This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If you attend or have visited FSU, you know about the unescapable turmoil of parking at any time, in any area of the campus. I didn’t understand why people told me I was lucky as a freshman without a car on campus — until I brought my car and had to discover the crisis on my own.

Whether it’s because there are too many students or too few parking spots, it always feels like survival of the fittest for parking even remotely near the proper classroom building. It might even be more efficient to walk for 20 minutes during finals week.

There are six main parking garages at FSU, and I think they have some obvious similarities to frat houses. They’re both old, dirty, and crowded. The difference between “touse” (top house) and “bouse” (bottom house) frats is how well they appeal to the crowd.

Using “fratccent” (frat accent and slang) to rate parking garages by their location and people’s experiences might encourage you to pledge or drop them entirely. Starting at the most bouse, let’s move up the chain to the most favorable parking garages.

West Pensacola Street Garage: Bouse

I don’t know if this is unpopular, but I think West Pensacola Street Garage is the most “bouse” parking garage at FSU. Its location isn’t convenient to the main campus, and it’s still a good 10-minute walk to the stadium. Additionally, every time I hear about the garage, the elevator is broken, which is very unfortunate because it’s one of the tallest garages at FSU.

Pensacola reeks with an uncertain smell, and climbing six flights of stairs after a day of classes isn’t fun. Even so, it always seems so crowded with people parking from nearby apartments and dorms. Pensacola is my last pick if I want to park at FSU. Therefore, if it were a frat, it would be so bouse that I wouldn’t even look twice at its party flier.

Call Street Garage: Bouse

Call Street Garage is just a little better, being somewhat close to Strozier and the freshman dorms; it gets points for its convenience. Still, it’s planted right at the bottom of a hill, and during the hot months, you’re sure to break a sweat just trying to get to Landis. Every time I try to park there, I have to circle, and I’m always late to wherever I’m planning to go.

It’s “bouse” because it’s not enjoyable to go to, feels like a time loop, and gives major “tries too hard to be cool” vibes. Why does it always feels like no one’s driving around, but it’s always full?

St. Augustine Street Garage: Mid-Bouse

This is another garage I consider middle ground, but closer to “bouse” because of my mixed feelings about it. St. Augustine is the garage I use most, so I have some personal bias that I’ll have to put off to examine it more truthfully.

Its only upsides are that it’s in a good location to reach campus, College Town, and plenty of sororities and frats. Its downsides include that it’s constantly shut down or more crowded than usual for affairs at the Civic Center. During the week, it may also be under the strict control of parking employees, making traveling between floors extremely difficult.

For some reason, I always feel like it never has enough floors and is smaller than the other garages, but that might just be the way I perceive it. St. Augustine Garage as a frat would be confusing and strict, “bouse” only because it makes things more complicated than they need to be.

Traditions Way Garage: Mouse

It feels like an unpopular take to have this right in the middle of my list, based on how many people complain about parking in Traditions Way Garage. I think it’s fairly middle-house or “mouse.” Located in the middle of campus, you must compete with hundreds of students living in dorms and those traveling to and from class.

It’s true that if you try to park there at any time in the early morning or afternoon, you’re probably going to be stuck in a line or behind a car that you’re not sure is backing out or just pulling in. During finals weeks, you’re toast and better off avoiding it completely so that you can save time.

However, it’s not entirely “bouse” because it’s a good location. Every time I’ve gone to park between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., I’ve gotten a spot on the first floor. Maybe that’s just the parking gods watching over me, but I think it’s true that those times are just better to go. If Traditions were a frat, I’d go to their party because I know it’ll be crowded, but I know it’ll be a good time too.

Spirit Way: Touse

Spirit Way Garage is “touse” and my favorite parking garage on this list. It’s near the math and psychology buildings, the Leach, sports fields, and it’s top tier during non-busy seasons. I’ve always gotten a parking spot in the mid-morning and know it’s my best bet if I’m running late.

It’s not No. 1 in my mind because it unfortunately doesn’t always promise the best experience. Its lines can be cluttered, and it feels like a rejection pile of those who couldn’t get a spot in the Leach Lot. If it were a frat, it would be “touse,” but it would always be falling short of the more popular ones.

Woodward: Touse

Who guessed it? Woodward Garage is simply “touse” to me because of its location and organization. I personally applaud the one-way structure of the garage, because it makes finding a spot less stressful and filing out much more efficient. It’s also near the Student Union and Legacy Walk, so its convenience is unmatched.

This is one of the garages where you truly must time your arrival to match others’ departure, but once you secure a spot, you’re golden. Mid-afternoon usually gives me no problem to find a spot on the higher floors, and it’s just so refreshingly accessible, I had to put it as the most “touse.”

If it were a frat, well, its appearance and location would prove it to be worthy of its title.

FSU’s known for its parties and its parking, both scrutinized by the strong-voiced students who want quality. Why not take the system of labeling frats and apply it to the parking garages? Of course, these labels are just for fun, but I think we can definitely benefit from more parking garages and less discourse about frat houses.

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