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I parked on campus all of last year and had a decal. This year i do not have a decal as i live off campus. Parking on campus while a freshmen honestly limits you to one garage which is closest to Hume and up to a 15-20 minute walk to some dorms. Either way, I found having a car being vital because sometimes the bus just doesnt cut it and service dramatically lowers after 530 everyday and on the weekends just forget about it. I found myself driving my car many times a week, many weeks almost every day, because I had to go off campus for a variety of things. Going to walmart, restaurants, the health department, tutoring zone, clubs, a bank besides wachovia, SW Rec Center and off campus gyms, your friend's apartment, and tons of other places are much much easier having a car. Having a bike is OK but there are too many rules to follow and cops love pulling over bikers and thieves love stealing bikes in Gainesville. Plus you sweat to death using it 8 months out of the year. As far as the ratio of friends with cars and those without i found it be about half and half.
Also to those parents who are concerned about their children walking around late at night, be aware that UF is VERY safe and is patrolled by police all night and all day long. You can even call to have SNAP pick you up between 6 pm and 2 am. There are emergency light/button things all over campus and most every major sidewalk is lighted. Unless you are doing something very stupid like using a wooded path after dark the chances of you being harmed out in the open on campus and no one coming up quite soon is pretty slim and much lower than in the neighborhoods outside of the campus. Most muggings and stuff go on off campus and not on campus. I honestly feel less safe on some of the bus routes than walking alone on campus at any hour.
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