<p>Hi all
just freaking out here.
D calls me to say that she needs to put down deposit on a house for next sept. I feel junior year off campus housing is not necessary. would like her to wait till senior year.
any advice?
pardon the caps (or lack of!) and the grammar!!
thanks, a</p>
<p>Depends on where she is going to school. Some schools most kids move off campus sophomore year, other schools everyone lives on campus all 4 years. Why do you think she should wait?</p>
<p>going to BU.
just being protective i guess.
feel the dorm is better that a place of her own. too soon i think!</p>
<p>Right! I understand and used to feel the same way. My S freaked me out a year ago when he put down a deposit for sophomore year off-campus. But he and his roommates-to-be had gone to look at it and gotten all the information, and he has been successfully living off campus this year. He has already put down a deposit elsewhere for next year. At some schools it is very common and there is a plentiful supply of nearby apartments that cater to students. He is much happier not being on the meal plan, though he buys lunch on campus.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. I assume some other students are going in with her?</p>
<p>She’s already responsible for herself on a daily basis, and she is an adult. Unless she is a poor student, needs structure, can’t cook, is planning to live in an unsafe area, plans to party all the time, if it’s in your budget, I’m not sure what the problem is.</p>
<p>Some kids actually do better living OFF campus because there are fewer distractions. Others do better because they get to live a life closer to what real life is like. Others just like the fact that they don’t have to answer to anyone, have RA’s inspect their rooms, or move out every winter break. </p>
<p>I lived off campus my senior year and it was great. I wish I had done it sooner, but cost was an issue back then, as a car was a necessity if you lived off campus.</p>
<p>@mamabear thank you!
@sylvan8798 yes, three other girls. 1300 per person + utils. now adding to this is the tele cable, food…
not sure how much this plays into my mindset, but we are currently in india and have to think of second d who is now in the XI
I am currently all over the place…</p>
<p>That sounds pricey to me.</p>
<p>Is that $1300/person/month? Just for rent? That sounds too high to me, more than my D in Washington DC pays! And she has a full-time job.</p>
<p>Off campus living is definitely more common in urban schools, I know most of my D’s friends at Pitt also move off early. If they are close they can get by without cars.</p>
<p>@sseamom everything you say makes perfect sense!! this is my rational mind agreeing with you.
she is responsible, a good kid, watches grades.
but now i worry about about all sorts of fears…</p>
<p>pricey all the way!!!
this is bang in the middle of the campus, walking distance to all, no car needed.
they seem to have done their hw and has an answer for everything.
Compared with some other rents and she says it is boston - the city…</p>
<p>My son at BU moved off campus his junior year. I admit, I was a mess until I saw the place. Seeing college move in week on the news where they were condemning houses left and right for many years had soured me from off campus Boston housing.</p>
<p>But he is in an apartment in Brookline and he loves it. The apartment complex is 50/50 BU students and young professionals and doctors.</p>
<p>It has a been fantastic for him. A bunch of his friends got three apartments in the building, he is able to park his car there (even though he usually walks everywhere) and he loves that they allow pets. He doesnt have a pet but enjoys visiting with other residents pets. He has sent many elevator puppy pictures. </p>
<p>The building has good security, someone at the front desk at all times, and they take their job very seriously, making sure the kids are safe.</p>
<p>I’m sure your D has researched, maybe even knows the students who currently live there. While it’s not dorm life, it is real life.</p>
<p>Very expensive. My daughter, a Northeastern student, paid $900+ utilities near downtown in Boston two years ago. She lived in a nice apartment, with a deck, with 2 other girls. Had her own bedroom, shared a large bathroom, large eat-in kitchen, and had washer/dryer in the apt.</p>
<p>It is very common for sophomores to move off campus at my son’s university as well. Some off campus housing can actually be closer to the academic part of campus then many upperclassman dorms. Our son’s school had a link to search for off campus housing directly from their housing website. This made it very easy for parents to look as well and see what was available, the area, the amenities, and what you were getting for your money. There is quite a variety and you can spend a lot even in his university town on luxury accommodations that are fully furnished with granite countertops and flat screen TVs. If that’s the type of arrangement my student was suggesting I’d be kindly telling them “not happening” and looking at other options. </p>
<p>I don’t know what a decent rate is in Boston, if this is furnished, etc. I would not agree to any apartment just because my student says it’s the best deal. It may be, or it may be the best deal of that type (high quality). Maybe that’s something you’re willing to pay for. I simply would want to know more about it and other options that were considered.</p>
<p>$1300 seems pricey, even in Boston. I have several young professionals who work with me and live in Boston near BU. The most that they pay is $1000 per month. Determine what the cost is per month for the dorm, and add in her extra costs for heat, electricity, food, parking, etc. Do you need to get furniture, dishes, etc.?</p>
<p>Go online and search for apartments in Boston to get a feel of the cost and amenities.</p>
<p>D1 is getting an off-campus apartment in Worcester, MA, and only ahs to pay $450 a month for her share of a 3 bedroom in a triple decker. Granted, Worcester is not Boston, but is a reference point.</p>
<p>I’d never pay more than dorm costs for my kids to live off campus. Fortunately in both of my son’s cases the cost of living off ended up being less than living on. Both mine moved off sophomore year, despite plenty of campus housing. I don’t blame them, dorms are noisy.</p>
<p>But OP you need to get on the phone and work through this with your D, because it’s true, because depending on that particular lease cycle it’s entirely possible she would need to lock it down now, for fall. So if you have reservations about the cost or about living off at all, you’ll need to address it right away and tell her “no” to moving off sophomore year.</p>
<p>It’s perfectly natural for students to move off campus. I put down my deposit on my off campus housing in October of my sophomore year. Any later and I would have gotten the bottom of the barrel in terms of choices.</p>
<p>However, there is no reason that a student needs to be living in the lap of luxury. You need to tell her how much (if any) you’re willing to pay and then let your D figure out what she wants to do. But really, moving off campus is nothing to worry about. You need to separate financial concerns from your other fears.</p>
<p>1300 per person + utils. now adding to this is the tele cable, food…</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>3 other girls…are you saying that this house costs over $5k a month to rent? What is it, a mansion?</p>
<p>I pay about $550 a month for my son’s room in his 5 bedroom home that he shares with 4 other boys. And, this place IS THE LAP of luxury…it’s amazing…like a resort!</p>
<p>To me, putting a deposit on off-campus housing for the next year in December seems late. In the town where my daughter went to college, all the good places were long gone by December.</p>
<p>The key question here is whether your daughter’s school guarantees on-campus housing for juniors. If they don’t, she’s may need to find a place off campus long before the dorm lottery because if she waits until after the lottery, there may be nothing left anywhere near campus. At some schools, waiting for the lottery is extremely risky. </p>
<p>Whether the one she has found is affordable is a separate question.</p>
<p>Moving off campus early is very common at urban universities. At NYU, for example, juniors get lowest priority for on-campus housing so many opt out. Price aside, I think it’s a good move.</p>