<p>I can see both sides of this discussion. My son, who is a junior at BC, did get 4 years of guaranteed housing. However, several of his friends got only 3 years and had to move into off-campus apartments this year. My son and another friend with 4 years of housing were “recruited” to move into an apartment for one semester to fill the bedrooms vacated by students doing a semester abroad. All six students involved will move back to campus for senior year. And jpm is right – it has everything to do with the mods and the seniors’ social activities, and nothing to do with any dissatisfaction about off-campus living. </p>
<p>For our family, the apartment rent plus food costs is considerably cheaper than what we were paying for room & board in the dorm. It’s true that every apartment in the Boston area seems to require a 12 month lease, but the boys don’t seem to be having any problem finding students to sublet the apartment for the summer. They have already talked to several groups of students who are planning to stay in the Boston area (either to work/attend classes at BC or do internships in the City) over the summer. There are always people looking for short-term leases, and if you have a desirable unit (a large, well-maintained apartment in a good location), it seems to be relatively easy to find people interested in subletting.</p>
<p>We live in AZ, so I do understand bluebayou’s concern. We couldn’t transport any hand-me-down household items to help stock the apartment, but some of the other residents were able to do that. My son did contribute some new furnishings from Ikea and Target though; things that he would have needed to buy anyway when he graduates and sets up his own place next year. Quite frankly, it’s the same problem we had in furnishing his dorm room 2500 miles away; you just can’t fit bedding and towels in a suitcase!</p>
<p>Living off-campus seems to have had no effect on these boys’ GPAs, since all of them continued to make Deans List. I know that some students may be tempted to forget academics and focus on “fun” when living off-campus, but I really don’t see it as a problem for students who do take their academics seriously. I think BC uses 4 years of guaranteed housing simply as a recruiting tool; one would hope that Honors students are smart enough to keep up with their studies regardless of where they live! :)</p>