Dealbreaker: students required to live on campus for 3 or even 4 years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get some of these comments, I went to a large state school where most people moved off campus sophomore year. Some stayed in dorms as sophs but definitely by junior year everyone had a house or apartment. "Off campus" doesn't mean moving thirty miles away, it just meant we were paying rent to a landlord instead of to the school. We were still physically right in the mix. In fact the places I lived were all closer to most of the academic buildings than my freshman year dorms.

+1. My college only required Freshman year on campus. I'm surprised no one mentioned cost! It's much more expensive to live on campus! We had to buy the meal plan, which you had to be a linebacker to be able to eat all the prepaid food.

Living off campus was a good "in between" stage between living hotel-like on campus without privacy and living on your own.

omg, the cost! My daughter is at a school that requires on campus all four years. We are paying $7200 for her to live in a 3 bedroom, on campus "townhouse" with 5 other girls (3 bedrooms, two per room). Two bathrooms. So about 800/month in rent for the 9 month school year. I know this doesn't seem like that much if you live in a high COL area, but this is a smallish city in the midwest. I looked up off campus rental options, and you could get a 3 bedroom duplex or apartment half a mile from campus for $1500. If that was split between six people, it'd be $250 a month! Less than a third of what we are paying now! Even if it were 3 people and everyone got their own bedroom, it'd still be almost half of what we are paying.

On the other hand, my kid's school doesn't guarantee on-campus housing for students and he's paying $950 a month for an off-campus apartment he shares with 3 other people (each their own room)--and that's considered a good deal for the area. It's about 1.5k more than housing. And he has to pay for the full year or find a sub-letter so even more. It really depends by situation.

It's a money maker for the school, plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's weird that it's a requirement. I couldn't imagine living on campus my senior year of college. I agree it's a red flag. You aren't signing up for boarding school. This is college.

As PP said it is a requirement often to maintain peace with local community. Same at my undergrad.

I view it as a plus. If you don't, don't go.

I lived off campus three years. That was a mistake. I wish I had done more on campus. I think I missed something.

That's fine. But living off campus, I finally got to have my own room (in a large shared house with other students) and some privacy. I paid my own rent which was half the cost of the dorms (no small thing as a student on financial aid with very little parental help). Not sure what the policies are at these schools, but they usually require students to have roommates. I was giddy having a room to myself, a real kitchen to cook in, and space to have guests. And save thousands of dollars. Plus we had the best parties -- not possible to do this on campus where I went to school.

The bold is inaccurate. Plenty of single rooms in dorms or single bedrooms in shared suites on many campuses. Yes, some campuses are horribly overcrowded and cramming three students into what was a double room etc., as other threads have noted. But it's not correct to use huge generalizations like "they" usually require...anything.

As far as saving money, as another PP noted, most landlords want at least 12 months of commitment. So you lose money if you only want nine months of renting, or you have to find someone to sublet (if that's even allowed). And some landlords near colleges truly do gouge, knowing students can be desperate for housing at some schools. How long ago were you in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school is taking responsibility for Student Life, an aspect of college for which that many universities feel no responsibility. It's education the whole student, not just academics. The school probably has a much richer Student Life/Activities focus than other colleges. And much richer financial resources.

This is a very American point of view. Which makes sense! Because this is a US-based message board. But in many (most?) places in the world, this is not how college is. At all. When I moved here, it definitely took some getting used to and felt a lot like prolonged adolescence. Where I'm from (Germany), you mostly just go to school for classes like people go to their job in real life. Very few students live on campus, they live in the city in their own rented apartments (or some with family). "Student life" does not really exist- for personal life, we do things in the city rather than the structured events that are organized and ran by the college. You are expected to learn and live independently and the university is not going to organize a social life for you. In fact, many of your friends might not even go to your university. As a result of all this, you don't have the rigid separation between the university students and the greater community like you do in a lot of places in the US. Students just integrate into the city and are treated more like "regular residents. I personally think this is a good thing; others (see: many comments on this thread) prefer a more insulated experience, more like a boarding school, and that's fine. Different strokes.

[Anonymous]

It was a factor when I chose my large state university. I never lived in campus. Houses were very cheap (under 100k) and a lot of parents bought one, had kids live in it for 4 years and sold. I had a dog and my car. I didn’t want to live on campus. Dh was the same except he lived so cheaply off campus. He couldn’t afford the dorms. He lived 3-4 to a bedroom in an off campus apartment. It was awful and disgusting but cheap. He still had 80k in student loans. It definitely would have been over 100k if he had to live in the expensive dorms and not like a homeless person

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of your post? If it’s a dealbreaker, he should go elsewhere. Not sure what the question is.

OP here. The purpose is merely to express surprise that this re$idential requirement is as common as it is, even at schools that aren't tiny enrollment rural LACs. I've a

Sometimes on DCUM people create posts that don't ask for advice. What happened to this CA family? $1 million in Brightwood! APS mask policy contradicts CDC. And that's ok.

I think you may be defensive because you have realized how limited your world view was. And that's ok too.

