<p>If you get enough grants, argue that the room and board is free. If you stay at home, they’ll just reduce your grants by the amount you would have saved otherwise.</p>
<p>Furthermore, you’re technically required to stay on campus unless you get approval to commute from home. I tried getting this approval when I was an admit and no one knew who was in charge of that (thankfully for me, since I ended up living on campus!)</p>
<p>Also, I’m curious if the person saying Columbia is unsuitable for undergrads actually attends Columbia.</p>