<p>Does anyone know if there is a site where I can find information on off-campus housing?</p>
<p>[Florida</a> State University Off Campus Housing Service - Home](<a href=“FSU Off-Campus Housing Marketplace”>http://offcampushousing.fsu.edu/)</p>
<p>if those prices are per month, those are some excellent prices!</p>
<p>Jossie - the prices are per month but some of them are per room. I’m sure you saw the designations whether they are by room or unit on that link but I just wanted to point it out since I know you and most everyone on here may be on information overload right now with all the acceptances, etc. :)</p>
<p>janna, are you a student or alumnus? and yeah, i’m waiting on my welcome packet to come in the mail so i sort myself out :o</p>
<p>Jossie - I am neither. I have a daughter that currently attends FSU and we went through the off-campus housing circus last year. :)</p>
<p>Those prices look nice, but often don’t include any utilities at all, including water, electric, and telecom services, which can add up significantly. </p>
<p>I’ve now toyed with the on vs off campus housing thing since I was accepted to FSU. The big sticking point for me has always been the cost of rent on campus including all utilities except cable TV (which you don’t have to get) and telephone services (and who gets those when they have a cell phone?), while the prices off campus not including everything. Sure, you can get 3 roommates and split everything (and that’s what people typically do), but then you’re relying on them to come up with their share of the bills (especially if anything is in your name). </p>
<p>Off campus housing can work well for lots of people, don’t get me wrong. If you don’t want to live on campus, then obviously that’s your choice. I have however enjoyed living on campus my entire time in college.</p>
<p>Pasbal - do you live in a dorm that does not require the meal plan? When I ran the numbers last year for my daughter to live on-campus with the meal plan vs. living off-campus at a student community that includes all utilities (up to $150 per month and they do sometimes have overages, the highest one so far was in August for $20 per roommate), provides transportation to and from campus (though she does not use that since she has a car) and buying her own groceries it came up cheaper to live off-campus. That said, without her extenuating circumstances, she might have benefitted from living on campus when it came to socializing. She tends to go to campus for classes, go to her sorority for events and then spend the rest of her time off campus at her apartment. But some of that could be because she likes her roommates, too. :)</p>
<p>I have always lived in a dorm that didn’t require a meal plan, although I had bought one the last two years. This year however, I do not have a meal plan. I instead spend about $40-50/week on groceries. In total my average monthly food bill runs around $200/month, give or take- less than half of what a meal plan would cost. </p>
<p>I am however lucky to live in an on-campus apartment in McCollum that has a kitchen where I can cook. McCollum is also a good bit cheaper than many of the dorms that freshmen are allowed to get into- nearly $100/month cheaper than many of the regular suite-style dorms. </p>
<p>The meal plans offered at FSU, especially this year, are such rip-offs that it does not make financial sense to pay upwards of $450-500/month for an all you can eat plan (or nearly that much for a meal plan that doesn’t offer as much). That was really the deciding factor for me this year. For the nearly $500 a month a meal plan would cost me, I could live like a king eating.</p>
<p>Pasbal - That makes total sense. When I factored in my daughter’s meal plan it was ridiculous and she spent the summer eating on campus and hated it (I wasn’t too fond of it myself when I went for orientation). Glad to know that upperclassmen can get a break on housing fees as well. It sounds like McCollum is a good choice overall since it has a kitchen and no meal plan. :)</p>
<p>pasbal, why wouldn’t it? that’s about $16 a day. If you eat at least 4 times a day, it makes sense.</p>
<p>then again, if the “all you can eat” buffets are those cafeterias where they give you pizza one day, then chicken the next…maybe it’s a rip off.</p>
<p>If you eat 4 times a day, sure. However, how many college students eat 4 meals a day, and only eat after 7am and before 10pm? Or, even better on the weekends, after 10am and before 7pm? (Yes, those are the cafeteria hours on the weekends. They really do close at 7). </p>
<p>The food also gets stale very quickly. Fresh Food (the cafeteria next to Salley) offers a salad bar, a sandwich area, a pizza area, a pasta area, an “American” area (burgers, etc), a vegan/vegetarian area, and a “grill” area. Sounds like a few good choices, but half the stuff gets rotated seemingly all the time. It’s great if you love french fries and pizza, as those are extremely common (and cheap for them to make) options. However, variety is not the name of the game. </p>
