+1 that's what I'm saying. Is that what $80k/year buys you? And rich people think that's fine, and it's "character building"? ok, whatever excuse you want to use to say, "my kid goes to an expensive college". |
The old "misery loves company" justification. Super lame and one I will not be passing on to my kid. It's one thing to live modestly in a small dorm room with a bed/desk/closet. It's quite another -when I'm paying college tuition at high costs- to have them live in a "crappy" living condition. Not only am I not ok with what my money is purchasing, that sort of situation is not conducive to learning/studying. |
| Maybe we need to define crappy. |
I shared a bedroom with my sister between the ages of 5 and 10. I have shared a bedroom with my husband since I was in my late 20’s. It really isn’t the end of the world. |
One of them is your blood relative, the other is someone you chose to be married to. If you can't seem the difference between those two and a stranger who you are neither related to nor have you chosen, I can't really help you. |
I also (like many) shared a dorm room some 3 decades ago. That was an important and good experience for me. I am not sure why sharing a room with a stranger is such a line in the sand for you. Now dirty, moldy etc, I agree is a huge problem. |
Lots of us are fine with having our kids sharing bedrooms with "strangers" AND paying $80k because we did the same thing. My "stranger" roommates have become lifelong friends and we have shown up for each other for 30 years through thick and thin. My question is, why do have so little faith in your kid that they will not be able to navigate this moderate interpersonal challenge? Don't you have any confidence in your kids? |
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The 80k includes tuition, room and board and all of the college facilities available to your student - gyms, libraries, theaters, social activities etc..
Having a roommate teaches you to deal with others and work things out. Unless the conditions are unsanitary or unsafe, dorm life on a hall builds community among the first years and is probably much more valuable than being closed off in a cushy suite. I didn't like my roommates and had to actually move out after 1st semester into a different triple with a space open but still felt like i learned something from the experience |
so you object to something that has been part of the college experience basically forever? did your kids never share a room with siblings? |
college kids also share bedrooms in groups houses … I had a fun time crashing one summer in a bedroom my sister shared with a (hetero, platonic) guy in an ancient housing coop. amazingly we all lived and (whisper) had a lot of fun! |
old, worn down, musty, moldy, broken furniture, cracked walls Who on earth would pay $80k for their kid to live in such a room? IMO, small rooms is a given for most dorms. As long as it's clean and well kept, I have no problem with it. But, some of the stories I've heard... ew... especially the bathrooms. |
OP, this sounds like your issue might be about something else entirely. |
Well, the less competitive schools usually have gorgeous dorms OP, and generous money packages - so have at it! |
| I highly suspect those who claim it is fine to pay $80K a year for an over-crowed dorm room with no AC are school administrators. |
Possibly..my sister worked in Manhattan out of school ...3 people in a 1 BR apt. 2 shared the BR and 1 had space behind a screen in the LR. |