Housing

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

Hello. I am an incoming sophomore and am very stressed about housing at Northwestern. Here is the situation:

I signed the housing contract for 2015-2016 over the winter without really comparing the costs of dorms vs. off-campus. I thought that they would be about the same cost and most NU students live on-campus for sophomore year anyway (plus I didn’t have any good friends to live with). However, this summer my friend was talking about his savings from living off-campus and so I looked into the numbers and it turns out that off-campus is WAY cheaper. Here are how the numbers roughly break down from what I have seen.

On-campus:
~$15,000 for room & board for the school year

Off-Campus:
Average rent is about $700/month. Possibly only $400-600 you live with roommates in a more run-down apartment (which I don’t mind). Add $50/month to this for utilities/wifi. About $200 per month for food. This adds up to (on the most conserve side) $8,550 for just the academic year, about $9,600 if you summer sublet for half the rent, and $11,400 if you stay all year round (or can’t find a sublet). This is over $5,000 cheaper than if you live in dorms. If you have a rent around $525/month it comes out to $7000 per year, a savings of $8,000!!

Somebody please correct me if these numbers are off.

Now from what I hear you need a car (which I don’t have) to get groceries from places other than Whole Foods (which is very expensive). However, I think I could find a way to rent or borrow one.

Now that I have seen this I very much regret signing that housing contract and wish I could live off-campus. I feel incredibly guilty making my parents waste $5-8,000 for me to live on-campus. I’m not sure why so many sophomores live on-campus knowing this. Maybe they are just ignorant of the magnitude of the savings like I was? Or maybe they are just rich and don’t care about the extra cost. My parents are upper-middle class and can afford it, I just feel like shit for making them pay it anyway.

Anyway, hindsight is 20-20 and my ultimate question is what should I do now? Is there anything I could do with only 15 days until the school year begins? I read that my contract is cancelled if I find a new person outside of University Housing to take my room, but I find this very unlikely at this late stage and I would still need to find an apartment to move into as well.

Any advice on the numbers I have thrown out there or more importantly what I should do now is appreciated. Thank you.

2

As a parent - I say relax! The decision has been made for this year - if you want to make alternate plans for next year, fine, but you just live with it for this year. BTW - I have D who lived off campus only one year - and she still hung out with her Res College people her last year. S is a senior - and after living in an off campus apt for a summer - he was ecstatic to get back to his res coll - no more cleaning, no more hassle with shopping and cooking, no more sloppy roomies. And keep in mind - free time is sometimes limited at NU - kids doing too much - so the time saved by living in a dorm/res coll can be huge.

Bottom line - relax, enjoy easy living for one more year.

3

Your numbers aren’t anywhere near complete. You would also need to buy bed/mattress, sofa, chest of drawers, kitchen table, etc. The cost of food isn’t just the food itself - it’s pots, pans, dishes, baking sheets, storage containers, etc. You’d need cleaning supplies, paper towels, a broom, a vacuum, etc.

Time is money too. It takes time to clean an apartment, it takes time to cook for yourself, it takes time to deal with the landlord and ComEd and Comcast and whoever else.

H, S and I all spent all 4 years on campus at NU (H and I each spent 2 years in Greek housing, S spent 1 year, but as you know Greek housing is on campus). We see zero appeal of living off campus. You’ll have the rest of your life to cook and clean when you get your first apartment. Enjoy the freedom of just locking the door and going, and the freedom of walking into a cafeteria with food already made. Relax and enjoy.

4

Besides the above expenses, I also think you underestimated the cost of food. I think those who live off-campus tend to eat out more, especially when they don’t have time to cook/shop during busy periods or don’t have time to go back to their apartment for dinner. So while I think you can save a modest amount living off campus, I don’t think it’s nearly as much as you estimate. And besides finding someone to take over your housing contract, you’d need to scramble to try to find an apartment and furnish it. My advice is to stay in the dorm this year and start planning soon to live off campus next year if you want. My understanding is that most students moving off-campus start looking in the fall and sign a lease by January. Our son lived off campus for three years with friends and enjoyed the extra space and freedom, but he spent much more on food and supplies than you estimated, and they never found an apartment with rent on the low end of your estimate.

5

The cost will be less off campus in all likelihood. It will not be that much though, unless you get a really bad apartment or you’re very far from campus. To get prices from 400-700 you’d be looking at a something very run down (not just a bit), or something that’s at least a 15 minute walk from campus most likely. Most people I know end up more in the 800-1200 range.

Sophomores live on campus knowing this mostly because it is easier to live on campus and sophomores are still finding their place. I personally am still living on campus as a junior because my dad was okay with it being more expensive. He wants me to live on campus senior year because he says it is easier and a good experience. That probably won’t happen, but at least for sophomore year it was a good deal for sure.

6

Our son and two of his friends shared a small two bedroom apartment, recently renovated, in a very well maintained building, two blocks from campus, for $2200 this past year. So if one starts looking early enough and is willing to share a bedroom, one has better, more affordable options.

7

@CCMom2U that’s definitely true. There are some of those around, but even nice, small, close to campus 2 bedrooms aren’t that easy to come by. Plus as soon as you have more than 3 people, you’re technically breaking the law (due to what is colloquially called the brothel law) as I understand it.