PSA to future college freshmen: HOUSING
We all know college is expensive. It's all on the news. Tuition is way up. You're probably considering borrowing money. But a cost that people don't talk about as much? Housing. At the end of the day, you still need a place to sleep, eat, and study. And these universities know it, and because it's such a basic need, it's hell to pay.
Me and 3 other people are looking at 2 bed apartments off campus. Right now, we're all three to a room and pay about $1500/month each when you run the numbers. This does not include the meal plan. We have found off campus apartments where we would be paying $600-750/month each (these numbers are estimates on the high end and factor in utilities, electric, renter's insurance, and wifi).
Sure, it's a year round lease, but two of us are staying in town over the summer and for the rest of us, paying the rent on those empty months still works out to be cheaper than paying for the dorms. I suppose it's farther, but still not too far to walk, bus, bike, or drive to campus.
And we are getting a better QOL. Two to a room, four to a bathroom, kitchen, and a communal area. Will we have to clean communal areas? Yeah. But a fairly minor task considering how much less we are paying. Laundry? We already pay for laundry in the dorms. Furniture and stuff would cost money, but buying used, assessing what we already have, and starting out with the very basics is the way to go.
The kitchen will also help save us a lot of money by not being on a meal plan. I personally really like cooking and have food restrictions that make using a meal plan really frustrating. I truly do not get what I pay for here. Also, the dorm kitchen for residents to use is a horror show. If you really don't want to cook, you can still get meal swipes or eat out a ton and be somewhat more justified in the cost.
In a college somewhere where rent is more expensive, this math would be wildly different, but the college I'm at has no business charging this much for a dorm. When it comes to housing, the price tag and quality of on and off campus housing varies, so do your research. You may also be required to live a year on campus.
Future freshmen, if you can choose your dorm roommates, start interviewing now and find someone compatible. Look up other future freshies on social media (Insta is best for this). If you can't, you'll have to rely a little more on luck. Hopefully, you get along very well with your roommates, become friends, and room with each other again.
Also make other friends at college that you could potentially room with. Again, research the housing around your college. Don't just go by the cost of attendance estimates by the college either. Consider your fin aid. Talk to the upperclassmen, visit your college's subreddits, etc, and run your own numbers for your own situation to see what it's actually like.
Also, just a random tidbit for Californians- UCs used to have free tuition for residents until Ronald Reagan changed that as governor to make people less likely to go to college and be commies. 🙃
2087
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