Credit: Shutterstock photoThe summer is just about over, meaning thousands of college students nationwide are returning to campus. Some take planes, some trains, and some also take their car. Having your car at college is exciting as it gives you the freedom to go just about anywhere you like. Underneath the liberation however may lay the cold hard truth that having your car at school can be a bigger inconvenience than benefit. Here are some factors you should consider before bringing the car to school.
Can You Afford It?
You (or more like your parents) are already paying anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 a year on your education, but did you know its possible your car could tack on another $6,000 to that tally! How do we figure? Well the biggest chunk of that price tag is car insurance. If you remain on your parent’s plan, and they are footing the bill still, then you don’t need to worry about it. For everyone else who has to pay for his or her own insurance, the price tag is quite hefty. As we found here, the average cost of full coverage car insurance for a 17-year-old driver is over $7,000. For a twenty year old, it’s a bit cheaper at $3,994 per year. Still though, that’s quite a chunk of change to pay year after year. The price can fluctuate a lot between states and cities though. College towns in North Carolina for example only had an average price of $873 per year, while those in Michigan had an average price of $6,606 per year. That’s something to consider if you are a Tar Heel or a Wolverine. If you do go to a school in a state with expensive insurance, you can read here all the ways you can cut costs, such as getting lower limits.
Other pricing considerations include the cost of gas, how much it would take to repair the car in the event of something breaking down, also how much it will take to park in the school. Driving to UPenn or Drexel in Pennsylvania for example could cost you upwards of $1,768 per year in parking. As a college student, extra money is a rare commodity, so think twice before spending it on your car.
Is it Convenient and Safe?
Convenience is a subjective word, and can mean many things to different people. For some people, walking ten minutes can be a spirited adventure, or a dreaded nightmare. Still, there are a certain things that most people consider inconvenient when it comes to maintaining a car. For one, no one likes to drive in bad weather—especially snow. You’re more likely to get into an accident, there’s more traffic, and don’t forget about shoveling. Parts of the United States are better with weather than others. So if you go to school at USC or most other U.C. schools, you won’t experience too many days of slippery roads. If you go to school up in Syracuse, you’ll experience many days--many snowy days--that will make it a nightmare to have a car in the winter. Checking your school's annual weather patterns is as easy as going on Wikipedia, or one of the numerous climate tracking websites online.
Next, you also can’t forget about parking. Some schools have good parking situations, while others not so good. Take UC Berkeley for example which scores a D- on Niche.com’s definitive list of parking rankings for colleges. At some colleges, it may be so hard to find a parking spot every day that you may need to totally adjust your daily schedule in order to find one. Looking into your school’s parking situation should definitely be something you consider before taking it to school with you.
Lastly, some schools are set up in such a way you need to have a car. For example, everything is so spread out, the campus is far away from housing, or there is no public transport. In these situations, your day to day life may be harder without a car. If you go to a school in a big city however, there is most likely tons of public transport you can rely on. As well, if you go to a school like Wake Forest, where most everything is centralized to one location, there is less need for a car. According to census data, less than 10% of people living within the Wake Forest area commute anywhere by car. So before you bring the car to campus, make sure you actually need it. If you are extra determined, you can look at census data to figure out the percent of commuters in your college area, or you can see if your school publishes as data on its number of commuters.
Final Thoughts
Odds are you are not going to find the perfect school for bringing a car. You can have great weather, ok parking, but really expensive insurance. There will be a trade off somewhere, and ultimately its up to you to decide what is most important. If you find however taking your car will be expensive, and inconvenient, perhaps it's just not worth that extra bit of freedom.
The article Things to Consider Before Bringing Your Car to School originally appeared on ValuePenguin.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
