<p>I am going to be a Biochem student this fall, and i was wondering whether i will be needing a car in my 1st or any subsequent years. I eventually want to go do internships and volunteer at hospital, but will i really be needing a car?</p>
<p>I live in Socal, so when i come there i will either live in the dorms or close by apartments.</p>
<p>Also, what do u guys think is the best Berkeley student car?</p>
<p>Thx</p>
<p>I wouldn't bring a car...it's a bigger hassle trying to locate parking, obtaining a permit, etc.</p>
<p>I would just take a flight to Oakland and hop on BART. Have your parents drive up initially with your stuff and then have 'em pick you up at year end.
When I wanted to go south for an impromptu weekend, I hitched a ride with some of my friends...and offered to pay for the gas.</p>
<p>A car is too big a hassle, especially for a first year student, and costs way too much to keep. Public transportation can get you just about anywhere, and for the few times it can't (the occasionals to IKEA or such), you as a Berkeley student are eligible to rent a car from one of several places, including getting a ZipCar account or using Enterprise or Hertz.</p>
<p>Coming from SoCal, you're probably used to the idea of commute time. At Berkeley, expect the same, except you won't be driving (or having to worry about other drivers, or gas costs (which are over $4/gal.), or insurance, or tolls...).</p>
<p>If you REALLY want a car, wait. You don't need it your first year and it will be really hard to use it even if you do have it. Once you move off-campus and learn the area a little better, you might consider moving into an apartment with parking included. It will be difficult to find a balance between accessibility to campus and car-friendly, because the closer you are to campus, the less car-friendly the city becomes. You DO NOT want to deal with the hassle and cost of a campus parking permit -- it's extremely expensive AND you are not guaranteed a space, just the permission to park IF there is a space.</p>
<p>Would it be wise to bring my car say towards my 3rd, 4th year
?</p>
<p>The reason I ask is because when i came to Cal, i saw quite a few kids driving their cars around</p>
<p>"Wise" is not a word I would use. Possible? Sure. Whether it's worth it is completely up to you. For the average student, though, I would recommend against having a car.</p>
<p>Compelling reasons, off the top of my head, for why you might want a car:
1) You need to work enough that your schedule is too tight to allow for public transportation delays.
2) You have a family (by that I mean are married/have child/etc. -- implication being it's the care of OTHERS that requires access to dedicated transportation).
3) You function regularly at hours public transportation does not -- need to be in SF before 5am, need to travel after 12-1am. Note <em>need</em>, not want. </p>
<p>Beyond that, it's hard to justify. Parking is expensive (as are tickets, which anyone who's driven in Berkeley will be happy to tell you are given out like candy) and often hard to find; even if you have parking at your apartment, the place you're going won't necessarily be so kind. Gas is expensive; remember! the Bay Area is one of the most expensive areas in the <em>nation</em> to buy gas. Last time I checked, every gas station on University Avenue was over $4/gal, and I think I'd put the average around $4.10 for regular unleaded. All the other incidentals of car ownership are still expensive. Even if money isn't a concern, think about the time you'll spend stuck in traffic, looking for parking, trying to find roads and navigate the maze of one-way streets in Berkeley and SF.</p>
<p>The Bay Area is pretty foot- and bike-friendly, definitely leagues against most parts of SoCal. You might think it horrible to have to depend on public transportation, but it is frequently better organized and more reliable than whatever anything down there has to offer. I say that from the experience of relying on bus transportation when I lived in Riverside for a year. The difference between SoCal public transit and NorCal public transit (at least as far as SF and East Bay are concerned) is amazing.</p>