@TQfromtheU That is a good question,however I unfortunately do not know the answer to that.
I got my financial aid package almost 3 months ago and tuition is already covered if I commute. If I do live on campus the only things I will need to worry about paying for is room/board and the meal plan. So I think I could afford to do it this year,but I do not know how willing they will be to say yes,even though I am already a legal adult. I believe I really am ready to be a lot more responsible and become more independent,which are things I will need to do at some point. Do you think that if I explain to them that things like office hours and extra help are mostly on off hours would convince them to let me stay on campus because they are important to me for success in the long run.
I think staying on campus is important. I really wanted it for my children and luckily I could afford it. Your parents may want it too but just can’t afford it.
Figure out how much room and board will be. Make a plan of how to pay for that. If the direct loans are not part of your package, you can take those. You can work this summer and contribute that. How much is left? Who will pay that? You’ll save some by not commuting, but it may be easier for your parents to pay that a little at a time.
FYI, “board” means the mean plan. Room and board means room and meals.
For the 2017-2018 academic year, room and board at Penn State Brandywine was $5,395 per semester. You can anticipate that it will be a bit higher for the 2018-2019 year. Let’s estimate that total for the year will be $11,000.
Figure out what your incremental cost will be – that is, the additional cost over and above what it would cost you to live at home and commute. It doesn’t cost $0 for you to live at home. And you’ll have to eat during the day while you are on campus. Quite often you’ll eat dinner on campus too, depending on your schedule. So figure out your room, board, and commuting costs if you live at home.
Room: They’ll spend, say, $30/month less in utilities (water, electricity, gas) by having one less person at home.
Board (meals): They’ll spend about $150/month less if you don’t live at home.
Commuting: You will avoid spending $60/month on gas, plus wear and tear on the car.
Total room/board/commuting for about nine months = 270 + 1350 + 540 = 2,160.
So, the incremental cost for you to live on campus is 11,000 - 2160 = $8,840.
Hey!
I lived in the dorms my first year, with help of financial aid. I can say it was totally worth it. Tell your parents it would only be for the first year, you truly bond with freshmen more, because they feel lost and are seeking friends just like your are!
Show your parents that you are responsible and get either a full time job or part time. Try to negotiate with them what you can pay for. For example, maybe they pay for dorming and school, but you will pay for your own gas, allowance and food. Show them that you are willing to do everything possible for this to happen.
The issue is that brandywine is a commuter campus. Only about 230 students live on campus. You can understand why your parents don’t want to pay $11,000 for you to stay in the ONE residence 5 days a week since you live less than 30mn away.
Save your money for when you move to the Main Campus.
Ask residential life what their policy is. Some colleges won’t allow students to become RAs if they haven’t lived on campus.
^that’s a good point
When do you think Office hours ARE? When do you think extra help is offered? Office hours are during the work day…usually between 8-5. They aren’t at night or anything like that. Extra help? If you are talking about tutoring, that is scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time.
Plus…if you live close enough to commute, why would the timing of these be an issue? You are close enough to avail yourself of these services regardless.
This argument would fall on deaf ears at my house…because you can still go to office hours and get extra help even as a commuter.
Depends. In some of my classes I’ve been to office hours from 6:30 pm to 8 pm, for example – because students have classes during the day and professors are sometimes willing to schedule around that.
My kid commuted the first year. Around a 30 minute easy commute. He took part in a lot of activities, was able to take advantage of office hours, tutoring etc. He did get an RA position for upcoming year - so policies on that vary form one college to another. Resident life at a majority commuter campus is not what it’s cracked up to be. I agree with the posts here about saving up the money for when you go to the main campus.
@bodangles thanks. Even so…if this kid lives close enough to commute…he can go to the library and study, and attend those office hours later in the evening. He doesn’t have to live on campus to avail himself of those services.
That’s the KEY thing Andrew. You have to help your parents understand it won’t be like high school. You won’t be coming home for dinner - you’ll be eating on campus, then go to review sessions or tutoring (which tends to be in the 6 or 7pm to 10pm time) then long hours in the library. You’ll get home after you’re done with your preparation for the next day’s work.
You will not live on campus but you have to be dedicated to doing everything needed there, and only go home to rest and sleep.
Happykid commuted for two years, and she was a theater major who often didn’t finish until after 10 pm. What we saved by having her at the CC for those two years meant that we could afford for her to transfer to a state U outside of commuting distance for the last two years.
Yes those 30 minutes each way (and occasionally more than once in a day) can get old fast. But if it is what you need to do to make things work for your family, it is what you need to do.
@brantly It does not cost that much at the BW campus for room and board. It really costs 3490 a semester for this upcoming year for just room plus I chose the least expensive meal plan that still costs 2025. @twoinanddone I definitely will be working over the summer along with something on campus when school starts.
Please add 3,490 and 2,025 before our consider that brantly’s 5,395 off the mark 
Why should your parents pay that much?
Would thy be ok paying for the smallest meal plan? In that case would you be able to pay for the cost of a residence on your own?
A commuter campus, with one hall of residence housing 200 people? Seriously, that sounds dreadful. What kind of residential life do you think those few students rattling around that campus on nights and weekends can get up to? You’ll be bored up of your wits. Focus on your studies, hang out with your friends days and evenings and weekends, by all means eat most of your meals on campus, which will probably be a wash cost wise, but don’t waste 8,000 dollars a year for a room that’s only 30 min closer to campus, but may be much smaller and less nice than the room you’d have at your parents house. And may have to be shared with another person.
Your confusion about the cost of room and board and whether the meal plan is included or not are a big red flag as to whether you are ready for the financial responsibility of living on your own.
There is no good reason to move there, neither From the financial nor the academic aspect, and the only reasons you’ve listed for why you need to move out are that you fight with your brothers and want to watch TV in peace.
Those most be horrible fights if it should be worth that much money to your parents to stop them…
https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=2027
Room and board is about $11,800 a year at this school. Are you telling us that you think it’s worth spending that amount of money on room and board when you can live for free 20 minutes away from the school?
That’s a lot of money!
@thumper1 What makes you think that website is credible,when they have the up to date costs on their PSU website https://brandywinecampusliving.psu.edu
$3490 x 2 = $6980 room for the year
Assume medium-level meal plan ($2345 per semester) x 2 = $4690
$6980 + $4690 = $11670
That other website isn’t that far off. And picking the lowest meal plan only shaves off about $650.