<p>My friend and I will be attending FSU in the fall. We live about 4 and a half hours away down in Tampa. My friend said that she's decided on not bringing her car but I'm not sure if I should bring mine or not.
I've heard that FSU's transportation is very reliable and can get you anywhere around campus, and that parking is a huge hassle... But ive never been one to rely on public transportation or use it at all ever for that matter.
My sister lives right on the edge of town and I know Im gonna want to go visit her a lot. Plus theres always going back down to visit my family during breaks.
Suggestions and tips greatly appreciated!!</p>
<p>Hi I’m not sure where you got your information but parking is plentiful at FSU. Most students literally parked the car right in front of the classroom and there’re many spaces for everyone. Additionally driving in Tallahassee is a joy everybody drive safely. And the best unkept secret is gasoline in Tallahassee is super super cheap. So bring your car and have fun driving in Tallahassee.</p>
<p>You mentioned that your sister lives near the edge of town, and that you will want to visit her frequently. Going off that alone, unless you want your sister to have to come pick you up and drive you around, it sounds like you would benefit greatly from having your car.</p>
<p>The FSU bus routes are good for getting around campus and to a few off-campus locations (Heritage Grove apartments, the Publix shopping center, a Winn-Dixie shopping center, and a number of off-campus apartments). But I’ve found that walking around campus is almost as fast as the buses- unless you magically time the buses perfectly, which if you do, you’re amazing. </p>
<p>If you’re trying to get to places off-campus that the Tallahassee Star Metro bus routes service but that the FSU bus routes don’t service, you’re better off just using a car. About the only exception I can think of is the Governor’s Square Mall, which has a decently quick route from the north side of campus to the Mall (although said route does stop at the bus station downtown before going to the mall, unless it changed recently). </p>
<p>Star Metro is, to be quite honest, horrible with keeping up with any semblance of a schedule. Buses that are supposed to be 20 minutes apart can sometimes be right behind each other (not an exaggeration, I’ve seen it more times than I can count), and the weekend schedules where buses might stop at a particular location only once every 45 minutes (not including any delays, if there’s anything going on downtown, or if it’s a game day for FSU or FAMU) are pretty much a joke. You might wait well over an hour for that bus… if it shows up.</p>
<p>Yeah, parking on FSU’s campus is less than stellar, that’s very true. The south side of campus just got a new parking garage this year which helps a lot, and a lot of the southwest-side lots are now open to students (near Wildwood/Ragans/Traditions Halls), something that really was desperately needed. </p>
<p>As someone that survived without a car on campus for almost 3 years, I can say that it’s certainly possible to get almost anywhere you want to go around campus and around downtown. But is it at all preferable? Hell. No. Even with my gas-guzzling SUV, I much prefer having my own car, even if parking around campus can sometimes be frustrating. And all my friends pretty much feel the same way: if you have a car, you’re probably going to have at least a few times throughout the year that having it on campus is going to be so beneficial that you will regret not having it if you keep it at home. </p>
<p>Trust me, it’s no fun having to coordinate going home with friends or your parents. If you’re coordinating with friends, it’s almost a guarantee that one of you will end up annoyed at the other person’s schedule, when you’re either having to wait on that person to leave or that person is annoyed at having to wait on you to get out of class before they can leave. If you’re coordinating with parents, you have to time your schedule with theirs, and have to plan not just for that 4 hour drive to or from campus, but also the 4 hour drive for your parents. </p>
<p>On the bright side, gas prices aren’t awful in Tallahassee. It’s actually pretty much equal with the prices at home (I’m a fellow Tampa Bay to FSU transplant. Join the already enormous crowd!). In fact, according to GasBuddy, where I live and Tallahassee are actually within 2 cents a gallon of each other right now. </p>
<p>Bottom line: If you have a car, and you can see yourself using it, bring it. You mentioned wanting to go visit your sister, so bring your car. A parking decal is free, and parking isn’t quite as god awful as it has been in recent years.</p>
<p>I actually have been wondering this as well. In order to keep the cost of college down, my parents bribed me to stay in state by promising to buy me a new car. We are also from Tampa, which as the OP stated is about a 4.5 hour drive from Tallahassee. I think having a car will be a major plus, my only concern is safety. I will be bringing a brand new Chevy Camaro and I’m afraid it may be a target for break ins. Does anyone know if break ins happen often up at FSU? Do you think my car will be safe?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Parking permits at FSU are not really free. Every student at FSU is charged a Transportation Access Fee each semester which is well over $100/semester for full-time students. Paying the fee allows you to get a parking permit whether you need it or not.</p>
<p>A car at FSU is nice to have, but not necessary. I finally bought a used car so I can get to my off campus part-time job. It costs me $150/month just for the insurance on an older car. Breakins do occur on and off campus infrequently; don’t invite breakins by having a fancy stereo in car or expensive custom wheels. Nice brand new cars might get vandalized or keyed by others who are jealous you have a nice car and they don’t. Insurance will cover thefts and vandalism to your car until the insurance company cancels your policy because of the losses to the car away at a college campus.</p>
<p>My roommate a couple years ago had a brand new Mustang, bought a couple weeks before the year started. The only damage that the car suffered throughout the year was a small dent in the fender when he hit someone while trying to park one day. While there’s always a chance of something happening to your car while it’s on campus, I would not worry too much about it. </p>
<p>And I know that the parking permits aren’t truly free, but since everyone pays those fees (and they are also used to maintain the FSU bus lines, build parking garages, etc) I wasn’t considering them as part of the permit price.</p>
<p>Parking on campus, like any campus across the country is a hassle. Many students bring their cars up park them in Traditions or Woodward and never move them except maybe 5 times an entire semester. I’ve seen some cars that haven’t moved an entire sememster except when they drove back home at the end of a semester. Taking up a spot for students that actually commute.
Though I will say parking at a garage that is a little further from campus you’ll have a better chance. Even finding parking after 3PM is really easy (not including Traditions Garage though). I would only bring your car if you know you’ll be using it often and won’t be just sitting around for weeks at a time in a garage. The transportation is pretty reliable and many students use it and have not had a problem. Try it out for a semester and if you feel like not having a car isn’t working out bring it up for the next semester you’ll be attending.</p>
<p>There’s a VW van and a truck that are parked in the garage next to strozier, I swear they have not moved since last spring. So frustrating.</p>
<p>To answer the question I would definitely bring my car with me. You’ll want it for something and not having to rely on others for rides is a major plus. </p>
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