[I will be posting this to a number of schools so my apologies to those who see it multiple times]
The question “do you need a car” doesn’t address the whole situation. When I went to Syracuse University I certainly didn’t need a car but it did make it a lot easier to go grocery shopping or visit friends’ apartments when we were upper classmen. Going home for the weekend was a much easier 3 hour drive than a train ride of 4 hours plus whatever time it took dad to get me. (30 minutes?). I don’t remember how I even got to the SYR train station. Most of my friends were really happy that I had a car and was quick to lend.
What about here? Is transit and Uber sufficient?
Are you a graduate student?
In Waltham having a car would help. But I would advise her not to lend it to friends as you did.
I had a 10 year old Dodge Dart with 132,000 miles on it. A non-injurious crash would have been a blessing. I would never let her drive such a death trap.
The commuter rail is right on the corner of the campus and there are busses into Cambridge daily (hourly), so no, not really. I can only see using a car to get away from the campus, away from Boston, because taking one into Boston will be a hindrance.
How much grocery shopping would a Freshman do, anyway?
Care packages full of Ramen and Pirate Booty would eliminate any need for a grocery store! I’m kind of hoping that she might stay there for more than just her Freshman year.
I am a current student (rising senior) at Brandeis. I did not have a car until junior year, and got around perfectly fine. That being said, it is nice having one and while I don’t even use it to get into Boston or even to Waltham all the time, it does make life a little bit easier if I need more shampoo, or I have to get a professional outfit.
I’ve lived in Waltham for six months now without a car and honestly only appreciate the fact that my girlfriend has one when we want to drive to New York or into central Massachusetts. You don’t need a car to get into Boston (in fact, you’ll appreciate not having one) and Brandeis has a shuttle for students into Boston that runs on weekends until the wee morning hours. Waltham is extremely walkable, with three good-size grocery stores within walking distance of Brandeis (two Indian grocery stores, one more like Safeway called Hannaford). From Moody St. to Brandeis it’s about a half hour walk, totally doable with a backpack full of groceries. There are also tons of transit options and I have a neighbor who regularly uses Uber to get around more quickly.