Usefulness of a car in grad school?

[neuropsych76]

I haven't been accepted anywhere yet but I keep trying to prepare myself for the transition I'm assuming I'm going to be making (mainly to pass the time )

I do not own a car and never have. I'm broke and will have no way of obtaining a car before grad school. I'm sure some grad students do not own cars and just live within walking distance to the places they need to be. Is this a big disadvantage? I know looking for apartments can be difficult especially if you have to limit yourself to walking distance of a certain place. What other things can not having a car impact? I'm used to just bumming rides of people in undergrad. I guess I'll have to make some friends quickly in grad school

[TheDude]

Neuro,

I guess it depends on where you end up and if you plan on traveling home much, etc. My preferred programs are all 120 miles from where I currently live. I also only have a year left of payments on my car. If this wasn't the case I'd just pay to take the train home when necessary. However, since my car is still running beautifully, and it is one of my only two "assets" I'd just assume keep it. If I was going to school in the boonies I'd also think I'd want a car to get out and see some sights, visit people, etc.

[neuropsych76]

Neuro,

I guess it depends on where you end up and if you plan on traveling home much, etc. My preferred programs are all 120 miles from where I currently live. I also only have a year left of payments on my car. If this wasn't the case I'd just pay to take the train home when necessary. However, since my car is still running beautifully, and it is one of my only two "assets" I'd just assume keep it. If I was going to school in the boonies I'd also think I'd want a car to get out and see some sights, visit people, etc.

Ah that's a good point. Only 2 schools I'm applying to are in the same state as me. The rest are all over the place. Some places would be a 16+ hour drive to get home. So I probably wouldn't drive anyway. But I would like to travel around my area... I guess that really isn't possible without a car unless I ride the bus/train to places.

[MoJingly]

I love the feeling that comes with having a car. I feel like I can go anywhere at a moment's notice. It allows for spontaneity a a feeling of preparation.

Anyhow, I've built such a relationship with my vehicle that I have a feeling it's coming along no matter where we go

[Eigen]

It also depends a lot on the school you're planning on attending, and the area around it- is it very walking/bike friendly? Good public transportation?

I have a few friends that do 13-16 hour drives home for the holidays, and don't think it's too bad... All depends on your point of view.

I find having a car very useful, even though I live in an area where I could bike/walk to everything I really "need". There are still a lot of places outside of that I want to go, and having a car gives you a lot more freedom than having to rely on public transportation schedules.

Also consider, if you're living off campus, what times you'll be going home/to school... It's pretty regular for a lot of us here to be going/coming around midnight or later, and even though we're in a pretty good part of time that's not idea for walking/biking home alone. Much nicer to walk and bike during the day, and drive late night/early morning.

I'll add.... I don't currently know any grad students in our department that don't have a car... Even most of the international students got a cheap one (or went in together on one) within 5-6 mos of being here.

Edited January 7, 2011 by Eigen

[tls]

My current location has great public transportation and I have enjoyed not having the expense of a car. i don't have a car and don't plan on getting one. but some of my potential programs are in smaller towns or are in states dominated by a car-culture. i figure that i'll just check out a car-share program, like zip-car. http://www.zipcar.com

And if your school doesn't have zipcar, I think you can try to start a program there.

[qbtacoma]

Go check out the city guides section for the places where your programs are. I'd bet that most have some discussion of this. Personally my goal is to not own a car, not only in grad school but afterward as well (though that will only work if a place has good public transit/bike lanes/is not LA). I see it as my contribution to stopping global warming. I'm pretty sure that all of the cities I might end up in have decent bus systems, but I might have to commute pretty far to places that I can afford to live.

[wanderlust07]

Definitely look into public transportation in cities where you've applied. I know people who get by without one, and I use mine only a few times a month for things like grocery/shopping runs, getting me to hikes, airport trips, etc (we carpool a lot if it can't be walked or bused). I don't know where you're looking in Missouri, but public transit there is pretty lousy/non-existent (even in StL, which recently lost a bunch of public transit funding). I second qbtacoma's recommendation of the city guide forum. You might also check to make sure "walking distance of campus" =/= "totally unsafe."

