Owning a car is an excellent milestone in anyone’s life. However, there are times when the vehicle will be an unnecessary added expense. It could also be an added benefit, especially if your lifestyle or situation demands it. While owning a car could be an excellent way to show off around campus, knowing when to invest in one, and when not to, is a great way to better your education experience.
Your education highly depends on your mental state. Learning is hard if you are not comfortable and don’t have time to internalize what you learn. There are times when a car could be the source of peace you need to attain this ideal learning mental state. In this way, owning a car could help make your learning process better.
Think of a Car as a Tool, Not a Convenience
Most people buy cars for convenience. Boarding a train, skating, or riding a bike is tiresome. It is impossible if you are a parent with kids to drop to school or live far from your destination. In this case, the car becomes an essential tool in your life.
Getting a car just because you hate riding the bike or don’t like public transport, on the other hand, might not have any positive impact on your education. Here are the instances when buying a car would be a good call.
If You Can’t Afford to Live Near School
Living on or close to campus does away with virtually all your basic transportation needs. You can walk, bike, or even use an electric skateboard to get to most places of interest. Choosing a college with accessible hostels or affordable houses to let close by could let you reap of this benefit.
However, if you can’t live close to your school because it is expensive or not suitable, you should consider getting a car. However, take the time to try out any available mass transit systems before investing in the car. You might find that the subway or bus network is sufficient for your commute.
You Have a Part-Time Job That Needs the Car
More and more students have to take a side job to cover their college expenses and make ends meet. A number of these jobs might need a car to execute. In this case, the vehicle will be an investment that gives you the funds you need to stay in school.
Even though it isn’t directly linked to your education, it will play a vital role in ensuring that you stay in school and finally graduate in time.
If You Want to Venture Into Van Life
Van life is the venture of converting a van into a livable unit and turning it into your operations base. Even though it renders you homeless in some sense, it won’t tie you down to one physical location, meaning that you can easily spend your days close to where you need to be.
Parking your van at allowed places close to or within campus means your commute will be shorter than before. You will have more time to study, venture into essay writing and attend to all your lectures. Van life is not easy since space will be tiny, and you might have to do some conversions to make your van livable. Nonetheless, it might cut you the slack you need to focus on your studies.
You Have a Kid
Juggling education and bringing up a kid is exhausting. For starters, student parents can’t live in campus hostels with their kids. It is simply impractical. In most cases, they also need a part-time job to support their kid. This automatically means they need a fast and reliable way to shuttle their kid to school, drop by work before dashing to class.
In this case, a car is a sure way to ensure that you meet all these tight deadlines. It will help you keep your life together and be in a better mental state to excel in your studies.
Once you have established, you need a car; it is often wise to do further research and ensure that you get the most affordable and easiest to maintain a vehicle at your disposal. You don’t want to get in debt or end up paying a ton in maintenance costs because you bought something ‘cool.’ Practicality and reliability should be top on your checklist.
