I am planning attending University of Washington next fall with a full-tuition scholarship. I also won scholarships that add up to $3500 that can pay for room and board. It can also be deposited to my bank account.
Should I live room and board (single room) for 2 academic quarters (fall 2015, winter 2015/2016) or commute?
The reason why not spring quarter is because the Seattle/King County new subway is built sometime in 2016 and will take only 35 minutes from my home to UW which is quicker than several metro buses
Room and board advantages
Better access to professors and study partners
Better chance of getting admitted in my Computer Science major (because of Better access to professors and study partners)
More time
Don’t have to cook
Better Social life (I am not planning to drink or party, just do clubs and activities)
Room and board disadvantages
$3000-4000 debt
Commute advantages
I could use the $3500 to buy anything I want (or save it)
Practice time management skills for life after college
Why do you have to live in a (presumably more expensive) single? Wouldn’t a double be cheaper? Personally I would live on campus since it sounds like your commute will be at least 45mins and may run at inconvenient hours. You could also get a part time job on campus as well as a summer job which would allow you to minimize debt while saving up some money.
I commute and I don’t mind it at all - I commute an hour each way on the subway and have found that it doesn’t really detract from my social or academic experience. I was out until midnight last night with friends, some of whom commute and some who live near campus. I still meet with professors during office hours, participate in clubs, and so on and so forth. You just have to be strategic about scheduling your classes. (I prefer block schedules in the early morning so my entire afternoon and evening is free.)
I think commuting has certain advantages too – I like having two separate spheres of life. Sometimes school can become pretty stressful (especially during finals and midterms) and it’s calming to just be far away from campus, in my home, with my family, not surrounded by equally stressed out students. I like saving money, lol. My unlimited subway pass for the semester (5 months) is 200 dollars whereas the rent for an off campus apartment costs 800 a month. I know there are other hidden expenses in me living at home but they still don’t really add up to how much living in an apartment would cost. If you can hustle, you can also get your textbooks dirt cheap.
HOWEVER, if I had the opportunity to live in a single dorm on campus, that’d be appearing insofar as I’d be so close to the library and all the study lounges so if I had some free time and didn’t feel like watching Netflix, I could just stroll over to the library. I did a summer program in 2014 that required living with roommates in dormitories and I couldn’t stand it. There’s just something inherent in living with other people that makes me sort of nervous (are they gonna steal my laptop? are they gonna put a pillow over my face while I’m asleep?) – but I’m really paranoid normally so I’m not trying to say that you should actually take such fears into consideration. Just that as a commuter, if I had to dorm, I’d prefer a single. Some people do very well with roommates and it is a really positive experience .
I would live on campus if I could…the other advantage is you start to learn to be more independent. You have to schedule homework vs. social life. No one will ask you to do you homework. You will do your own laundry. etc.