<p>Just wondering what types of things students at Chapman often did on the weekends? I know Disneyland and the beach are close by, but do they check out LA or other parts of California very much? Thanks in advance for any responses :)</p>
<p>According to DS, that depends on the students and their interests. You will find students like to go to the movies, some like to go shopping, some like to go to the games, some like to party, some prefer the beach, some like to hang out at Disneyland, and pretty much everywhere. California is a huge state. There are a lot of places to cover. If you want to see everything, it’s best to drive. To be within an hour or so drive from Chapman, there’s Hollywood, LA and the Pasadena areas (lots of museums), Long Beach (Queen Mary and Aquarium of the Pacific), Buena Park (Knott’s Berry Farm), Yorba Linda (Nixon Library), Santa Ana (Bowers Museum and Discovery Science Center), Irvine (The Irvine Spectrum Center), Costa Mesa (South Coast Plaza and the OC Performing Arts Center), Newport Beach (Fashion Island), Laguna Beach (lots of art galleries and museums), San Juan Capistrano (Mission), Dana Point (Ocean Institute), and Carlsbad (Legoland), just to name a few. If you want, you can even take the Metrolink on the weekend to LA Chinatown and have lunch, and return to Chapman the same day. Now with the new pool by the residence hall at Chapman, you’ll also find students hanging out by the pool a lot. Chapman is like a resort. Haha:)</p>
<p>Wow, no kidding! Haha. That sounds awesome. So glad that there is SO much to do in the area and that Chapman students are able to take advantage of it! Thanks for your response!</p>
<p>Back to the car question, though OCELITE and g-bird. Do you feel it’s best for a Chapman freshman to have a car there? How do film majors shoot off campus and carry their equipment with them? Does the film department have vans, or are students expected to use their own cars if they want to shoot, say, a western scene at Joshua Tree Monument? On the other hand, with so many theme parks and beaches nearby, do you feel a car might be too much of a distraction, particualry for an OOS student?</p>
<p>If you want something ethnic but closer than LA, go into Westminster/ Little Saigon, especially at night. With the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, there are things to do until midnight. Discover something new. Also, Korea town in LA or some Korean areas near Little Saigon.</p>
<p>@shakespearefan: Im not a student yet but I have been around the Orange city/area and am a west coaster so I often visit LA and cities nearby. I can tell you a car would make your life SOOOOOO much easier but parking passes are expensive. I believe it is 300 each year, or 150 a semester. However my tour guide did recommend that if you dorm, it’d be more money-savvy to get a bike and transport around that way. She did mention that the train has discounts for students and fun places like Disneyland is easily accessibly both by car and train. And with gas prices so crazy, I doubt you’d wanna drive around too far/too much anyhow! Though I did notice that gas in Orange was significantly cheaper (20c ish) compared to nearby cities. </p>
<p>To be honest I myself am unsure of whether or not to bring my car because I will also be a Dodge student. However, from my Dodge tour, it seems like many projects will be done in groups or with someone else - as they go all out when it comes to making films - so I think you can find at least one person with a car to transport heavy equipment.</p>
<p>lullabies, You are spot on. Thanks for answering!</p>
<p>shakespearefan, Just as lullabies said, film students do work in groups. As an example, they may need something for the set, they would coordinate to carpool to go shop for the items. The goal is to keep the cost low when making or budgeting a film. Yes, you will find students who will have cars on campus whether they are commuter students or not. There are upperclassmen who live off campus also have cars. The only time that I see maybe necessary to have a car would be if your student has an internship or a job with a schedule that requires one. As for sightseeing, that depends on the location. Rail and shuttle service can only cover to a degree, but it can be done. It just takes a little planning. If the area your student wants to visit requires a car to reach, then rent a car or team up with someone that has a car. If your student is not familiar with the area, it’s best to Google map it or bring a GPS. If you belong to AAA, you can go to the AAA office to obtain maps and tour books of the area. So whether to bring a car or not that is up to each person. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>RE the car Q:
Should our son choose Dodge (likely), he will live in the dorms freshman year, without a car. With our daughter (graduate of UCSB), we learned it’s more hassle than it’s worth in freshman year and too expensive. DS is ok with the plan: during this important first year, he intends to be immersed in campus life and crazy busy. He can bike, walk or take the train or contribute gas $ for those who do have cars. Car in the second year is up for discussion; after that, I’m sure he will need and have his car–for internships, job interviews, etc.
There is also the great option of Zipcars: our D uses them in SF; it’s far more economical than owning/having to pay to park your own car. I imagine they have Zipcars near Chapman, but haven’t checked.</p>
<p>Downtown Santa Ana near the border with Orange has a vibrant night life. On thurs,fri, sat nights there are plenty of people hitting the clubs and bars. Of course younger students will have to find other activities.</p>
<p>^^^^Yes: check out the Santa Ana’s Artist Village and the Gypsy Den.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses! Much appreciated!</p>
<p>You’re welcome sheldekk.</p>
<p>Those of you who have questions about Zipcars, yes, they have them on campus. It’s always nice to be able to rent one. [Chapman</a> University – Zipcar](<a href=“http://www.zipcar.com/chapman]Chapman”>Chapman University | Zipcar)</p>