<p>How important is on campus housing in your college selection? Are private dorms adjacent to campus an acceptable alternative?</p>
<p>what is important to know is whether the housing is via the school, at dorm prices or if you are left on your own after the first year. In most UC schools, housing is guaranteed the first year only- lottery thereafter, frats are another option, but otherwise you are renting in the mostly way overpriced California market and that is a real eye-opener!</p>
<p>Over-priced, no; high, yes. (Something is worth what someone will pay.)</p>
<p>I'm a big believer in the peer-interaction component of a college education and think ther are a lot of plusses to living on campus; being guaranteed four years is good, imo. I would never recommend making a decision on the basis of dorms but they're definitely a "quality of life" issue to consider. If D's decision had come down to Smith vs. Barnard, Smith's houses are gorgeous and the Barnard dorms are the pits and I'm sure it would have come into play.</p>
<p>Another issue in off campus housing is transportation time. Our D (who loves her house at Smith) also loves being only a few minutes from wherever she needs to be on campus. She homeschooled and took classes at the local CC and the 2 four years colleges in our area. The travel to and from classes took hours out of her day. Now she can go home between classes if she wants to.</p>
<p>I'd say that if I was coming down to a choice between two good schools, and one's dorms were really awful it would probably come into play. I'm also not a big proponent of co-ed dorms, I'd prefer if possible living on a floor w/ all girls- it seems weird to be living with guys and sharing bathrooms lol. i guess i'd get used to it if i had 2. So far though, all the schools I looked at had nice dorms, though I'd have to say Bryn Mawr's were beautiful- the best i've seen so far :).</p>
<p>Thanks, TheDad. But Barnard dorms are not "the pits," as you've said so many times in the past. They're small, but they're in NEW YORK CITY. Everything's small.</p>
<p>The availability of on-campus housing is probably one of the top considerations for my daughter --- and she looks very closely at the percentage of students who do live on campus. She's somewhat like Mini's daughter, I suspect. We've always lived in a rural area where getting together with friends meant long drives. It's been even harder in high school as she attends a school 45 minutes away that draws students from over a 100 mile radius. She WANTS to have the experience of having her friends close by on campus.</p>
<p>For all of these reasons a school that guarantees housing all four years and where a high percentage of students live on campus is a priority. She's actually refused to look at a few schools that don't fit this and as soon as an admissions rep mentions that housing isn't guaranteed for seniors/juniors she tunes out of the rest of the tour/presentation.</p>
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The availability of on-campus housing is probably one of the top considerations for my daughter --- and she looks very closely at the percentage of students who do live on campus.
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<p>My daughter wanted an urban environment so I encouraged her to look carefully at the housing numbers for the schools that interested her. I suppose I would have folded if the school that was her heart's desire did not offer housing for four years but I really did not want to be dealing with leases for city apartments.</p>
<p>On-campus housing is important, IMO. A huge amount of the undergrad experience takes place outside the classroom, and being part of a dorm community is a key part of it. I'm kind of partial to less random arrangements, with freshman dorms and the "house" concept being a couple of good ones.</p>
<p>I considered the availability of on-campus housing all four years to be a definite plus. Its unavailablility beyond the freshman year was a major drawback of Berkeley, IMO. Our tour guide said that everyone always manages to find housing in Berkeley, but it is always farther away than you wanted to commute and costs more than you wanted to pay.</p>
<p>MY DD is a third year student, drom the first year, then off campus since.....it has been much more complicated to be off campus.....must have a car, gas bills, insurance increases; roommate issues that no RA can help you with, but rather an impersonal leasing company; utilities, plus it is very tough to make new friends after you are off campus. You really have to join a frat/sorority, club, or find friends through your job or neighborhood. Year 2 was not so very much fun. This 3rd year has worked great, mainly due to the determination to avoid all that went wrong last year. Rather than running into new friends easily, as in the dorms, you have to be persistent and find new opportunities............it should be a serious consideration, a commuter campus is not bad, it just changes things.</p>
<p>for housing a lot depends on whether the school is residential (everyone lives on or nearby) or not. To take 2 UC schools as examples, San Diego is a fun place to live but many students after 1st year live in the coastal communities (Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, etc) and have to drive to campus. This makes it tough to drop by to see a prof or TA, and new friends are harder to make. At UCSB most students live off-campus after 1st year, but right off-campus in Isla Vista. So even though it isn't on the U proper, you're a stroll or quick bike ride from campus and the apts up and down the streets are filled with fellow students.</p>
<p>Bottom line, I would say having on-campus housing all 4 years is less important when in a residential college community, but plays a huge role when you're part of a larger city.</p>
<p>I need to weigh in here as a contrary voice. On campus housing is essential frosh year and highly desirable soph year. However, in the junior and senior year off campus housing offers some advantages. Outside of high rent urban areas, off campus housing can save students some sheckles. However, the major benefit is an expanding sense of independence, from meal plans, to apartment mate issues, laundry, food shopping, housekeeping, utility bills, monthly rent, etc.. </p>
