<p>My freshman S is very much wanting to get an apartment next year with 3 other boys. He is not a big partier. He goes out occasionally, but I am afraid this is an invitation to disaster. Am I being over anxious about this? Anyone else have any experience with this? He is in nursing, and I'm afraid this situatlon may keep him from studying like he has on campus. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>S moved off campus junior year but his first two years were in Honors housing.Fendrock has a D who is a Freshman who was inquiring about off campus housing for next year before the Winter Break. One key may be to picking the off campus housing carefully…I believe there are some complexes that have reps as party locations.
What are your S’s reasons for wanting to move? Sometimes there can be lots of drama in freshman dorms and that may color your S’s outlook. Logistically, will he have good campus access…either his own transport or a complex with a shuttle?
Do you know the other boys he’s looking to move out with? Don’t forget off campus may even promote a better study enviornment…their own room with a door to close when they need quiet/privacy.</p>
<p>S is a junior who just moved off this semester. He liked some advantages of the dorm: easy walk to class, no looking for a parking space, very high speed internet, no bills to keep up with; but the disadvantages began to outweigh those things. This past year, he and 2 friends signed up for a dorm room together. They were placed in a 5-person room with 2 guys they didn’t know (Translation: 3 guys to 1 bathroom, 2 to another, 5 folks sharing a small fridge, lots of noise when friends came over, etc.). Some things to consider when you’re looking at off-campus: Parking (you won’t have to pay for an on-campus space, but driving in and finding parking can be a negative—is there a shuttle from the complex?). There are about 5 complexes very close to campus that are basically as close as the dorms while others can be several miles away; Food - is the complex easy access to the dining hall if you want to have a meal plan, or will your son have time to go to the grocery store and buy food? Lease --is your son getting an individual lease? Even if the other boys are his friends, something could happen when one of them leaves. My daughter did this once with 3 other girls, and one girl transferred soon after…the apt. complex has the right to move a new person into the unoccupied bedroom. Consider all the costs: When does the lease end? Many of the complexes rent through July 31st, so see if you will be paying for unwanted months, since the semester ends in early May. It’s not always easy to sub-lease. If fast computer access is important, be sure and ask what carriers are available and the speeds. The off-campus apts. generally offer regular residential speeds, but I understand that the on-campus network is much faster. Son tells me that some of the complexes (especially the newer ones) have more of a “party” reputation. That is heresay only, please don’t take my word on that.</p>
<p>Here is the earlier thread on this topic:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-south-carolina-columbia/787482-living-off-campus.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-south-carolina-columbia/787482-living-off-campus.html</a></p>
<p>We have decided that our daughter will remain on campus for her sophmore year (she is currently a freshman).</p>
<p>A mother of one of the proposed off campus roommates visited Columbia and gave us a full report of her investigatory trip.</p>
<p>She felt that it would be too difficult for her daughter to keep her on campus commitments (she is a dance major so she has evening rehearsals as well as classes) living off campus without a car.</p>
<p>She was impressed with how bad the traffic was between the off campus apartment complex and the University.</p>
<p>She also felt that stocking the apartment would be expensive, shopping and cooking for meals too time consuming.</p>
<p>In the end, we thought she had many good points and so d will stay on campus next year.</p>
<p>She is hoping to share an apartment in one of the quads.</p>
<p>Greenville, when you say “5-person room” do you literally mean they all shared a single room?? Which dorm was that???</p>
<p>The 5-person set-up was one of the quad apts. (I probably should have said apt., not room.) This was in E. Quad. He and the other boys had no idea that there were even any 5-person apts. In the apt there were 3 small separate bedrooms that shared one small hall bath; and one huge 2-person bedroom with its own bathroom inside it. My son and his friends were each assigned the individual bedrooms (no choice about these things), and the 2 other boys were transfer students who were assigned the shared bedroom with the bath inside it.
The various quads have different sized room configurations and you don’t know ahead of time what you’ll be getting. Some have full kitchens, some partial kitchens, a very few have a shared bedroom in them, etc. Even if say, 3 friends sign up together for a quad apt, they might put you in a 4-person apt. and assign someone else in there in the 4th bedroom. The bedrooms in S. Quad are bigger than those in the other quads. His E. quad BR was pretty small. With 3 guys sharing 1 bathroom, he had to put towels and linens in bins under his bed. It was worse than freshman dorms to him.
He just moved off-campus to one of the condo. complexes that is in walking distance and is much, much happier - 1BR/1Bath. Still has the convenience of the dorm, but has his own kitchen, LR and bath, plus a W/D in his unit and covered parking and pool. Got a nice deal on a sublease and came out about the same price as the dorm, too.</p>
<p>So greenville what is the name of this condo complex that is within walking distance of campus?</p>
<p>The need to drive to campus / have a car is really the biggest issue for having my daughter live off campus.</p>
<p>My D is currently a freshman and interested in living on campus in one of the quads as well. She has 1 person for sure she wants to room with maybe 2. I told her to REALLY try and find a 4th compatable roomate for next year because I’m sure it can be a nightmare if you get someone with different study/party habits than yourself ((also cleaning habits…she has learned the hard way this semester because her suite mates don’t seem to have much concern in regard to the cleanliness of their shared bathroom as her room mate and she does…did that make sense.) ANYWAY We have looked at both on and off options and she has decided for 1 more year on campus. She knows upper class man that live on and off and she wants on.</p>
<p>fendrock,
Son is in Wilshire House, which is across from West Quad, right by California Dreaming.
<a href=“http://www.cmmrealty.com/wilshirehouse.htm[/url]”>http://www.cmmrealty.com/wilshirehouse.htm</a>
If you scroll down to the bottom of the website, you can see on the aerial maps that it’s right there on the campus, next to all the quads.
If you go on Craigslist, you’ll see that some of the units are much less than the price on the webpage, since various owners will negotiate the prices. We got a really great deal for a sublease there off of craigslist.<br>
Also practially on-campus are the Lofts at USC , Park Circle, and Senate Plaza. All are condos except for the Lofts. Wilshire House also has a footbridge over to the Strom gym.</p>
<p>greenville, have you seen Wilshire House, the Lofts at USC, Park Circle and/or Senate Plaza?</p>
<p>I’d appreciate hearing your impressions.</p>
<p>My d wasn’t interested in anything other than the complexes, ie, Copper Beech, The Woodlands, etc.</p>
<p>My son lives in Wilshire House and I’ve been in there several times, but I’ve only seen the others from the outside, although I talked to management companies about all of them. We got such a good deal on a sublease at Wilshire that we just couldn’t turn it down and my son really likes it. Most of these condos that I mentioned are older, and generally owners have remodeled them…some units with granite countertops and such, some not…depends on the individual owner. These condos are not really anything like the complexes such as the Woodlands which have lots of activities and amenities for the students. Wilshire, for instance, is 2 blocks from the law school buildings, has only 1BR and 2 BR apts, and many occupants are law students. The Lofts is right across from the Swearingen engineering building, and it’s handy for those students. I think (not 100% sure) that all the condos I mentioned are unfurnished. If your daughter is more interested in a complex that really caters to students (have things like computer rooms, pool parties, tanning beds, etc.), that is move-in ready, she would likely prefer one of the newer complexes.</p>