<p>I have a D who is a recent Skidmore grad. She did not have a car her first or second year when she lived in the traditional dorms. Before she left home, we stocked up on toiletries and dorm food. When we went for parent’s weekend, we would shop again. Her third and fourth year she did have a car when she lived in Skidmore apartment housing and was off the meal plan. She rarely left campus and basically only drove to the grocery store, CVS, and once or twice to an art supply store. The public bus runs right into town and there is a grocery store one block west of Broadway. She did take some funny pictures of the car buried in snow in the parking lot. </p>
<p>OP, see if you can make a compromise with you H to at least wait until second semester to make the offer. D may decide she doesn’t really need it and/or H will realize she is fine without it. </p>
<p>Friends have a Skidmore grad daughter. She did not have a car her first or second year. But like the poster above, she did have a car when she moved to the Skidmore apartments (which are very nice). </p>
<p>I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer…I like the idea of waiting until after the first term, and then making a decision.</p>
<p>I let my D take her car freshman year. She’s an older freshman and an experienced driver. She also attends a rural LAC and has some health issues. I wanted her to have easy access to the CVS and grocery store. A lot of kids have cars at her school so being a taxi service isn’t a concern. The other huge benefit is that she can drive herself back and forth to school (about 7.5 hours) for breaks. </p>
<p>You guys are blowing my mind. I went to a state school and virtually everyone had a car. There is now public transportation which didn’t exist when I was a student, but taking the bus to go to Wal-Mart is an ordeal (I live there today, and rode the bus once with my kids) that will turn a 30-minute trip into a two- or three-hour journey. Almost all of the students still have cars.</p>
<p>If your daughter doesn’t have a car, how exactly is she going to get to and from school? How will she get her hair and nails done? If she wants a Wendy’s burger, how will she get it? Does she have a car now? If not, how does she get around? How does she go to high school?</p>
<p>My son just turned 16 and like almost every set of parents I know we bought him a used car; in our case it is his Christmas present (actually I know a lot of kids who have gotten new cars at 16, but I’d rather have any dents or scrapes go on an older car). I am so looking forward to not having to drive my kids to school every morning. Now he can even get a job. Cars are a lot like air – something you can’t live without.</p>
<p>I took a car with me my freshman year, but my school was pretty isolated from grocery stores and other major stores and there was not good public transportation available.</p>
<p>I would say 80-90% of my class had cars freshman year for these same reasons. Our police officers would do minor things like jump your car if you needed it. </p>
<p>In my case, I was actually the one who was unsure about taking a car, but my parents thought I would enjoy having it, and I really did. I had already been driving myself around for 2.5 years, so it would have been really hard for me to rely on others to get where I wanted when I wanted to go. I also had family 2.5hrs away who I could go visit when I wanted to because I had a car. </p>
<p>If you haven’t already, when you go on a tour of the campus, assuming the tour guide is a student, ask them. The students know best, IMO, whether a car is necessary. The shuttles you’re talking about probably stop running pretty early in the evening, and I made a LOT of late-night store/fast food/whatever runs. </p>
<p>It’s not always an absolute necessity, but I do think it makes life a lot easier, especially if your student is already accustomed to driving him/herself around.</p>
<p>@fsu1981 and @thumper1, so glad a Skidmore parent (and friend of parent) has weighed in here! Can you tell me approximately how many Skidmore students (and specifically freshmen) have cars? My D did the summer program there last year and went into town all the time either on foot or via the free van. (I realize that five weeks on a campus when the weather is good is quite different from four years on a campus that gets lots of snow!) @EarlVanDorn, I’m really glad to hear your point of view–I didn’t just want to be yessed to death here. Actually, my D is not a big hair-and-nails girl, but there is a free van that goes into town if she feels like a little pampering (or off-campus food). Personally, I would have loved a car at college. I went to school in a gritty Boston suburb and it was a pain not to have one. But I didn’t own a car, unlike my D. I think we will probably wait it out the first semester and see if she feels she even needs the car–great idea, all!</p>
