As a Working College Student who has yet to get her license and a car, there are many things that I hear very often when relating to transportation. I would like to say now that I mean no disrespect to anybody, and that I am writing this to bring light to how often these phrases are used when it comes to some of the conversations that either I, or other College Students who have yet to get their license and a car, have when people talk about transportation. Though I try to push off and ignore any rude comments that I sometimes get, while being as respectful as I can about it, when someone finds out that I still haven’t invested the time or money into getting my license or a car yet, it does start to get annoying hearing the same comments about it all the time. For some of us, we have a good reason as to why we haven’t gone out to get our license and a car yet, so sometimes we deserve a bit of a break from constantly hearing questions about it. These are some of the comments and questions that I tend to hear a lot from those who may not completely understand my point of view of why I don’t have a car yet.
1. Don’t you want to have your own freedom? You could get so much more freedom with your own car!
I have just the right amount of freedom that I need right now. I have as much freedom as I want to be able to have. I don’t have to have a car just to have some “freedom”. With the cost of a car and the cost of insurance, I am financially more free right now than what I would be if I had a car. Having a car and a license doesn’t give a person as much freedom as it seems because you have the initial cost of the car, insurance, oil checks, new tires every so often, the cost of gas to go anywhere, and just general upkeep of the car. The money that would be going to a car is going to other, more important items right now.
2. You’re working as well as going to College, so where does all the money that you earn go? If you aren’t investing in paying for a car and insurance, you must be blowing all your money on something stupid that isn’t worthwhile.
Exactly, I’m working while in College. Just because I don’t have the bills associated with a house or apartment, a car, credit cards, or anything else like that does not mean that I don’t have bills to pay. I’m working through College to be able to pay for College. Sometimes students don’t have enough loans, scholarships, and grants to completely cover the costs of College because College isn’t exactly cheap. When in College, we have tuition, room and board if we are living on campus like I am, class fees, dorm deposits, expensive textbooks, and so much more that we required to come up with the money for. Everything that I am paying for IS worthwhile, and I am making the smartest choice that I could make by putting my money towards my education first, and waiting to get a car later.
3. How do you get to school from being at home? How do you get home for breaks? How do you get to the store when you need to get toiletries or groceries? It must be so annoying trying to find ways to get around everywhere.
Although I hate to admit it sometimes, I rely on family to get me back and forth from home to school and from school to home. Most of my family lives about two hours away from school and love me enough to help me get back and forth and realize that helping me get back and forth from school until I can afford my own car is helping to invest in my future. When it comes to going to the store or going to get the occasional meal out, there is a busing system that runs on campus Monday-Saturday every week from 7:30-9:00 am and 12:00-4:30 pm, so I usually take the bus when I need it. It’s 70 cents round trip for me to be able to get what I need from the store, and well worth the little bit of change. Though the change does add up over the few years that I’m in school, 70 cents every few weeks really isn’t anywhere as bad as coming up with gas and maintenance on a car. It’s also not as hard as it may seem to get the occasional ride from other College Students who may have a car when it’s necessary. The College Students that have cars realize that it’s not easy being in College with or without a car, and most, if not all, are in the mindset that they realize that we would do that same for them if the roles were reversed.
4. How do you get places when you want to go out with friends or just need a night out by yourself off campus? It must be so boring constantly being stuck on campus.
Like I mentioned in the last question, there is a busing system that runs throughout the week during the day for when I really need to get off campus. I usually don’t want to go off campus in the evenings because I usually work on my homework in the evenings. I work the best in the evenings when it comes to working on my homework because that is when my brain is working the hardest. Coming from someone with Insomnia, I’m more of a night owl than an early bird, so I tend to think better at night than in the early mornings. I don’t mind being stuck on campus most of the time anymore because I am working on homework a lot of the time, or need some sleep in my free time, so the best place to do both is right here on campus. I am comfortable with staying on campus most of the time. I don’t have the money to go out and do anything, like have a nice dinner or go watch a movie at the theaters or anything because I’m so focused on using my money to pay my way through school instead of wasting it.
5. Have you thought about different living options other than living on campus? How would the different options work out if you don’t have a car? How does it feel knowing that it is difficult moving off campus without a car?
I have thought about other living options, like getting an apartment off campus or something, but just really don’t think it’s the greatest idea. With living on campus, I’m able to save time by living right by everything. I’m only a few minutes away from chapel, from classes, from my work, from the cafeteria, and from anyone that I need to go and talk to about anything. What’s the point in me moving off campus and wasting time that could be spent on working on homework in the evenings or sleeping in a little extra in the mornings by traveling to or from school? It’s more time efficient for me to live on campus where I’m so close to everything school related than for me to move off campus. I also love the atmosphere that comes with living on campus. Though I’m not best friends with all the girls living in the dorms, I know that I still have girls anywhere I turn that I can go to if I ever need anything. I’m so close to a group of other young adults who may be going through a lot of the same things that I may be going through, so I can turn to them, and they are also able to come to me. Living on campus, you don’t have to be friends with everyone living around you to be able to help them out in some way or another. We all help each other out when we can.
Though a license would make things easier at times, I am satisfied with where I am at. I am not required to have a car to be able to manage throughout College. I am able to get done what needs to get done without having a car of my own.
