<p>My mom has stated she kind of wants me to bring a car, and I will probably get a decent amount of financial aid, but is it smart to pay the huge fee for parking? The idea of having a car to drive home or visit friends is nice.</p>
<p>No wayyyy. That huge fee gives you the ability to FIND a parking space. It is really intended for commuters who will be driving, just as the SEPTA PennPass is intended for commuters who take transit to Penn. It is very common to park to the near west of campus between 40th and 43rd, Walnut to Baltimore. Any places that don’t have 2 or 3 hour parking limits are free, and it’s safe to park your car there. Just don’t bring a Mercedes or a Porsche or something… that’s just asking for trouble.</p>
<p>I’m gonna second what chrisw said. I’ve lived in University City my entire life (I’m 18 now) and you’re not gonna need a car to get around campus. If anything, it’ll be more of a hassle to have to deal with it. If you’re trying to go other places, SEPTA will pretty much get you anywhere you need to go.</p>