I’ve seen a number of threads from incoming students concerned about what they might be missing out on by living off campus versus in the dorms like many of their peers. For students who can afford to sacrifice some of their summer earnings, a few companies offer dorms for many of their employees.
For instance, when I worked for a private concessionaire company in Yellowstone National Park, I was housed in a dorm with mainly other college students who came from not only all over the U.S., but also all over the world. We all experienced eating in a crappy cafeteria, and did many of the same social events that hall mates in a traditional campus dorm do. However instead of paying for that experience to the tune of $1000+ a month, my company paid me, and only took out about $400 a month to cover their R&B costs.
Unfortunately, living in such an isolated area meant that there was no high speed internet or TV. However, in many ways that proved to be a good thing since the people in the dorms had to create their own fun. Sometimes this meant drinking to excess, other times it meant teaching some of the non American workers what s’mores were over a campfire and then either night hiking or watching a movie afterwards.
So if you’re someone who wants to try dorm life and can sacrifice some summer wages, give these companies serious consideration.