[Golden Monkey]

I love the feeling that comes with having a car. I feel like I can go anywhere at a moment's notice. It allows for spontaneity a a feeling of preparation.

Anyhow, I've built such a relationship with my vehicle that I have a feeling it's coming along no matter where we go

Heh, funny. I said exactly the opposite, "I love the feeling of NOT having a car!" as soon as I got rid of mine. After 15 years in L.A., I was ecstatic to be car-less when I moved to New York.

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

It also depends a lot on the school you're planning on attending, and the area around it- is it very walking/bike friendly? Good public transportation?

I have a few friends that do 13-16 hour drives home for the holidays, and don't think it's too bad... All depends on your point of view.

I find having a car very useful, even though I live in an area where I could bike/walk to everything I really "need". There are still a lot of places outside of that I want to go, and having a car gives you a lot more freedom than having to rely on public transportation schedules.

Also consider, if you're living off campus, what times you'll be going home/to school... It's pretty regular for a lot of us here to be going/coming around midnight or later, and even though we're in a pretty good part of time that's not idea for walking/biking home alone. Much nicer to walk and bike during the day, and drive late night/early morning.

I'll add.... I don't currently know any grad students in our department that don't have a car... Even most of the international students got a cheap one (or went in together on one) within 5-6 mos of being here.

I really want to ditto this entire post.

The car question is almost entirely dependent on where you will be living and/or how often you want to visit home. Columbus is pretty accessible without a car, but I live far enough from campus that it makes it just too inconvenient to take the bus (and believe me, I wish I could, it's the first year I've had a car and I miss not paying for gas or insurance). I'll also be moving to a satellite campus during the summers and want to come back here to visit my boyfriend on weekends. So, I had to get a car. But it's really nice to plan my own grocery trips or take the cats to the vet or whatever else needs to be done without being on a bus.

I would hazard a guess that you could go the first year without a car and then see how it goes. If you're in a STEM field you'll probably have a stipend, and if you plan wisely you could start saving for a car if you start thinking you need one.

[rising_star]

This discussion might be of interest:

[katerific]

My current location has great public transportation and I have enjoyed not having the expense of a car. i don't have a car and don't plan on getting one. but some of my potential programs are in smaller towns or are in states dominated by a car-culture. i figure that i'll just check out a car-share program, like zip-car. http://www.zipcar.com

And if your school doesn't have zipcar, I think you can try to start a program there.

I live in a city that is VERY focused on car-culture; public trans is an option, but it's rather slow and unreliable. I don't have a car, but I use zipcar a lot. Nice to be able to rent a (nice!) vehicle for just a little bit... never have to worry about maintenance and gas is free! (Well, you pay the membership fee + rental costs.) I really like it but my biggest frustration is that cars aren't always available when you need them. Usually I have to book a day in advance for a chance to use it the next day... can't necessarily rely on it for emergencies or spontaneous outings. But it's a great way to drive a Prius (or even a BMW!) without paying big bucks to own one.

Zipcar is also nice when travelling. They have it in a bunch of cities, so when you're out of town, you can rent a car there, too.

As far as graduate students and cars go: I know at least one graduate students who has lived here (in car capital) for 4 years and has NEVER owned a car.... admirable, but I imagine it's been difficult for him. Most of the graduate students I know own cars but take public transportation to school (they tend to live a few miles from campus). I even know quite a few professors who do this. The commute stinks either way, and parking around campus is too much of a hassle. So I could imagine a car-less person in grad school, in my type of city, using some combination of zipcar, public trans, and/or biking very successfully.

Also, as far as alternatives go: biking is a fantastic option, but be careful, wear a good helmet, and have a light if you're going to bike when it's dark out. I hate to sound mom-ish, but I have plenty of friends who bike to campus and they've been in quite a few accidents... 99% of the time it hasn't been their fault. (My city is also not bike friendly, but people try.) But if you're in a bike-friendly city, definitely go for it! It's good for the environment, it can be lots of fun, and it will give you killer legs

But as people have said, explore your options and get a feel for the environment.

