<p>Unless you are consistently going outside of Philadelphia, there is no need for a car, and if anything cars are an extra hassle and an extra expense. The $1,300 you would pay for parking at Penn just entitles you to find parking in one of the parking decks around campus - you can find parking just west of campus for free so the $1,300 is a little ridiculous.</p>
<p>You will never use a car to get anywhere on and around campus. You say that ten blocks is far for you, but let’s use a little example. Say you live in Gregory, at 40th and Spruce, and say you have a class in DRL, at 33rd and Walnut. You think to yourself, that is nine blocks away (seven to the east, two to the north)! But then think about the logistics: getting your car means walking to the parking deck, probably 40th and Walnut; there is no parking area really convenient to DRL, so you would pay need to find street parking and then pay for parking each time. It is expensive and winds up taking significantly more time. If you are in nursing, you will have clinicals as a junior/senior, and THOSE may require you to drive, but even then, you can find your way to your location pretty easily without a car.</p>
<p>Getting to other places in Philly is similar. Philadelphia has a very expansive public transportation system, made up of heavy rail, light rail, trolleys, subways and buses. At any time you are on Penn’s campus, you are never more than three or four blocks from a trolley or subway stop, and it is generally much faster to get downtown by subway/trolley than by car (unquestionably faster during rush hour!).</p>
<p>Most people come to Penn, thinking that they will be visiting their friends at different schools all of the time, but that is not what winds up happening. Most people spend most weekends at Penn freshman year, and they only really do travel when they have a significant other at another school. </p>
<p>There isn’t much to do in Jersey during the school year (being realistic here). If you will actually be going to Maryland frequently, then maybe you could justify having a car, but if you are honest with yourself, you know that you aren’t going to be traveling to Baltimore or Washington all that much. </p>
<p>It is very common for Penn students to go up to NYC, either with student groups or to visit friends. But nobody drives to NYC - you can get a round-trip Amtrak ticket for $70, and that trip takes about 75 minutes; alternatively, discount bus companies get you there for $10, and public transportation (SEPTA and NJ Transit) costs $50ish round trip.</p>
<p>My point is that a car is not necessarily a major hassle, but it is entirely unnecessary and very costly, not to mention that Philadelphia is notorious for auto theft / break-ins.</p>