<p>Son will be a freshman in Fall (August), and since we are from FL he will be bringing his car. Assuming he gets in the music dorm (Thornwell) and will be lugging his instrument to classes at the Koger Center, we are trying to determine if the regular student parking permit is satisfactory, or if he will need to purchase a significantly more expensive garage permit. Factors are convenience (especially with his instrument), protection of vehicle from mother nature, and vehicle safety. </p>
<p>The prices on the garages vary - for example Pendleton Street Garage, which appears to be close to his assumed dorm, is $280 a semester, while the Discovery Plaza Garage behind the Koger is $320. That's a major chunk of change either way, compared to the $75 per year for general student parking. However, I'm not big on his car sitting in an outdoor lot exposed to the elements for days at a time, even if it is an older vehicle.</p>
<p>Any advice on this from current students and/or parents would be much appreciated, we are headed to orientation this coming week.</p>
<p>OK maybe a student that used general parking will chime in. One of my D’s suitemates did but never heard much about it. </p>
<p>Hopefully your decision has to do with safety/care of your car and not that you think student needs to be driving it on daily basis! We bought garage spot for D as close to dorm as possible because she has small job off campus and still does some babysitting, both which have her coming home after dark and we felt garage closer and safer (still have her pick up guy friend to go park and walk back to dorm if really late). Assuming he gets Thornwell, Pendleton is definitely closer for the times he needs to run errands or leave for break.</p>
<p>I lived by Thornwell in Maxcy (They’re right beside each other). Anyways, I went to the music building once or twice a week for band. Those are the closest dorms to the music building. It’s only about a 10 minute walk.</p>
<p>There’s really no sense in getting a garage permit for driving from Thornwell to Koger. You’d have to just walk ten minutes in the other direction just to get to the parking garage (Senate or Pendleton), then drive back past Thornwell to get to the music building.</p>
<p>Your vehicle isn’t really any more safe in a garage than in a regular parking space. At the beginning of the year, the police officer showed us clips of cars in the garages getting broken into.</p>
<p>I understand the weather element. You’ll want to make sure to either get a garage where he won’t have an assigned space on the roof or a garage that allows parking anywhere. I know that between Pendleton/Senate one has a gate which allows parking anywhere and that the other has one that has assigned parking. I think the gated one is Pendleton and the assigned one is Senate but it could be just opposite. Anyways, the one that is assigned, I had a friend who was assigned a space on the roof.</p>
<p>Anyways, out of the reasons you listed, the only reason I see to get a garage space over a regular space is for the weather element and convenience. If he has a regular permit, he’ll probably end up parking at Bates which is a 20-30 minute walk away. They’re on opposite sides of campus.</p>
<p>My son stayed in Thornwell and he just parked at the Bates West parking lot. It’s really big and is adjacent to the band room. Just make sure you don’t park under the trees. The birds will make a terrible mess on any car parked directly under a tree. It’s a right good hike from Bates West to Thornwell, but the buses do come by. On Friday evenings and weekends until 7am Mon morning students can park right in front of the dorm (between Thornwell and the Horseshoe), so usually he would drive from the bandroom on Friday nights to his dorm - which was about the only time he ever used his car.</p>
<p>Also, like dining, this can be changed each semester. If you are really unhappy with general parking, you can get in garage second semester (maybe).</p>
<p>My daughter is a dance major, which shares a building with band. She didn’t have a car freshman year, but did bring it last year. We opted for the garage parking because she had a newer vehicle, and she wound up in Bull Street. Seemed like it would be inconvenient at first, because she lived in Capstone, but turned out to be the best choice for her because it was centrally located between her dorm & the dance building. So when she had off-campus dance classes/rehearsals (often right after on-campus class or rehearsal) she just took her gear from dance building to car to studio. And it was also convenient when she returned from the studio, because she could grab a meal/snack at Russell on her way back to the dorm. It was so convenient we’re doing it again this year.</p>
<p>Just a tip for future years - all freshmen are guaranteed on campus housing, but upper classmen are not. It’s highly likely that students will have to find private accomidations after the first year. </p>
<p>My son wasn’t able to get on campus student housing this year, we looked at a number of student housing options, and after talking to a lot of people we decided that if he didn’t live in the immediate campus area that he would probably need a garage spot. However, once we did the math, turns out it is just as cheap to pay a little more for an apartment in the campus area and utilize the apartments parking. Several of the privately owned apartment buildings have their own parking decks. He will be moving into Aspyre in August, it is a little more expensive than some of the further out private student housing, but since it is only a few blocks from the buildings which he will be having classes in, we are avoiding transportation issues almost totally (and thus saving the extra monthly expense).</p>
<p>Also, privately owned housing is price competitive with dorm rooms, only nicer - so don’t be shocked or upset when your student isn’t placed in official USC housing in years to come.</p>
<p>^That’s true. And if anyone on the forum is looking to transfer, they’re going to have to find off-campus housing this year.</p>
<p>My friend is planning and she called Housing today and they said there is absolutely no on-campus housing, so she’s being forced to look around campus.</p>
<p>There are several apartments within walking distance of campus and most come with parking spaces. They’re not all expensive.</p>
<p>I have a group of friends who are living together in Wilshire House next year and their rent is only like $220 a piece and it is within walking distance of campus.</p>
<p>Ended up buying the senate garage for $280 for the semester. Just too many variables, and there really is no regular lots even close to his dorm in Thornwell. We figured better safe then sorry his first semester - once he has a real lay of the land, he can decide what is best before second semester starts.</p>