<p>[BU</a> dorm offers a study in luxury - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/02/bu_dorm_offers_a_study_in_luxury/]BU”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/02/bu_dorm_offers_a_study_in_luxury/)</p>
<p>The views are to die for! I liked the quote at the end of the article:
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<p>:)</p>
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<p>I wonder if she will still feel the same way as she pays off the loan…</p>
<p>I have to say that I really dislike the practice of multi-tier pricing on dorm rooms. I know how things work in a capitalist society, ie. the real world, but don’t most colleges at least pretend to value and promote integration and diversity on their end? I don’t at all fault the students and/or the parents on their end for opting for nicer housing, but doesn’t this just further encourage self-segregation among the wealthier students? I guess in places where a substantial portion of older students live off campus, the schools rationalize that it happens, regardless. If I were applying to schools today as a FA student it’s one of the first Qs I would ask and I’d eliminate the schools that engage in this practice - then let them know why. </p>
<p>Years ago some colleges used to segregate dorms just for FA students, who lived and worked there, while the students in other dorms had maid service, waiters at meals etc. Seems we are headed back in that direction.</p>
<p>We got a flyer from somewhere advertising cleaning service and laundry service for the dorm. I don’t even have this at home. :)</p>
<p>My son lived in a dorm almost that luxurious they even had the washers and dryers that called you or emailed you when your load was done, he had a double bed, private bedroom and two baths in his four plex, kitchenette, leather furniture in the living room…and this was a dorm where you still ate in the caf.
They had a large movie room and all of the seats were recliners. We knew it was nice, but we were shocked when we got there, we always said he was living better there than at home. I think a lot of schools are building these types of dorms. And they did have laundry, bottled water and cleaning services available, we never took advantage of those services I don’t think anybody did they were quite pricey. I sometimes wish I had considered the laundry service after he washed both pairs of his wool dress pants!</p>
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<p>Refusing to take their money isn’t much of a threat.</p>
<p>^ Well, sorghum, you probably are right, but, as I said, schools claim to value diversity and there are those students that any school would like to admit, FA notwithstanding. Those students often have their choice of schools. Just wish that more people would raise the issue.</p>
<p>FallGirl,
I think that service is called DormMom. I looked at it briefly b/c DS is sharing a bathroom with 3 other guys and I know that will get pretty rank pretty quickly, but the price seemed high and thir bathroom is pretty small (shared shower stall/toilet and separates sinks in the adjoining 2 rooms).</p>
<p>I actually think the digital program that calls/emails you when your laundry load is done is a great idea. I remember so many times when someone would leave their stuff in a washer or dryer for hours, and then get mad if someone took it out in order to use the washer/dryer.</p>
<p>Knowing something about BU’s student life policies, I have to say that I’d rather live in a run-down dorm with an enjoyable culture than in a luxurious police state.</p>
<p>Some of these kids will get a cold slap of reality when they graduate and will be lucky to find jobs where they can pay their bills, much less live in the lap of luxury.</p>
<p>I thought the mom at the end of the article was spot on, and that the “cheap” friends of the young woman borrowing $5k had their heads screwed on straight (or had parents who offered a reality check).</p>
<p>Jessie, I hear ya!</p>
<p>Jessiehl, that’s a good one. We toured BU a few years back and my son asked very specific questions about their policies…the tour guide was not happy.
Northeastern just built a nice new dorm, not as elaborate as the BU one profiled in the article. Some people were very unhappy to find out that they were requiring a meal plan even for the upperclassmen (this is not the policy in other upperclassmen dorms). The meal plan and the dorm fees are bundled together so it is not possible to break them out.
