<p>Hello :) I'm a transfer student from cc and im going to Akron for fall 2014 and I need help deciding what to do for my living arrangments. Money is right but I'm paying my parents $600 in rent right now so if I commute I have to add an extra $418 for commuting costs and 2 1/2 hours for commuting time. If I stay at home I could cut back my hours at work if I need to. (Currently doing work and school full time and I have a 3.44 gpa). But if I live on campus then I could gain that college experience for at least the first year and not have to commute as much except for work. But my tuition goes up unless I can get into honors college then I can get a few scholarships from that too... I guess it comes down to is the college experience worth it. I took off campus housing as an option also but then I wouldn't be able to cut back my hours at work if I need to unless I find a good deal on an apartment or a roommate. Please help!! I can decide what to do.. Also my major is a BFA in photography so I will need my space to dedicate my time to my degree. Thank you </p>
<p>The on campus living really is beneficial for the social aspect, academic support/help, and then independence. But weigh your happiness of the college experience with how much extra money you’ll end up with in your pocket. Is it worth it? </p>
<p>You don’t have to make a final decision just yet. Apply for on-campus housing, and find out whether your financial aid will be enough to cover it. Check with the other people from your CC who are transferring there, and find out if anyone needs a roommate. You can also ask around your new department at Akron. Some of the upperclassmen who are moving out of the dorms might be interested in an additional housemate. And don’t forget to check Craigslist. I know plenty of students who found affordable places through that website.</p>
<p>How much money are you making right now? Can you even afford to pay that total each month ($600 to your parents for rent plus $418 for commuting costs comes to $1018)? Is that commute 2 1/2 hours each day, or each week? If it is 2 1/2 hours each day, that is too much time on the road. </p>
<p>How much does on-campus or near-campus housing and food cost?</p>
<p>According to the University of Akron’s housing page (<a href=“http://www.uakron.ocm101.com/housing.html”>http://www.uakron.ocm101.com/housing.html</a> ) you can find a number of apartments just off campus for less than $450 a month. </p>
<p>If it costs you $1,018 per month to live at your parents’ place and commute, then it may be entirely feasable to find housing and food near campus for less, allowing you to have the college experience and save 2.5 hours per day.</p>
<p>Even the cheaper dorms at the University of Akron seem to be competitive with the cost of living at your parents’ place and commuting. See <a href=“https://www.uakron.edu/reslife/rates-and-forms/rates.dot”>https://www.uakron.edu/reslife/rates-and-forms/rates.dot</a> and <a href=“https://www.uakron.edu/dining/meal-plans.dot”>https://www.uakron.edu/dining/meal-plans.dot</a> .</p>
<p>It would be 2 1/2 hours a day, and this is all really helpful!! Right now I found an apartment for 465 plus all paided utilities except for electric and it’s really close to the campus but I’ll be still traveling to my job. So I’m not sure if I’m really gaining. And I’ll try the on campus thing and see if I can get my aid to cover it. Bu</p>
<p>But I’m not too sure what I should do, my boyfriend also offered up for me to live with him in cuyahoga falls so that would be half way between work and the campus. </p>
<p>Do you have a particularly good job that you hate to give up? Could you look for a job closer to campus? And if you are on financial aid, were you offered work-study?</p>
<p>2.5 hours daily commuting sounds like a nightmare. I’d avoid it if at all possible. Can’t you get a job closer to campus? You need that time for studying.</p>
<p>^^^ exactly. 2.5 hours of daily commute is bad. Adding on the extra time needed for foul-weather conditions in the winter would make it even longer. You need to think that through. That kind of commute only makes sense if you have a very limited number of round-trips to campus each week or if you are doing it for a very limited period of time such as a one-month summer-session.</p>
<p>Do consider finding a job closer to the university. That would make a big difference in the options available to you.</p>
<p>I have to recheck the financial aid but I was a 91 on the report so I wasn’t eligible for the pell grant but I was eligible for that federal loan. And I could find a job closer but I really love my job. I’m a manager at a gas station that’s close to my house so I make about 1200 a month. </p>
<p>The work study says I may be eligible for 1465. So I’m not sure what that means if it’s for the school year or not. But I’d still need to be working full time to afford living on my own so I’m not sure if I could do that with any of the jobs near by</p>
<p>2 1/2 daily commute is insane - it’s setting you up for failure. Not trying to scare you but there’s a reason many students take 6 years to graduate (at UAkron specifically, only 14% graduate in 4 years - and each additional year you attend, you have to pay tuition AND you lose on your post-graduate salary. Don’t start on a bad foot.) You should be spending that time studying or working, not commuting. And if you’re paying $600/month right now + would have to add the costs of commuting, living on campus (or near campus) should be the same or probably cheaper.
See if you can find a job near campus.
As for your boyfriend, how about this year you focus on your studies and try to maintain the highest possible GPA while experiencing college and working at a job on campus + another one nearby (perhaps in the same chain of gas stations that could “transfer” you? Not sure how it’d work but look into it… THere may be a station manager job opening within 20mn of UAkron for all you know 
) – then, next year, if all goes well, you’ll move in together if that’s what you wish? </p>
<p>Thank you so much! I think that’s what I’m gonna do, if I get approved for this apartment I found on main st. I’ll take it but if it requires a co signer, which I also don’t have, then I’ll live on campus. But thank you! Ill talk to my workplace as well </p>
<p>Good luck to you! Don"'t forget to let us know what you decide and how it turns out :)</p>
<p>Managing a gas station is a very transferable skill, especially since most of them are chains. Talk to your higher-ups about being transferred to another location so that you can keep your seniority, etc.</p>
<p>I will! Thank you again! </p>
<p>I decided to get a roommate and live off campus. There’s an apartment almost in campus that’s for a pretty decent price with all paid everything. I just need a co signer then I’m good! As for my job, if I my classes are in the mornings, then I can work most of my hours in the evenings or afternoon. Then I can work a Sunday. But until we remodel in the summer I won’t know if I need to cut back my hours and work on campus. I really love my job so well see. </p>
<p>wow, a normal student on CC. I guess it happens if you read long enough.</p>