Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion college plan

hmmm, I can see the aspect of convenience in this for many kids But I was thinking more about living off campus but very close to campus, pretty much within walking distance when possible so you get the benefits of both worlds.

But our boys, especially the older one, campus cafeteria will most likely be off limits due to his food allergies. Unless he'd want to snack on lettuce like a rabbit in which case there's still a chance of cross contamination! At least in our kids case the food allergy issue is another big reason why off campus housing would make more sense. My university also had off campus adult student housing ... small studios and apartments that were very affordable but were for more mature or married students. But you still had some of the on-campus fun atmosphere there too.

Also ..."why would I want to live off campus ...?" ... well, because we are NOT going to pay the extra $5000 a year per kid that it would cost us for you to live on campus

I think this depends on the personality of the student & the way the dorm is run. My daughter likes being in a dorm setting, but then she choose the all girls "quiet" hall this year. Having been on quite a few college tours in the past few years. Many schools are mostly building "suite" style dorms when they build new dorms rather than traditional style hall dorm. These work better for many students but are sometimes only offered returning students.

Many schools require most freshman to live on campus. And it can be a lot easier to make friends & get involved in campus activities when this is the case. I think there are a variety of reasons many students have trouble going away to college. And why a dorm situation may be a problem for some, I'm not sure many students are ready to take on paying rent, utilities, buying & cooking all their own food.

Plus Depending on the locations of the school dorms can be cheaper than living off campus. The cost of living on campus includes all utilities, usually cable & internet. Where my daughter goes to school this would be the case, particularly as she only needs housing for 9 months. And if you put 6 young adults in a tiny 3 bedroom apartment to cut costs, there can be even less space & privacy than in the dorm.

Why do you think it's cheaper to live OFF campus? Where my daughter goes to school apartments ARE VERY EXPENSIVE, plus she only lives there 9 months of the year so we would have to play 3 months she doesn't use. In addition they are utilities & internet to pay. This is even if you put the 2 students per room in an apartment.

But who knows, maybe by the time my kids are college age, they'll be able to take all the classes they want at home on the computer (our whole family prefers computerized learning), be done in 2 years because they won't be limited by the time constraints of the traditional college calendar and things will look very different than they do now!

Because we were looking at smaller town colleges where renting small units comes cheaper than on campus housing, especially when we would most likely have two boys in college at the same time. Plus, assuming they'd have a job while at school, I would think they'd stay there 12 months and not just 9 months if they want to still have their jobs when they come back, not to mention if they are taking summer classes, summer housing on campus is usually more expensive (or was when I was in college).
But as I mention before, in our case there's a big issue with food (and other allergies) so living off campus would also be more practical and safer.
Plus, depending on the location, we might consider purchasing a small property and instead of renting we'd be paying mortgage and keep the property as a rental once we wouldn't need it for our kids anymore. Wouldn't be the first parents doing it this way. At least we would see our money going towards something we would still benefit from.

I don't know how complex/fatal his allergies are but many school cafeteria's are VERY aware of different allergy/diet requirements. Not all school cafeteria's are created equal, some do this better than others. Your son probably would be best preparing his own food, but some dorms provide special kitchens for these highly allergic kids. I wouldn't just discount school cafeterias by how they were in the past.

But as to your comment that it would save to put both boys together in apartment. You are right it might, but that depends on a lot of things aligning such as both boys wanting to attend the same university & apartment. As most students who live in apartments share anyway, I'm not sure how much it would really save.

You did say your boys are 3 & 5 right??? And you are looking at possible colleges for them now? How do you know a "smaller town college" will be right for them? They might not both get in to the same location. They might not want the same things. My son is a H.S. freshman, 14 almost 15 and he has NO idea what he wants to do or where he wants to go to school yet. And despite being gifted, isn't getting the best grades at the minute so who knows where he will get in. My older DD19 is at a small liberal arts school in a large city across the country. (I just sent her back yesterday) All I do know is my son won't end up where his sister is because it wouldn't fit his needs.

Slow down, while trying to plan for the cost of college is a great idea. I wouldn't hurry to decide that both kids will go to the same small college. Plus colleges may change drastically in the next 12 years. What is best for either child may be totally different from each other. One might need to go to college early, the other need a gap year or two. At 18 they will be adults, and while we as adults can say "this is what I will pay for" they don't always do what is expected.

bluemagic - severe allergy to eggs, including airborne allergy ... there's just no avoiding the smell of scrambled eggs, pancakes and other eggy foods, especially on such a large scale.

But here's the simple math I am using just to give an example.

hypothetical university ...

1. On campus Room & Board for 9 months ... 2 kids x $8300 ($4200 housing, $4100 meal plan) = $16600
2. On campus Room, own food for 9 months ... 2 kids x $6200 ($4200 housing, $1800 own food ... overestimated) = $12400
3. University off campus housing 1 bedroom (enough for 2 kids) ... 1 x $8100 ($450 x 9 rent with utilities, $50 x 9 internet, $400 x 9 own food ... again, overestimated food expenses) = $8100

So, yes, there are places where you can definitely save living off campus when talking about 2 kids in the same school. I have mentioned before that for us it will be a matter of where they can get hopefully tuition free (with scholarships) and as little cost as possible ... $16600 vs. $8100 is a huge difference.

btw, I am not saying they will or have to go to college. If one wants to be a trucker and the other one a cook, I'm fine with that, as long as it's what their heart desires. But they won't be able to go where they want ... they will need to go where they can afford it and if we as parents will have the means to help we will.