(Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I didn’t see where else to put it)
I am not in college yet, but I was reading about living off campus during senior year. Obviously one wouldn’t have to pay room and board, which could save up to $15,000, but renting a place, paying for food, and finding transportation would add up pretty quickly. So cost-wise do you think living off campus senior year is worth it?
Also, in general is living off campus worth it? I mean, one will graduate next year and probably have his/her own apartment so why the rush to do so a year early?
I was just curious! Thanks! 
It depends on the cost and convenience of on-campus housing versus off-campus housing. Differences are very specific to the college and the local area, though off-campus housing can vary in cost and convenience to a much greater extent than on-campus housing. At some schools, living on-campus or off-campus can affect the student budget for financial aid purposes.
It also depends on the college as to whether living off-campus after frosh year is the norm for non-commuters (this is the case for many large public universities).
Oh that’s a great point! Do you know if it’s more common for kids in urban areas vs. rural vs. suburban to live off campus?
Ah the norm for each college is a good point too! I just wonder why some want to live off campus when they will have their own apartment and such within a year or two! To me, living in campus seems easier and a bit safer, but I may feel differently in college.
Wait… you’re thinking about living off campus 4 years from now?
Take it a year at a time.
I liked living off campus because it was so much cheaper. Of course, YMMV.
No I personally don’t think I would ever live off campus, I was just wondering about the logic behind doing so, and if the people who did felt it was worth it.
I don’t know anyone who has done so and was curious so I thought I’d ask!
It depends on the school, wait and see what most people do there. At my school more than half of people move off-campus by sophomore year, and almost all of them do by junior year. Except for the fancy new highrise apartments, off-campus is much cheaper here.
I went to a large state school and a lot of people only lived in the dorms for the first year or two. We also have several options for housing including on campus apartments, single suites, and traditional 4 person suites. We also have a large Greek life presence with huge houses of their own, which those are comparably priced to the dorms (around $9-10k/year) However, I can see the appeal to living off campus. There are numerous small apartment buildings and rental houses near my campus where people can still walk to class. I know my friend rented a block from campus for like $300/month (though her house was kinda gross… Hence the cheapest rent I’ve heard of here), which is $3600/year, and I doubt she spent anywhere near $6k for food. So she definitely saved a lot of money doing that.
Honestly, for the ones I know that live off-campus, and have since freshman year, it’s just the ‘cool’ thing to do? Not the best wording, but it goes back to the college culture thing. At this specific college, a large percentage of student live off campus.
Some reasons - it can often be cheaper, as rent is cheaper, and many apartment are so close to campus there aren’t any extra transportation/food costs; no curfew/rules associated with dorm living - so no RAs peeking in, small likelihood of getting caught with alcohol/drugs, can come home whenever, etc; ability to room with opposite-sex friends, roommates, romantic partners; ability to have pets.
And two last things - it often isn’t ‘just’ a senior thing to live off-campus, so thinking that there’s just ‘one’ year left isn’t necessarily true. It’s not neccessarily ‘easier’ or ‘safer’ to live on-campus than off-campus, and honestly, it’s just a preference like any other.
I live off campus in a private, student oriented apartment complex. It’s only a mile from campus and far nicer than any dorm or college owned apartment complex. Living in a student oriented apartment complex takes the best parts of living on campus and eliminates the worst.
For instance, virtually everyone in my 690 unit complex goes to my school and is within a year or two of me. We have gym facilities, a pool, hot tub, a shuttle to campus, and a bike share program. Like many dorms, we field teams for intramural sports, host regular events, etc.
Unlike the dorms, my complex isn’t dry and there are frequent parties at the pool and in some of my friends’ places. I don’t have to share a room, nor do I need to worry about space. Because the complex competes with others in the area, they’re constantly improving our living quarters, and quickly respond to maintenance requests rather than just brushing them off.
Oh wow! Thanks that gives me a great deal of insight! Before I obviously didn’t understand why people choose to live off campus but after reading the responses it makes a lot of sense! thank you all!
Last year I lived in the dorms. This year I have off campus townhouse with two friends.
Dorms:
• Cost: 6,000 for 9 months
• Meal Plan: $3,000 that covered ten meals a week. Had to pay about $120/month extra for my remaining meals/snacks (total of $4,200)
• Had to share a bedroom with one other, living space and one bathroom with 3
• Was pretty loud at all hours of the day
• Tiny space (300 sq feet, for 4 people)
• Room was on the 6th floor and the elevator was sketchy
• Laundry cost $3 a load plus soap
• All of my meals consisted of cafeteria food or restaurants - couldn’t cook anything for myself unless it was microwaveable.
• Parking situation was awful - had to park about 5 min away from my dorm
• 15 min walk to most of my classes, rec center, etc. The bus that went by the dorms didn’t go to my classes or downtown.
• Only had two payments per year
Townhouse:
• Cost: $4500 for full year (including rent and estimated bills)
• Meals: Estimated $300/month ($3000 total for year)
• Get my own bedroom, share a bathroom with only one other, living space with 2 others
• In a quiet area
• HUGE space (1100 sq ft for 3 people)
• Doesn’t involve 6 flights of stairs or an elevator that gets stuck almost daily
• Comes with a washer/dryer so laundry is free
• Have a full kitchen so I can cook my own food instead of eating cafeteria food daily
• I can park right outside my house
• 10 min walk to most of my classes. Also right on the bus routes that go to campus and downtown
• Have to pay my rent/bills monthly
So, not only is off campus SIGNIFICANTLY Cheaper ($10,200 vs $7500, plus however much I spent on laundry and parking passes for the dorm - free off campus. The rent also covers 12 months instead of 9), it was better in nearly every facet. It’s closer to my classes and on the bus routes I need. It’s a much bigger space with more amenities (no roommate, only two others to share common space with. It has kitchen, laundry, parking, etc). It wasn’t loud.
So, yes, off campus is ABSOLUTELY worth it. There is very little that could convince me to live on campus - the only real benefit was that I had to make 2 payments (once a semester) rather than monthly, but I can set up automatic payments so that really is a non-factor.
I went to college a long time ago but the noise and constant activity in the dorm gets old by the time you are a junior. Having to go several blocks to the library for peace and quiet is not convenient. Even 30 years ago an apartment was $80 cheaper per month than the dorm and included a private bedroom v. sharing.
Not sure if this was mentioned. At many colleges sophomores, juniors and seniors are not guaranteed housing. You may not have the option to even dorm if you wanted to.
It’s cheaper and you get more room per dollar. The downside is the location is not as convenient. 8 o’clock class is a problem. Where to rest in between class if you have a long break like 3 hours is another problem. Solvable but inconvenient.
Note that these assumptions about price and convenience do not necessarily apply to all colleges. These characteristics tend to be very specific to the college and the local area.
For example, at Berkeley, some of the off-campus housing is closer to campus than some of the dorms. It is also usually considerably less expensive, but you do not necessarily get more room, and much of it is not that nice, either.