<p>Hi!</p>
<p>Could someone explain the differences between:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>rural/suburban/urban setting</p></li>
<li><p>on-campus/off-campus housing</p></li>
</ol>
<p>3.commuter/resident campus</p>
<p>How do these affect an undergrad?</p>
<p>Are there major price differences in the diff. housing options?</p>
<p>OP, do a simple internet search and you will find your answers to 1, 2, 3. You might also want to ask your questions to the international students/India forum area as how US students see these differences are not the same as an international student will.</p>
<p>I was actually looking for a more human understanding of these topics - a college student’s perspective.</p>
<p>Most of these questions are highly dependent on specific schools, but in general:</p>
<p>1) A school in a rural setting will have most of it’s activities confined to on-campus events. This can range from on-campus parties/plays/sporting events/etc. You’ll pretty much only be interacting with things associated with your school. A school in an urban area may have less on-campus activities, and instead students may heavily rely on doing things in the city, for example going to clubs, seeing professional sporting events, concerts, etc. In this situation there’s more a chance of mingling with other schools in the area/more people, since it’s urban. For a suburban campus, it’s pretty much a mix of what you would find in rural and urban campuses.</p>
<p>2) Housing is very, very much dependent on the school. But typically with on campus housing, students are living in dorms including traditional double college dorms (2 people to a room with communal hall bathrooms) or even some sort of suite style dorm. Off campus is housing off campus, (home/apartment rental) which is not regulated by the school. You’re paying a landlord, not the school. You also may not have a dining plan, so you will probably have to cook for yourself, etc.</p>
<p>3) For a commuter campus, most students either a) do not live on campus at all or b) live very close to campus and go home very frequently. Many examples of commuter schools would be state schools, where students may live less than an hour away, and go home on weekends to be with family, friends from home, etc. Not every state school would be “commuter”, but I’ve heard it happen far less with private schools. Residential campus just means more people live/stick around campus throughout the week and weekend. There would probably be more parties near/on campus, etc.</p>
<p>In terms of housing pricing, yes, different types of living come with different price tags.</p>
<p>@Ortsac-</p>
<p>Thanks for the detailed explanation! I really appreciate it. :)</p>
<p>Do you have college recommendations for an international student with reasonably good ECs, to pursue an engineering major in computer science, at a net COA of 20,000$ and below?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>