<p>D1 didn’t go to school with a car. She took her car up to school after Thanksgiving so it would be easier for her to get home for the winter break. She did very well with the car for few weeks, we felt comfortable for her to have a car on campus in the spring. She was working at a ballet studio off campus, having a car made her life easier.</p>
<p>I would suggest for you to wait until she is better adjusted to college. </p>
<p>I would worry about D having a car in school. No reason for it unless there is an off-campus job that can’t be reached by public transportation. </p>
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<p>One of my kids flew home from college, and the other took the bus. No big deal. Getting hair and nails done? DD found a way to get there. Wendy’s? I hope you are kidding. We were paying for a full meal plan. Getting to HS…our HS was a five minute drive from our house, and our kids either used our extra car or took the bus.</p>
<p>These would not be compelling reasons for me to supply a car to a college freshman. Sorry. </p>
<p>I agree with Oldfort…wait and see until after the winter break. By that time, fall grades will be in, and the parents will have a better sense of how the student has adjusted to college.</p>
<p>But providing a car so a student can get to nail appointments and Wendy’s? Sorry, that would not be a happening in this house.</p>
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<p>So your daughter already has lived on the campus? What does she think about needing a car? I’m not saying to do what she says but at least she knows if a car is a necessity or a nice-to-have. If she doesn’t want it, listen to her. If she wants a car, ask why.</p>
<p>I like what oldfort’s child did. That’s a nice test period.</p>
<p>“If your daughter doesn’t have a car, how exactly is she going to get to and from school? How will she get her hair and nails done? If she wants a Wendy’s burger, how will she get it? Does she have a car now? If not, how does she get around? How does she go to high school?”</p>
<p>This may shock you, but not every 16 yo living at home has a car to get to and from high school. My kids got to school by … wait for it! … a school bus, and for their extracurricular activities and social activities they shared cars with us (parents). </p>
<p>I go to Saratoga Springs frequently on business and my older d did a summer program there This isn’t a remote campus. While walking to down is not a big deal in the summer, it might not be so pleasant when it is below freezing and icy. However… if you are well stocked with toiletries in Sept and Parents Weekend and you have access to a campus van that takes you downtown you will not need a car. There is a supermarket right downtown. Being responsible for a car in an upstate NY winter is not a fun thing. Years ago when I went to school upstate NY one of my roommates had a car on campus and we all took turns heading to a remote parking lot to turn on the car every few days.
Both my girls went to school in cold climates. Younger d had a car senior year and same with older d. They did have friends with cars probably in sophomore year making it easier to get to supermarkets, malls and going out to dinner… but was it essential? Not really. If you have an off-campus job with late hours such as a waitress or valet parker at a country club or if you have late hours coming from rehearsal or art studio or early hours for practice for a sport, that might be an issue. </p>
<p>D reports that “some freshman have cars, not alot”. From what I observed while on campus it felt like maybe 25-30%. I know in her circle of 10-15 friends, I was aware of 3 that had cars. I can say that I was nervous about her getting home at winter break (3.5 hour ride). Her last year there was heavy snow at the end of fall semester and her Dad drove up and back to get her, leaving the car on campus. She eventually went back right after New Year’s and picked it up. Looking back over her 4 year experience, she had no need for the first two years. Left the car at home at the start of her Junior year, and called before the end of September and said she felt like she needed it. She felt like she was not on the same schedule as her friends and roommates in order to share rides. It became a matter of convenience.</p>
<p>As a side note, we never minded driving up to meet her. We enjoyed several nice performance both on and off campus, the exhibits at the Tang, and some great restaurants in town. I hope you get to do the same. My D had a phenomenal four years!</p>
