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Dorming in College?
Goshinga
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi, I recently got accepted into the college of my choice. Only problem is, I'm not sure if I can dorm or not.
Now, commuting isn't really that horrible. It's about an hour 15 commute, which is alright. Only, I'd really like to try dorming, if only for a year or two.
The main problem is the price tag that accompanies the experience. It's about 10,000 dollars a year to dorm. Tuition itself is 10,000 a year as well.
So my question is, does financial aid cover dorm fees completely?
I recently filled out the Fafsa forms, when do I receive scholarship information?
I'm only willing to dorm if it turns out that I get a full scholarship, and there's a deadline on dorm applications, so i'm in kind of a dilemma.
Thanks for reading.
Now, commuting isn't really that horrible. It's about an hour 15 commute, which is alright. Only, I'd really like to try dorming, if only for a year or two.
The main problem is the price tag that accompanies the experience. It's about 10,000 dollars a year to dorm. Tuition itself is 10,000 a year as well.
So my question is, does financial aid cover dorm fees completely?
I recently filled out the Fafsa forms, when do I receive scholarship information?
I'm only willing to dorm if it turns out that I get a full scholarship, and there's a deadline on dorm applications, so i'm in kind of a dilemma.
Thanks for reading.
Goshinga on
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It's where you're going to do the bulk of your socialising and where you'll get to meet the cool new people.
How much financial aid are you getting? Usually they say "You are getting X" and then you look at your balance and go "Shit, I'm only getting X and I need to have X+Y!" so then you go get an additional loan for Y.
Living in the dorms is well worth the extra $. I lived in them for all four years of university and formed friendships that have still lasted five years later. My girlfriend lived with her folks and commuted to her school and she tells me that she regrets not living in the dorms.
I would say, go for the dorm route. It is especially helpful your first year around to get to know everything. Yes it costs money, but everything in live costs money and you don't want to save it by stunting your personal development. Trust me, you will mature a lot simply by living out.
Edit: nevermind... looking around it just sounds above average... not necessarily extremely high... damn those rising costs.
Anyway, if your commute was 10 minutes, or 20 minutes, I'd argue that staying at home is a good way to save money. but 75 minutes? that's a LONG time. That's time you SHOULD be spending studying or at least hanging out with people in your classes. Think, each day you have class you're going to be on the road for 2.5 hours.
The saving grace is that if you do stay at home, you'll have no reason to go home between classes, and will be forced to stay on campus. Of course, you'll be hanging out in study halls and computer labs, unable to drop into your room for a nap or to grab a book you forgot or something.
Dorms are a good social experience, and being stuck on campus full-time is also good. Dorms are also *incredibly convenient*. Personally, I usually suggest doing a dorm thing for a year and then looking for nearby housing that's much cheaper, if possible, but at least 1 year on campus is great.
I thought the same at first, but upon searching found this: http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/thinkcollege/early/students/edlite-college-costs.html which lists average room and board by state for public and private 4 year universities... from like 2002-2003. And even then, in some states the average room+board was like $7-9000, so add a few years inflation and if he's going to a slightly above average cost place it sounds reasonable (as in makes sense... not as in reasonably priced... gah). The thing I find odd is that room and board is equal to the remaining tuition... which is unusual.
I think it's a good thing to live in the dorms at least for the first year of college, but at that price it really depends on what kind of aid you get. If you get decent scholarships to pay for a lot and don't have to take out huge loans, it would be good, but if you have to take out a large loan every year to pay it may not make sense. Though it also depends on what you plan on doing when you graduate. Obviously things might change, but right now if you're planning in going into a well-paying career, then the loans might not matter as much. If you're going to be an English or Philosophy major (or something else with low salary return) the loans are going to kick your ass when you graduate -- trust me...
Dorm life has its ups and downs. I lived there for 2 years (late 2005-early 2007) but now I'm out in junior year. I met a few people that are really cool and I still chill with sometimes. There are also people who will annoy you on a daily basis. The rooms are teeny tiny and people blast music or tv until 3-4am and even if its down the hall you will still hear it. Your bed will probably suck and you won't be able to get a new one. I was stuck with an uncomfortable twin bed that was lofted very close to the ceiling with the desk underneath. Having sex up there was a problem. There wasn't any air conditioning for spring quarter and things got HOT. The internet is pretty slow...we were limited to around ~100 kb/sec. They also made you get a mealplan which was really expensive and the food wasn't very good.
Now I'm out of the dorms and live in an apartment just outside of the campus. It takes 5 minutes to bike from my front door to class. I pay way less rent, only pay $10/month for high speed DSL, buy my own food which is much cheaper and tastier than whats on the mealplan, have AC, dont have bass thumping in my ear at all hours, dont have to pay to do laundry, sleep in a great queen bed, and don't have to worry about theft (laptops get stolen in the dorms all the time).
Maybe its just my school that has shitty dorms but if I were you I'd only live there for 1 year at most and then get an apartment nearby.
Anyways, living in a dorm is the best experience I've ever had. I wouldn't trade the times that I had and the friends that I made there for the WORLD. Seriously. Try everything you can to have that experience.
Basically, if you want the "college experience" of making new friends, staying up all night discussing books, partying, bonding with people over late night finals stress, etc., live in a dorm. If you just want the classes and a piece of paper afterwards and don't care about the social aspects, commuting works okay.
