<p>My kids did not do it until the end of sophomore year - that was the first time they had the car at school to drive home. If it was just spring break or Thanksgiving break, we’d fly them home… but for winter break and summer break, they have to have their cars here at home if they want to do anything other than sit at home.</p>
<p>H am I prefer not to drive more than 4 hours per day when possible. That said, when I was in early 20s, drove with another driver and passenger on multi day road trip of SW national parks. It was my 1st time in manual 5-speed and I was irked that I had to drive AND navigate and that everyone would sleep while I drove. We swapped driving so I doubt either of us ever drove 10 hours straight. That’s a long time and kids are often tired and sleep deprived, plus often rather inexperienced drivers. </p>
<p>We prefer having our kids fly rather than long car rides. </p>
<p>I’ve done the 12 hour drive from both DC -> Chicago and DC -> Indianapolis a few times. I did it alone once and that took an iPod full of music and a lot of Starbucks…the other few times were with someone and actually seemed longer</p>
<p>One more thing to consider: Can the student stay at college during the shorter breaks to avoid the lengthy drive or expensive flight? </p>
<p>At colleges that draw their students from all over the country and the world, the dorms typically stay open for everything except the long Winter Break. However, at colleges that draw their students mostly from nearby areas, some or all of the dorms may close during every break. </p>
<p>Mine have all driven 8-10 alone. They have done the 18 hours to and from their colleges with another person. Personally I’m good for 10 and have done 13 straight not in the winter by myself, but I don’t advise it. </p>
<p>The OP says her son WANTS to go to a school 10 hours away. That implies he is not yet there.</p>
<p>So here is my question…why does he need a car at all? </p>
<p>My kids both managed four years of college without cars. </p>
<p>Our kids drove together (mostly S drove) when he went from CA thru Chicago to Washington DC. It was mostly S driving but it made us sleep better that they were driving together and both are licensed and could relieve one another as needed. Am not sure how long they drove at any given stretch, but they had been driving for several years by the time they did their cross country trek, just not long distances like across the US before. </p>
<p>I still prefer not for me or them to drive long distances alone, especially when there COULD be ice or snow or heavy rain. I always hated driving when there were 18 wheelers whooshing past me during high rains and you literally could NOT see anything when they passed.</p>
<p>What thumper said.</p>
<p>The only good reason for a freshman to have a car on campus would be if the school is located in a such remote place that there would be no other transportation options. Otherwise, paying for parking, gas, insurance, etc. is way more money than most people actually think it would costs to have a car on campus. </p>
<p>Let’s wait for the OP to give a little more info. </p>
<p>We got our S a car spring of his freshman year because we were tired of driving 10 hours rt. They are always on break. </p>
<p>Agree with thumper. My son is 13 hours away and has managed just fine without a car. A lot of his friends have them, and he pays them for gas when they take him to the airport, to Target, etc. He is a junior now and will be abroad this winter anyway, so he only has senior year to worry about. Having said that, my ex wants him to have a car when he goes back. I don’t understand it, as my son is the kind of kid who would forget to put gas in the car and ignore the engine lights (my high school daughter, on the other hand, has her own car and is super-responsible about all of this–she even notes the mileage when she fills up her tank so she can calculate her MPG).</p>
<p>She is looking at schools 4-5 hours away. I am not excited about having her drive in winter if she takes her car, but as long as she can work around the weather I think she’ll be OK.</p>
<p>H and I regularly drove for that length of time during our college years but when our daughter had a ten hour drive for a medical school interview dear H drove her. In our defense she had little experience driving in rough weather and a snowstorm was on the way but that being said, I guess it is official - we are helicopter parents. 
</p>
<p>I agree with earlier posters who have said that it depends on the kid and the drive. My brother and a friend once spent Easter holed up in a church basement somewhere in NY State because they got caught in a snowstorm while driving down from Syracuse to our home in NJ. They handled the situation and forty years later it is a cool story to tell but I am sure my parents were very stressed at the time.</p>
<p>Son’s dream school is UA and we live in NC. “Normally” the weather is not bad around the times he would be coming home. We have talked about flying him home for Thanksgiving and him driving home for Christmas and summer break. I want him to have a car so that he can come and go without having to be dependent on someone else. He would also need to drive to the airport which is an hour plus away from Bama. Right now he does not know anyone who has even thought about going to an out-of-state school, let alone Alabama. Hopefully he would meet someone and could share the drive. I went to school 15 hours away and drove by myself. The only person I knew that lived in NC would bring his boa with him in his car. To say the least I never rode with him.:)</p>
<p>First of all, you’d have to find out the policy about freshman having cars on campus. Most major universities do not allow this, aside from a few exceptions that they have.</p>
<p>We aren’t planning to let S1 have a car freshman year No matter where he goes. I think they need to meet people and hang out on campus their first year </p>
<p>Ps - 10 hours is not a big deal. Did the DC => Milwaukee 14-15 hour trip in one day several times when I was in college. Chicago traffic sucked, but otherwise a boring drive. I never didit alone. </p>
<p>@bandmomof3, finding a driver or rider for trips home in UA is not a problem since >50% of students are OOS. There is a large number who have cars and/or go back home to places in the Mid-Atlantic. My son is arranging a ride home to the DC area for Thanksgiving. There are rideshare resources available to students.</p>
<p>This has been a novel experience for me. I attended college in NYC, following boarding school, and then lived in Manhattan for a number of years. I never had a car of my own until I was 29, and moved to LA. My husband did not have a car in college (also in NYC), but did have one in graduate school at UVA. My firstborn is in a major city, but younger one decided that he wanted to sink most of his gifts and savings into a car, instead of a European adventure. His college allows freshmen to have cars, and the parking fee is reasonable. He drove from FL to NJ, with elder brother riding shotgun. I insisted that he travel with a passenger, and he wanted someone other than a parent. They broke that trip up into manageable chunks, allowing themselves time in Charleston, and taking scenic, coastal routes. He drove up to meet us halfway, in NC, for his fall break. He spent a night in Atlanta on the way up, but made the full 10-hour trip back to FL in a single day. He will fly north for Thanksgiving, but plans to drive for Xmas. The gas, tolls, and cheap motels probably will be less than peak-season airfares. He is hoping to find at least one passenger for the trip, and I would feel much more confident if he did. Be sure that the kid has a AAA membership set up.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the suggestions.<br>
@woogzmamaI hadn’t even thought about AAA membership. I remember using it on one of my drives from La to NC when I was in college.<br>
@NoVaDad99 Where could he find information on rideshare?</p>
<p>There is a site on the UA intraweb for students. There is a FB group “University of Alabama (UA) Rideshare Group” that you can join to ask for rides.</p>
<p>DD went to school 700 miles away. It was a 12 hour drive (including very dense traffic areas), if there were no stops. She started freshman year with a car as, at her rural school, 70% of students had one and she was responsible. She flew home for T-giving and Dec. break, and left the car at school. That way, there was just one round trip per year. </p>
<p>Initially, we would drive down with her and fly home, and one of us would fly down in spring, driving back with her. Later, she drove herself. Depending on traffic, departure time and her endurance, she would either stop for one night or more frequently, drive home in a long day with breaks. </p>
<p>Sometimes she’d be able to pair up for company and others she would caravan with another driving friend from our area, staying near each other on the highway and stopping for meals together. She also did the drive alone once or twice. </p>
<p>AAA membership is the rule here and while it all worked out, it was always a relief when she arrived. Long distance colleges add variables and it is a matter of being realistic about priorities, as well as how comfortable your student is with the option. DD really wanted to be able to make the drive and GPS was a huge help. </p>