Haha yep. This is the norm at Ivies btw. I went to Harvard. It was a great equalizer actually ( everyone in the dorms and on the meal plan).

You believe living on campus at Harvard was a great "equalizer" for you and your other ivy chums, and you're making fun of the OP for their limited world view? SMH.

Yes, because rich and poor students lived in the same places. Often with each other. They ate the same food. It equalized living arrangements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of your post? If it’s a dealbreaker, he should go elsewhere. Not sure what the question is.

OP here. The purpose is merely to express surprise that this re$idential requirement is as common as it is, even at schools that aren't tiny enrollment rural LACs. I've a

Sometimes on DCUM people create posts that don't ask for advice. What happened to this CA family? $1 million in Brightwood! APS mask policy contradicts CDC. And that's ok.

I think you may be defensive because you have realized how limited your world view was. And that's ok too.

Actually, I would say the opposite. When it comes to university study, things like living on campus all four years, life revolving around campus stuff, "student life" etc. are all VERY VERY American things. It is very uncommon in the rest of the world. If the OP's experience is with universities in other countries, it is not at all surprising that she would be surprised by residential requirements. If you are surprised that OP is surprised (whew!) by residential requirements, I would say it is you who has a limited worldview. And that's ok too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's weird that it's a requirement. I couldn't imagine living on campus my senior year of college. I agree it's a red flag. You aren't signing up for boarding school. This is college.

As PP said it is a requirement often to maintain peace with local community. Same at my undergrad.

I view it as a plus. If you don't, don't go.

I lived off campus three years. That was a mistake. I wish I had done more on campus. I think I missed something.

That's fine. But living off campus, I finally got to have my own room (in a large shared house with other students) and some privacy. I paid my own rent which was half the cost of the dorms (no small thing as a student on financial aid with very little parental help). Not sure what the policies are at these schools, but they usually require students to have roommates. I was giddy having a room to myself, a real kitchen to cook in, and space to have guests. And save thousands of dollars. Plus we had the best parties -- not possible to do this on campus where I went to school.

The bold is inaccurate. Plenty of single rooms in dorms or single bedrooms in shared suites on many campuses. Yes, some campuses are horribly overcrowded and cramming three students into what was a double room etc., as other threads have noted. But it's not correct to use huge generalizations like "they" usually require...anything.

As far as saving money, as another PP noted, most landlords want at least 12 months of commitment. So you lose money if you only want nine months of renting, or you have to find someone to sublet (if that's even allowed). And some landlords near colleges truly do gouge, knowing students can be desperate for housing at some schools. How long ago were you in college?

OMG you are insufferable. Most the previous posters have stated their kids on campus are sharing rooms. When I was in college, there were no singles allowed on campus unless you had a medical issue.

Yes, renting is usually 12 months. Not a problem. I didn't go home for summer because I was an adult. So continued to rent. Some of my roommates sublet for the summer (because we were allowed to per the lease which we read in advance and made sure was an option -- because, again, adults!). No one lost any money. Not gouged either, as it was twice as expensive to live on campus (in a major urban area). It was fine. Because, at that age, we were all adults. Young ones, but still adults. And it wasn't that long ago. The house we rented is still a college rental at present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school is taking responsibility for Student Life, an aspect of college for which that many universities feel no responsibility. It's education the whole student, not just academics. The school probably has a much richer Student Life/Activities focus than other colleges. And much richer financial resources.

This is a very American point of view. Which makes sense! Because this is a US-based message board. But in many (most?) places in the world, this is not how college is. At all. When I moved here, it definitely took some getting used to and felt a lot like prolonged adolescence. Where I'm from (Germany), you mostly just go to school for classes like people go to their job in real life. Very few students live on campus, they live in the city in their own rented apartments (or some with family). "Student life" does not really exist- for personal life, we do things in the city rather than the structured events that are organized and ran by the college. You are expected to learn and live independently and the university is not going to organize a social life for you. In fact, many of your friends might not even go to your university. As a result of all this, you don't have the rigid separation between the university students and the greater community like you do in a lot of places in the US. Students just integrate into the city and are treated more like "regular residents. I personally think this is a good thing; others (see: many comments on this thread) prefer a more insulated experience, more like a boarding school, and that's fine. Different strokes.

It is sort of a luxurious limbo, where kids are not living with their parents anymore...but have freedom in an easier environment than the real world.

If you had that period of your life, you likely want it for your kid.You remember it fondly, and realize that the stuff that comes afterwards lasts a long time (i.e., rent, taxes, bills, cooking, landlords, car expenses, etc).

EU and US kids get to the same place, just by different routes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of your post? If it’s a dealbreaker, he should go elsewhere. Not sure what the question is.

OP here. The purpose is merely to express surprise that this re$idential requirement is as common as it is, even at schools that aren't tiny enrollment rural LACs. I've a

Sometimes on DCUM people create posts that don't ask for advice. What happened to this CA family? $1 million in Brightwood! APS mask policy contradicts CDC. And that's ok.

I think you may be defensive because you have realized how limited your world view was. And that's ok too.

