Campus Map with Circled Student Parking Lots
A common question that most prospective students have is “How about parking? How does that work for students?”
According to the Grove City College website, “the privilege of maintaining a vehicle on campus is extended to faculty, employees, students who are sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and commuter students. Freshmen are not permitted to have vehicles on campus except for specific reasons outlined below and approved by the Office of Campus Safety.” Details about freshmen vehicle restrictions can be found here:
Since freshmen typically do not have cars except for approved reasons, how do freshmen get around? Freshmen typically do not need a car since the Main Street of Grove City is within walking distance. A 21 meal plan is included in room and board costs, so there is no need to buy food. If students wish to eat off campus there are many options within walking distance which include: Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Subway, and a local coffee shop and ice cream parlor. As far as basic necessities, there is a RiteAid within walking distance as well. Walmart is about a four-mile walk, but many freshmen are able to hitch a ride for a Walmart run with upperclassmen. Entertainment is also a short walk away as there is a movie theater called The Guthrie on Main Street.
Probably the biggest challenge for freshmen without cars is getting home on breaks. Many students live in other states and need to get to the airport. Grove City College offers shuttle services to the airport during breaks such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as at the end and beginning of each semester. There are also ride-share boards on the school website. Some students use the online student directory to locate students who live close to their hometowns and then contact them to carpool. As you can see, there are many options for students to get where they need to go.
As for upperclassmen, we are able to buy a parking permit for the year. Parking permits are purchased by students on my.gcc.edu under the “sign-up” tab. The parking application is very simple to fill out and the parking sticker will then be sent to your school mailbox. The parking sticker is valid for a year. A benefit to buying a parking permit is that you can then add temporary parking permits to your account. For example, I had my car registered for a parking permit, but my car was in the shop getting fixed so I had my dad’s car for a few weeks. I was able to go online and create a printable temporary parking pass to place on the dashboard of my dad’s car at no cost.
Students who live on campus are required to park in the assigned student parking lots. In the above campus map, the student parking lots are the circled areas. Are the parking lots full? No, there has always been a spot for me to park in when I return back to campus. Granted, I may have to park at the far end of the parking lot, but it is great because I do not have to wander all around campus looking for a place to park.
Parking at Grove City College is a simple process and there is always a spot to place your car. Even though freshmen typically do not own cars, there is not a high need for a car and upperclassmen are always happy to give them a ride when they need one.
