Students who wish to have a car with them while attending college are finding the going more and more difficult as colleges across the nation. Some schools have a blanket ban — forbidding all freshmen students from having cars on campus — while others are using various enticements to discourage students from bringing their cars from home.

Schools With Restricted Or Banned Parking

At the University of Miami (FL), incoming freshmen can bring a number of personal items with them to school including a laptop, gameboy, and other electronic devices, but the school now forbids freshmen from bringing their car.  The school provides bicycles for rent and touts Zipcar, a private company that rents cars to college students as ways for students to get around.

Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME also bans first year students from having a car while attending school. The school admits that they want to improve the college’s environmental image with Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster explaining that the decision was specifically designed to make Bowdoin greener.

The University of New England has yet to ban cars from campus but they are offering freshmen free use of bikes to help them get around. At the same time, the school jacked up the parking fee for freshmen from $80 per academic year to a whopping $300. Like many other colleges and universities across the US, the company has made arrangements with Zipcars to provide transportation options for those students still wanting access to a car.

In Wisconsin, Ripon College has offered a nice incentive to freshmen students who agree not to drive to school: the college provides a brand-new Trek 820 mountain bike, a Trek Vapor helmet and a Master Lock U-Lock - all to keep - if they pledged to leave their cars at home. I’m not sure how that works in a long and tough Wisconsin winter, but Ripon’s plan seems to be the most generous one out there.

One way to reward good academic progress is to give the right of having a car on campus only to those students who have good grades. In 2006, North Carolina A&T University issued a blanket driving ban to incoming freshmen, but promised to lift that ban for the Spring semester for students with a 3.2 or better GPA. The Greensboro school long had a problem with providing enough spaces for students to park on its urban campus.

Are Schools Going Too Far?

Although colleges and universities can basically set whatever policies they choose when it comes to their students, the difficulties and safety issues for some remains a concern. Foul weather can hamper bike riding while leaving campus at night can put students in danger, especially female undergrads who need the safety of their car for transportation to and from campus.

Finally, though not having a car on campus isn’t a hardship for some, colleges could unwittingly pull the welcome mat back from those students who insist on having a car with them. After all, if you pay $20,000 yearly for school, there is a certain level of convenience that you expect to have, resulting in some students going elsewhere for their academic pursuits.

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Adv. — Is your family experiencing a financial shortfall this academic year? Scholarships, grants, 529 money, and part time work may not be enough. Learn about private student loans by visiting SayStudent.com, your portal for college financial assistance. We have free tools for your download and updated information about current college financing requirements.

Tags: bicycles, bikes, Campus Cars, college freshmen, Zipcar

College Countdown — One Year Left!

High school seniors are returning to school this year with mixed feelings: on the one hand they’ll really enjoy being at the top of the academic heap for the whole year, but on the other hand they’ll be getting themselves prepared to apply for college and say good-bye to their friends. A lifetime of memories will be made, good thoughts, which can carry students through for the rest of their lives.

Let’s take a look at what you can do now to make heading off to college as worry free as possible.

College Planning And Your Family

Preparing for college isn’t a solitary endeavor. Parents get involved as they are the ones providing the bulk of the financing while offering guidance on which schools to visit, what scholarships are being offered, and which financing options are applicable. Yes, even your siblings cannot be left out as whatever family decisions are made will affect them.

College Tracking Tools To Help You Stay Organized

As you will soon find out, your last year of high school won’t be as carefree as you may think that it will be. High school seniors still must finish up course work, complete college entrance exams, and deal with constant change. The thought of planning the next four years of life while handling today’s problems can seem overwhelming which is why we have developed free tracking tools to help take the edge off of college preparation.

Four tracking tools for college planning:

1. Student aid tracking worksheet — a worksheet to record and track your financial aid information (excel file).
2. College budgeting worksheet — an automated file to plan and budget college aid and costs (excel file).
3. College cost comparison worksheet — compare colleges by cost and amount of aid awarded (excel file).
4. College spending sheets — use these spending sheets to track daily - weekly - monthly spend (PDF).

Please visit this page to find the four tracking sheets and related planning tools.

Starting Your College Search

At the same time you are taking a look at your financial condition, you’ll want to begin your college search. Chances are you spent some time last summer visiting some college campuses, but narrowing that list down to a manageable three or four schools will make college planning a whole lot easier.

Use a financial aid checklist to balance college search with student financial aid options for a clearer picture of your schooling options. Parents need to remember that Stafford loans and private student loans are two forms of student aid that have opened up educational opportunities for millions of students.

Almost Done, But Not Quite!

With the tracking tools at your disposal, college planning becomes less of a stress and much more of an enjoyable experience. You still need to consider your college major and meet with your guidance counselor, so plan wisely now to take the edge off the coming crunch time!

Tags: 529 college savings, College Financial Aid, college freshmen, college planning steps, college planning tools, college search, financial aid, high school, high school senior, private student loans, Student Loans