Butler University

Are freshman allowed to have cars on campus? Also, do you think that it's necessary to have a car? Or is it easy enough to get around without one?

Thanks

 Yep, you can have a car!  I don't think it's necessary to have one, many students get by without one.  You will likely have a great community of friends from the start of school and I see a lot of students going shopping/out to eat/downtown together. 

On campus, you'll never need a car to get around.  I have seen some students with scooters lately, though!

 

 

I wouldn't say that it's necessary to have a car either, but it's definitely a really nice thing to have if you can bring one. It lets you be a lot more independent....if you want to go grab some food, or if you think about working off campus, it's really nice to be able to get up and go whenever you want to, and not have to worry about bugging your friends to give you a ride. A lot of people who don't bring a car first semester will often cave in and bring a car second semester. I'm a senior now, and I don't know anyone who doesn't have a car on campus in my year. Freshman year you stick around campus a lot more, which is why I would say it's not necessary then, but you'll probably want to seriously consider having a car by your sophomore and at latest your junior year!

 What about bikes?

A lot of people on campus have bikes on campus. Your freshman year you will live in Ross Hall or Schwitzer Hall, which are both really close to the academic buildings. So, it's really not necessary to ride a bike anywhere on campus. But, if you want to have a bike for exercise and whatnot, there are bike storage rooms in the basement of the buildings. ResCo and the Greek houses are also really close to the academic buildings, but a lot of people who live in University Terrance, the Apartment Village, or in houses that are off campus will ride bikes to classes. There are places to lock up your bike outside the academic buildings and I know the Apartment Village has a lot of bike racks as well. If you do bring a bike, make sure to purchase a good lock, because I've heard of a couple stolen bikes. But if you're smart enough to lock up your bike, I would say that it's a great idea to bring one!

Having cars is allowed as a freshman here, which is rare at most universities. The parking isn't bad at all, whether you live in Ross, Schwitzer, or ResCo, the parking is right behind the building and very convenient. Quite a few people have bikes, and its probably a good idea to bring one. Personally I'm not a skilled bike rider. My parents offered to bring my bike to me a few weeks ago, but I politely declined--I think that I would probably run into something/someone or do something equally embarrassing. As a freshman, most of your classes will probably be in Jordan or Gallahue which are a two minute walk from Schwitz and 4 from Ross. Super close. For classes in Hinkle, the HRC, or the tennis bubble, having a bike would be really nice because those are kind of a trek. I've seen people with scooters, rollerblades, and skateboards! Although I'm not so skilled with the wheeled transportation, it is a good idea and I would recommend it.

I'm not much of a skilled bike rider either lol.

If you decide to work off campus, is it better to have your own car? Because my parents want me to work while I'm in college, but I would think it might be somewhat difficult to work off campus without a car. But, they don't really want me to have a car my freshman year so maybe I should perfect my bike riding skills lol

I would say that working off campus without a car would be fairly difficult. If you've been to campus, you'll realize that we're located in a primarily residential neighborhood. Even Broad Ripple is a pretty far walk. If you don't have a car to bring, I would suggest looking at an on campus jobs. There are a lot of options....I'm pretty sure we're got a thread going about on campus job opportunities, so check that out!

Having a car on campus as a freshman is one thing that I am really looking for in a college.  It would make going home for weekends a lot easier if I had my car with me.

Yeah, a lot of people that live close to Indy that have their cars can go home on weekends or visit their friends at other schools. Some that live in Carmel and other suburbs even go to their home churches on Sundays since they are so close. Having a car really isn't necessary, and personally I like not going home every weekend so I don't always need it with me. If you can't bring a car, there are so many people here that would be willing to give you a ride if you need to take a Target run or are craving pizza or anything. I mean I would totally love to have my car, but I honestly don't need it. Off campus jobs are kind of difficult to manage because of class schedules and homework and everything. Butler offers great campus jobs. You can work in the office of admissions doing various jobs. One of my good friends is a Student Ambassadors, and she give tours of the campus to prospective students. Also, the library and HRC offer jobs, or you could apply to be a tutor--a girl in our unit tutors in math and makes $15 an hour! Pretty cool. You can apply for them at the beginning of the year on B.L.U.E.