<p>I lived off campus three years as an undergrad w/o a car but always within walking distance to campus. It was a very positive experience for me. My apartment mates were great and we arranged for each to be responsible for dinner one nite a week(Mon-Thurs). We had to deal with leases at the end of each school year, paying monthly elec/gas bills, divving up the telephone bill, and general housekeeping. Four of us had to deal with the loss of an apartment mate to a brain tumor. We were responsible for occasiona weekend parties and worked out quiet hours. We dealt with student druggies(weed) across the hall and organized the pre-f'ball BBQ on home game Saturdays. And we fought for our deposit at the end of the school year.</p>
<p>By the time we moved into an apartment following soph year, our circle of friends was well established. The first year apartment was on Lane Ave, two blocks from the CE building. The last two years we migrated a couple blocks north to Northwood Ave but still close enough to campus that we could get to our stadium seats by kickoff if we hightailed it during the commerdial break before the coin toss. And we were even closer to St John's Arena.</p>
<p>I think as parent we would prefer our children to remain on campus for the entire four ug years. However, they need to learn to deal with the world as increasingly independent adults that they are. I do not think that the cloistered campus experience is necessarily the ideal.</p>
<p>i have lived in an on campus apartment for the last two years, and although it costs more than an off campus apartment, i love it. one, im like 4-5 blocks from campus. two, we have a little shuttle that runs us back and forth for when we're feeling lazy, three, i dont have to deal with apartment bills and whatnot every month - it's just one big room payment. i have enough bills to deal with for car insurance, car payments, food, and credit card bills.. four, it is furnished. comes with a couch and end table and side chair and beds desks closets and kitchen table... of course we brought some of our own furniture and carpets, but it saved us a ton of money in the end... lastly, the rooms are huge... i live in a four bedroom apartment on campus.. and its much bigger than my friends off campus apartments...</p>
<p>here are some pictures of my apartment</p>
<p>Primefactor, on the basis of comparison from comparing dorms during four years of college tours, I stand by my assessment. Only American U. was flat-out worse. Small, dark, ill-maintained...the attitude of the school seemed to be, "Hey, this is NYC...such a deal."</p>
<p>My daughter only lived in the campus dorm the first year. This was due to the fact dorm housing was only available the first year.There were so many nice aprtments within walking distance of the campus it worked out much better, more room and homey and not as institutional - oh, that lighting! She was more relaxed in an apartment. Kids do grow up and outgrow the dorm and all the freshman there.</p>
<p>D1 lived in a dorm room for freshman and sophomore year then moved to an off-campus apt. with friends. D2 will be in housing all four years because NYU guarantees it. After freshman year (and sometimes for freshman year if you request it), it's apartment style which means no mealplan and shopping for groceries and cooking. A couple of things to keep in mind, though, even in a situation like hers. In the city, the dorms are spread out and the nicest one, a beautiful apartment building on Water St. which overlooks the Brooklyn Bridge (I should be so lucky as to have an apartment there!) is probably a half hour walk or a shorter subway ride but still a commute. Others are still a ten or 15 minute walk from 'campus'. So even in housing you are not always right 'around the corner'. Some students do move out and find their own apartments because the cost of housing can be high. D3 will be going to school in Canada and there at every school, housing is only guaranteed for the first year. Virtually everyone moves out after first year and finds apartments or houses with friends. There is abundant student type housing where landlords rent only to students so it isn't a problem finding something. I have several nieces and nephews who have done this and, contrary to the belief of some on this forum, it does not dampen their school spirit, or ruin their college experience, or make it difficult to maintain friendships. :)</p>
<p>I'm a big believer in kids getting out and living in a house or apartment if that's possible at their school. There are many lessons learned and kids do not need R.A.'s solving problems for them by the time they're 20 or 21. The responsibility they learn in running an apartment, shopping, cleaning, paying bills, is valuable and it's also, in my experience, nice to have your own 'place' to invite friends over, have impromptu dinners and study sessions, etc. Just want to add one thing that you should check on before opting out of housing. At some schools, once you opt out of housing, it's difficult to get back in, and even if you do get back in, your position in the housing lottery for future years will always be worse than if you'd been in housing from the start.</p>
<p>Having actually lived in them, I stand by mine. They are far from ill-maintained. The attitude of the school could better be stated as, "Yes, they're small, but we do our best to keep them nice."</p>
<p>Carolyn-- My D felt the same way and inly applied to schools where 90%+ of students lived on campus. He idea was that there would be more vitality and participation in ECs, more plays, movies, etc offered to kids, if many lived on campus. Her other thing was no schools in urban centers because she did not want a school where everyone scattered into city to have fun.</p>
<p>Originaloog-- I also agree about the transitional thing. I did what you did, dorms 2 years then shared off campus house, then solo apt. Now that I notice it, this did prepare me gradually for post college life.</p>
<p>Alwaysmom makes a good point. Most colleges have a listing of landlords who rent to only students. The apartments are usually close to campus and are furnished which is important.</p>
<p>Also, in apartments your apartment mates do not have to be students.</p>
<p>In addition, you can stay there between terms and during breaks which is not alway possible in campus housing. And if you are renting for the next school year, you dont have to move your belongings bach home or into storage.</p>
<p>I never felt disconnected from college life living in an apartment close to campus. Hell, you could hear the stadium crowd from our Land Ave apartment and was across the street from the north campus basketball court. BTW, for those in Columbus, it was the one with the blue 10 foot diameter concrete pipe at the entrance. I would love to know if it was still there.</p>