I’m looking into Alabama and I’ve made a deal with my dad. He is prepared to pay for UT Austin, but if I went to Alabama it would save him about 44k if I stayed in the recommended housing.
We have made a deal that part of the money (30-50% haven’t decided on set number yet) saved will be split up into monthly deposits into my bank for spending money. So basically I’d get between 275-460$ a month for my 4 years in college.
My questions are:
Is the suite housing priced by UA too nice? My friend in college loves his double occupancy room because it gave him a friend from the first day. Would the savings be worth it and how much savings would there be?
Which dorms are the nicest? I am going into engineering as well as honors if that makes a difference.
Is 275-460$ enough to cover expenses? This would cover gas, outings, extra food, ect. If i joined a fraternity, I would probably have to cover that as well.
Whether you live in a traditional dorm or suite style is really just personal preference. My son who was raised as an only child very much appreciated having his own space that he could retreat to. Others say that the traditional dorms are more social. It really is just a personal choice what you think will work better for you. You can look at UAs site to find the exact savings, they are pretty significant, but I don't recall the exact numbers.
‘it gave him a friend from the first day’ - don’t expect this! It may happen and you may wind up with a best friend for life or you may wind up with someone that you share little in common with. As someone who had SIGNIFICANT roommate issues when I was a student and watched my son struggle with SIGNIFICANT roommate issues his first couple years, I will say the important thing is for roommates to respect one another to be able to live together. As long as you respect one another you will be able to live together whether or not you develop a friendship.
Which dorms are the nicest... once again it depends what you're looking for. Presidential is the newest, Ridgecrest is honors, Riverside is close to the engineering buildings (although most freshman don't have a lot of classes there), the engineering LLC (also the building where the athletes live) is Bryant. Some students prefer to be closer to their classes, some prefer the dorms with dining halls, some prefer to be close to the Greek houses, some like to be in honors housing... the 'best' dorm will be the one that fits what you're looking for
I pay for my sons housing, food, books/supplies for classes, gas for trips home (but not for when he is on campus), his car insurance and cell phone bill. On top of that for misc expenses including eating out, gas for travel while he's on campus, his entertainment expenses, and anything else he wants to spend money on he spends about $1000 per entire school year of his own money. That amounts to around $100/month. There are A LOT of activities on campus that are free for students, students really don't need to spend much if any money. My son isn't in a fraternity though and I've heard they can be expensive, but I'm not sure of the exact amounts. So, if you don't join a fraternity, that is definitely enough money if you manage it well, but I'll let someone else speak to expenses involved with Greek life.
Note that Burke is a traditional style dorm WITH a dining area and a semi-co-ed approach…one side of Burke is women and one is male - the sides are separate buildings. it is the farthest from engineering classes, but the closest to band practice field and…sororities.
If you exclude going Greek - then your numbers are more than adequate. Our daughter (not at UA) gets by on less than $100 a month and she is not all that frugal. She simply takes advantage of all the free options available to her. With the quality of food on campus, and the flex spending, there is very little to want for.
Greek life can get spendy - so make sure you know what you are getting yourself into first. My wife and I were both Greek, but none of our three kids have expressed any interest. They actually think it’s kind of cheesy and lame. Go figure…
There are newer price numbers on the UA housing site. However, the new 17-18 prices don;t seem to be posted (or maybe they haven’t been approved yet).
FWIW, the suites are really nice. One can choose to be social or private. If you are serious about your studies, having a quiet place to study will be very nice. My freshman year, my roommate had a “live in girlfriend”. My studies were always interrupted by his/her anatomy lessons… No shame I tell you! I would have LOVED a door then… My son found the 4BR suites to be really appealing. You’ve got a really good chance of finding at least one really compatible friend in that setup. With a 2-man room - it’s all or nothing!