Guaranteed housing all 4 years

[Anonymous]

I know this question is tangential, but how does the off-campus rental situation compare for VT, JMU, VCU, and Mary Washington? And insight? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a word for college kids who must have four years of housing: nerds.

or Special Needs or Disabled. be kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every Slac we visited had guaranteed and often required on campus housing for all four years. The larger schools did not - BC, Tufts, Northeastern.

From WashU website dated last year:
“Washington University guarantees housing for all undergraduates. All 1,800 members of the Class of 2026 will live on the South 40. And some 3,030 returning students have chosen to live in university housing. WashU also has expanded housing options for graduate students.”

But I would call and verify if it’s important to you. Things change. Websites don’t always get updated in all places.

My SLAC has 3 years required but the board's decision to go that way had nothing to do with offering benefits to students. The SLAC discovered it was losing too much to off-campus housing and food services. So it switched to 3 years required, some in triples! But this is "sold" to the students during the tour as being a benefit. lol

[Anonymous]

I can see why some parents would want the ease and certainty of guaranteed housing. But for those kids who are jetting off to colleges that are IN metropolitan cities like Nashville, Houston, NYC, LA - there is nothing more freeing than living independently outside of the constraints and rules of the school. Kids who live off campus actually have to be an adult in the city. Landlords, utilities, maintenance, package deliveries, sublets, parking - they need to handle all this. And, at least to my kid and their friends, there's thankfully no more required meal plan. They figure out the local grocery stores and make runs to trader joe's for the week's provisions, split the costs, and figure out who is cooking meals. My kid was actually bummed they Had to stay on campus Sophomore year. But, it's likely equally a factor of the type of kids who choose these kinds of universities over a small suburban or rural campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can see why some parents would want the ease and certainty of guaranteed housing. But for those kids who are jetting off to colleges that are IN metropolitan cities like Nashville, Houston, NYC, LA - there is nothing more freeing than living independently outside of the constraints and rules of the school. Kids who live off campus actually have to be an adult in the city. Landlords, utilities, maintenance, package deliveries, sublets, parking - they need to handle all this. And, at least to my kid and their friends, there's thankfully no more required meal plan. They figure out the local grocery stores and make runs to trader joe's for the week's provisions, split the costs, and figure out who is cooking meals. My kid was actually bummed they Had to stay on campus Sophomore year. But, it's likely equally a factor of the type of kids who choose these kinds of universities over a small suburban or rural campus.

Seems like NYC and LA would be very expensive to live off campus? Not sure about the two red state cities.

[Anonymous]

Can you imagine being a 21 or 22 year old senior, still living in a dorm with an RA and visitation hours, showering in a hall bathroom while that weird guy from down the hall is taking a dump and farting, and being pestered to attend dorm activities in the common room with stale pizza and bad movies? No thanks. Live on campus long enough to meet people and then grow up and get an apartment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived off-campus except for sophomore year. Let the kid grow up. Teach them how to sign a lease.

Despite four years of campus housing (and four years of cafeteria dining!), I managed to grow up, signing leases in my 20s and learning to cook for myself. There's no prize for moving into a crappy apartment at age 19.

Agreed! And less isolation sometimes.
Signed, As one who did move into an apartment at 19

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine being a 21 or 22 year old senior, still living in a dorm with an RA and visitation hours, showering in a hall bathroom while that weird guy from down the hall is taking a dump and farting, and being pestered to attend dorm activities in the common room with stale pizza and bad movies? No thanks. Live on campus long enough to meet people and then grow up and get an apartment.

I loved my dorm years. If also forced me to hang out with people that maybe I didn’t realize I had anything in common with. My apartment year was fine but had my whole life to live in an apartment. Wish I had more time in a dorm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine being a 21 or 22 year old senior, still living in a dorm with an RA and visitation hours, showering in a hall bathroom while that weird guy from down the hall is taking a dump and farting, and being pestered to attend dorm activities in the common room with stale pizza and bad movies? No thanks. Live on campus long enough to meet people and then grow up and get an apartment.

My 21 yr old lives in an on-campus apartment. He has 3 other roommates who all have their own rooms. It's a nice set-up. I guess there are RAs in the building but his roommates are his friends he chose to room with. No hallway bathrooms (he never had them even as a freshman).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine being a 21 or 22 year old senior, still living in a dorm with an RA and visitation hours, showering in a hall bathroom while that weird guy from down the hall is taking a dump and farting, and being pestered to attend dorm activities in the common room with stale pizza and bad movies? No thanks. Live on campus long enough to meet people and then grow up and get an apartment.

Seriously? Were you in college in 1962?
I went to a school where everyone lived on campus. In the 90s. We had no such rules. In fact, all dorms were co-ed by room (every other room going down the hall was alternating male/female) And lots of schools where kids live on campus have all kinds of housing situations including apartments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something to keep in mind is whatever the housing was like for US as adults, back when we attended college, what our kids are facing is almost guaranteed to be different. Many of these schools are situated in cities with an affordable housing crises, which in turn means saying ‘Just let your snowflake sign a lease off campus so they can grow up’ is easier said than done. I’m glad you are looking ahead to see if your chosen school guarantees housing. Because although your child might want to move off campus at some point, and you might want that for them, the reality is they might not have a choice because even the residents of those cities can’t afford the rental market. And these crazy unaffordable schools should be chosen by you based on what they can offer for all 4 years, not just that first year. Good luck!

100% this. I also recommend following potential schools IG to get a glimpse of the housing and comments. For example, U of Montana looks like a low stress, affordable option. Then you read about the housing and parking shortage in the comments, look at rentals online in the area and suddenly it is much more expensive. Not even locals can afford it any longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can see why some parents would want the ease and certainty of guaranteed housing. But for those kids who are jetting off to colleges that are IN metropolitan cities like Nashville, Houston, NYC, LA - there is nothing more freeing than living independently outside of the constraints and rules of the school. Kids who live off campus actually have to be an adult in the city. Landlords, utilities, maintenance, package deliveries, sublets, parking - they need to handle all this. And, at least to my kid and their friends, there's thankfully no more required meal plan. They figure out the local grocery stores and make runs to trader joe's for the week's provisions, split the costs, and figure out who is cooking meals. My kid was actually bummed they Had to stay on campus Sophomore year. But, it's likely equally a factor of the type of kids who choose these kinds of universities over a small suburban or rural campus.

This post made me laugh. You seem to think "the type of kids who choose these kinds of universities" are... better? Smarter? There is nothing better or smarter in choosing an urban school as opposed to a suburban or rural campus. Everyone eventually gets their own place and lives independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine being a 21 or 22 year old senior, still living in a dorm with an RA and visitation hours, showering in a hall bathroom while that weird guy from down the hall is taking a dump and farting, and being pestered to attend dorm activities in the common room with stale pizza and bad movies? No thanks. Live on campus long enough to meet people and then grow up and get an apartment.

I lived in the dorm all four years and loved every minute of it. And I wasn't sharing a bathroom with "the weird guy down the hall" - such a bizarre statement. Are you the dope who keeps insisting the only way to grow up is to live off-campus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ND and Rice are 4 years housing guaranteed.

Rice guarantees 3. You might win the lottery for all 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice does not guarantee for 4 years. Maybe 3

In 2022 Rice announced that housing was only guaranteed for first-year students.

But you usually get at least 3.