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Living on campus vs. Commuting/Apartment
What's better for SFU students? My parents thought it was a better idea for me to live at home, but everyone I've talked to (professors, current students and graduates) say it's better to live on campus. Because every student should experience the college life or whatever.
What do you guys think? Is living in the dorms worth the money? Or should you just stay home and save money?
What do you guys think? Is living in the dorms worth the money? Or should you just stay home and save money?
Comments
NukeChem, staying at home doesnt necessarily mean you are saving money. You do have to get to school somehow, so you have to have a car to drive, gas to fill it with, and insurance...not to mention oil changes and repairs. That's a pretty big committment for a student to have.
Gas: $100 a month.
Maintenance: $70 a month (this is ~$500 spread out over about a year, and accounts for oil changes plus catastrophic type things that happen).
$270 a month is way less than $500 a month on average for rent (which is a low ball figure and doesn't calculate in utilities costs as well)
Furthermore, if you were renting, AND driving a car, that $270 a month-ish expense of running a car adds on top of all your other expenses.
Regardless of the financial factors, I think the worst part about driving to school is the actual drive itself. It's stressful and a waste of time...you could spend those extra two hours in the day relaxing, studying or whatever else you like to do in your free time. Plus, rent is easier to budget because it's a consistent amount every month.
The best thing to do is live close to (if not on) campus, and make UPass your friend.
Living at home allows you incur much less debt than living on your own. It is an unfortunate fact that those living on their own or with roommates always have more debt than those still with their parents. Living at home also allows you to work and pay for your school and incur very little debt. You can go to grad school straight after that instead of worrying about paying off your debts.
As for the whole "experiencing the college life" thing, I say that's bollocks. You're in school to get an education and secure a career. What the heck does living the college experience or experiencing the college life have to do with that? You'll have plenty of time to mature after you get your degree. I say make it easier for yourself now and have it easier later.
On a purely numeric estimation, it is usually cheaper to live at home. Most students don't have cars (remember the U-Pass referendum they had a while back? Approximately 85% of students voted in favour of the U-Pass) and hence utilize their U-Pass. There will be expenses, granted that, but not as many as there would be if you were living on campus or on your own.
Like I said, the age of the car makes almost as much of a difference as your driving record.