This depends on the kid and the school. I hated dorms and living on campus so much. DH went to a school where it was never required and he never did. For our oldest, he’s only looking at schools where it’s not required to live in campus because he thinks he will hate the dorms. That’s quite limiting and hard. He’s not considering schools where on campus is required for a certain number of years.

Anonymous wrote:Depends upon the particular school. If I recall correctly, recently U Michigan could not even house all freshmen.

To me, this is unacceptable and would be an eliminator, no matter how good the school.

I am encouraging my HS senior to look at schools that will guarantee a minimum of 2 years of housing.

Unfortunately, almost all large state schools will now only guarantee one year. And here's the real problem with that - you have to start looking for off campus housing for your sophomore year in October/ November of your FRESHMAN year. What first year student needs that kind of added pressure?

It's one thing if you've come from a large public high school that sent 100+ kids to the state school, thus you probably already know people that you can share an apartment with. But if you're an OOS student at a school like Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia - what if you haven't really found your people a couple of months into your first year of college? This is quite common.

My kid wanted 4 years of campus housing.

Another factor is when off campus leases are signed. My kid rejected schools where she would need to know who she wanted to live with by October of freshman year.

It depends what off campus housing looks like. Do students live in apartments with other students at the edge of campus? That might as well be dorm life but with a private landlord. Do students live scattered throughout the city and drive/bus long distances to get to class? That would disqualify a school for my child.

I think it is going to depend on the cost and proximity of off campus housing. I would say it can definitely be a factor when choosing a school.

It's a great way to ease into real life.

Most kids are sharing space for the first time in a dorm. Then they are managing the logistics of a home in their first apartment.

Unless you're the kind of parent that micromanages and does this all for them.

And just saying, that when I was in college, we were itching to get out of the university-owned buildings because of all the rules and regs.

Depends on the student the family - also on the school. Some schools have serious housing issues, IMO - Berkeley for example, or UMich. When we toured Mich, the tour guide really underplayed the housing issue (I think they only guarantee freshman year), but everyone I know who has gone there complains about it. At other schools, the option of off campus is often more attractive and cheaper. For my dd, she was attracted to SLACs for many reasons, but the fact that 99% of the student body at her school lives on campus was very appealing to her. It centers the community and social life, which she loves. I know other kids who want to live in an apartment, leave campus often, and would hate to be in a dorm all four years.

Depends upon the particular school. If I recall correctly, recently U Michigan could not even house all freshmen.

My oldest went to a school with 4 years of housing, then my youngest chose one where housing is more limited. She ended up in an apartment her second year. I would have preferred on campus housing but it was not going to happen. She loves it, so it seems to be fine. Having to cook is a hassle (and I suspect she does not eat well) but the school cafeteria food is awful so I suspect she also would not eat well on campus. I would not base a decision on it. I suppose an exception might be Santa Cruz or Miami, which are both notorious for a lack of housing and very expensive off campus rates.

I have to think that varies from school to school. My experience is old, but in my college years off-campus housing was readily available and most upper-classmen used it. Few people lived on-campus junior or senior years. I would consider general ease of housing to be a factor, whether that is on campus or off campus.

Anonymous wrote:I know a few older kids (tufts, northeastern, umass, UVM) who found the process of finding an off-campus apt for upper class years very stressful and living off campus not ideal, harder on social life, etc. DC leaning toward only looking at schools that offer 4 years of campus housing, but that is very limiting— mostly LACs. Wondering if the kids we know are outliers or not, how much to weigh the availability of on campus housing in school search. Kid is not interested in Greek or club sports, so worried it will be harder to find their people/ socialize if off campus after first year.

Are you asking if 4 years of housing was a factor in our college search? No.

I’d think the availability of off-campus housing varies depending on location and maybe growth of the school/ how well they’ve managed enrollment of late. DD is attending an urban school and I’m happy that they provide housing all four years. I wouldn’t necessarily limit the choice of school solely on that variable, but it’d definitely be a factor.

I’m a big fan on on-campus housing all 4 years. (I attended a small LAC). It really does a lot to create a sense of community and makes it easier for students to stay involved in campus life. But that’s just my experience. I’m trying to encourage my kid (at mid-sized urban private) to stay in on-campus housing for that reason.

I know a few older kids (tufts, northeastern, umass, UVM) who found the process of finding an off-campus apt for upper class years very stressful and living off campus not ideal, harder on social life, etc. DC leaning toward only looking at schools that offer 4 years of campus housing, but that is very limiting— mostly LACs. Wondering if the kids we know are outliers or not, how much to weigh the availability of on campus housing in school search. Kid is not interested in Greek or club sports, so worried it will be harder to find their people/ socialize if off campus after first year.