Is a car a necessity as a grad student?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
1

<p>My girlfriend is currently looking at going to Penn State as a grad student, and she's not sure if she'll need to have a car while living out there. She's currently in California and there's no way her current car would be able to make it out there, so she'd have to buy a new (probably used) one. She'll be living off of a stipend around $24k a year, to give an idea of how much money she'll have to be working with.</p>

<p>Being a Pennsylvania native I know how difficult it is to get to/from State College without a car, but I figure I might be able to hook her up with a ride from someone in my family either from Pittsburgh or Philly just to get her out there.</p>

<p>Also, any input on graduate housing or where to look for housing for grad students would be appreciated. I did my schooling out in Pittsburgh, so all my knowledge in that sort of stuff is pretty much useless for her problems. :(</p>

2

<p>I think CATA does a fairly good job with transportation from various off-campus apartment complexes to the campus. Some apartments offer CATA bas passes for "free" (probably have to pay for it as some "activity fee" or something, but I think it's worth it). Some apartments are in walking distance to the campus, especially the ones west of Atherton Street near the new engineering buildings (I think they're called White Course Apartments).</p>

3

<p>She can fly into University Park airport and take a cab to campus (~5 miles). A car is a nice convenience, but certainly not a necessity.</p>