<p>I lived in both singles and doubles off a hall and suites. I actually think the former are more conducive to making friends. People are more likely to leave their doors open and schmooze. I had a good experience in a one room double a much less good one in a suite with my own bedroom.</p>
<p>I have three kids who have done the college thing; we required our kids to live on campus freshman year, their choice after that, but with the same budget as a dorm room. One DD was part of a big house and shared a room, did a triple in a Greek house and shared a room in an apartment. Many times the roommates were off with their boyfriends and DD had some privacy, though that is tougher with a triple.</p>
<p>Two have had the usual problems to work out and have done so successfully, not always fun, not always the situation I would pick, but it has all worked well or at least “fine”</p>
<p>One DD got a single (thanks to her insomnia, it was a kindness not just to her, but to a potential roommate) and thereafter chose her own housemates, though did not share a room and she and her chosen person in two out of three situations ended up with big time drama. Either she and they were drama queens or they manufactured drama, or she was appealing to the dramatic sort, or they all stuck to their crazy little issues, whatever the cause, it was hell! And this was sharing an apartment, NOT a room, but the outrageous things that can happen off campus are far more creative even than those in a dorm.</p>
<p>Since then she goes single only and it is working wonderfully, no real drama in her life since then, so I don’t know if she was the main drama queen or chose badly and dealt poorly with it, but she will likely never share again. Sometimes a single is best.</p>
<p>My advice to all parents is no co-signing the lease, let the kid qualify on their own; it depends on the college town, but many times a financial aid package, even 100% loans, will allow them to qualify for the lease.</p>
<p>Well, she started on about an apartment again, after I told her she is living on campus her first year. Now she wants to renegotiate it by semeter and thinks that if she gets good grades, I should get her an apartment. I still think she’ll have enough with adjusting to college. I like the idea of living on campus first year, then considering other options. She’s looking online for apartments that are cheaper than dorms already…</p>
<p>Make off campus living non negotiatable already!</p>
<p>My parents would never approve of a young person, least of all, a freshman, to have her own apartment. It’s insane and irrational.</p>
<p>hi im sorry i dont have a response for you but i just got this account and i have no idea how to post questions will someone help please!!</p>
<p>It’s easy. Click on Parent’s Forum or whatever forum you want and at the bottom there is a box that says New Thread. Click on that and ask your question.</p>
<p>Califa, let her search… doesn’t mean you have to let it happen. You are the parent. You are paying the bills. I can tune my kids out in a heartbeat and they know it. They’ll try and try to get whatever they want but at some point if my mind is made up (and if it’s something that includes my husband we agree) I just tune the kids out and generally they “get” that it’s over and give-up. If you keep listening and responding the kids will think it’s still negotiable. The minute you shut all that listening and responding down they’ll get the hint quite quickly.</p>
<p>I find a sense of humor and a little bit of laughing and teasing is a good anectdote to adolescent negotiations. Some of the best running jokes in our family come from some idee fixe one of the kids got and I found hillarious. An apartment off campus as a first year would be one of these running jokes in our house, at this point. 
Sometimes it’s best not to take this stuff so seriously, really.</p>
<p>I few comments …</p>
<p>I certainly want my kids to live in dorms as froshman … I believe it is the best way to integrate into the college community</p>
<p>I do NOT think having a roommate is necessarily better for making friends and being social … I think that is more of a function of being in a dorm. For some intraverted or very structured kids living in a single may be a lot more comfortable than a shared room … frankly, for one of my kids I think a single would be better than a shared room overall.</p>
<p>Finally, I lived in both traditional dorms and a suite … and personally I think a traditional dorm is more condusive to make a lot of friends than a suite where it is easier to cacoon in a suite … for my kids as freshman I’d recommend a tradtional dorm.</p>
<p>Kids are just crazy at this age. She hasn’t lived in a dorm, so she doesn’t know whether it’s good or bad. It’s just part of college. I understand why it’s nervewracking for parents. My child suddenly decided he didn’t want to go to his dream school–in the middle of May! After a few days of agonizing over his reasons (which were nonsensical) with him, I finally told him that he was going to his dream school and he was going to be damn grateful about it. And he was! Freshman year is hard, but academically, this was absolutely the best thing. Living in an apartment sounds glamorous, but the reality is a lot tougher. Here’s an idea: Just to see if she would really like the responsibility of it, try having her make all the family dinnners for the next month. Tell her that’s what she’d have to do if she had her own apartment, in addition to studying and everything else.</p>
<p>Yes. And also clean UP after the family dinners.</p>
<p>It’s perfectly fine for her to keep asking for what she wants. It’s crazy for you to be entertaining the questions. In one ear…out the other.</p>
<p>Life is about being uncomfortable and adjusting. Good luck!</p>
<p>OP, does your daughter socialize at all? Will any of the other students she goes to school with be attending the same college?</p>
<p>I wonder if she is focusing a lot of her nervous energy on this issue. After all, she doesn’t even know her entire list of acceptances yet, does she? Of course, apartment hunting is always educational, including the fact that the good units will have been leased for next year by upperclassmen before they leave campus in May.</p>
<p>My older kids each got hung up on a different issue - the perfect computer for one, the perfect college wardrobe for another - during these stressful months. There were lots of hot topics that would bring irrational responses. (In contrast, my youngest was accepted early and has known where he is going for months; kid is as cool as a cucumber!) So, don’t put too much stock in what is going on now, except to note how her brain redirects stress. Sometime in summer your lovely, reasonable child will reemerge.</p>
<p>Good luck finding an apt mid year in most college towns, maybe taking over the lease of a drop out, but not likely to have great choices.</p>
<p>My DDs school had prices nearly half of the dorms for most off campus living, but she still lived in a dorm the first year. One must be signing leases March-April prior to the summer or fall in which the kids will live there, at least in the college towns we have experienced!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the great advice! Thought I’d post an update - after a college visit to her first choice, she decided that she’ll live in the freshman dorms and try for a single, which I’m fine with. She’ll be happy if she gets a single, if not, she’ll adapt.</p>
<p>Sounds like a very sensible solution. Thanks for the update.</p>
<p>Having the same problem.</p>
<p>OLd threads are for reference only. Please do not post to old threads. Closing</p>