Do you need a car in Ann Arbor?

[Pearly Pearl]

As a California student who had only been to Ann Arbor once for my interview, I have no idea wheater to bring my car or not. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be living very close to the UofM dental school, so I won't need a car to get to school, but to have a car in that apartment is an extra $135...should i just leave my ride in cali??

please help!

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[peterngu]

I'm from SoCal and I lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts for three semesters, leaving my car behind. While I could walk to school in 10 minutes, I didn't have a ride for anything like runs to the laundromat, grocery store, Costco, volunteering at the hospital, and going to the gym. Doing each of those things cost me an hour or more in just walking and waiting for bus transfers. While it costs a bit to have your car there, I'd say it's worth it to be able to do the normal and necessary things outside of dental school without losing a huge chunk of your day. While it's not the same city, I think the same logic applies. I'm taking my car to U of M too even if I have to pay what you potentially will.

 

[DrReo]

I'm from SoCal and I lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts for three semesters, leaving my car behind. While I could walk to school in 10 minutes, I didn't have a ride for anything like runs to the laundromat, grocery store, Costco, volunteering at the hospital, and going to the gym. Doing each of those things cost me an hour or more in just walking and waiting for bus transfers. While it costs a bit to have your car there, I'd say it's worth it to be able to do the normal and necessary things outside of dental school without losing a huge chunk of your day. While it's not the same city, I think the same logic applies. I'm taking my car to U of M too even if I have to pay what you potentially will.

where did you do your postbacc courses?

I agree freedom is priceless.

 

[TeamGuo]

well that just depends on you buddy. If you have a car, you have some freedom to drive around and you don't need to ask your classmates for a ride every single time you go somewhere. It's doable, but you might find it uncomfortable at times if you are used to driving to places on your own.

I'm bringing my car, so if you need a ride I'll give you one. LOL

 

[Pearly Pearl]

well that just depends on you buddy. If you have a car, you have some freedom to drive around and you don't need to ask your classmates for a ride every single time you go somewhere. It's doable, but you might find it uncomfortable at times if you are used to driving to places on your own.

I'm bringing my car, so if you need a ride I'll give you one. LOL

Well thats very nice of you..

 

[peterngu]

where did you do your postbacc courses?

I agree freedom is priceless.

I did my postbacc courses at Harvard Extension, as part of their Health Careers Program.

 

[pbrooks]

my current supervisor lives in ann arbor and drives absolutely everywhere, you may want to have a car, especially becaus eyou will be far from home!

 

[eldirty]

Ann Arbor is actually a pretty large place ... you could make it using the bus system but if you want to do anything outside of the school a car could be useful.

 

[youngmc27]

It's freezing there a nice car to get in from the old would be great.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

I did my undergrad at U of M in Ann Arbor in 97-2001, and I did NOT have a car. This wasn't ever an issue until I needed to go grocery shopping or to the airport... And whenever I wanted to go to a rock concert in Detroit, I usually had to buy two tickets so I could give the other one to whomever gave me a ride.

Commuter Express ran a shuttle to and from the airport, but, back then, it was $45 each way (from what I can remember). You can always get a taxi, and it's not impossible to get to the grocery stores on the bus. I have to say, the bus system in Ann Arbor is pretty good for a smallish city. You can actually get by on public transportation alone. You can even take Amtrak or Greyhound to and from Chicago and Detroit pretty easily, and the rides are not unreasonably long (I've done both, many times).

Parking is very, very difficult to find and the police officers are out to make money by ticketing you wherever and whenever they can. Ann Arbor's notorious for this! While you might wish you had a car sometimes, (while you're hauling ten bags of groceries on the bus, for example) you will definitely not miss the hassle (and the extra $135 your landlord is charging!). You can always make friends with people who have cars and carpool to the grocery store. I think there is even a Trader Joe's pretty close to campus and definitely close to a bus line.

Ask me if you have any more questions about Ann Arbor!

(I should point out, though, that some people who did have cars were probably darn grateful that they had them!)

 

[pyoon]

parking around campus isn't readily accessible. you can meter park or use the paid garage structures. free parking is available but the walk would be quite long to the central part of campus.

using your car to get to class would be pointless, you would be late; need to look for parking. otherwise, it's very convenient when you need to go grocery shopping, airport, main street, etc.

 

[jlee1986]

I did my undergrad at U of M in Ann Arbor in 97-2001, and I did NOT have a car. This wasn't ever an issue until I needed to go grocery shopping or to the airport... And whenever I wanted to go to a rock concert in Detroit, I usually had to buy two tickets so I could give the other one to whomever gave me a ride.

Commuter Express ran a shuttle to and from the airport, but, back then, it was $45 each way (from what I can remember). You can always get a taxi, and it's not impossible to get to the grocery stores on the bus. I have to say, the bus system in Ann Arbor is pretty good for a smallish city. You can actually get by on public transportation alone. You can even take Amtrak or Greyhound to and from Chicago and Detroit pretty easily, and the rides are not unreasonably long (I've done both, many times).

Parking is very, very difficult to find and the police officers are out to make money by ticketing you wherever and whenever they can. Ann Arbor's notorious for this! While you might wish you had a car sometimes, (while you're hauling ten bags of groceries on the bus, for example) you will definitely not miss the hassle (and the extra $135 your landlord is charging!). You can always make friends with people who have cars and carpool to the grocery store. I think there is even a Trader Joe's pretty close to campus and definitely close to a bus line.

Ask me if you have any more questions about Ann Arbor!

(I should point out, though, that some people who did have cars were probably darn grateful that they had them!)

i'm actually an undergrad right now and i've had a car on campus since last year only because my housing had free parking. otherwise, i probably would not have brought my car since finding a permanent parking spot where you can store your car on a driveway can get pretty expensive. i gotta say that having a car is pretty convenient though, since i can drive myself to the grocery store, mall, etc. other than going to those places, i never use my car (going to class, going to restaurants on campus, etc.) and it's actually more of a pain to try to find parking on campus. i've gotten a few tickets and had my car towed twice in the past couple of years because there are so many restrictions as to when and where you can park. if you think that you'll be able to handle the bus system (it's pretty convenient, and yes it does take a bit longer to travel to off campus places but it's not that bad) then don't take your car unless you know that you'll definitely have a permanent place to park during the school year. let me know if you have any questions about ann arbor in general..billy has a few good points but i might be able to give you more up-to-date information about the school and ann arbor. good luck and gooo blue!