I ship off to boot camp in May, and then it's off to DLI. I've done a good bit of research, but I still have a few more questions. First of all, how practical is it to have a car at DLI? I know I can't have one initially, but I'm trying to figure out if it would be cost prohibitive and/or impractical to bring my car to CA once I'm allowed to. Is there parking available, or will I need to rent a garage? I've heard car insurance and gas are pretty expensive in California (as compared to Texas,) so I'm trying to figure out if it would be better just to sell it. How inconvenient is it to be without a car at DLI?

Secondly, a few friends have gotten me a bit paranoid about the security clearance. I've never done anything to get me into trouble and I was honest on the application. Are there any other reasons I might get denied? I'm pretty sure I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but I'm just trying to cover all of my bases.

Thanks!

I've made it a year so far without a car. There have only been a few times when I wished that I had one, but when I think about how much money I would have spent on gas, insurance, and car payments I'm glad that I don't have a car. There is parking available. If you're single and don't have a car then you'll have practically no expenses here. I've saved 50% of the money that I've made here and I would have saved even more if I hadn't gotten into the habit of buying food and ordering out instead of eating at the chow hall.

I don't know about your clearance. I got mine a couple of months after I got here. Most people get theirs, but some don't. My roommate who has been here the same amount of time as me doesn't have his yet. I wouldn't worry about it. You'll most likely get it. You'll be getting here right as I'm graduating from Arabic. I graduate at the end of July. Good luck!

Honestly, I did just fine without a car while at DLI...I had a lot of fun walking to things, and honestly the extra PT helps keep you fit. I don't really think you need a car, but if you have one, then its not going to be an issue.

As for the security clearance, honesty goes a LONG ways. So long as you were honest, and your actions demonstrate that you are a trustworthy person, you shouldn't be paranoid. I can tell you from personnel experience that there is a LOT of misinformation floating around out there, so much so that its hard, even for someone like me with more than 10 years experience in this business, to know what really is policy. Just be honest, don't hang around with trouble-makers, and you will do fine.