<p>Has anyone had experience before? I'm looking at going to a CC out of state, because I'm not sure what I want to major in yet and there are other activities I want to pursue before I get too crushed by school work. Going to a CC seems like the best decision, but the issue is I'd want to go to one out of state. My parents agree it's a better idea financially. However, they're worried about the housing situation. What are the options like for students going to a CC and not commuting?</p>
<p>Why would you want to attend a CC OOS. there are CC’s that have dorms (SUNY has many of them). </p>
<p><a href=“https://www.suny.edu/Student/downloads/Pdf/2013_Admissions_qf_cc.pdf[/url]”>https://www.suny.edu/Student/downloads/Pdf/2013_Admissions_qf_cc.pdf</a></p>
<p>By the time you factor in OOS tuition + room and board you are talking about 20k/year with no financial aid other than Pell (if eligible) and stafford loans. The cost is probably more than attending CC where you live. Are your parents willing to pay this?</p>
<p>There are a lot more opportunities musically in the area I’m looking at going to (Midwest as opposed to Washington). I hadn’t realized CC was as expensive as in state 4 year colleges though…</p>
<p>Take a gap year. Move out of state in the area you want, get a job and cheap apartment, pursue you music dream. Then when you have residency sign up at the local CC.</p>
<p>ChiselCheeks - It usually isn’t that easy to get in-state residence. Most colleges and universities will consider a student OOS until they are independent for financial aid purposes under the rules for FAFSA. In some cases it is, but the student must demonstrate that he or she is self-supporting, which isn’t easy for most 18 or 19 year old people.</p>
<p>Buranri - Some community colleges do have housing of their own, and some share housing with near-by colleges or universities. If you have clear target institutions, contact them, and find out what their situations are. It is quite possible that the full cost of attendance at the OOS CC would be less than the cost at an OOS 4-year college/university.</p>
<p>My daughter attends CC out-of-state but commutes. The New England states have an arrangement to keep public higher education costs low for students that go OOS within the arrangement. The reason for going OOS is that our own CCs are more oriented to vocational-technical whereas the neighboring state’s CC covers those interested in academics and vocational-technical training.</p>
<p>Is your state part of a compact with other states that might have what you are interested in?</p>
<p>I live in Washington, so there’s WUE but that only applies for western states.</p>
<p>OP I don’t think what you are doing is all that unusual. Know that tuition costs are generally higher for out of area people and only a small percentage of CCs have housing. I’ve known more than a handful of kids in the past 6 years that did this, many heading for Colorado because they wanted to work at ski area and ski and Colorado has many community college opportunities in and around the ski areas, added to the fact that it is super easy to get a seasonal job in the resort industry. I also know a young woman who went to Santa Barbara City College and transferred to a UC as her path to the UC system. And finally I know 2 kids that simply moved out their parents town and moved to another area of the state to work in that area and to go to the CC in that town.</p>
<p>It’s not the “traditional” path that you read about on College Confidential as many posters here associate CC with “not ready for sleep away college” when it can simply be a great path for a young person who wants to get-away, work some, live on their own or simply dabble in college before that put out the big bucks for full time college. Just weigh the costs vs. simply working and postponing college or biting the bullet and going to a sleep away college for 4 years.</p>
<p>Some CCs have dorms…most do not and you would need to find an apartment or room to rent.</p>
<p>Edmonds and Green River both have dorms/on site housing.
I knew kids back in the day who rented apartments on Capital Hill and went to SCCC.</p>
<p>One thing to look at is where you’d like to ultimately graduate from & their transfer requirements.</p>
<p>Transfer is more straightforward into 4-year institutions in the same state as your CC. In Washington, there is a Direct Transfer Agreement which states that all the four-year-colleges will give junior status to transfers who completed the direct transfer associate’s degree. (Acceptance is not automatic.) Transferring to a different state may mean adding a year for basic requirements.</p>
<p>You can certainly attend a four-year college without knowing your major. To transfer successfully, you will need to know your major after your 1st year so that you can meet all of the requirements for transfer. In many four year colleges, you don’t need to declare a major until the end of sophomore year.</p>
<p>Have you looked at schools in the WUE?
[Southern</a> Oregon University : School of Arts and Letters : Department of Music : Percussion Ensemble](<a href=“http://sou.edu/music/percussion/index.html]Southern”>http://sou.edu/music/percussion/index.html)</p>
<p>I have to agree that looking for a 4 year school with reasonable out of state tuition would be a better option for you than a CC. It will most likely cost a lot less, even some private schools are going to cost less then a community college out of state once you factor in merit aid and financial aid if you qualify.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Northwest College in Wyoming? It is a two year college that has its own housing, is part of the WUE, and is very reasonably priced. They also offer merit scholarships based on GPA/Test scores. </p>
<p>Another housing option–there may be local families that rent rooms to CC students. Someone at the college or nearby churches, etc. may be able to help you find housing. (I live near a CC and rented a basement apartment to a student. Our CC gives lower tuition for county residents–the student was able to use my address for in-county rates.)</p>
<p>My brother went to an OOS cc. He liked the program better than the in-state options. THey had dorms. Even with OOS tuition and living on campus, his education was still much cheaper than the in-state tuition at the public U. </p>
<p>Currently, both in-state and out of state tuitions are posted on the website for my city’s local cc. There’s really not much difference – nothing like the huge gap you’d see at the 4 year schools (although I’m sure this varies by state). </p>
<p>When you search, just look for ccs with residence halls and check the tuition and fees. I’m sure you can find something affordable.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’ve looked through the WUE. If I were to go to school in the west it’d likely be in Colorado, perhaps CSU or CU-Denver. Geography plays a really big part in where I want to go to college… I’ve seen the majority of the country, and I have a pretty good idea of where I do and don’t want to live (for example: Utah, Montaha, Idaho… :p)</p>
<p>I’ve known several kids that went to the Rocky Mountain College campuses;</p>
<p>[Colorado</a> Mountain College - Campuses in 11 Mountain Towns](<a href=“http://www.coloradomtn.edu/]Colorado”>http://www.coloradomtn.edu/)</p>
<p>If budget is a consideration you are being silly to discount montana, utah and wyoming – all three have very, very attractive costs…especially Wyoming.</p>
<p>I’m trying to find a balance between budget and somewhere I want to live first.</p>
<p>Tell us where you want to live and then people can give you more specific recommendations.</p>