After three years of driving me to and from school and taking me to various sports practices and extracurricular events, my parents were tired of being my “chauffeur.” Driving me to places interfered with their schedules, so they bought me a car and a campus parking permit.

Initially, I was ecstatic to be able to drive myself to school every day. However, I soon realized that having a parking permit wasn’t so great.

Even though there is a parking lot right behind the school, Uni students are only allowed to park in Lot B-22, which is located on the corner of University and Goodwin Avenues. It might not sound very far, but the time that it takes to walk from the parking lot to Uni each day really adds up.

Last year, I usually left my house at 7:45 a.m. I would always come running into the building as the second bell rang. However, this year, even though I pull out from my driveway 10 minutes earlier than I did last year, I still find myself hurrying into the building seconds before the second bell. Plus, those 10 minutes signify the loss of 10 precious minutes of sleep, which I am desperately in need of.

Another downside of driving myself is that I have to walk from the parking lot to Uni. It’s not that bad when the weather is sunny, calm, and it is 70 degrees outside. However, during the heat of the summer and the chill of the winter, that five-minute walk can be quite a painful experience.

Also, I soon realized that even with a car, it’s still inconvenient to go off-campus for lunch. Since lunch only lasts a little more than half an hour, there’s really not much time left to drive somewhere after walking to and from the parking lot.

Once, after driving out for lunch with some friends, I decided to park in the lot behind Uni. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to park there, but it was raining and we were going to be late for class. I didn’t think that the campus parking police would check for permits during the rain. Plus, my B-22 permit looked a lot like the B2 permits issued for the parking lot behind Uni.

Unfortunately, I found a parking ticket stuffed under my windshield wipers after school.

Even though my fine was only $20 and I knew that I shouldn’t have parked there, I was still a bit angry. I’ve talked to several other Uni students who park in the lot by University Avenue, and they all agree that it’s extremely inconvenient to park so far away.

If only Uni had its own parking lot for faculty members and students. The daily commutes of those who drive to school would be so much easier.

I might even be able to squeeze in a few extra minutes of much-needed sleep.