<p>This question has probably been asked 10000 times, but I figured I'd ask again from my perspective. Here's the thing; the university I'm going to be starting in the fall (Ungrad,freshmen) is pretty pricey. I was given a lot of financial aid ($20,000 to be exact) but I still will need to come up with another $20,000 if I decide to live on campus. Because the room and board tuition is $10,000. I'm starting to think this isn't worth it... I've been excited about college since I can remember, and one of my dreams was definitely to live in a dorm with roommates, but I just don't know if taking out a $10,000 loan is worth it. I only live 20 minutes away from campus, and the campus is EXTREMELY small. So, I have the option of staying with my parents. I hate this option the most because my family aren't the easiest people to live with. I've been itching to get out, and have a taste of freedom and independence. But at the same time, it would save me a BUNCH of money. My last option is getting an apartment with a roommate. I have someone who is willing to live with me, and we can split the cost. And I like the idea of having my own place and not having to live within the restrictions of my parents. But, at the same time that comes along with rent, food and other expenses (I calculated it though, and it is about 5,000 dollars cheaper than living on campus)</p>
<p>I'm really torn and stressed out. I would hate to miss out on the entire "college experience" by not living on campus. Is paying $10,000 worth it? Do you think commuters can still get a well-rounded college experience? Or should I gain some type of independence and live with a roommate? It will still be slightly costly, but at least I'll have my own place and have some type of roommate experience. Or should I just live with my parents? I don't want too, but it is the most frugal situation.</p>
<p>Why don’t you look into the percentages of students who commute to the school you’re going to? Maybe not many of them live on campus-in that case your not missing much.</p>
<p>Best of luck!, I hope you figure everything out.</p>
<p>I was forced to live in the dorms freshman year, and it was a unique experience. I really can not put a real price on it: the friendships and connections I’ve made with people are very important to me. There are negative things about dorms, but I thought it was worth it. Cliques do develop, within the dorms, but you can still make friends by commuting.</p>
<p>Now, I live off-campus in my apartment. I am self-sufficient because of summer jobs, work study and on-campus jobs. If money is too tight, living with your parents is economical, but you do kind of miss out on some aspects of a social life and, to quote Braveheart, “FREEEEEEEEEEDDDDOOOOOOOM.” Of the non-commuters at my campus, roughly 50% of people live off-campus and 50% live on-campus. A note, the social nightlife does not really exist on-campus or in mom’s house. </p>
<p>From an economical viewpoint, I would live at home the first year (Personally, I’d go dorms, but that’s not the economical solution) and then plan work over the summer. Doesn’t have to be at some ritzy internship, just something that pays. Save up, look for cheaper apartments, find roommates, canvas your family for furniture and then move into the apartment. The apartment will teach you a lot about financing, living with people and degrees of freedom you can only imagine! Several of my friends, who are within commuting distances, gladly pay to live not at home.</p>
<p>If you can afford it (not sure), I’d suggest living in the dorms your first year only. Studies have shown conclusively that for freshmen it makes a large difference in the quality of the overall experience, in their grades, and in their general involvement (meaning that later on it influences things like leadership positions, recommendations, etc).
So if you can find a job and work long hours this summer, this would be the best solution (if you can set aside your June to August pay for housing, you wouldn’t have to borrow so much - I agree that $10,000 for housing/food is a lot).
Then look into the meal plans: a good plan is 14 meals a week + “flex dollars”; see if you school has that rather than the standard “all you can eat 21 meals”. Often, there are reduced meal plans to shave off dollars.
Will you have work-study during the year? if not, inquire if you could qualify - since you’d live on campus, you could work the library or the dorm’s front desk (especially the night shift, if you’re a night owl).
After that, having asserted your independence and having a handle on things, I’d either move back home or share an apartment, splitting the costs.</p>
<p>i would say live on campus, for at least your first year. it is the easier way to make friends and be involved in campus activities, and you have the rest of your life to live off-campus. soak up all you can on campus while you can.</p>
<p>Okay, this is coming from someone who has finished living their first year in dorms.</p>
<p>I have found out that the key to having a social life is the proximity of where you live to the school. I honestly didn’t make good friends in the dorms other than my roommate, just people I would sometimes chat or say hi to. If you live close to the school you have the chance to:</p>
<ul>
<li>attend club meetings at any time, even if they are late at night on a weekend</li>
<li>hang out with friends who live on campus or close to campus at any day, such as weekends</li>
<li>attend school events with friends who live on campus or off-campus at any time</li>
<li>structure your schedule more freely</li>
</ul>
<p>By living at home only ten minutes away from school you have the chance to do ALL of that, providing your parents aren’t the ones driving you and aren’t the super-restricting type. The ONLY thing you’ll be missing out on is having a roommate, which can be good or bad depending on you who you get. Think of this way: by NOT having a roommate you have the freedom to come back to your room at any time you want. No accidental wake up. No accidentally getting locked out. No being woken up early in the morning by your roommate. </p>
<p>If you’re dead set on leaving your parents’ home then I suggest doing something like half of your college time at home and half in an apartment. You can use your time living at home to work to pay for apartment feeds later on. Taking out loans is just, well, the less loans the better. </p>
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