Can anyone that have kids there or recently graduated tell me their thoughts on off-campus housing. Not only the cost, but safety, and how you handled money spent for food. I really love this school, but the cost of housing and the meal plan is so far out of line with any other school we are looking at. I am fine with doing it freshman year for the experience, but I am trying to gauge cost for room and board the 3 following years. We live near DC so she will come home for breaks. Thanks in advance!
My child goes to WPI, rents a one room apt about a quarter mile from school for $1000. Sharing a place with others is definitely cheaper. Thereâs a nearby grocery store and eateries within walking distance. Itâs a diverse area, for sure, with the typical big city problems. I would honestly be concerned with a young female walking alone at night, off campus.
Oh really? We havenât been up to visit yet. We went up last year to Northeastern, BU, and Tufts, but WPI wasnât on her list yet. We planned to go up on an acceptance day. I didnât realize the city was dangerous.
"I would honestly be concerned with a young female walking alone at night, off campus. "
This is probably wise advice in most cities.
The area around the WPI campus are not high in crime and the campus is very safe. The following map with WPI campus in the upper center shows reported incidents including âdisorderly conductâ from the Worcester Police department for the entire city of about 185,677 (2017) people. The website address at the bottom of this page is very long as it covers the entire city. The orange and blue badge in the middle is the city police department. This reports every incident.
To manage large events, they have also hired some very serious campus security planning management. See https://www.wpi.edu/news/wpi-names-ronald-bashista-director-emergency-management
WPI '67
To reduce costs, many students find two roommates and live within walking distance off the campus or join a sorority or fraternity after the first year. WPI is NOT known as a party school, but about 35% of men and 40%+ of women do join fraternities and sororities where many also have a cook and dining service. The combined room and board costs can be attractive and they are usually located very close to the campus.
WPI, PGD '67
Oh, Iâm not saying itâs a crime ridden city. I did not call it a dangerous city. I specifically said it had typical big city problems. I said I would be concerned with a young lady walking after dark OFF CAMPUS. My child loves the school, walks everywhere, etc. But itâs also imperative to be aware of your surroundings, know which streets can be described as âsketchyâ, what to do if a person approaches you asking for money, etc.
Got it. We are already live in an urban area. I think she would roommates if she stayed off campus anyway. Are they walkable/bikeable or is there a bus system option? It seems strange to think about all of this now, but I really want to try and estimate expenses for 4 years. Housing, on and off campus, seems to be so variable per college. Some living $400 a month, other are about $1200. That is a huge difference for 2-3 years.
My daughter and most of her friends moved off campus after freshman year into shared apartments. She is in a 4 bedroom apartment she shares with 3 other people very close to campus. I would guess the average rent for this type of apartment is $400-450 per person. There are certain areas that are a little dicey and I would not recommend for a young woman.
My D will be a junior next year and will be moving into an apartment near campus with 2 friends; one of those large triple decker houses. The rent and utilities will be about $525 for each of them. There are a number of landlords that just rent specifically to WPI students and itâs a student-centric neighborhood. When she first suggested moving off campus, I told her I wanted to see a Power Point presentation on the pros and cons⊠the $ savings are substantial when living off campus and cooking their own meals, plus sheâs really looking forward to having a room of her own.
My son will be a sophomore next year. He opted for campus housing, but he will be living in a WPI apartment instead of a traditional dorm room. They have 3 bedrooms, living room and full kitchen. This will allow him to go off the meal plan, while still being on campus. I think this is a great transition to living on his own.
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Can you share how much the WPI apt is costing you/him? Also is WPI good about helping sophs and upper with finding off campus housing? I seem to remember they workwith some app or real estate co to make sure everyone has a place to stay thatâs not too far. I worry that moving off cam too soon willhurt focus/studying/group projects.
I think there is a website that helps the students identify apartments. The search usually begins pretty early - Novemberish for the following year.
I was a skeptic. But, it worked well for my daughter. She likes the space, having her own room, still close to campus (closer than the farthest dorm). Apartments are rented from June 1 for 12 months. We moved her in the summer before sophomore year and will be moving her out in May. It was nice to not have to move her in and out every year. She subletted her room to a friend one summer. Her apartment is getting handed over to next year sophomores from her sports team. Landlords do like WPI students. And there was a significant cost savings.
My D is a sophomore. We are also from Worcester. She has lived on campus for 2 years and is moving off this summer with 3 roommates. It will cost half the amount of being on campus (about $500 month). The area around WPI for off campus housing is safe. It is mainly college students from WPI MCPHS Becker. Still no one should walk alone after dark on the side streets.
Start looking early for off campus Sept/Oct. Any questions about Worcester I can answer for you.
^^ Good advice. By the mid-October break at the end of A Term, most of the good places are already spoken for
for the following school year!
Memories from fifty years ago:
Find roommates who know how to wash dishes! It also helps if they know how to cook.
I think where they get you, and this is true of many off-campus apartment rentals, is the 12-month lease. If it were in a more desireable area, you might use the rental in the summer sometimes but no one wants to go to Worcester in the summer lol. Basically you are paying three monthsâ rent to leave an empty room. Check carefully about subletting, some allow it, some do not. In the instances of summer internships local to the school, it works out well but that isnât always the case. My D, at a different school in upstate NY, got an internship on the seacoast of NH and paid a small fortune to sublet a room in an apartment complex specifically geared to UNH students. If WPI students have options for surrounding Worcester summer internships it might be beneficial.
Canât imagine how a freshman would find room mates theyâd want to live with after being in school only a month or two. But it seems like a better deal than staying on campus.
@Benee16 That is true. I forget how early you have to look for the following year. It looks like some of the dorms donât force you to get the meal plan your sophomore year. That makes it much more doable.
There is a ton of housing right off campus within easy walking distance. It is common practice for a group of students to rent a large apartment as a way to reduce cost. Owners are accustomed to dealing with students and many of the apartments are advertised for students. Try a Google search for apartments near WPI and you will find a list of current availability
Most students live on campus freshmen year (which is the only year they are guaranteed housing) and then find housing off campus later