mom2collegekids

TrinSF,

I believe Vandy requires all undergrad students to live on campus all 4 years, unless the student lives at home with parents in Nashville (or within a certain number of miles - don't remember). That's what my sister told me about Vandy and her son.

Vandy has remodeled and/or built new housing for freshmen in "the commons". I think all of their cmapus housing is $8400 per year. Don't remember what sis said about meal plan cost.

I don't know how they handle the Greeks. I don't know if their Greeks provide housing or not. And, if they do, I guess that Greek housing is considered to be "campus housing".

Jerzey Jon

I made this thread after seeing that a college I may apply to (The City College of New York) is charging $12,000+ per year for a one room dorm.

For me to go there, I have to pay that. I can't commute back and forth everyday. Paying that is a must.

I called it a dorm in the title post, but maybe I should have called it an apartment since it also has a kitchen and other amenities not standard for a dorm.

Either way, I just want a place on-campus to live in. I don't care for the kitchen, but there are no standard dorms for a standard price, so I'll have to take this if I choose to attend.

I asked this question because I wasn't sure what the standard price was.

Here's a link to show what I'm talking about? The Towers | Capstone Company Campus

TrinSF

Yup, it's NYC. It's very expensive to live there, and the dorm cost reflects the value of the land and square footage there. The same thing is true of the schools my daughter is looking at there -- Parsons, for example. The dorms are very expensive and very tiny -- which is competitive with what actual apartment space would cost.

The really nasty bottom line is that if you're going to be paying for a lot of your education -- that is, if you don't have financial aid covering it -- then the cost of living in some areas of the country may be cost-prohbitive. You'd probably find the same thing in Boston and certainly at Berkeley.

mom2collegekids

I can see that it is a one bedroom, one bath apartment. That would likely be kind of expensive anywhere. Don't they offer shared housing?

I wonder if some people "double up" and pay half each?

Do they let you save money by not buying a meal plan and just use the kitchen to make/heat up your own food?

mom2collegekids

Is that your best choice for college? Why?

What are your other choices?

What will your major be?

Are your parents willing to pay that much for your housing?

notrichenough

This is a perfect example.

$8400/12 months (to be charitable) = $700/month x 2 students = $1400/month for 200+- sq feet of living space plus some common space.

You can get a 2 br/2 ba apartment with a full kitchen and laundry in this area of Nashville 5 times (!) this size for around $700/month (found searching forrent.com).

There can be no economic justification for why Vandy is charging 5-10 times the market rate for housing on a sq ft basis. The only justification is - "we can". And they require students to live on campus all 4 years. I wonder why?

On the other hand, their meal plan seems reasonably priced - around $7/meal.

R124687

Just so you all feel better about your dorm rates...in case you haven't considered NYU...


Looks like most undergrads pay $11,000-$15,000 year (these are mostly normal/small double dorms...not singles or apartments...those run in the $17,000-$19,000 range). There are a few "low cost triples" that are in the $6000 range (this is all from memory, don't quote me). But there are also grad facilities that are in the $22,000 plus price range. None of these include food, by the way.

Real estate costs vary all over the country, as do the charges for the dorms. Nice and new, old and moldy. Crumbling or remodeled. They charge what they charge and you pay it or you pick another school. Can anyone say "supply and demand"?

mom2collegekids

Students who live on campus are paying for the convenience of being on campus (not having to find parking everyday), not having any utility bills, enjoying some of the nicer features that res halls offer: internet access, cable TV channels, rec rooms, music rooms, study rooms, media rooms, camera and guard security, indoor corridors (often apts do not have indoor corridors - a safety concern.) Also, the dorms are furnished (altho not with great furniture).

it's not a great deal, but it's often a more secure choice.



>>>
in case you haven't considered NYU...

Looks like most undergrads pay $11,000-$15,000 year (these are mostly normal/small double dorms...not singles or apartments...those run in the $17,000-$19,000 range).
<<<<

Wow! I wonder how many prosprective students know this!