Living at home while attending nearby college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved living in a dorm but it's about as unlike real life as it gets...

my son and daughter were accepted to Carnegie Mellon U but decided to attend GMU. Instead of paying 70k/year for each, they both stay at home and drive to GMU for a 12k/year for each and each of them get a brand new Lexus IS250 for transportation from Mclean to GMU for four years. After graduation, each will pocket about 150k left over for not attending Carnegie Mellon.

Well done - I think that's an excellent choice. Thank you for posting.

DD went to upstate NY for 1 year. Think cold, 65k+ a year, non English speaking teachers, plus incidental expenses and every visit costing $$$ a few hundred. Now back at home in her own bedroom, loving it, and drives to school everyday. Best part is my bank account is lovvvvvving it!! She's a CE major and it doesn't matter where the unk you get your degree from. She sometimes misses the independence of not being able to have mom and dad checking in on her.

[Anonymous]

I went to commuter college while also working full-time. I moved in with my now-husband at 19 and got married at 20. So no, I didn't have the typical college experience of living in a dorm... I went to my classes and talked to some of my classmates, but my main focus was on work and home.

Now I'm back in school at age 39 (I'll be 40 in a few weeks). It's all online, I own a business, homeschool two teens, have a house and an high-needs dog to take care of, have a big volunteer responsibility, etc. Obviously not the typical college experience now, either. I'm fine with it, though; I've had a pretty interesting first half of my life and I think I've accomplished a good bit regardless of not doing the dorm thing.

[Anonymous]

ideally I would've loved to live at home while attending college. unfortunately where I lived didn't have great colleges. A couple of people I know lived at home in philly (their parents had beautiful townhomes in rittenhouse) and attended penn - they lived on campus freshman year then moved back in with their parents.

My grades would've been a lot better if i lived at home in their situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have done both with our kids. I don't think it made any difference socially or academically. Kids catch up with friends regardless.

Precisely. What is the excuse of kids only study and socialize properly if on campus 24x7? Just excuses for wild behaviours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved living in a dorm but it's about as unlike real life as it gets...

my son and daughter were accepted to Carnegie Mellon U but decided to attend GMU. Instead of paying 70k/year for each, they both stay at home and drive to GMU for a 12k/year for each and each of them get a brand new Lexus IS250 for transportation from Mclean to GMU for four years. After graduation, each will pocket about 150k left over for not attending Carnegie Mellon.

GMU requires all freshman to live on campus Our DD have lived in the dorms all four years = we are about an hour away Definitely a positive, maturing experience

[Anonymous]

I completely understand the cost issue driving kids to stay at home but not living on campus really deprives the child of the full richness of the college experience and to pretend otherwise is delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved living in a dorm but it's about as unlike real life as it gets...

my son and daughter were accepted to Carnegie Mellon U but decided to attend GMU. Instead of paying 70k/year for each, they both stay at home and drive to GMU for a 12k/year for each and each of them get a brand new Lexus IS250 for transportation from Mclean to GMU for four years. After graduation, each will pocket about 150k left over for not attending Carnegie Mellon.

GMU requires all freshman to live on campus Our DD have lived in the dorms all four years = we are about an hour away Definitely a positive, maturing experience

Generally yes, but you can get a waiver due to various health issues. That's what we did.

[Anonymous]

Many of these students will be back here in five years complaining that they have so much debt. They will eventually have to postpone having kids because their debt isn’t paid off.
What a ridiculous American phenomenon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I completely understand the cost issue driving kids to stay at home but not living on campus really deprives the child of the full richness of the college experience and to pretend otherwise is delusional.

I went to Ohio State University between 1990-1994 on a full 4 years academic + room/board + book scholarship. I lived on campus for 4 years and experienced lot of sex, drugs and booze. It almost messed me up. Not everyone was doing it but most.

[Anonymous]

If accommodation is costing around $15,000 per year, then $60,000 is quite a saving. (And don't try to tell me its going to cost that much in gas or bus fares...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I completely understand the cost issue driving kids to stay at home but not living on campus really deprives the child of the full richness of the college experience and to pretend otherwise is delusional.

I was a commuter and I do not feel deprived of anything. I had a good social life and did not rack up $$$ just to live on campus. From what I knew and saw the dorms were full of drugs, alcohol, sex and parties. So I guess I was deprived of that ..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids miss out on so much living at home, but it depends if you value that dorm experience.

I was a commuter student. I had plenty of the dorm experience, because my friends lived in them. I was so happy to not have to sleep in a shared cell!

Some would argue the experience of having a roommate and otherwise managing your life in a dorm (getting up on time, going for meals, dealing with the social stuff and communal living) is every bit as educational, if not more so, than stuff taught in the classrooms.

Yes, but people like op would never understand this.

We have done both - one kid lived on campus and the second commuted from home. Living on campus is convenient but its benefits are exaggerated.

A place on campus to meet random peers, entertain friends, nap and get laid is exaggerated?

Most kids go to college to study. Maybe not you/your kids but most do.

[Anonymous]

This idea that campus dorms are reserved exclusively for sex, drugs and alcohol is bizarre....it makes me wonder what sort of schools you people are referring to or perhaps you're Footloose type fundamentalists. Regardless, the better schools require on-campus housing for a portion or all of the student's tenure.

[Anonymous]

because my kid would never want to share a bedroom

This is odd. Don't enable this. You do your child no favor by sheltering them from others. Learning to live with roommates is important. Most people have several roommates over the course of the college years, some they choose, some they don't. And all are important. I would almost say essential. The person gains a perspective on manners and common courtesy and what it takes to live with others - - those who don't love them and excuse behavior because they're family. The person will be a better spouse, probably pick a better spouse, be a better in-law, and houseguest. The mistakes of others, they witness in the dorm are as much a learning experience as their own flaws that are pointed-out by others. Don't short-change your kid by the spoiling of not sharing a room.

[Anonymous]

I would gladly pay 150K for my kid to go to Carnegie Mellon over GMU. Completely worth it if I/student is not going into debt. I would gladly pay. Not everyone goes into debt.