I’m currently a prospective student planning to major in Computer Science at Purdue University. Housing is a very big deal to me, and in order to feel happy about experiences from my day, I must come home to a living and work space that I feel safe and comfortable in. I personally don´t see the appeal of living in a dorm where everything seems tightly packed, boxed in, and controlled.
That being said, there are currently some apartments being built within the outer area of campus called the Hub West Lafayette, they´re some really nice apartments, but are pretty expensive. For a student it would be close to $1,000 per installment, and would likely not be covered by financial aid as it´s just outside the boundary of the college campus. I´m very intrigued about their design, and these apartments demonstrate my aesthetic best; they just overall fit me as a person. They would be a place that I´d feel comfortable and happy coming back to everyday.
That being said, I feel like $1,000 per installment is a lot, as I do come from a low-income family. What do you guys think? Should I enjoy the college experience of living in a nice apartment, or should I chose an alternative?
Well first of all are freshman allowed to live off campus? What is the cost of living on campus? That would be your benchmark IMO. You have to know your budget and stay within it. So question I would ask -is this a complex geared to students? Some of these have individual room leases. If it includes a certain amount of utilities and cable/internet the may not be so bad a deal but you likely could do it cheaper if you found roommates. Only you know your budget
Yeah freshman are allowed to live on campus or off, whichever they´d prefer. Yearly rent in a dorm or other apartments is at most in the $9,000 range. The page is definitely tailored towards college students, and all utilities seem to be included within the price. I´m not sure how much utilities cost at the other facilities, I guess I´ll take a look at that.
You´re completely right that I should know my boundaries, I just don´t seem to have figured them out quite yet.
Thank you for the insight, I do understand the reasons as to why freshman should be living on campus. I personally don’t think I’d need to, as I do plan to be very active within the college with clubs and events. The complex is on the boundary of campus, so it’s “essentially on campus”.
My opinion, you should live in a dorm with the other freshman. See if they have singles available which would give you some privacy. You will miss out on a lot living in an off campus apartment – Just in the first week orientation alone.
Bingo, @bopper. The typical college freshman living away from home wildly underestimates their ability to handle all of the following that first year: navigating a new school/geographic area, figuring out how to get around (feet vs. bike vs. bus vs. other type of transportation), managing class loads (lectures, tests, projects, study groups), joining social groups (Greek, clubs, etc.). And let’s pretend homesickness is NOT really in play here, which, it very often is. One of the beauties of dorm living that first year is that a meal plan will ensure you have easy access to food, food that you don’t have to 1) acquire, 2) prepare, and 3) clean up after. My D is in an on-campus apartment, but we still got her a low-end meal plan because we knew there would be times when she was stuck on campus all day and would not have a chance to get back home to eat. She has made liberal use of it, even with trips to buy groceries.
OP, living in cramped quarters bites - I get it. A single apartment - or even a single room - would be amazing. But it’s a luxury that a lot of college students either cannot afford or just isn’t available to them because of a tight housing market. However, I do think you should do on-campus your first year. You think you will make the connections you need joining EC’s, but I can tell you there is nothing like living with others to bond you. It’s just different.
Just checked the residency rates page at Purdue… that’s a lot of options at a much cheaper rate than I’m accustomed…
The only reasons I would see to live off-campus (if you have the option of a private dorm with air conditioning and a bathroom) are to keep contraband in your room more easily, living there over winter or summer break, and maaaybe if the mail system is screwy (I’ve sent time-sensitive packages to my friend’s apartment a few times because the Penn mail system holds onto packages for a couple days before telling you they have them).
Downsides: costs more, you won’t have a network of people whose doors you can knock on for whatever reason, you won’t have the “traditional college experience” of dorm life, farther from the center of campus
In my experience, single rooms aren’t as cramped, in part because you’re the only person living there – when I have friends over they usually say my single room is the same size as their double, and instead of a lofted bed with a desk under it I just have a desk where the second bed would be.
IMO: do a year on-campus, build up a network of friends, have them over often if/when you move off-campus.
There are lots of double rooms at Purdue for under $4,000 per year and a few doubles & triples for under $3,000. The units you are looking at are $12,000 per year!
This is not something a student on financial aid can afford.
A vast generalization, I know, but those fancy campus-adjacent apartments tend to be full of international students with very wealthy parents who give them BMWs to drive (and crash) in college.
Aside from that, as close as they are to campus, distances seem particularly large in college, especially as it gets cold in the midwest - if your friends live on campus, in dorms that are clustered together, they are not going to want to go ‘all the way’ to your apartment to hang out. And there’s a lot of fun to be had hanging out in the dining hall studying until midnight.
Just try dorm living for your first year. It’s a key part of the college experience. If you don’t like it, you can find a different living situation the next year.
Thank you all for your responses, greatly appreciate it.
The more I research and think about the various options that are available, and keeping all of your responses in mind, I think I’ll most likely end up living on campus. I may even stay in a dorm, not too sold on the idea just yet, but we’ll see.
@Decalers I think staying in the dorm for first year is a good choice. You’ll meet people and potential roommates. If you decide to live off campus the following year, there are reasonably priced apartments near campus. My d pays $450 a month for her portion of the rent in a four bedroom/2 bath apartment (shared by 3 people). Rent includes heat, hot water and a washer/dryer are in the apartment. It’s 1.5 blocks from the Purdue Union. We did get her a car sophomore year so she could get to the grocery store and travel easily to Chicago to visit family. You can take a bus or uber to the Wal-Mart. Make arrangements to buy a seniors’ furniture in April or May. Even better, find a senior that is moving out in August so you don’t have to store the furniture. If you receive financial aid for room and board, you will get it whether or not you live in a dorm or apartment, on or off campus. Food is expensive to buy in West Lafayette so you’ll need to plan and budget wisely. Engineering is a tough curriculum and time is at a premium. The dorms will make the transition to school easier. Good luck and Boiler-Up!
Great advice from several contributors here. It’s hard to find a place to live and live on your own when you’ve never done it before. Living in the dorm eliminates a BUNCH of variables the first year.