Posts published on August 2, 2016

Should You Take Your Car to College?

by Jane Hurst

When the time comes to leave home for college, if you have a car, should you take it with you? This is a question that many students face. Yes, it is great to have transportation, but sometimes, it may be best to not take your car. There are many things to consider before you take your car with you to college, beginning with school rules. It may be that the school you will be attending doesn’t allow students to have cars. Other things to consider include:
Parking
One of the first things to think about is where you are going to park your car. Some schools may not have student parking available. You may also not be able to park near your dorm or apartment. It may be that you will not only have to pay for parking, but that you will have to park so far away that you will end up walking a lot anyway. Another consideration is winter. If you do have a parking area, but it is not covered, you will end up doing a lot of shoveling and scraping.
Expenses
As a student, you are not likely to have a lot of discretionary income. You may not even be able to afford to have your car with you. In addition to the regular expenses that come with owning a vehicle, there could be added costs that you can’t afford, including parking fees, higher insurance rates because you are driving more, etc. Don’t forget that people will be asking for rides everywhere, and often not offering to pay for gas, so you will be spending more there as well.
Where You are Driving
You need to think about where you will be driving your car. If there are a lot of places to eat on campus, it is unlikely that you will be making many trips to the grocery store. It is the same with entertainment and socializing. Of course, if you want to make trips home or to see a boyfriend or girlfriend, you will appreciate a vehicle rather than having to pay for another form of transportation. Maybe you have a friend who operates a motorfleet. Ask them about doing a comparison on motorfleet quotes, and if they can lend you a vehicle if you need it.
Other Modes of Transportation
Are there a lot of ways to get around near the college you will be attending? If there are buses, subways, etc., there may actually be no need at all for you to bother taking your car to college with you. If it is a small area and everything is near the campus, there is also no need to have a car, because you can easily walk everywhere. In fact, you may be wasting a lot of money because you will be paying for a car that you really don’t need to use. It may be a better idea to just leave the vehicle at home if this is the case.
Other Drivers
If you do decide to take your car with you to college, you need to keep in mind that people are going to be asking to borrow your car. You will need to set up clear rules as to who is and is not allowed to use the car, where they can take it, how much gas they need to put in, etc. It is actually probably an even better idea to just not let anyone use it at all, especially if you don’t have coverage for occasional drivers. If you choose to lend your vehicle to someone, make sure that you know them well, that you trust them, and that they are legally able to drive your car.
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Jane Hurst has been working in education for over 5 years as a teacher. She loves sharing her knowledge with students, is fascinated about edtech and loves reading, a lot. Follow Jane on Twitter!