<p>Just remembered these incidents. In the two winters the car was on campus in Saratoga, my D had to deal with the loss of tire pressure with the onset of the cold temperatures and a drained battery in sub-zero weather. Campus security was helpful with the battery. If your D is not used to driving and maintaining a vehicle in below freezing weather, I would recommend a AAA membership.</p>
<p>My son is a junior at college in upstate NY and doesn’t have a car on campus. He doesn’t feel like dealing with the snow, shoveling the car out, maintenance. Plus parking is at a premium. Freshman weren’t even allowed to have cars. He made some half hearted comments about wanting a car, but since he couldn’t be bothered to go to the parking department to get on the waiting list for a spot I’d say it’s not a high priority.</p>
<p>My d started school in the south this year. No car for her either. A bunch of her friends do have cars. Our thought process - she needed to acclimate to school and campus. She didn’t know her way around, I didn’t want her being the driver for everyone. She’s fine without a car. She can walk to CVS, or their little downtown area, she takes the shuttle to the airport and her friends who have cars take her on the occasional shopping trip. She even agrees she doesn’t want a car until she moves off campus. We’re having her live on campus 2 years. </p>
<p>Are there ZipCars for student use at Skidmore? At my son’s school, there are ZipCars the students can use. It is much cheaper for occasional shopping trips than having a personal car.</p>
<p>Our D1 went to school about 90 mins from home, S was 3 hours away. We were happy to drive and pick them up and drive them back to school for breaks and weekends they wanted to come home. Those hours in the car were great catch up time and good memories for all of us. One got a car after freshman year, one after sophomore year. D1 went to a very rural school and it was definitely the exception rather than the rule to have a car freshman year. They had plenty of fun on campus and made do with the couple of local stores (drug store, Taco Bell, Subway and a tiny local grocery store). It’s their first year of being on their own - they were happy to make do with these options!</p>
<p>D2 is a senior in high school. She takes my car to school on days I don’t need it at work and sometimes catches a ride with a friend. But I still drop her off at school a couple of times a week and pick her up a couple. She is the last and I am happily savoring these last months of doing the mom thing of school drop off. Not at all a hassle. </p>
<p>I’m a sophomore now and I had my var my freshman year. As another person said I didn’t volunteer to drive anywhere unless I was already going out, i.e supermarket, Sam’s etc. My school isn’t that big so I went off campus for work. I have 2 jobs, one in town (25ish minute walk or a shuttle in) and a restaurant job 5-7 minutes by highway (where the shuttle doesn’t go)I was also able to babysit on the side. </p>
<p>Another pro for me was being able to come home.there were days where I just wanted to go home and it was nice to not have to worry about a bus or train schedule. </p>
<p>There are weeks where I don’t use my car and that’s ok, but knowing I can drive to the train or Sam’s if I want to is nice. I can also drive to the movies etc. </p>
<p>I think it also teaches responsibility, you learn to budget and make sacrifices. I couldn’t picture myself without my car (I’ve had it since my junior year of high school)</p>
<p>@Pizzagirl said “This may shock you, but not every 16 yo living at home has a car to get to and from high school. My kids got to school by … wait for it! … a school bus, and for their extracurricular activities and social activities they shared cars with us (parents).”</p>
<p>I think these things just vary by region. In my area, virtually every middle class child of driving age has a car; it’s generally a used car, but it’s a car. It was the same when I was a kid. The only difference is I started driving at 15 and my children are having to wait until they are 16.</p>
<p>My kids rode the school bus for a while, but in our community very, very few middle class kids ride the bus. It’s apparently rather unpleasant. When we lived in town my son would walk home from school roughly a mile in pouring rain rather than ride the bus. That’s when I decided to just start doing like all of the other parents I know and ferry my children to and from school. And that’s why I’m glad my son will be driving starting this semester.</p>
<p>At Ole Miss, where I attended school, virtually every non-foreign student had a car. Of course, snow was a rarity, and I can see how it might be different in places where the snow gets deep. All I know is that when my children go to college I fully expect them to take a car.</p>