So my first year of college is over with and year two is just over a month away. The first year I was able to get by financially through the help of my parents, uncle sam, a small student loan, and a very generous graduation gift from my grandparents. This year I am lacking the monetary graduation gift and help from the government (my parents made more this year than last meaning less financial need) and coming up with the cash isn’t so easy. My parents and I cannot come up with all the cash in the time period in which to pay it. I myself see no problem in taking out a couple thousand dollars in loans to get by this year but my parents think differently. Their suggestion to me was to live at my aunts house 15 minutes from campus which saves me 5,000 on room and board. Please share your opinion, either as a current student or graduate, on this matter. Do you think the benefits of living on campus would outweigh the extra loans or do you think the cost savings outweigh the social aspects of college life??
Thanks in advance and I look forward to reading your thoughts and ideas. Graduates feel free to check out my other college related post in GD. I’ll post the link here as soon as I create the thread. Thanks!!
Do you have a car and is on-campus parking somewhat readily available? At the University of Illinois (where I go), the school’s idea of on-campus parking is at the basketball stadium parking lot, a 15 minute bus ride from the quad.
I know a lot of my college social life involves drinking in some capacity, so if I were you (assuming your social life is as unimaginative as mine), I’d figure out if there was a friend’s couch I could crash on on weekends if I were too drunk to drive.
I’d say it can be done, but you’re probably going to have to be more active with your friendships. Most of my friendships are with my roommates and activities are planned while we sit there watching TV trying to figure out if we want to BBQ before or after we play frisbee. You’re just going to have to make more of an effort to plan things and not let people forget you.
Exactly Ringo! According to my parents I would be able to come and go whenever but without my food plan if I did want dinner Id have to be at my aunts house at the same time everyday.
You pretty much figured out exactly why I don’t want to do this micahjn. All of my friends are the people I met on my floor. Went to dinner together, never had plans till the last minute. If I’m not there I’m worried I’ll be left out. And even though my aunts house is only 15 minutes away, I’m sure I would eventually get tired of driving back and forth all day and eventually just give up on doing certain things.
I think it depends on a number of factors. Some people say you have to live in a dorm to really feel the college ‘experience’. But from what I’ve seen, the cost of that ‘experience’ is ridiculously exhorbitant, and I’m not so sure its worth the cost.
If you live 15 minutes away, I say just stay at your Aunt’s (unless there are some issues you have with her or something). I know a guy who stayed with his Grandmother while he was going to UC Davis so he wouldn’t have to stay in the Dorms. It worked out fine, the guy has a perfectly normal social life.
What would I do in your situation? Well, as it turns out I live pretty close to the College I am attending (San Jose State). Personally I find it impractical to spend so much money when I live close enough anyway.
I think it’s important that you have ready access to the campus at all times of day. You may need the library or the computer lab, and you may have group projects where you’re meeting with classmates in the evening.
It’s possible, of course, for this to be do-able if parking is good or public transportation is convenient. If not, then I think being away from campus could hurt your academics (for some parents that’s a more compelling argument than the social aspect–even though I think it’s just as important).
It depends. How independent will you be in your aunt’s house? I mean, will she pretty much accept you as an adult/young adult or will you be obliged to live by rules that she sets? What will those rules be and will they be something that you can live with?
Parking has been mentioned several times, so I won’t talk about what it’s like here.
As a grad student now, I live off campus, but in my own apartment, and I can’t imagine doing otherwise. As an undergrad, I lived on campus for four years (at a school where over 90 % of students lived on campus) and my experience would have been far different without that.
Looking at it now? I’d not take out the loans and live with my aunt. If it’s terrible, talk to campus housing and your parents and see if there’s anyway to switch into the dorms for second semester. As far as meal plans go, those may be available without living on campus, at least on a limited basis for lunches and the like.
In my second year at UT I met my girlfriend, who had lived in a dorm her freshman year. As a result she had a circle of dorm friends that became my friends very quickly.