[Eigen]

I'll second the "be careful biking", we had a post-doc who was hit by a car while biking and died. I've had quite a few more friends with extensive hospital stays from not being careful enough biking.

[UnlikelyGrad]

I'm a big fan of public transit, and, conveniently, I get a free student bus pass. I survived my first year of grad school without a car and only wished I'd had one a couple of times a month. And if I'd lived closer to campus--if I'd started out living at the place I live now--I don't think I would have missed it much at all.

So yes, it's doable.

[wtncffts]

I've never had a car; I don't even have a driver's license. I've been fortunate to live in places both for undergrad and graduate school where the public transit was excellent. Like everyone's saying, it really depends on the particular location and, I guess, your proximity to the school within that location. There have been a few times when it would be easier to do certain things if I had had a car (mostly transporting heavy and/or large objects), but usually you can get a friend to help out.

As for the freedom and spontaneity of having a car, I grant this may be attractive, but with a good public transit system one can do interesting things. I've many a time just gotten on buses without knowing where they go or where they stop, and I'd just get off somewhere unfamiliar and look around. There's a certain exhilarating feeling being semi-lost...

[neuropsych76]

Thank you all so much for your replies and rising star for providing that link!!

I know I will have to worry about this more so if I get accepted anywhere but I'm just trying to be prepared. It is encouraging that several of you say being in grad school without a car can be done

I'm just worried that I will go somewhere where I almost need a car. Then I don't know what I can do... Maybe I can work enough this summer to lease a car? Or I could try my luck on the price is right

[rsldonk]

Lease payments are about as much as what payments on a loan are. At least if you buy the car, you own it and don't have to give it back after a few years. If you aren't too worried about your image, look around at local wrecking yards for something you can get on salvage title or at local auto auctions. Make sure you at least have a passing familiarity with how an engine runs, or at least a skilled mechanic you can take things to to look over and tell you what condition the engine is in. Be careful with one of the salvage cars, sometimes they are basically junk, but you can own one outright for just a few hundred dollars cash.

[neuropsych76]

Lease payments are about as much as what payments on a loan are. At least if you buy the car, you own it and don't have to give it back after a few years. If you aren't too worried about your image, look around at local wrecking yards for something you can get on salvage title or at local auto auctions. Make sure you at least have a passing familiarity with how an engine runs, or at least a skilled mechanic you can take things to to look over and tell you what condition the engine is in. Be careful with one of the salvage cars, sometimes they are basically junk, but you can own one outright for just a few hundred dollars cash.

I do not care about my image at all. But I would be worried about my car dying and being stranded somewhere. I will look around for a cheap car though (< 2000) and try to see if it will run okay. We'll see

[rsldonk]

I do not care about my image at all. But I would be worried about my car dying and being stranded somewhere. I will look around for a cheap car though (< 2000) and try to see if it will run okay. We'll see

For that sort of price, you can get something at auction that's decent. Just make sure if you don't know anything about engines that you have someone who does look it over first.

[Count de Monet]

A lot of the responses here are very good.

There are many factors to considered before deciding if a car is necessary or not. The first is how far away are you going to live from campus? Then, how good is the public transportation in the area? Also, factor in weather...are you from a "warm" state and going to a place where you could face ice, snow and sleet? If so maybe you don't want to have to learn how to drive in that on the fly.

When I did my MA i only knew two of my fellow MAs who had a car at their disposal and used it every day.

[sacklunch]

If it helps (says you are applying to BC), not very many of my friends have cars here. I have one, although I rarely drive. The subway (T) is close to school and the surrounding area, so really the only reason to have a car is if you want to drive out of town, or for a bit more convenience if you want to take it to the grocery store. Also, most pay extra for a car spot. I was lucky enough to have a driveway included for free with my rent.

shalom