I think if it's financially possible it's a great experience. I hope my kids are able to live on campus so they can have a regular college experience (out all night drinking or studying) without my having to know and be worried.
But if my kids seem to lack the maturity to handle that without it becoming a disaster of partying and poor grades we'll rethink them starting college at all. Either they'll go to community (we have a great community college in our area) or they'll take time off and return if/when they're ready.
Yeah, in my post when I mentioned 'emotionally ready'...this is what I was getting at. So many parents of people I knew that 1st year were (unknowingly) paying for their kids to party and flunk out...some kids just can't handle the freedom yet, and I might have 2nd thoughts about campus life if I suspected that my (hypothetical future) child were one of those kids.
I commuted my first semester and will do everything I possibly can to make sure my kids can love on campus. I hated commuting and it changed my whole college experience and I was never really able to make friends the way everyone else was
Post by karinothing on Sept 27, 2012 14:39:02 GMT -5
I went to community college for the first two years of college. I lived at home at first but then got my own apartment off campus. I also worked full time. I never had a typical college experience (i.e. I never dated anyone in college (met DH outside of school), I never went to a college party, never had any college friends (but tons outside of school through work).
I do not regret one thing. I got all my drinking partying sexing done before college.
Doesn't matter. Saving money in long run should be the goal though. I would expect my kid to have a job, and go school same time. So really whatever they feel they can afford and pay back later.
Most of the people I know who lived at home during college still live at home or are just now moving out. I am 30. I think it also helps kids develop financial independence because they handle their own housing and/or food instead of just blowing their money on fun stuff.
I went to a local state school and stayed home to save money. I then spent my junior year abroad and got the on-campus experience that way; it was my most memorable year and feel it really contributed to 'growing up.' I sort of regret living with my parents (especially after I returned for my final year, but that's a long story); but also acknowledge saving money can be critical with the cost of higher ed these days.
I would definitely take steps to ensure there is some point in the college years where you don't live at home, whether it is the dorms, an apartment or study abroad.
Post by catsarecute on Sept 27, 2012 15:05:46 GMT -5
I think living on campus is super important. Not only does it get you away from home and teaches you some independence but having a group of people that you grow close to helps ease the transition. I'm still really close to my roommate and a couple other girls that lived in my floor.
I lived off campus, thinking I was so very independent and mature and didn't want to deal with other people my age. I fully regret that decision. I didn't make any very close friends in college, and I feel like I missed out in a huge way.
I went to community college for the first two years of college. I lived at home at first but then got my own apartment off campus. I also worked full time. I never had a typical college experience (i.e. I never dated anyone in college (met DH outside of school), I never went to a college party, never had any college friends (but tons outside of school through work).
I do not regret one thing. I got all my drinking partying sexing done before college.
My experience was very similar. I date 1 guy from school and it only last 3-4 months. All the partying I did do while in college was off campus usually with work friends. I have maybe 3-5 friends I met in college and still talk to. But ask me again in 1-3 years if I still talk to any of those.
However, if I went to school out of state I might have lived on campus. Although, I doubt it. The idea of sharing a hall with that many strangers is just :-| :@ . I hate people and like being able to hide away from the world when necessary. Can't do that in a dorm.
I lived in my own apartment. I had zero desire to have the on campus experience, and retrospectively, it was entirely the right decision for me. The idea of res still sounds terrible.
I could not live at home as there are no universities in the boonies. If DS attends school here, he can live where he wants.
Not sure if you knew this so forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know. But, this is one of the biggest differences between CDN and US universities. It is my understanding that many (most?) US universities do not allow freshman to live off-campus if they are not living at home (usually there are exceptions for older students, etc). Thus, at most of these schools, you'll have like 95%+ of students living on campus - a lot different from Canadian schools where it's like 10% of freshman on campus, a bunch more in apartments off campus, and some living at home.
It's part of the reason why US college costs are so insane. Because they hook you into living on campus, they can inflate the costs of on-campus housing, use things like premier dorms and cafeterias to drive capital campaigns, and make a killing. And because nearly all underclassmen live on campus, there's not really a culture of socializing with people that live off campus, and you wind up an outcast.
Anyway, with that in mind, yes, I would want my kid to live on campus, even if they went to school locally. But if they go to my Canadian alma mater, they can live in an apartment if they want.
