Is it worth learning to drive for uni? Can I park around? Is it expensive?

Hello.

I'm turning 17 in October and starting year 12 in September. Something I have pondered quite a bit about living in Edinburgh (with the intention of studying medicine at the university, which is a six year course) is whether I would be able to:

A - park my car somewhere inexpensive;
B - use a (presumably) small car to get everything from where I live in Lancashire up to the university.

I visited Edinburgh and its surrounding areas last week and I loved it. The Fringe festival tainted my view somewhat, but I managed to look past it. What I did notice when I was there is that most of the on-street parking metres charge a whopping £3.70 per hour of parking. So are there cheaper alternatives? Multi-storey car parks? Is there parking available to those who are staying in the halls of residence?

I have a car and my permit is £231 per year to park within Zone 3 which is where I live: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20277/parking_permits/577/parking_permit_map/1

There is no parking for students living in halls unless you're disabled AFAIK. Also, Edinburgh City Council passed a motion a while ago to stop the issuing of permits to students living in purpose-built student lodgings, so you can only get a parking permit to park on the street if you live in a normal rented property.

You can hire a garage - I've seen one go for £150 per month in the Quartermile.

Also, I hope you're good at parallel parking into tight spots

I'm gonna take that as a "no, it is not worth it" so thank you!

It's a good life skill and learning to drive will only get more expensive!! Might not be worth doing it FOR uni specifically, but it'll be one less thing to worry about when you graduate.

You'll also be able to use the City Car Club too which might be handy if you need to move stuff around or take day trips.

Studying medicine in Edinburgh, there is no point in having a car for the first 3 years (more hassle than it's worth), but for the last 3 years, you will have peripheral placements in which case it is useful to drive as you would save money and time instead of using trains and buses.

I'd advise learning and taking your test in one of your long summers in those early years. After that you don't really get much time.

I'd definitely recommend learning to drive before you finish uni. I'm 18 and starting uni in September and only started learning to drive early July and I'm regretting it now as I'm going to have to carry on taking lessons whilst I'm there. I won't be planning on getting a car or anything until I've graduated but I think it's worth getting it out of the way now

Studying medicine in Edinburgh, there is no point in having a car for the first 3 years (more hassle than it's worth), but for the last 3 years, you will have peripheral placements in which case it is useful to drive as you would save money and time instead of using trains and buses.

I'd advise learning and taking your test in one of your long summers in those early years. After that you don't really get much time.

Surely, if you have a valid license, you could occasionally rent a vehicle - say if you had to move your flat, or transfer some equipment. Also, if you wanted a 'day in the country' the daily rental of a small Fiat or Honda would probably be cheaper than what maintaining a car would cost you. My view is slightly jaundiced, because i do all my own maintenance - my major (course) was electrical engineering, so i'm used to working with hardware. Therefore, i tend to underestimate the maintenance costs of a vehicle (because i never hire mechanics). When i was 'at school' - the only kids with cars (other than a few rich kids), were those who could find something behind some farmer's barn, get it running themselves, and keep it running with their paper route or lawn cutting money. In those days (50's and 60's), there wasn't any of this "Daddy, daddy, buy me a new BMW!!" The ONLY kids with cars had layers of grease and grime on their hands - because it won't wash off after it soaks in for a while. You could tell who had a car by just standing in the hall between classes, and looking at the boys hands. Cheers.