<p>D is interested in Oxy - - but I am troubled by a statment on Princeton Review that a car was "essential." And a number of posts on the Oxy board suggest this is true.</p>
<p>Everyone says that it's easy to get rides w/ friends, but I don't want D to always be dependent on others. So . . . .</p>
<ul>
<li><p>what amenities are within walking distance of the school (grocery? coffee shop? pharmacy?)</p></li>
<li><p>what is accessible via public transit? beach? airport?</p></li>
<li><p>does the college offer Zip Car? </p></li>
<li><p>can one take a taxi to and from the popular student destimations (ie: the beach)? how expensive are taxis?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I can only speak from my S's experience...he took a car down second semester of his second year and college life got much more fun. Yes, you can walk to grocery, coffee, pharmacy but it's a walk through a neighborhood and then onto a busy street. Yes, you can get rides from friends and my son does do alot of trips to and from the airport. You wouldn't take a taxi to the beach, it would be too expensive. You can take a taxi to Burbank airport but not to LAX..too expensive. The school does have shuttle service to and from the airports around the holidays, it's really quite a good service. And they do have organized trips to the beach and the mountains on the shuttle van. I think the value of a car (besides it being VERY easy to have a car on campus) is that LA is so full of such fun things to do. The kids go into Pasadena for dinner and movie, they drive a couple of miles to Trader Joes for snacks, they have a couple of favorite college hangouts that are about a mile away. Staples Center, Dodger Stadium....all of these are so easy to get to but you need a way to get there! It was a big plus for our son, it really did change his "fun" factor for the better. There are tons of kids with cars and there will always be someone to get a ride from or borrow a car from, however, so it can work either way. Just thoughts...hope this is helpful!</p>
<p>A car is definitely helpful, but so many kids have cars such that it's really not that big of a deal to be "dependent on others" since it is likely that your daughter will have multiple friends with cars. The "Bengal Bus" system (pretty much vans driven by student designated drivers) is pretty good - it operates on most nights and makes rounds to drug stores and some other fun outings on weekends. Overall, a car makes it nice - but it's not "essential" by any means. Taxis are definitely not a good option for heading out to popular student destinations (perhaps just the airport etc.), but even for those sorts of things our vans pretty much cover everything.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that a car is ESSENTIAL for an Oxy student. But as a Angelino, it really is. It's difficult to get around the city without your own means of transportation. Public transportation in LA is practically non-existant, and you would only take taxis to the airports.
I would recommend a car for your daughter even the first year. This way she's independent, and can truly take advantage of leaving in the LA area. For example, if she wants to drive up to Malibu or visit Laguna Beach down south on weekends, you will definitely need a car.</p>
<p>I lived in LA a while back and even though I had a car, I could never afford to put gas in it. I got around okay. I walked or took the bus most places, rode with friends other places. It's not the best place in the world to be without a car, but it is managable. </p>
<p>I'm hoping to transfer to Oxy myself, and if I do I plan to just get rid of my car and just take my bicycle. I'm a non-traditional student who would be living off campus, so my situation is different.</p>
<p>@iskander: i don't think public transportation is THAT bad haha. i live in a tiny 3-mile radius city bordering LA, and at 17, i don't even have a license yet because i never felt the urge to drive. i always take the metro and i can easily get to old town pasadena or to downtown LA (and beyond if i wanted to). i go to dodgers stadium by taking the metro gold line to union station, then getting on the dodger trolley :P. i've even gone to universal studios by the metro, and even though i haven't done it, i am almost positive you can go to the beach by metro. as long as you plan your trip, traveling by public transportation is pretty easy.</p>
<p>i also take the bus, but i prefer the metro system.</p>
<p>and apparently you can take the bus from oxy to a metro station, so all is good for me. haha</p>
<p>mistkae is right. i may have been a little too harsh on LAs public transportation. but i currently reside in paris and so i was mostly comparing LAs public transportation to Paris' and quite frankly there is no comparison.
but you will have to agree with me, mistkae, that a car would be very helpful in LA. in other words it is possible to get around without a car, im not sayin the contrary but things would be simpler if you had one. at the end the day OP will just have to chose. but you're going to have to get your D a car sooner or later...</p>
<p>I live 5-10 minutes from Oxy, and its surrounding area is pretty OK. As for a car, I've lived here all my life, and I personally don't think you need a car esp. if you're @ Oxy. I think you need only one bus to get to Glendale or Pasadena, the surrounding cities with restaurants and shopping centers. However, if your child wants to explore other cities, they just might need a car. I remember taking the metro system (buses and trams) to the valley one time, and it took 2 1/2 hours!</p>
<p>S2 and I recently visited Oxy and the admissions folks recommended a car and pointed out the ample student parking on the campus tour. S2 liked the school, not that crazy about LA.</p>