A few comments… Incubus - Technically at my university living on campus is required for the first 2 years. Yes, $5,000 a year just for room and board is expensive but I do feel there are many benefits that come with living on campus.
CrankyAsAnOldMan - After living on campus for a year already I know that its nice having access to labs, the library, and the ease in which to get together with group members. If I were to live on campus I would be eligible for a parking space in one of the many garages where I could leave my car 24/7. Living off campus I would be forced to find one of the few empty spaces and park in certain lots at certain times. Overnight parking is not allowed with this permit.
Lsura - According to my parents, I will have just as much independance at my aunts as I did in the dorms. None of this of course has been determined yet so I cannot be sure. Food, as mentioned before would be another issue. The idea here is to save money which would mean eating at my aunts. As far as I know the school does not offer a meal plan to off campus residence.
I vote for giving the aunt’s house a try. If you were a first-year student and hadn’t had the dorm experience, I’d recommend living on campus, but social life tends to be less dorm-oriented after freshman year anyway. Surely your friends from last year won’t all be on the same hall – they’ll be scattered across campus, or in some cases off campus. Hanging out with them is going to take more effort and phone calls no matter what you do. As long as your aunt is willing to treat you like an adult, and you have some spending money so you’re not completely dependant on her for meals, I don’t see how it would be any worse than living in an apartment off campus.
Besides, you’ll be tied to the dorms for at least a semester, while you can always move out of your aunt’s house if you don’t like it; there’s bound to be someone in the area looking for a housemate.
True Fretful Porpentine not all of the same people I lived with will be in the same hall we were in last year. But as mentioned before the majority of them will be on campus as well due to the 2 year policy. And again comes group work. I’m a computer science major which tends to be a lot of group projects or staying up late with other CS majors working together to solve a problem. I’m worried that living at my aunts house will put a stress on that.
Is the 15 minute away by car or by walk? If it’s by walk, forget the car, just do some daily exercise getting to your classes (or take the bus). If it’s by car, first check there’s a bus that passes by both her house and your university.
Forget meal plan, that’s expensive anyways. Buy part of your food and cook in your aunt’s house. Or make an agreement to eat her leftovers when you come from home.
I vote for on campus. I don’t think $5000/year is too bad for room and your meal plan, it’s the same here and we’re considered one of the cheapest schools in Michigan. You have the advantage of location while on campus, which means a few more minutes of sweet, precious sleep each morning. I don’t know what state you’re in (or even country, for that matter,) but I know how hard it is to get up on a cold winter morning here, and wouldn’t want to do that any earlier. Plus, most caferterias let you come and go as you please, which is better than being at your aunt’s at the same time every day.
Plus, if you go to a school with a football team, you can join the Saturday afternoon mob walk to the stadium this fall. That is seriously one of my favorite fall activities. (And I’m jealous of Cranky, who has a much cooler stadium and team in her hometown.)
Hmm, I went to ISU for 3 years, and I’d say, live on campus, for the social and classwork aspects. As I recall, public transportation sucked in Bloomington/Normal, so I wouldn’t depend on it at all.
I lived on campus all three years I went there, and think I had more friendships and social activities as a resuly. YMMV, of course.
I vote for campus. No matter how accecpting your aunt is of you being on adult, there are still things she is going to know that you may not want your parents to find out. My college life wouldn’t have been nearly the same if I had not lived on or near campus for all 4 years. I moved back home when I went to med school and am still not sure that was the right decision. It saved a whole lot of money, but I may have done better if I lived closer to campus, at least for the first two years.
Another thing to consider, depending on the size of the university, is that there may not be enough space to place you in the dorms after the freshman class is settled.
If you do want to live on campus, is there a roomate or friend that would like to be with you? That way you already have someone you know in the dorm, instead of having to start over like you did on the first year.
I still say go live outside… heck, even finding a place to rent with some friends just outside campus may be cheaper than living on campus.
You’re just going to have to make more of an effort to plan things and not let people forget you. 