They also have tiered pricing for various dorms and a huge amount of variety from dorm to dorm in terms of amenities, space, kitchen/no kitchen, etc.</p>
<p>So now I am curious - what does BU have in terms of police-state like student life policies?</p>
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I don’t like it either–I was actually a bit shocked when I first heard of this. I think participating in a dorm lottery teaches something about life.</p>
<p>Racial and socioeconomic diversity is only valued and encouraged in the freshman class, probably for statistical purposes. The school(s) tell you to stick with your randomly assigned roommate as a learning exercise in how to deal with people from different backgrounds. After freshman year it’s back to the real world, where money talks and bs walks. If you can afford it you move to the high rent district while those less fortunate are relegated to the poor neighborhood. It does seem like hypocrisy to me too.</p>
<p>My personal favorite quote from the article was, “Students want beauty, and they should have beauty,’’ Kenneth Elmore, BU’s dean of students, said during a tour of the dorm. LOL!! </p>
<p>But I was also surprised at the girl who thought her friends were being cheap and that she deserved the luxury apartment due to her hard work - even though she was paying for housing with a loan!</p>
<p>Wisconsin has a pretty nice public/private partnership dorm. Only (?) a $1000/mo plus food. Which is less than what many UC public dorms cost.</p>
<p>[Lucky</a> Apartments: 777 University Avenue : Pricing](<a href=“http://www.liveatlucky.com/pricing.php]Lucky”>http://www.liveatlucky.com/pricing.php)</p>
<p>[Lucky</a> Apartments: 777 University Avenue : UW Madison Campus](<a href=“http://www.liveatlucky.com/see_inside.php]Lucky”>http://www.liveatlucky.com/see_inside.php)</p>
<p>Complete with 24 hr concierge service</p>
<p>[Lucky</a> Apartments: 777 University Avenue : Concierge Services](<a href=“http://www.liveatlucky.com/concierge.php]Lucky”>http://www.liveatlucky.com/concierge.php)</p>
<p>The Student Village at BU is quite nice. The dorm policies have been relaxed a bit over the last several years in response largely to student input. Remember, however, it IS an urban campus and some of the “rules” students don’t like are to deal with problems that could crop up in an urban campus. My kid lived in BU dorms (not the Student Village) and he never had any difficulty with the dorm “rules” and that was prior to the change in the guest policy/signing in and out.</p>
<p>DS moved off campus into substandard student housing (no rats, but not exactly a lovely place). Price was still quite high, although not as high as the Student Village. We (the parents) would have preferred that he remained on campus (and he would have gotten into the Student Village apartments) and we would have paid the price.</p>
<p>This reminds me strongly of why BU move-in day was known among the MIT frats in Back Bay back in the day as “Cadillac Sunday.”</p>
<p>The new dorm at SSU, Tuscany Village (where I am fortunate enough to be living this year), is incredible.</p>
<p>That is not to say, however, that it is perfect. We came downstairs the other night to find it raining from our light fixtures. >.> This apparently was due to a lack of a proper seal in the bathtubs/showers.</p>
<p>This has not just happened to us, and has in fact happened so much that they are inspecting all bathrooms in the village and re-sealing every shower/tub.</p>
<p>You know, this is typical of stereotypes so think about how many of those apply to you - and are wrong. BU offers more financial aid to kids in Boston than the other schools in town - and with a very small endowment. It’s very diverse by almost every measure, which most schools in the US can’t say - including many very large public universities. </p>
<p>BU also has a huge variety of housing, from some huge and not luxurious dorms to brownstones. One of my kids has been at BU and she’s lived in an old apartment building in Kenmore Square and in a small BU apartment - where the advantage is not having to buy a meal plan. </p>
<p>StuVi is expensive because it’s a tall building in Boston, not because it has artwork in the lobbies. BU built it because they had to; they needed a fitness facility to be competitive in attracting students and they needed to house more students. They bought an old National Guard armory, tore it down and used the site, which sits inside the campus boundaries and didn’t take other properties off the tax rolls. They can now house over 80% and they’ll eventually move that higher, but a few years ago they were renting part of the Hyatt across the river to handle the rooming demand overflow. (The fitness facility, btw, is kind of amazing.)</p>
<p>All schools went on building binges over the last 10+ years. One reason is that it became an arms race, that kids expected renovated dorms and new student centers and new fitness facilities. It’s almost easier to name the schools in the Northeast that didn’t build these things. The other reason is that the schools were part of the bubble; with rates low and tuition and fees going up every year, they could finance the development costs easily.</p>
<p>The new dining hall at my D’s school has a tandoori oven and serves creme brulee. She has fresh fruit crepes every Sunday. When she was home, she complained about how low brow my gym is. Her gym has this and her gym has that. Her gym? I’m the one paying for it.</p>