In the U.S., most teenagers learn how to drive asap. It makes life easier in so many ways. However, if you’re planning on going to college, you might wonder whether needing to drive is necessary. It can be expensive, and not everyone can afford to buy and maintain a car. However, there are also many perks to having a car when you go to college, and learning to drive is a useful skill.
Read on as we explore 5 reasons for learning how to drive before going off to college.
Confidence
When you go to college, you’re taking a pivotal step in your life. You’re transitioning from being a young teenager to functioning on your own as an adult. This can be scary and a big part of going to college is developing self-confidence. Learning to drive will give you the confidence boost you need, and remind you that you’re more capable than you might give yourself credit for. If you’re worried about learning, don’t forget that you can get a qualified instructor with you and a student driver sign on the car. The more you drive, the more confident you’ll become.
Practicality
There are many practical benefits of learning how to drive before going to college. For one thing, you’ll be able to drive yourself without relying on your parents, and you can drive home if you are ever homesick. Plus, you can use your car to get groceries and explore your new city. Just make sure you drive carefully on campus and be extra vigilant while driving on roads you’re not used to.
Independence
One of the great things about going to college is the independence you gain. You’re on your own, learning new skills and working out who you are. When you learn to drive, you become even more independent as you’re not relying on public transport or rides from others. For example, if you want to drive to the shop at 5 am to get donuts – who’s going to stop you? Going to college with a car will make you much more open to new opportunities and self-growth. Plus, you’ll learn valuable skills like looking after your car and how to cope if it breaks down.
Making Friends
Whilst you don’t want to make friends who use you for your car, having one can be a great way to make friends when you go to college. For example, you can suggest fun road trips or days out in your car. Just make sure you’re not always the designated driver and don’t let anyone take advantage of your wonderful wheels. That’s not cool.
The Future
Learning to drive before college isn’t just useful for your time in education – it will help you afterward, too. Whilst you can certainly learn to drive whilst you’re at college, learning to do so before you go means that it’s out of the way and you’ll have been driving for a few years when the time comes to get a full-time job. Being able to drive also can open many employment opportunities and generally makes you more hirable as you can be more mobile to different parts of the city.
For more great college tips, check out the other blogs on College Basics.
