Packing for college requires you to be ruthless with your belongings — even the nicest dorm room lacks sufficient space for all your things. But, one of the items that may be causing the most stress doesn’t even fit in your room — your car. As a freshman, is it worth keeping your car on campus?
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Some colleges may take this decision out of your hands completely. Before you lose sleep over your car situation, check if your school allows the privilege of keeping a car on campus as a freshman. If it does, here are a few reasons to consider making the move behind the wheel of your own car.
If you have a car on campus, you are free to go whenever and wherever you want. Whether it’s to run errands in town, partake in off-campus adventures, or head home for the weekend, you have complete control.
Helping hand
Someone always needs a ride, and if you are the one with the car, your friends may lean on you for help. If you are willing to be that person, go for it.
“It can feel good to know you’re helping someone out in a pinch or even helping support a fun event for someone special, like a celebratory birthday night downtown,” according to ThoughtCo. writer Kelci Lynn Lucier.
Work opportunities
If you plan to work while you are a student, having a car at your disposal can open up your employment options. You can expand your job or internship search, so you don’t have to settle for an on-campus job that pays less money than you’d want.
“If you’ll regularly be commuting off-campus for a job or internship having a car may make sense. Driving is safer than biking and often faster than public transit,” according to MoneyUnder30.com writer Chris Butsch.
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Having a car on campus is a fun perk, but it comes with a lot of responsibility. Be sure that with all the changes you’ll be experiencing as a new college student, having a car on campus will add and not detract from this new and demanding stage in your life.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.
