I am about to start college and the college I want to attend requires all students to live on campus, UNLESS you live with family, in military, married, over 21, etc. I want to live off campus in my own apartment so would I be able to just say that I live with family “on paper” and just live off campus, or would the college be able to know if I wasn’t living with family?
The major reason they want you to live on campus is to help you fully assimilate to college life. This includes engaging with your fellow students not just in class, but in your dorm, via ECs, etc. It’s much easier to find a group of friends when your living with a bunch of students all thrown together experiencing many things for the first time. Going to lunch or dinner with others and just hanging out. It’s an important part of your development and growth as a human. This is where you learn how to deal with others from many backgrounds. Very important.
I highly recommend you stay on campus for at least your full first year. It’s just easier to participate in all the school has to offer.
Is your home mailing address on your application in the same city as your college? If not, it’s going to hard to convince them that you are living with your family.
Thank you for the help. The thing is though, it’s a small town college and about 1/3 of my senior class is going to this college so it won’t be hard socially.
And no, it’s not the same address, but I would be saying that I’m living with my grandparents who live about 45min from the college but I would get a cheap apartment not far from campus. One of the reasons why I’m considering this is because of the high cost of on-campus housing.
Lying to college and not abiding by the rules that you should have known when you accepted admission is not a great way to start a college career.
If you chose to do so, don’t be surprised at the potential consequences. A “small town college” doesn’t sound like the easiest place to hide.