I lived in my own apartment. I had zero desire to have the on campus experience, and retrospectively, it was entirely the right decision for me. The idea of res still sounds terrible.
I could not live at home as there are no universities in the boonies. If DS attends school here, he can live where he wants.
Not sure if you knew this so forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know. But, this is one of the biggest differences between CDN and US universities. It is my understanding that many (most?) US universities do not allow freshman to live off-campus if they are not living at home (usually there are exceptions for older students, etc). Thus, at most of these schools, you'll have like 95%+ of students living on campus - a lot different from Canadian schools where it's like 10% of freshman on campus, a bunch more in apartments off campus, and some living at home.
It's part of the reason why US college costs are so insane. Because they hook you into living on campus, they can inflate the costs of on-campus housing, use things like premier dorms and cafeterias to drive capital campaigns, and make a killing. And because nearly all underclassmen live on campus, there's not really a culture of socializing with people that live off campus, and you wind up an outcast.
Anyway, with that in mind, yes, I would want my kid to live on campus, even if they went to school locally. But if they go to my Canadian alma mater, they can live in an apartment if they want.
my university didn't have any housing requirements like that (in fact, they didn't have enough housing and encouraged students to live off campus), but they apparently want to institute it.
My university has a big "commuter" population-- but most of those commuters actually lived in the city with other students right off campus. My sorority house was considered "off campus", but it was across the street from classrooms.
Post by fortmyersbride on Sept 27, 2012 15:31:10 GMT -5
On-campus for sure. I lived in a dorm the first year and with friends in apts nearby after that. I will strongly encourage our kids to live in the dorms (or Greek housing if they choose to rush) at least for the first year. Living in the dorm was a great transition from home life to being "on my own".
Post by wanderlustfoodie on Sept 27, 2012 15:37:29 GMT -5
Huge proponent of living on campus. Having dormmates is like a rite of passage, whether you end up with the crazies or the people who become your best friends or both.
my university didn't have any housing requirements like that (in fact, they didn't have enough housing and encouraged students to live off campus), but they apparently want to institute it.
My university has a big "commuter" population-- but most of those commuters actually lived in the city with other students right off campus. My sorority house was considered "off campus", but it was across the street from classrooms.
That's interesting. Every school I applied to, including UMass, required freshman to live on campus or at home. I wonder if it's more common in New England.
Post by mollybrown on Sept 27, 2012 15:48:30 GMT -5
Definitely on campus. I would have felt less a part of the school without that experience. I also went to a school in the middle of nowhere, so no one lived at home, and living off campus didn't have much of an appeal.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Sept 27, 2012 15:55:59 GMT -5
On campus. I learned way more on the residential end of campus than on the academic end. Even though I was a good student at a hard school. Actually, partly because of that. My parents wouldn't have been able to help me with my homework and studying as much as my classmates could. Plus there was all the social learning.
Post by Some Funny Name on Sept 27, 2012 16:12:24 GMT -5
Unless dorms have come a hell of a long way in the 20 years since I went to college, there ain't no fucking way I would want to live on campus. I actually decided against what was my top school pick after I saw the dorms and learned that all freshmen were required to live there. A room the size of a jail cell, with just enough room between the beds to walk, a desk at the foot of each bed, and a shared closet? AND I have to share a bathroom with an entire floor of people? No. Just no. Not then. Not now. Not ever. I got my own apartment and went to school somewhere else.
Unless dorms have come a hell of a long way in the 20 years since I went to college, there ain't no fucking way I would want to live on campus. I actually decided against what was my top school pick after I saw the dorms and learned that all freshmen were required to live there. A room the size of a jail cell, with just enough room between the beds to walk, a desk at the foot of each bed, and a shared closet? AND I have to share a bathroom with an entire floor of people? No. Just no. Not then. Not now. Not ever. I got my own apartment and went to school somewhere else.
I actually thought the system was great. Sure, the rooms were small, but I really didn't need much more space than that. It was great to have so many friends I could visit without having to put on shoes or walk more than like 30 seconds. I loved that we could just sit in our rooms with our doors open in the afternoon and tons of people would come by. We had a ton of fun. I also think we learned a lot about dealing with people who were different from us. I would be really sad if I had missed out on being so immersed in the college environment. Sharing a bathroom really wasn't bad.
I'd go back to a tiny dorm room in a heartbeat if I got to relive all the fun I had in them