Commuting from home only works if you happen to have an excellent school with a program of study you’re interested in nearby…but if that’s the case, commuting from home is a terrific option.
Try to snag an RA job as the position comes with very good compensation at many schools including free or reduced rate board.
You don’t exactly “snag” a RA job. t almost all schools, these are highly competitive jobs, with an extensive application and interview process. The number of applicants far exceeds the number of needed RAs.
No one should assume they will be hired as a RA. No one.
Roman, I had no idea there was an Aldi in Ann Arbor! Thank you for pointing that out, much appreciated:) Kroger is awesome. My kiddo currently lives on North, and loves Kroger. (which I’ll admit has better prices than I expected)
You’re right that “expensive” is relative. To me, Ann Arbor is very pricey…we’re from a rural town in SW Mich where cost of living is very low. (we wanted to own land. it’s beautiful and very affordable here)
To others, it might seem inexpensive. LOL. Guess it all depends on what you’re used to:)
But I get what you mean, for sure.
Yes, @thumper1, I am well aware of that. That’s why I used the word “try”. Fortunately, I have a child who was successful at doing just that and is reaping the benefits. If you CAN get one, it DOES come with good compensation and worth TRYING. I didn’t say it was easy but it is worth mentioning because it is a good gig if you get it.
@fkidsdad “12 months of rents and utilities vs 8 months of room and board. Also, what if one or two girls move
out?”
You’re right, of course…there’s a bit of risk involved…but as I said, these are four very reliable girls. UMich has over a 90% graduation rate, and these are serious kids who have all agreed to sign a 12 month lease.
The apartment they’re renting is dirt cheap, and is in a prime location. It would probably not be difficult to sub lease to a new roommate. Even if they couldn’t find replacements…and it came down to my daughter and one other girl…she would still be paying less than campus housing. All utilities are included in the rent.
Saving $5,200 over the course of the year will put them in a good position to pay four months of rent at $400/month.
She must be sharing a bedroom for $400/month in Ann Arbor.
My nephew pays $1000 for a studio. He shares it with his girlfriend. It’s in a prime location though.
yep…four girls in a two bedroom. Two blocks from central. $1600/month total…really good deal. she’s paying $1000/month now.
Is this research for a listicle?
Nope, but I suppose it could be used that way. If you want to write a listicle about saving money and reducing college debt, knock yourself out. It’s something a lot of folks are interested in doing. But no, that was not the intent of the OP.
Apartment rentals are typically 12 months… but that still beats dorm fees, especially if you cook your own meals
.
Being an RA will also eat up time that could be spent at a job. It is not " free money" when compared to a school year job. It can also suck your student into more drama and psychological energy than it is worth. An RA I knew in grad school had to deal with a suicide bomber in his dorm who had perhaps booby-trapped other dorm resident’s cars. Guess who spent hundreds and hundreds of hours dealing with this…and no overtime.
The RA’s at my kid’s school get free rent and a free meal plan…A $1300 a month value. I think you’d be very hard pressed to make that kind of net money working a job on the side of being a full time student. In that sense, I think being an RA is an excellent job if you can get it. (I don’t think UMich would allow anyone making bombing threats to stay on campus, nor would they ask an RA to deal with an individual in need of professional counseling)
My niece was an RA at her school and loved it. Saved a ton of money.
My kiddo thought about applying, but wasn’t crazy about being required to spend weekends and some vacations on campus. (which is required at her school)
Oh geez…I forgot a huge one. Tutoring. If your kid has a couple of subjects they are absolutely ace at, tutoring can be a shockingly lucrative side-business.
@marygj I think you’re confusing community assistants with RAs. CAs are required to spend holidays on campus but not RAs.
You’re absolutely right. My bad. One dose of NyQuil too many, I think:)
When she was required to live on campus, D had a more expensive dorm with a kitchen and was able to have a significantly less expensive meal plan. It ended up a wash vs. a regular dorm and a full meal plan.
Now she is saving about 1/3 of that cost by renting a room in a house with other students. Her minimal meal plan covers busy days and late nights when she doesn’t have time to make food at home. She is thrilled to have her own room.
D does the bulk of her shopping at Aldi’s. Dairy, veggies, fruit, frozen food, eggs, juice, and yes, some snacks. She love to cook and eats very healthy meals.
How about earning college credit during high school. My kids all took community college classes during high school and so spent fewer semesters in college which was a huge savings for us. Of course there are pros and cons to this, but it worked well for our family. APs are another option, but comm college was a better for my kids. All earned about a year’s worth of college credit this way during high school.
One of my kids was a tutor on campus and that earned her some nice money.
In the category of saving money. Check the variety of meal plans. My D saved a $1000 on her meal plan by going for a standard 20 meal plan rather than a suggested flexible 14 meal plan. It limits some of her choices but with the difference she can buy a lot of meals out and she has 3 meals a day paid for not 2. If your child enjoys going to paid performances check on ushering for those performances. My older D got in free that way. If your child is an engineering major consider a cooperative education program. It may lengthen their time to graduate (same number of class semesters) but the wages are usually very good and they graduate with work experience. If your child needs courses to complete a double major and you have a community college nearby, check with your university to see if they will accept transferred credits. Our local community college costs $90 per credit hour. Far less than her university would charge and she can live at home to take a couple of courses over the summer. She is double majoring and it will make sure she will be able to complete both majors.