<p>I have read that a car is a necessity at Eckerd college in Florida. Can anyone elaborate on this?</p>
<p>I believe that is a common remark about smallish schools not in the middle of a place. Eckerd is just off I-275, near the Sunshine Skyway. It’s a pretty area for boats but not much else. Downtown St. Pete, which isn’t much, is a drive away. If you want to go anywhere, a car is really useful, even to the outlet mall in Ellenton.</p>
<p>It sounds like a social need. I guess I’d rather have my S stay on campus than drive around looking for fun elsewhere. Surely a beach on campus is incentive to stick around.</p>
<p>Having visited, I would agree that a car would make for a much better experience.</p>
<p>The college is more or less a gated community, without even so much as a coffee shop within walking distance. I believe it is sort of on a small peninsula, with a two lane highway out front and water on the other two sides.</p>
<p>Eckerd permits even freshmen to have cars. We saw the student parking lots on the tour.</p>
<p>Of course, I can imagine that a critical mass of students does have a car, so that it would be relatively easy to get a ride with someone else.</p>
<p>I’m going to gently suggest that you are being naive if you think withholding a car from your son will keep him physically on campus. He’ll hitch rides with friends who have cars.</p>
<p>Exactly when and how often is uncertain. Some kids will immediately relish being on their own and will go off campus right away others will take awhile to warm up to the idea–but it would be the extremely rare kid who upon being 18 years old, living on a college campus would force himself to stay on campus 24/7 when the majority of his classmate (and indeed the majority of the 18+ year old population in the US) come and go as they please. In fact, I think it would be rare and a bit weird for a kid to stay 24/7 on campus.</p>
<p>Maybe a car is not in his immediate future - there are cost and responsibilities associated with car ownership (and many parents do not supply cars to their adult kids). But I hope for his sake your son does get a chance to venture off campus at a “normal” and reasonable frequency.</p>
<p>Annika</p>
<p>I agree that getting off campus once in awhile would be fun, but I’m wondering if the school has no social scene on campus. I understand I sound naive, but actually this will be my 3rd child in college with no car. My other two go to small schools and would find a car useful to run to target but get most of their fun with their friends on campus. Who can afford to pay for college and a car? If the campus clears out on Friday then there is something lacking.</p>
<p>Having a car will make it easier to go off campus. When I went to college, yes, I did piggyback on friends who had cars, but it was only when the opportunity arose, or something was important enough that I asked for the favor. My friends with cars were much more likely to just go off campus since it required nothing more than their own desire to do so. In fact they would also be asked for favors in terms of rides, and that would add to the number of times they would go for a spin. </p>
<p>One of the colleges we liked had a lot of kids with cars, and did not have an easy way to get anywhere without one as there was no nearby public transportation. Also very little in the area off campus but a lot within a short car ride away. In fact the school offered many off campus opportunities and they told us outright that there were enough kids with cars that ride sharing was not problematic.</p>
<p>Well, son preferred a school where fewer kids had cars, there is public transportation within walking distance and enough to do with walking distance and with public transportation lines. It was not the only reason or even the main reason, but a factor noted.</p>
<p>I guess I am naive. Where is everyone going? The drinking age is 21 so not clubs.</p>
<p>The beach at Eckerd is a small manmade beach – a car would be necessary to go to the big public beaches.</p>
<p>While we were staying at St. Petersburg beach (15 minute drive), several Eckerd students drove up and took their kayak off the roof of their car to go out on the Intercoastal waterway.</p>
<p>We shopped in one of the little resort shops and heard of an Eckerd student who worked there – she would’ve had to have a car to get to this job.</p>
<p>Students would need a car to drive to Target, the grocery store, anyplace to buy supplies, shopping at the mall.</p>
<p>It would be fun to go out for a meal off campus.</p>
<p>Busch Gardens is in Tampa, about a 45 minute drive away.</p>
<p>Etc.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that Eckerd is a small college – so it would be natural to go off campus for diversion and some variety.</p>
<p>ok, I can agree that those road trips would be great once in awhile. Key words being once in a while. And seriously, are there that many kids who can afford college and cars? The schools my other two go to have public transportation to go to Target, etc. Both are within 45 minutes of big cities and both schools have shuttles for a nominal fee. (less than gas) They also offer day trips to various locations. Does anyone know if Eckerd offers these services? I thought I read Eckerd had free kayaking. Is it more fun to jump in your car and come and go as you please? Heck yes. But it should be possible to have freedom of movement without a car.</p>
<p>Eckerd has a small student population and many students probably do have cars.</p>
<p>As a result, I suspect that there is not much provided in terms of shuttles and otherwise public transport (the demand is just not there to make it cost effective), although I could of course be wrong.</p>
<p>My other kid’s schools are similar in size. I’d be interested to hear from someone who knows Eckerd.</p>
<p>But now my question has turned into “Are there really that many people who can afford both college and cars?” In this economy I am amazed that this would be considered the norm.</p>
<p>ProudMary, no we cannot afford college, and a car.</p>
<p>I had asked this question about Eckerd as well as about other schools. I did work with someone who visited very close to Eckerd several times per year. I asked him if one needs a car. He happens to be a guy who takes public transit even where I think it is not convenient. He said that you need a car. The reason he gave was that public transit in this area is not good, and the school is along a highway where you cannot walk.</p>
<p>Thanks, Northeast, for that info.</p>
<p>ProudMary, I think the situation with Eckerd is somewhat unusual because it is a small LAC in an urban area – where there really is no public transportation.</p>
<p>Many small LACs (Hamilton, Bates, Williams, whatever) are in small towns, so the need for public transportation is not an issue.</p>
<p>Other schools are in New York or DC or Philadelphia where it is possible to walk to some interesting places and easily take the bus or subway elsewhere.</p>
<p>If you cannot afford a car, of course you can’t provide one, and I’m sure students at Eckerd survive without them.</p>
<p>Well, my S has a winning smile and so may be able to mooch from his friends. ; ) </p>
<p>I believe he’s going to make us visit so we’ll have that on our list of things to check out.</p>
<p>Do let us know what happens! I find the car issue to be a big headache!</p>
<p>To be clear, you don’t get a car as a freshman. That’s a bad idea. You see how things develop. Many schools prohibit cars for freshmen, and I generally agree with that.</p>
<p>My good friend’s D is headed to Eckerd next year. She will NOT have a car her freshman year. The deal is that if she maintains a B average she can take the car to school sophomore year. This girl has always tended to be used by other kids in high school, and never says no to anyone, so her parents are worried that if she has a car freshman year she’ll spend all her time driving other kids around instead of doing her school work and she’ll never know who her “real” friends are. FWIW, they can afford college and a car.</p>
<p>Here are my comments:
from another thread : <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/eckerd-college/631284-will-d-need-car-eckerd.html?highlight=eckerd[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/eckerd-college/631284-will-d-need-car-eckerd.html?highlight=eckerd</a></p>