take out loans to live in dorms freshman year?

Paying for College
1

<p>I didn't get the gates scholarship, so now I have to settle for a state school.</p>

<p>COA is about 21,000</p>

<p>I got Pell grant: 4,800
Opportunity Grant: 1950
Achievement Award: 3000
Other Scholarships:5000</p>

<p>So my tuition is paid for, and I have about 6000 of a gap, without loans.
They're offering me the sub and unsub loans for 5500.</p>

<p>My brother attends the state school as well as a junior currently, and lives in an apartment. My parents want me to move in with him because it'll cost less money, or find people to move into an apartment together. The thing is, I would really like to live in a dorm for the first year, and my brother is super anti-social. </p>

<p>Is it worth it to take out loans just to live in a dorm? </p>

<p>Also, if you can answer this question, I am in the running for a full needs met scholarship but I have an interview for it in May, so wouldn't I have to decide if i'm living in a dorm by then? Is there anyway I can start out as off campus living, then change it to on campus living if I do get the scholarship?</p>

2

<p>In many schools, if you don’t get that room deposit in, you may not get a room, or get a room in outer SIberia, not worth the money. My recommendation is to go for a room for the first semester. If you don’t get the scholarship, consider switching out second semester. You may also find the dorm isn’t what you like at that point. If it is, then you have to decide if it’s worth the money.</p>

3

<p>Thanks! </p>

<p>bump!</p>

4

<p>The data seems to show that students who live in the dorms freshman year have better gpa’s and better overall success in college than do students who do not live in the dorms freshman year. So, I’d try to do that, even if it means taking on one year’s worth of debt. </p>

<p>(And while I like cptofthehouse’s idea, the dorm contracts I’ve seen do not let you out of them for the second semester except for study abroad, health, or a few other reasons.)</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>