This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PS Berks chapter.
I’m 22 years old, an undergrad student, and I don’t have a car. At Berks, this is a little unusual because we are a commuter campus. I live so close to school and to work, why shell out thousands on a car when my dad who’s retired can easily drive me to where I need to go? I can also easily take the bus to school and to work. Once I’m graduated and I’m hopefully earning more than $50 a week, of course it’ll be a different story. But for now, I’m glad I’m able to put money from my summer jobs towards tuition so I’ll have less to pay back to Sallie Mae later.
Sometimes I feel a little bit lame but there are plenty of pros to my situation, and I know I’m not the only one in my situation here:
- You can have more Wawa/Starbucks/Sheetz coffees. For somebody who doesn’t buy gas, I frequent Wawa and Sheetz a lot because of the money I save in not buying gas.
- You can splurge a little on that pair of shoes or that shirt that flatters your figure. I can’t afford to have a closet like Carrie Bradshaw’s, but I can afford to buy something I like now and then because I’m not paying car insurance every month.
- You can have the money to pay for a movie date. Going to the movies can be pricey for a broke college student. If you like someone, chances are they’re probably a broke college student, too. Offering to take someone out to a movie and pay for them is a great treat.
- You don’t have to worry about stressful traffic. People drive like idiots.
- It’s a great way to spend some time with friends and family. While your friend or a family member is in the driver’s seat, or if you’re riding a bus together, it gives you both times to talk and bond together.
- You’re helping the environment. It’s no secret cars cause have caused pollution to our environment. Emitting a little less gas into the air makes the air we breathe just a little bit healthier.
- You can talk to a diverse group of people on the bus.
- Time spent on the bus gives you a little extra free time to yourself. I have a great friend who rides the bus to work every morning. On the way, he teaches himself French and hopes to one day be fluent in the language.
- You don’t have to worry about looking for a parking space. Doesn’t it always seem to be so many cars, so few spaces?
- You get exercise and fresh air. Walking more means I get to eat more and stay at a healthy weight.
- You can be selfish. When you’re walking by yourself, riding a bicycle, or riding on a bus, the only person you need to be responsible for is you. When you’re driving, you’re responsible for many people. One mistake you make on the road could seriously harm another person on the road. If you walk and text, there’s no chance of you slamming into somebody else at 50 MPH and putting them in the hospital because you weren’t looking where you were going.