools described below seem to perhaps be some of the better options for what you say you want, based upon looking at the UCA/NCA websites.
- U. of Scranton (PA ): About 3600 undergrads, a 12:1 student/faculty ratio, a major in physical therapy (and several other health fields), and is one of a handful of universities offering 3 & 4-day UCA camps.
- Stockton (NJ): About 8800 undergrads and offers majors in both physical therapy and in exercise science/kinesiology. As an in-stater this would be extremely likely for admission and one of your most affordable options. Performed at the UCA nationals.
- Endicott (MA): About 3100 undergrads, offers a major in exercise science/kinesiology (and in sport and fitness administration, should your D change interests), and performed at the UCA nationals. Also has a 13:1 student/faculty ratio.
- Gannon (PA ): About 2900 undergrads and offers majors in athletic training, exercise science/kinesiology, and physical therapy as well as in related fields like sport and fitness administration/management. Participated in the 2021 NCA nationals.
- Hofstra (NY): Has about 6,000 students and offers 173 majors including athletic training. There’s a 13:1 student/faculty ratio as well. Performed at the UCA nationals
- Long Island (NY): Has 6,000 undergrads with a 10:1 student/faculty ratio and majors in athletic training, exercise physiology & kinesiology, physical therapy, and if D changes her major interests in Sport & Fitness Admin/Management and in Sports Communication. Performed at the UCA nationals.
Below are some other institutions that would be in the 6-hr range of New Jersey that had some NCA or UCA participation, but were not in the list of 97 linked above (probably due to either size or lacking a PT-esque major).
Nonqualifiers for Group Stunt NCA
- U. of Rhode Island
- Rutgers
- Providence
- Stony Brook
Performers at UCA Nationals:
- St. John’s U
- Pittsburg State
- Central Connecticut State
- College of NJ
- Long Island University
- Endicott
- Saint Joseph’s U
- U. Delaware
- Stockton (NJ)
- Temple
- Hofstra
- Quinnipiac
- Westfield State (MA)
- Villanova
- Rowan
- West Chester
- Rutgers
ETA: You would have to check and see if the cheer teams are all girl or not.
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