<p>@packmom, @HImom, thank you!</p>
<p>i understand I am hovering while trying not to 
this rent bit - all or portion is insightful.</p>
<p>thanks much!!</p>
<p>Glad she found an apartment.</p>
<p>We met the parents of one roommate at graduation. Other than thatā¦never met them. Iām not sure I could tell you the full names of DDās six roommates. We knew first names, but not last.</p>
<p>More important than you meeting themā¦Your daughter should make sure her apartment mates have a way to contact you in case of emergency. When our kid went to the ER, it was one of her housemates who called.</p>
<p>So glad your dd found an apartment that works!! I never met S2ās rms parents until summer after their first year. Heās OOS and spent the summer on campus working. His mom was visiting when I happened to be there picking up S3 for a summer program. Weād spoken on the phone when sheād call each break he spent with us to say thank you, so it was a warm reunion of sorts. </p>
<p>Of his two newer rms (four in an apt soph yr) who are fm our local metro area, Iāve never met the parents. Weāve just never crossed paths at the apartment. The boys are much more independent (although they do enjoy being treated to dinner when weāre in town, which we enjoy). I have contact info for emergency purposes for the first year rm.</p>
<p>Thumper makes an excellent point about the rms having your contact info in case of emergency. This is less invasive for young people. Iāve done this when S2 traveled with a competition team, OOS, camping to an event his first year. It was an odd feeling when just six months prior Iād have know the itinerary, who was driving, contact info, etc. I simply asked him to give my info to someone else in case he keeled over (and held my breath until he was back at the university, lol).</p>
<p>At our S colege, almost everyone moves off campus sophomore year. Around Christmas seems to be when new leases are signed. if you wait much later, the good places are gone.</p>
<p>Sophomore & this year he lived in the same apartment complex. All utilities were included and each of the 4 boys had an individual lease and paid their own rent. There is a shuttle that runs to/from campus every 20 minutes.</p>
<p>next year (just signed his new lease before Christmas break) heāll move to a duplex/townhome place with the same 4 roommates. This is a joint lease and they have to pay with one check altogether. His utlities will be seperate. </p>
<p>I think the process will slowly prepare him for adult life. first yearā¦dorm. next 2 yearsā¦easy apartment set upā¦lastā¦a little more complicated.</p>
<p>Columbia has a lot of housing available off campus that is strictly students. The price of his apartment is about the same cost of his dorm. </p>
<p>Off campus kids can buy a block of 25 meals. He eats a big hot lunch dailyā¦which makes me feel better. He has learned to cook some.</p>
<p>First couple of years off campus, I transferred his rent & food money monthly and he paid his bills, groceries, etc. next year I think Iāll do a semester at a time.</p>
<p>He probably would have been fine doing it that way all along, but Financially, I had to be assured. 
It has been a good experience for him and I have no doubt when he is done with school and has a full time job he will know how to manage a budget, pay bills, etc.</p>
<p>@thumper1, will follow up on the emergency contact info. This situation is ver difficult for me/us. Just got off the phone w her and DH is still hoping she will reconsider. :). Guess there is a lot of learning in store for her.</p>
<p>@checkermidwest, thank you for the detailed writing. I could see it all unfold in front of my eyes. Hope my exp. will turn out the same.</p>
<p>@blueiguana, being in India, I will not have random moments to bump into parents roomies. But will find a graceful way to insert myself somewhere :)</p>
<p>You know when my S2ās OOS rm would visit us on breaks he would skype his mom and the rm would always call me over so she could say thank you for having him for (fall break/Thanksgiving/whathaveyou). So we did have contact with them that way. It made HER feel more connected since she was far away so I can kind of appreciate what you are saying. If your DD goes to visit another rms family during a break perhaps she could Skype and just call the parents over so you could thank them. Itās brief, but a connection thatās not invasive or overstepping in any way.</p>
<p>apply2school, thank you for the update! I love it when people update.</p>
<p>DS is currently in an off-campus apartment complex that caters to students. I have never met any of his roommatesā parents, nor did I ask for contact information. I also never considered emergency contact information, figuring if there was a crisis, the university knows how to reach me, as does the housing complex because they wanted us to cosign the agreement.</p>
<p>We never met the parents of Sās room mate, even though they lived together for 2 years and his family lives in HI. Somehow, it just never happened. With D, we rarely saw the parents of her room mates either. One of her room mates, I did know the father from when I had been in college decades ago & see him professionally but not because of our Ds. Our kids never Skype us, but it would be nice if they did. I know of other kids who Skype with family and friends. Our kids just never have done it with us, so far. Who knows, perhaps at some later point?</p>
<p>Re: emergency contacts. DDs roommates had our contact information. Because she was in off campus housing, the university had NO knowledge of her ER trip (and subsequent hospitalization) until DD notified the university. The university would NOT have called usā¦DD was 21 at the time. BUT her roommate did callā¦and filled us in on what was going on. We, the parents, didnāt have the roommate info but the roommates had ours. </p>
<p>Back when the dinos roamed, my apartment mates and I had a list nest to our phone (way before cell phones) and it listed the names of all of our parents and their phone numbers at home and workā¦in case of emergency.</p>
<p>Back in the day, I donāt think my folks or room mates knew each otherās names or how to contact one another. I also donāt think any of my sibs shared such info, even though we were all 2500-5000 miles from home. My parents never learned about my stays in the infirmary for food poisoning or mono until many, many years later. </p>
<p>It is not unreasonable to have kids get contact info for room mates parents, but we never did share that relating to our kids and there is 2500 miles between us and D and now 5000 miles between us and S! He lives alone & travels a great deal for work and I donāt know a soul to call if I canāt reach him. Fortunately, S now is better about responding to our cell phone contacts.</p>
<p>Hey apply2school</p>
<p>I am a mom of a D from India too. She is currently a sophomore at NYU. And she has been bringing up the topic of moving to an apartment as a Junior next semester. </p>
<p>I do have the same worries and concerns, more about safety with regards to the area, travel time to class, support in a medical emergency and back up during crisis like āSandyā. And of course the Cost. Nyu Dorms are as it is expensive, expexcted because of the location. And so the apartments will not be cheaper and the additional hassle of worries that I mentioned earlier. And the current dorms are apartment-style anyway, good location, well equipped, and secure. So I also see a lot of discussion opening up on this topic at home soon. </p>
<p>So it is good to go through this thread and start getting aquainted with other parents viewpoints and experiences on this topic. Very helpful indeed.</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, Boston has much more affordable off campus housing than manhattan. Apartment costs in NYC are staggering and, unlike Boston, there are not pockets of inexpensive college apartments. Ask your NYU student to stay in the apartment style dorm, and move into an apartment after graduation.</p>
<p>Thank you thumper. I am already convinced in my mind about what you say and so I am sort of prepared for the futuristic discussion. Also D is quite a reasonable person but peer pressure does play a vital role in their lives. And few of her friends from India are already talking about that soā¦ We shall cross the bridge when we come to it.</p>