<p>There’s only so many times you can eat the same thing before it gets old. </p>
<p>Plus, the cost of just eating once or twice a day without the meal plans is only $8-11 per meal, whereas the meal plans run $16-20/day. If you’re getting a smaller meal plan, just paying per meal is cheaper. Not to mention that then, you aren’t locked into having a meal plan for both fall and spring.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, meal plans are possibly the second best scam going on in colleges, right behind textbooks.</p>
<p>Well since you all are talking about meal plans right now, may I join in : ) </p>
<p>My parents want me to get the meal plan, even though the dorms I choose don’t require one. My dad thinks that I need to focus on my studies instead of running to buy grocery, cooking etc… </p>
<p>Although I’m thinking otherwise, with the meal plans they offered after looking into them, it seems disgusting to me, unhealthy, and I feel like they would rotate the food that hasn’t been used for another day… </p>
<p>I’m very health conscious when it comes to food, I’d much rather cook my own food and stay fit. I’ve heard so many stories of people with meal plans gaining weight from colleges lol, not that it happens to everyone, but it does. </p>
<p>My parents are also concerned that I will “skip” my meals due to not having enough time, that’s why they suggested that I get the meal plan. Given what Pasbal said above </p>
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<p>I don’t fall within that range lol, so it would be difficult to “schedule” myself to eat, just cause I have such a abnormal eating habit lol. </p>
<p>But I do agree that the meal plans they offer “seems” and by the sound of it, are rip offs.</p>
<p>Corbis, you’re a transfer student starting at FSU this semester, right?</p>
<p>Where are you living?</p>
<p>Pasbal I’m not sure where I’ll be placed at yet, I’ve checked the status of my designation, however; they haven’t made any decisions as of yet. :’(</p>
<p>And yes I’m a transfer starting January 4th.</p>
<p>HALL PREFERENCES: </p>
<ol>
<li>Wildwood Hall </li>
<li>Salley Hall </li>
<li>McCollum Hall </li>
<li>Ragans Hall </li>
</ol>
<p>The above is what I applied for on my application.</p>
<p>It’s weird that they have not made a decision yet. Have you called the housing people asking them about that?</p>
<p>I would think that you would be placed by now. There’s two weeks until move-in for Spring.</p>
<p>:‘( wahhh Pasbal, I checked my status after I replied to your topic, and with disappointment I made a [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/florida-state-university/1260929-awee-man.html]thread[/url”>awee man! - Florida State University - College Confidential Forums]thread[/url</a>]. :’( !</p>
<p>Hi Scrapgal, I’m a transfer student and at first findgin off campus housing was difficult. I’m living off campus becasue they did not have any room left in the housing:( and I’m a freshman, who is really going to be a sophmore credit wise lol. I used multiple sites, but i first used FSU’s off campus housing site that lists properties near FSU and thier prices. The site is good, but personally I used Craigslist, many students who are looking to lease or sublease thier off campus housing put it on craigslist. So you can try Craigslist.com if you would like. They post something everyday! Also make sure you have the full price of the rental. this includes utilities and such. With that said here are a few more tips. I always looked at the craigslist posts with the pictures, becasue this gave me an idea of how the place looked. However, DO NOT trust anything you see on the internet. you need to go to the actual place becasue something you see online may look completely different in person. I also stuck with popular managements, for example, ipad, chance Partners, etc. It’s easy to look them up and find them. Try to get a place that is close in walking distance to FSU, and make sure the surrounding area is somewhere you feel is safe. There are many places near FSU that are nice, on chapel drive, Brevard St, and St. Augustine, and Pensacola Street. And make sure to research, check reviews and speak with people when you get up there. The decision in the place I chose came from reviews and speaking to people whom previously stayed there. Also some of the off camus housing does roommate matching, just like they do one cmapus. So that’s one more plus! The process can be time consuming, but in th end you will find a great palce that fits your needs. Good luck with the search! And if your moving in for spring, hurry! lol Once Again, Good luck and Happy Holidays:)</p>