<p>Occurs to me as we weigh FA offers, that the tour didn't address various possible sources of unexpected costs. Do you have to pay to do laundry? Do you have to pay for all printing, or is there a printing allowance? Do you need your own printer?</p>
<p>What are some unexpected costs associated with attending Georgetown? TIA</p>
<p>-bump for interest-</p>
<p>Unexpected costs are not too terrible:</p>
<p>Printing - $0.10 per double-sided page, about $10 a month? Free in the MSB (part of your tuition)
Laundry - $1.50 per load, so $3 for washing and drying per load every ~2 weeks
Dorm Room Fee - $30 for the floor fund at the start of the year
Club Fees - some clubs have small fees ($20-50), while investment clubs require small investments ($250+) and fraternities/sororities have dues each semester (about $300-500)
Textbook fees, online material - many classes require online class material, than can range from $20 all the way to $200 in addition to textbook expenses
Haircuts - Expensive, closest places charge $25-30</p>
<p>Other than that, you really only are paying for eating out as your largest expense. Leo’s gets boring really quick and people will often start going out to eat which can add up to $300+ a month.</p>
<p>Thanks, jake. That’s exactly the kind of info I was seeking. Looks like there’s not a Great Clips near campus then!</p>
<p>So, when my ds got a $1,200 figure for books in COA, I wonder whether that includes those fees you were talking about …</p>
<p>One other question. FA office said that a 14-meal plan is what’s included in COA. Is it difficult to take an apple or something out of Leo at dinner so you’ve got something for breakfast? Also, does the meal plan come with “dollars” that you can spend on laundry?</p>
<p>We live in the Washington DC area. The Georgetown area is very, very expensive. Housing, transportation, meals & entertainment out. It will be a very wealthy peer group. Many trust-fund babies here with unlimited resources. I would worry far less about haircuts and printing ~ what about off-campus housing after freshmen year or in the future?</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay: My daughter is a freshman in the MSB. She has the 14 meal plan (which I believe is required of all freshman and sophmores). With the 14-meal plan comes $75 in what they call “flex” dollars that can be used for meals at the various restaurants on campus besides Leo’s. However, I do not believe the flex dollars can be used for laundry. </p>
<p>Something to think about if it fits into your lifestyle…there is an outside laundry service - - Soapy Joe’s - - that picks up/drops off from each dorm each week. They have various levels of service depending upon how much laundry you send out each week. My daughter is an athlete on the women’s golf team. With her required 25+ hours of off campus practice/training requirement per week (and homework), she simply does not have time to do laundry. We purchased the most expensive service they have (most pounds of laundry because of all her golf and workout clothes). We prepaid for the entire year and it cost us $500 (fall and spring semester). Soapy Joe’s picks up from dorm lobby every Wednesday and drops off the next day. They do a wonderful job. So much less stress for my daughter. Her roomate is also an athlete - - crew team - - and also uses Soapy Joes. Keep in mind that it is usually quite a committment of time for the students to do laundry - - not enough washing machines/dryers and going back and forth to the machines. Plus, I am told, it is not uncommon to find your clothes pulled out of the washer or dryer by another student. Anyway, for my daughter (and wife and I), $500 per year was a bargain. </p>
<p>With respect to books, we spent about $1,500 per semester for my daughter’s books. This of course, can vary signficantly depending upon the course load and specific classes.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>P.S. Regarding grabbing an apple (or other fruit), yes, you can do that quite easily at Leo’s. With my daughter’s practice/training schedule, she does this all the time. A good suggestion is to buy a little fridge for the dorm room.</p>