<p>What are the issues with bringing a car to campus? I already know about the cost of parking stickers. Is parking really that scarce? My daughter will be a freshman living in the dorm next fall.</p>
<p>Seems to me San Diego would not have a lot of public transportation, if you wanted to get around the town.</p>
<p>Or do so many activities center around campus that students don't need to
venture out that much? It's just that on admit day the campus seemed a bit dead, like everyone went home for the weekend.</p>
<p>Parking is scarce. San Diego has a satisfactory bus system (check sdcommute.com). Students don't need to venture out that much. The beach is about a mile away.</p>
<p>It helps that San Diego is a relatively compact city (especially in comparison to Los Angeles). That makes it easier to get from place to place on public transportation. The main thing I didn't like about their transit system is that the fares are somewhat expensive and many bus lines don't have night service. But a bus pass is still much cheaper and less hassle than owning a car, and lack of night buses is common in southern California...</p>
<p>You can ride the bus for free in La Jolla (as long as you have your student ID), and it takes you to many of the places you may want to go to (you can even get to the airport if you know the right routes). A car is helpful some times, such as grocery shopping (I have no intention of carrying 6 bags back, plus whatever else i may have). I sometimes find myself wishing I had one...luckily i know a few ppl who can give me rides. One will even let me borrow his car if needed:D</p>
<p>Basically, I would recommend bringing a car or making good friends with someone who has one. Do keep in mind the $3.89 unleaded/$4.09 premium before you make a decision though.</p>
<p>Some of the people living in the dorms bring their cars where they spend most of the time in the parking lot collecting dust and scratches. The UCSD shuttles go quite a few places. The city bus is free for students to use in the nearby area so it's easy to go to the mall, downtown, La Jolla, the beach, etc. Here's the website that shows the UCSD shuttle routes along with a live view of exactly where the shuttle buses are at the moment (a cool feature).</p>
<p>There shouldn't be any need for grocery shopping the first two years in the dorms. After that, most students move off campus where they still generally don't need a car as long as they live close to a UCSD shuttle stop. There are some apartments that are adjacent to grocery stores so a car really isn't needed then as long as the locations is selected with that in mind.</p>
<p>Maybe she should try not having a car when she starts and see how it goes. If after being at UCSD for a quarter and she feels she just absolutely needs a car, maybe she could bring it then.</p>
<p>i think the first year without a car is entirely acceptable -- it'll teach the freshman the benefits of public transportation (though if she's a diehard californian like me, not even a year of buses will ever change her mind) and a little bit of humility/responsibility from relying on others with cars. people with cars (especially in the first year) will be uber-popular but SWAMPED with ride requests everywhere. this lasts into sophomore year too; i had apartmentmates coyly asking things like, "hey, do you want to go to ralph's / costco / mall today?" and knowing full well my car was the only way there, i sometimes felt like a jerk for saying no. </p>
<p>but after a friend put a hole in my bumper (and vehemently denied it), i changed my mind about letting people use my car. NEVER again.</p>
<p>I was the resident taxi for my house last year and I still am for my friends this year. There's nothing like getting a call at 3am asking if you can pick up some people from TJ because they missed the bus to get back to campus. Good times.</p>