Originally posted by DrJ2B
I was wondering about something. If I get into UPenn (please God help me), should I get a car?
Quite honestly it is completely up to you. Penn housing is broken up primarily into two locales:
West Philly - Cheaper, parking available. The level of shadiness goes up the further from the University you go, but generally this area is residential and safe. Since it is residential, it's relatively quiet compared with center city. You wouldn't need a car to live there, but it wouldn't be a big burden to have one.
Center City - Expensive, parking difficult. The majority of our students live here, and some do have cars, but expect to pay upwards of $100/mo just for a spot (or live in an expensive building that has parking). There is street parking here, but it's dicey and difficult to get. All the action is in this part of town and it's much trendier, so that explains why most of the students live here.
Both locations are pretty much equidistant from Penn, with some places in West Philly being closer than the closest locales in Center City. The reason to get a car would be if you need to get away alot or like outdoorsy stuff (the poconos with skiing, hiking, camping, etc is only an hour and a half away... The beach is an hour the other way). There are group trips through the grad student center or your other classmates with cars, but it will be a pretty small proportion who do have cars, so it's up to you how important this sort of thing is.
As for commuting into school, you should avoid it if possible. You can get parking for about $80/mo if you apply early, though traffic and parking can be a pain. As far as I know, only two first years commute in. Most people walk, bike, or take mass transit (bus or subway/trolley) into and out of school every day. I'm still here now, and I'll likely take the Penn Bus home. The Penn Bus is weekday and evening only shuttle service that's free for Penn students and runs to some of West Philly and Center City. It runs right by my apartment. Otherwise, for me it's about a 20 minute walk. My roommate bikes when it is warm, walks when it is cold. The SEPTA route 40 bus runs right by my apartment and runs right up to the medical school.
I live in the corner of Center City close to Penn, but I'll likely be moving next year. As to where (e.g. West Philly vs further into center city), I'm still undecided. I had a car, but it was a POS, parking was difficult, and it was once vandalized on the street, so I got rid of it.
