I know everyone says bringing your own car is not worth it at all but it’s the only way I’ll be able to leave during breaks. My parents won’t come and get me and I don’t know anyone else who would but I plan to maintain my current part-time job seasonally (and work somewhere else when I’m on campus during the school terms) so I’d have to head back during break (plus the cost of staying in the dorm over breaks is $$). Is there anywhere to get a solid permit for parking to leave my car in? I’d honestly only use it leaving and coming back and maybe a weekend trip or two so it doesn’t even have to be on campus as long as there’s a mode of transportation to and from the place.
How much is your budget for parking?
Couldn’t you just take a bus home?
Don’t forget about sharing a ride from someone from your hometown. I understand how difficult a bus can be to many areas in the state, including the major cities. However, you can likely find a ride for breaks.
Parking is expensive in the campus area. Very limited as well. Rethink your expenses- the costs of having a car in Madison may be more than the earnings from a part time job. Your primary job is your academics- do not shortchange yourself with trying to work extra hours to afford parking and insurance.
Where do you live? Van Galder bus goes to Twin Cities, Chicago and other locations. Lots of kids ride share. My kid always has friends driving to various locations in WI, MN, Ill. Bringing a car would be a major expense and a huge headache at any point in college, but overwhelmingly so freshman year.
Parking is very difficult and expensive in Madison. It seems an incredible waste to do this only for transportation home from breaks. As mentioned above, review the bus schedules. Even if they do not come all the way to your home, you may be able to have someone pick you up within a couple of hours. Living in Western Michigan, my daughter would take the bus to Chicago and I would pick her up there. Not great, but it worked.
This semester she got an internship in a town just outside of Madison. After an approval process, she was approved for one of the UW parking lots at about $100 per month. I emphasize, that you will have to prove a need for almost daily transportation to move up the waiting list. Private lots are much more expensive.
@Madison85 My brother pays 500 a year for his college so I’m thinking at most 750. Can’t take the bus to where I live and I don’t really have anyone willing to pick me up from Minneapolis (the friend I crash with won’t be back in town until after me).
@wis75 There’s only one girl from my school going to UW too and she lives in a different town any and there’s no way my parents are letting me keep my car at theirs the whole semester so I guess I could probably find storage in MN for it and take a bus to campus when it comes to.
@Midwestmomofboys My friend that I’ll be staying with lives in Rogers/Otsego MN, a little over a half an hour to the cities, the only problem is getting from the cities to the area because I’m crashing with her when I’m in town and she won’t be there when I get back
@MIBadger That’s a good plan but I just don’t have anyone to pick me up from anywhere really… I don’t really want to leave my job back home because the wage I’m getting is a lot higher than what I’ve seen the average WI rate is but I will need a job for when I’m on campus so I could just look for one further rather than closer and just try to prove the need for parking
to the OP – I understand a parking space starts around $75-80 a month for a spot in a driveway or an open lot and increases to $150+ a month for a covered garage.
UW does not have big lots on the edge of campus for student parking like some schools may. It is an urban university in the state capitol.
Jobs that are farther away from campus are still on the bus line except if in a different city entirely.
There may be people not in your HS class at UW- who knows. We’re all telling you it will be very expensive and likely not close to campus if you choose to bring your car. UW-Madison is not a students having cars culture.
Megabus goes from UW to Target field. Then you can hop the train to the Minneapolis airport where there is a shuttle that runs about once an hour to an AmericInn in Rogers. That sounds pretty complicated I suppose. Usually you can get Megabus tickets almost free if you buy enough in advance. The shuttle is the leg that costs.
http://www.executiveexpress.biz/city/rogers
If you are determined to have your car in Madison, you can find an open air spot somewhere for $75 a month as midwestmom says. Could even be near campus if you spend time looking. A property management company is advertising spots in a garage on Drake available in August '16 for less than that now. The price so low makes me wonder about security though. Is your car nice or a beater?
http://www.madisonproperty.com/searchresults.aspx?SM=Parking
Some of the storage rental companies rent space for cars, though not close to campus probably.
If you do the car thing, you will easily be able to find company for the drive home with students looking for rides back to Twin Cities area. It is a long drive, good to have company to keep you awake and to share gas money.
After the first year you can look for a house or apartment that has parking space either included in rent or available for a price.
Why can’t you leave your car at parent’s place? Not even on the street in front of house?
Parking commitments are often for a full 12 months, even though you may leave Madison in late May, you could end up paying through August 15th.
Also, not sure about how the job during school semester fits into your need for a car. UW hires many many students, for dining halls to Memorial Union and Union South, plus office jobs. It pays above minimum wage and respects a student’s need for flexibility, always building the work hours around the student’s class schedule. Other employers often require a minimum of 20 hours a week for part-time hires, precisely because they don’t want student, and they do not build a schedule around your class time. UW is not an easy school, and most parents would recommend working not more than about 10 hours a week at a job, especially the first semester.
^Agree with midwestmom. Especially if the car is not parked close to dorm so that transportation to job involves time-consuming walking or bussing to get to car. You can try for a campus lab job. Those may not be well paid, but a good way to get to know what goes on in academia and make connections, and looks good on resume. If you need more $/hr, there are restaurants all around campus where you could serve 1-2 nights a week. You don’t want to waste a lot of time on transportation. My S comes home to a job that predates his enrollment at UW. It’s only one day a week and we live 3 miles away so I drive him. He combines that with meals at home and laundry, but still feels the loss of that time. UW had a jobs board where employers post, that has all kinds of jobs on and off campus. Presumably they are willing to hire students since they post there.