<p>Is it a good idea to bring your own car to school? Where do people keep their cars? Should I wait until sophomore year if I bring my car at all?</p>
<p>You can get along just fine at USC without a car - most freshman do. There are Zip Cars available for hourly use or by the day that are very convenient.</p>
<p>That said, California is an automobile-centered world, and having a car (or a friend with a car) makes getting to and from the many southern California attractions a bit easier.</p>
<p>The drawbacks to bringing your car are the costs - insurance, of course, and parking is about $800 per year for an on-campus structure, a bit less for the parking center (shuttles to and from campus). The good news there is that the high cost means there is generally enough parking available for those who need it (except on game-day, when if you take your car out, you won’t get it back in until the game is over).</p>
<p>Freshmen without cars generally report that they have no trouble finding friends with cars to go places - the key is to ALWAYS help out with gas costs.</p>
<p>I’m a junior and I still don’t have a car, and don’t anticipate getting one either. Other people have cars, I just go with them when I need something. Zipcars are around and convenient, but I don’t use those either. Then again, I tend to not get out as much as people who have more free time.</p>
<p>After a semester here, I’ve decided that I’m gonna ask my parents for a car next fall. </p>
<p>It all really depends on how networking oriented your major is/you want to be, as well as if you want to pursue lots of offcampus internship opportunities. I’m a Cinema major, and I’m all about networking and meeting new people… I had to go to Sherman Oaks to meet with a composer and West Hollywood for an internship interview - I took LA mass transit, and it took an OBSCENELY long time (2+ hours) for such a short distance. </p>
<p>Just my $0.02…</p>
<p>That is true, the bus system in LA is pretty slow. The Metro trains are nice, but they only go long distances. If you need to get places on your own for work opportunities and meetings or such, you should get a car.</p>
<p>Thanks! That really helps :)</p>