<p>Freshman male…on campus housing at Hill / Quad or off campus housing for 1st year?</p>
<p>There is another thread about freshman living off campus that may give you some good insights. Check it out. My son has many friends who lived in the quad and loved it. Living on campus your first year makes it easy to get involved and meet people. I would reccomend it.</p>
<p>My d lived in the quad this year and loved it–so close to most classes and the library. She will live in sorority housing in the Village next year and can’t wait but will miss the quad!</p>
<p>Take advantage of living on campus, at least for the first year. The Quad is especially well-situated – super location for everything. The Hill will have the most freshmen, so if you live there you’ll enjoy the company of those all in the same boat, so to speak. If you were lucky enough to get on-campus housing, don’t pass it up.</p>
<p>What is the real cost of housing for Auburn? The COA we received shows room and board as $10,606. But on the Auburn housing website, Hill is $4500; Quad is $5200, and some off campus dorms look like they go for $650 double occupancy (is that $325 per person?) and INCLUDE a meal plan. So how is the $10,606 calculated??? Note that personal expenses, books & fees and transportation are all separate line items and thus are not included in the $10,606…</p>
<p>The COA you were sent must be an updated version from the one that comes up on the University website … but I understand the confusion. I would call or email University admissions and have them break down the room and board fee. My guess is that they are adding more than the min. required cost for food – but this is just a guess. (I’d be curious myself.) They may have also factored in the additional cost of the Village housing. Once again, I’m just tossing out possibilities – esp. if they aren’t including any personal expenses.</p>
<p>Regarding the food cost: AU will require you to pay at least a min. amount for a food plan. By “plan” (this is a very loose term here) I’m just referring to food cost credit, or debit --that’s probably a more accurate term. Your food dollars can be spent anywhere on campus and however you like, whenever you want. As mentioned before by other posters, AU food service is NOT cheap, so the money can go pretty fast if you are eating on campus for nearly every meal. Your minimum amount of purchase will be at least $995.00 PER SEMESTER if you live ON campus. This was last year’s req. amount – it could be more for the upcoming year. You can always add more money to your account if necessary. Ex: right now, my D is down to $88.00 for the next two weeks, so she’s going to be adding to her account. You use your student id (your TigerCard) as your food “debit” card. If you are going to CWE, they will explain all this to you as part of your orientation. Perhaps the university is figuring in more than the min. debit amount into the COA. They probably have some average amount, or “real” cost of campus food per student. I know that D has added some to her card, and spent a fair amount on groceries for cooking as well. Contact AU and have them explain the R&B breakdown – and let us know how they came up with the number!</p>
<p>Regarding off campus housing – YES, they are basing that amt. on an avg. cost of $325.00 per person (that’s just for the “space” – there are lots of other factors that must be considered) Depending on where you live and how many roommates you have, it may, or may not be cheaper to live (and eat) off-campus. You must purchase the min. off-campus food debit amount ($300.00 per semester?) and don’t forget to factor in your utilities costs if they aren’t included in your rent, as well as how you will pay/share expenses for some minimal furnishings, cooking utensils, etc. Units closer to campus will be more expensive than those further away-- but most larger complexes are on the Tiger Transit route. If you play your cards right, get coordinated with roommates, and manage your expenses, living off-campus can be very reasonable.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of this wonderful information, I really appreciate it!!!</p>
<p>Don’t live at Cambridge. You can get a better deal elsewhere. It’s expensive for a single room with a shared bath, the food is AWFUL, and the AC doesn’t always work…big problem in this southern climate. Management stinks too.</p>