Haha yep. This is the norm at Ivies btw. I went to Harvard. It was a great equalizer actually ( everyone in the dorms and on the meal plan).

You believe living on campus at Harvard was a great "equalizer" for you and your other ivy chums, and you're making fun of the OP for their limited world view? SMH.

Yes, because rich and poor students lived in the same places. Often with each other. They ate the same food. It equalized living arrangements.

This wasn't my experience at an Ivy at all. The rich students ate out a LOT. I came from a more middle income background and just couldn't keep up. Not equal at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of your post? If it’s a dealbreaker, he should go elsewhere. Not sure what the question is.

OP here. The purpose is merely to express surprise that this re$idential requirement is as common as it is, even at schools that aren't tiny enrollment rural LACs. I've a

Sometimes on DCUM people create posts that don't ask for advice. What happened to this CA family? $1 million in Brightwood! APS mask policy contradicts CDC. And that's ok.

I think you may be defensive because you have realized how limited your world view was. And that's ok too.

Actually, I would say the opposite. When it comes to university study, things like living on campus all four years, life revolving around campus stuff, "student life" etc. are all VERY VERY American things. It is very uncommon in the rest of the world. If the OP's experience is with universities in other countries, it is not at all surprising that she would be surprised by residential requirements. If you are surprised that OP is surprised (whew!) by residential requirements, I would say it is you who has a limited worldview. And that's ok too.

Perhaps English is not your first language? You don't seem to know grasp what "world view" means, as it was used in the PP's posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school is taking responsibility for Student Life, an aspect of college for which that many universities feel no responsibility. It's education the whole student, not just academics. The school probably has a much richer Student Life/Activities focus than other colleges. And much richer financial resources.

This is a very American point of view. Which makes sense! Because this is a US-based message board. But in many (most?) places in the world, this is not how college is. At all. When I moved here, it definitely took some getting used to and felt a lot like prolonged adolescence. Where I'm from (Germany), you mostly just go to school for classes like people go to their job in real life. Very few students live on campus, they live in the city in their own rented apartments (or some with family). "Student life" does not really exist- for personal life, we do things in the city rather than the structured events that are organized and ran by the college. You are expected to learn and live independently and the university is not going to organize a social life for you. In fact, many of your friends might not even go to your university. As a result of all this, you don't have the rigid separation between the university students and the greater community like you do in a lot of places in the US. Students just integrate into the city and are treated more like "regular residents. I personally think this is a good thing; others (see: many comments on this thread) prefer a more insulated experience, more like a boarding school, and that's fine. Different strokes.

Not just American though--I went to school in Latin America for a year and it was residential. My kid did a program at St. Andrews in Scotland and all the kids (not just international students) lived in dorms too. Also, what you describe about Germany is fairly typical of what city schools are like in the US. So I think there's a fairly wide range throughout the world--thankfully for all the different preferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of your post? If it’s a dealbreaker, he should go elsewhere. Not sure what the question is.

OP here. The purpose is merely to express surprise that this re$idential requirement is as common as it is, even at schools that aren't tiny enrollment rural LACs. I've a

Sometimes on DCUM people create posts that don't ask for advice. What happened to this CA family? $1 million in Brightwood! APS mask policy contradicts CDC. And that's ok.

I think you may be defensive because you have realized how limited your world view was. And that's ok too.

Actually, I would say the opposite. When it comes to university study, things like living on campus all four years, life revolving around campus stuff, "student life" etc. are all VERY VERY American things. It is very uncommon in the rest of the world. If the OP's experience is with universities in other countries, it is not at all surprising that she would be surprised by residential requirements. If you are surprised that OP is surprised (whew!) by residential requirements, I would say it is you who has a limited worldview. And that's ok too.

Perhaps English is not your first language? You don't seem to know grasp what "world view" means, as it was used in the PP's posting.

NP -- that is just rude. You should ashamed of yourself.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, these kinds of rules at colleges are usually made to appease townies that don't like outsiders living near them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the purpose of your post? If it’s a dealbreaker, he should go elsewhere. Not sure what the question is.

OP here. The purpose is merely to express surprise that this re$idential requirement is as common as it is, even at schools that aren't tiny enrollment rural LACs. I've a

Sometimes on DCUM people create posts that don't ask for advice. What happened to this CA family? $1 million in Brightwood! APS mask policy contradicts CDC. And that's ok.

I think you may be defensive because you have realized how limited your world view was. And that's ok too.

Actually, I would say the opposite. When it comes to university study, things like living on campus all four years, life revolving around campus stuff, "student life" etc. are all VERY VERY American things. It is very uncommon in the rest of the world. If the OP's experience is with universities in other countries, it is not at all surprising that she would be surprised by residential requirements. If you are surprised that OP is surprised (whew!) by residential requirements, I would say it is you who has a limited worldview. And that's ok too.

Perhaps English is not your first language? You don't seem to know grasp what "world view" means, as it was used in the PP's posting.

No, it's not. And there is nothing wrong with that. So enlighten me what PP meant.

[Anonymous]

It means, "a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world"

So, "world"in this context is not about traveling. It is not literal.