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Help me solve a family debate . My son's dad thinks times have changed
and a car is a "must have" for today's college freshmen, especially at East
Carolina where he says the bus system isn't great. I say I got thru
3 1/2 years of college just fine with no car until I needed to student teach.
Do freshmen really need cars????
We would get him a car. Walking downtown is not safe. Every couple of weeks kids are getting robbed late at night walking from the clubs. You should check out this past weeks Daily Reflector newspaper, I think this past Wed., 2 students were robbed at gunpoint walking back to their dorm. I think you would feel safer if he was driving instead of being in cars with other students driving. Greenville has changed so much in just the last 5 years in growth, your son would be safer driving to Memorial or Arlington Drive to go to the stores and restaurants then going downtown. MO. I know it is not an easy decision, we had 3 kids in college.
I did not have a car until my last year of graduate school at ECU (I attended from 1994-2000 for two degrees) but back then, the area was much safer than what it seems to be now. I don't know how things may have changed in regards to parking, but I remember the freshman lot being way out Charles Blvd., so students who had cars had to take a bus to get them anyway. If I recall, the bus ran fairly late, and I would not recommend waiting alone in any parking lot around the university alone after dark.
I found the bus system to be fine, but there wasn't much outside of the university for me in Greenville so I didn't worry so much. I'd take the occasional bus to the mall, and would take a bus to the medical center daily. Never had any problems. I'd think that infrastructure would only have improved over the years as the school as grown, including transportation infrastructure, but I my feeling could be wrong.
I would opt to get him a car as well....the freshman lot is far away....also, he will probably eventually want to move into an apartment....well, all of the safe complexes are further out from the campus....
ECU has a great transit system with buses running into the wee hours during the school year. The freshman lot is quite far from campus...he would be better off not having a car the first year.
Dear Kelsie,
Gosh, I am just so blown away to hear about these muggings going on in basically student haunts, like downtown, and now I hear this story about kids heading back to their dorms. What seems to be the problem, and who are these muggers? I wanted to move back to Greenville after years of being away, and I just want to hear more info. Maybe it's the crystal meth epidemic? Thanks, and sorry for hyjacking this thread.
GG
Maybe one can look into a prepaid cab card (or gift certificate) to use when needed? I'm not sure if any of the taxi services in G'ville offer that, but it's worth a shot. Since the freshman lot is so far away, the freshmen run the risk of being mugged just going to and from the car unfortunately.
I went to ECU and lived in G'ville from 91-98. I never lived in the dorms I had a car but I walked to campus everyday because parking is no good around the campus.
I would say no car until he moves off campus. I can't believe there are muggings-that is NUTS. We walked everywhere in college. Cabs are not really that available, at least not when I was there.
I can't believe there are muggings-that is NUTS. We walked everywhere in college.
Agreed. My sis went there and I visited often. We walked here and yon without incident. It's sad, really.
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