OK, so you live in a cheap area. But schools in bigger states with bigger budget crunches are seeing their tuitions increase as education funding runs dry. It's still really subsidized - any decent private school is going to be about $35,000 in tuition and 10 or 11k in room & board.
In regards to the OP, the cost of education relative to your lifetime earnings benefits is huge. The extra $10k doesn't change this calculation much. You're better off going to a dorm for a year or two, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that won't break the bank. You also drastically reduce the odds that you will be spending the next 4-6 years living with your parents if you can make friends and find someone to live off-campus with after freshman or sophomore year.
Just get yourself a sweet on campus job, that way you always have a little scratch laying around.
However, an 1.25 hour commute will be hell on your social life. For the price of your dorm, can't you find an apartment nearby?
I actually worked at work on Saturday. Also I went out on a date with a real life girl.
Can you like, permanently break the forums?
I'm quoting you twice in one day.
I agree. Dorms CAN be the best experience in college, but it depends on where you're at. My first year, I roomed with someone completely opposite, and ended up loving it. Made tons of new friends, was pretty active, etc. However, he was always inviting friends over to watch our free cable, the Freshman are always drunk on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights, and want everyone to know. I went with a single room on the same floor and had a much better time.
Then, after that, I went to the most "exclusive" of our dorms, had a single room and my own bathroom. But still got all of the advantages of living in a dorm. The best part is the atmosphere. Always lots of cool people around, lots of stuff to do, and just a fun place to be. It's perfectly normal to outgrow it. Even now, after being out of school for a few years and living around "grown ups" I still envy people in the dorms as it's just very exciting.
I would recommend trying it for at least a year. You don't necessarily have to do it as a freshman. I transferred as a Sophomore and lived in the dorms my first year. You won't really lose out if you wait a year and commute.
As for renting an apartment room, that's probably not going to happen. The college is FIT, which is located in Manhattan. I'm fairly sure the rent there is incredibly high.
And it's an hour and 15 going one way. So, about 2 - 3 hours commute every day.
I actually worked at work on Saturday. Also I went out on a date with a real life girl.
Can you like, permanently break the forums?
Also, I was doing the math in my head, and I was thinking, pshaw, living in an apartment is way cheaper! But if you're going to be in the city? Doubtful. I imagine the gas prices would start to stack up, plus the headache of driving. Hell, my freshman year I was still living at home, and the 20-25 minute commute was enough of a hassle for me!
Do it! And trade lives with me plz, I was looking into FIT when I was in high school but those plans fell through
Holy crap!
I'm going to FIT, too!
At least, I'm about 90% sure I am.
I'm from NC, though...I kinda have to live in dorms...
Im in a dorm right now and it is fucking awesome, you meet so many people and im pretty sure i would have no social life if i didnt dorm it.
Also a 75 min commute is not worth it.
I know the 1-1.25 hours of driving I do for school right now annoys me enough as it is, 2.5 hours a day would be a huge chunk of time.
I'm living in the dorm and have had an awesome time by comparison.
You'll also want to find an easy, cheap, can't-be-removed-easily way of marking everything expensive (video games, laptops, desktops, TVs, etc.) so that you can tell the cops what to look for if you get robbed. A picture file kept off-campus (think safe with the folks at home) of everything you brought to the dorm is also a good idea (a written file of serial numbers for game consoles is also a good idea, that's what the cops use to check for stolen stuff).
Finally, make friends with the guy sleeping on the bunk above/below you, unless you really can't stand them. For a few months, as you learn your way around campus, you'll be spending a lot of time together.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
I live in a suite style residence. Every student has their own seperate bedroom - mine's about 15'x20', by a rough estimate. I never feel cramped. My bed is super comfortable with my own linens and a mattress pad, and I wake up to a view of the sun coming up over the forest behind our building.
I live in a suite with 3 other people, 2 of which I'm really close friends with. We share a common seating area, with a TV and video games and stuff that we've collected together, a full kitchen minus an oven, and plenty of storage space for anything we have with us.
My floor has 40 people on it, all of whom are generally pretty cool. I'm living with 4 other floormates next year, and can easily see us staying together for the rest of University in whatever house we end up buying.
It's a pretty quiet dorm, I can get to sleep whenever I need to. We still do cool stuff though, we recently snuck a hot tub into one of our rooms and had that set up for about a week.
The food in my residence is fantastic, and cheap. I eat on about 4 dollars a meal, and can often get steak or stir fry or pasta or something equally delicious.
That's my experience though, and that's the reason why I love my school.
Do it.
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A lot of people, but not all, do this because they are secretly afraid of being in new surroundings and tend to shut themselves off from the rest of the floor/hall/wing. Most of the guys that did this in my Freshman dorm transferred and moved home after first semester.
All everyone here is thinking when it comes housing lottery time is square footage. You're lucky when you get a single above 120sf. And my double right now is 227 sf. I guess that's how life is when you live in Manhattan though...
But yeah, dorm life is the best
So many friends... all the time... it's perfect
Also, financial aid will definitely cover dorms (or any living expenses), as long as you can get enough of it. The question will probably come down to if you get enough loans and/or scholarships and/or grants to cover the full cost of tuition and the dorms... but if you can't get all of it in scholarships and grants, you can definitely get the rest in the form of student loans.