kabob said:
great info! would you know if a good percentage of the P1's live at the Mission Bay housing? I'm thinking it would be a good idea to be situated close to my classmates.
how about parking at campus? I know one student I met during my interview said he pays for public parking on campus everyday?!
is it any cheaper for mopeds or bicycles?
CAR Parking on campus (in the parking structure) is $25 per day, which would be pretty big luxury since you'll be in class almost every day (not for 8 hours straight of course....) The neighborhood is mostly 2 hour parking (restricted to residents of the neighborhood, so unless you live in the inner sunset, you can't get the permit and if you park for over 2 hours, it's a $40 ticket. And they are there, every single day, ticketing away. I think it's the major souce of income for SF.)
You can get a night permit for campus for ($10/month, prepaid yearly) that allows you to park from 5pm to 8am the next morning in the parking structure and in designated UCSF spots, but that's not terribly useful unless you plan to live in the library or go to the gym during those hours...
In short, Parking at UCSF can be very painful to the wallet (the SF Parking Traffic people are on a vengeance, i swear) so a bicycle would be reeeeeaaly ideal. Either that, or a getting a Vespa or motorcycle. Or, a $40 muni (public transportation) monthly pass. There is a bicycle 'cage' that you can lock your bicycle at, which is perfect for commuters from not too far away.
Unfortunately, my husband's not too keen on the idea of me getting a scooter or motorcycle.. ha ha......
As for Mission Bay housing, though there are a few P2s who are happy there, the vast majority are on their way out and are looking to get out of their leases. It takes upwards of 30-40 minutes on the 'shuttle' to get to campus, and once they are here, they have to plan their schedule around when they can get home. Not too fun, especially since reading on those shuttles can make you pretty motion-sick. GL!
