<p>How is living off campus? How does it affect someone's residential college experience?</p>
<p>From what i heard at the campus information session, people who live off campus still have strong associations/ties to a residential college. Id seriously prefer living on campus if you want a more full and comprehensive residential college experience.</p>
<p>Many view it as an interesting experience but move back onto campus for the rest of time at Rice. Our college government has positions for off campus students and for most events, tickets will be held aside of them.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend that new students live on-campus, but afterward it's more of a personal preference issue. I myself did not particularly enjoy living off campus, but many people do and it is certainly possible to live off campus and remain involved with your college.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I guess I should have mentioned I would be a junior transfer. I wouldn't have much of a choice would I? In this case, how would it affect the residential college experience?</p>
<p>It is possible to get housing as a transfer, but it's not something to count on. Being a junior transfer and living off campus certainly makes it a bit harder, but if you make an effort to get to know people during O-Week and then stay active at your college (through meals, college-sponsored activities, etc.) throughout the year, I think you can still have a great experience.</p>
<p>There is quite a bit of housing right near campus - in walking distance. I highly recommend getting housing close by and apartment sharing with other Rice students. Rice kids are friendly and welcoming, so you should be fine. Do make sure to attend O-week and live oncampus that week, as that will help you become a part of your college.</p>
<p>DD lives off campus this year but still participates in the college activities. She goes to the cabinet meetings, has lunch with her college friends, participates in the college events and intermurals. Some cabinet members live off campus. It is what you make of it yourself. If all you do is go to class and go back to your apartment, you will not have much of an experience. Use O-week to figure out what interests you and be involved.</p>
<p>I thought Rice guarantees housing for 3 of 4 years -- so if you were to transfer in with only 2 years; wouldn't you be guaranteed housing? </p>
<p>Also, is it always junior year that students live off campus or do some do senior year off campus?</p>
<p>This is the 1 drawback to RICE for out of state students....(inmo)</p>
<p>"Also, is it always junior year that students live off campus or do some do senior year off campus?"
Some colleges boot primarily sophomores, some juniors. None that I know boot seniors. Yes, some seniors live off-campus, probably a decent amount, but they would have had a choice. Also if you get elected to certain posts within the college you get housing guaranteed. As a senior I know a number of seniors who are currently living on campus for the 4th year, but again 3 are guaranteed.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I thought Rice guarantees housing for 3 of 4 years -- so if you were to transfer in with only 2 years; wouldn't you be guaranteed housing?
[/quote]
The 3 of 4 years rule only applies to those who matriculate as freshmen. Transfers are not guaranteed housing their first year.</p>
<p>There are those that live on campus for 4 years, too. DD's college sends sophmores off, but room draw is done on service points you can earn and if enough junior/senior live off campus, the high point sophmores can live on campus. DD lives off because dorm life did not particlaurly agree with her VP necessary sleeping, eating and cleanliness requirments and with the roommate she wanted from another college. There are enough that choose to live off campus to let some live there all 4 years. Rice is trying to expand the dorm space to let more live on campus.</p>
<p>DS likes living on-campus due to convenience and food; prepared, ready to eat just by walking downstairs! More guys than girls live on-campus all 4 years, and I believe that that is why! Girls tend to prefer a little more space. DD lived off-campus at various places that were all walkable and a lot cheaper than living on-campus. Except for her first time living off-campus (which she did not like, since she was living all by herself), she had a very good experience and saved us money.</p>
<p>I have loved living on campus for my freshman year, but next year I am moving off campus with five of my friends, and I am so excited!! I plan to move back on campus for my junior and senior years, but for the time being, living OC seems very new and exciting. The six of us (5 from my college, one from another) are renting a house together within walking distance of Rice. It's going to be great, because we will each have our own room, will get to buy our own food, have a lot more space, and it will be cheaper than on-campus housing. I'm probably the most involved in college and campus life of all of us, but we are all active in the college and plan to remain so next year. We are all very social people who love living with a lot of people, which is why we opted to get a big house together instead of splitting up in pairs. I was initially very apprehensive about the prospect of living off campus, but when we realized that we probably were not going to get on-campus housing next year, since our college boots sophomores, we started looking at other options. Now, after having found a house and getting really jazzed about the whole idea, we aren't even entering room draw.</p>
<p>I would be transferring and I wont get a response from Rice til May. How easy/hard would it be to find housing later on in the year? I live in NY. Is there a decent/trusted way to find housing online, or would I have to go to Houston?</p>
<p>talkinghead--
My D is s sophomore transfer student. (We also live in NY. Houston has better weather. But that's off the topic...) MY D was very, very fortunate to get on-campuis housing a couple of weeks before O-Week began last year. It was mostly pure luck. Rice rightfully has a priority system in which international and handicapped students stand in line ahead of out of state students and Texas residents. (OOS students have priority over Texans. )Here is my advice FWIW:
1. Pay your housing deposit the DAY Rice admits you. A teensy leverage never hurts.
2. Be prepared to wait most of the summer for an answer about your housing situation.
3. In mid to late July, the housing office will send the transfer students an email with the email addresses of other transfer students so people can contact each other to make of-campus housing arrangements.
4. Our daughter had a number of potential roomate/housing discussions before a phone call came one night from a really awesome Rice student (smart, articulate, pleasant, cheerful) advising that there was an opening for her (in the quads--super good luck). Needless to say, she said "yes" immediately.
5. Finding and renting an apt/duplex/house in Houston is NOTHING like finding an apt in NY. One can do it on very short notice, and there is a good supply near campus. Rice has an online website (sorry--forgot the URL) where landlords can advertise their property, and students looking for roommates also advertise their vacancy.
6. Worry not; it will all work out.
7. Rice is truly an amazing place--good luck to you.</p>
<p>Can financial aid from Rice be used to pay for off-campus housing? If not, I'm seriously screwed.</p>
<p>Yes - and Rice budgets the same amount for on and off-campus room and board costs. That's what saved us money with DD; she picked cheap housing and cooked cheaply but the financial aid was budgeted for full amount. I'm not sure if it will be cheaper or not when DS is off-campus next year. He eats more! ;) My DD's last year in school, she actually received a check back from Rice to be used for housing, etc. We had two at Rice, so financial aid covered tuition with some left over.</p>
<p>Ah, wow. That's a big relief. I was counting on doing the same (as far as saving money goes) but then realized that nowhere had it been guaranteed that Rice funds could be used outside of the university.</p>