>went to Uni for a year, transferred to local community college for pre-reqs, now need to go back to Uni
>family's broke, running off bank loans, only $9000 in debt despite 3 years of college (paid for my own community college/some grants)
Caught in a bind on housing, however. My university is about an hour away from my house, and given my classes I'd need to commute 5 days a week, about 10am to 5pm. Naturally I couldn't work much by commuting and run the risk of car issues/inclement weather, but it would be considerably cheaper (live with parents, so low rent/bills).
Living near/on campus would be convenient, however given local renting costs it'd be at least $4000/semester (between $8000-$10000 extra in housing loans a year, on top of the $14000 in loans I've already taken for only classes). I have no leads on a job if I move near campus either, however my resume isn't shit so I could at least find low-pay things or some IT work related to my studies.
I do need at least 2 more years of college, so this will add up over time. I'd personally like to live near campus for networking/living the college life, but the costs are insane.
What do you guys think, is the drastically increased college costs worth having a more genuine college experience? Any tips on playing this out either way, or factors to consider?
Roommates?
Communal house?
tl;dr I need to either commute 5 days a week, 10-5pm to school for super cheap, or move up near campus for an increase $10,000/yr in living costs alone. What do?
>>17367958
I don't know anybody near campus so I'd live alone until I find a trustworthy roommate.
It's in a ghetto neighborhood, so I'd likely live just outside of town (dorm prices are outrageous there). I'd keep an eye out for roommates, but won't be jumping at ads in such a shitty neighborhood like that.
Quick bump before bed
You're worried about money, I get that, but you did bring up the experience so here's my two cents.
Did you have your fill of fun during high school/your three years? If you didn't then you're going to want to dorm.
Stupid ass reason to blow money if you're just looking at numbers but you know you're not going to be young forever.
>>17368000
Thats exactly how I feel, I'm willing to have a burden of debt if it nets me years of solid experiences. My parents and some friends think thats unreasonable so I guess I'm looking for a reality check of sorts. My 1st year was commuting and was always in class during clubs, and the CC had no campus life, so needless to say college has blown so far and I dont like that.
The whole being unable to work and driving so much is deterring me from commuting, as well.
>>17367952
Rent an efficiency, don't go live in student apartments.
Efficiencies can run you about $3-400 dollars a month utilities included, or 5k a year. A part time job can be acquired through the college, can help you pay with expenses while you continue to look for another job elsewhere.
Gas station attendant is a good one, open 24/7, time to study since you can work night shifts and hardly anyone is in a gas-station at night.
You would have to pay for your own meals, and that might bring it up to 7.5k a year if you eat on the cheap.
also, I understand the feeling of wanted to experience life, but life's much better experience without debt.
I graduated with 35k of debt that I worked like a monster to pay off, 70+ hour weeks and it took me nearly two years on an average of 14/hr.
You can live cheap, then party hard for two years after you graduate, and still come out ahead than living the "college life" which is mostly after-parties in dorm rooms anyway, or getting invited to smoke a bowl.
The site EasyRoommate is great for finding good places. If there's a cheap place near your school, that's a good way to find it.
My strongest recommendation is to get some employable skill that will let you pay off those loans soon. This could even just be a certificate program - if your passion is history, go ahead and get a certificate in computer science or something like that so you can get a decent paying job doing basic computer/tech stuff right off the bat... that'll give you the freedom to pursue your real interests.
But seriously, while I do strongly recommend spending the money to go to school, I urge you against wasting money on extra things for "the experience", like housing, because desu they contribute pretty much nothing. If you want the worthwhile part of the college experience, then when you get there get active with extracurriculars/clubs, most of which are free. Join a bunch of them, figure out which ones you like, and stick with those. That's the college experience, and again, it should come at no extra cost.
