@momzilla2D Sorry to hear about the mess with UMD. We had several issues with the Coalitin app. Fortunately, your D has some excellent options already!
When looking at on and off campus housing/food costs, remember that there are non-financial advantages and disadvantages to each. Fārex, on campus housing often has easier access to the rest of the campus, and thus a lower stress level for some students; off campus housing often has better privacy levels, and thus a lower stress level for some students; and so on.
ETA: Of course, what non-financial items are most important (and whether theyāre worth the financial cost) will vary by student and studentās family.
Except that very few sophomores can live on campus in Boulder as there just isnāt room. My nephew paid $$$$ to live in Boulder, but he lived on the Hill. I think it was about $1500/mo for room, and then he did all kinds of things for meals. I think he had a meal plan for lunch on campus (or a card with $$ on it). There is also a meal card plan for restaurants in the area with a discount for using the card.
I think in most cases it is the meal plan when living in a dorm that costs so much. For one kid, the dorm rent for 9 months was about the same as her house rent for 12 months. She did have to pay utilities. But the difference in meal plans? Huge. Freshmen had to pay $2300/sem for meals, sophomores $1800 (because you know, freshmen eat more?). There is no way she paid anything close to that in her apartment. In fact, she had an $1800 meal plan through her athletic award and with that got all her groceries, TP, cleaning supplies, smoothies on campus, pizzas, stuff from the deli on campus, and still had money left at the end of the semester, and i know she ātreatedā a lot of friends and her boyfriend to lunches and dinners and snacks. There is no way she could have spent that all on meals just for herself (without weighing 500 pounds).
My other daughter lived in a dorm and then a sorority house, and the cost was about the same. Apts in that town are cheap, but sheās not much of a cook.
Thank you, @JBSeattle and @Momof3kidz
Yes, we knew that those deferral schools, and Northeastern were all āreachesā. D was actually excited to be deferred from UMich, not denied!
Re: the Coalition app. JMU and UMD only use the Coalition. On Saturday, I was at a panel discussion with some AOs from 4 different colleges across the US (for parents of Juniors at our HS). At one point, the Vassar rep looked at our schoolās GC and said āIs it ok to mention that other app, the Coalition?ā I thought that was very telling.
My goal all along is for D to have options. And she has that, so Iām happy. Would love to see a couple more options, though. And weāre planning a visit to Ohio State, since we didnāt visit before applying.
My Dā17 in an apartment spends about $80/month or less on groceries. Eats a few meals out but looks for deals like $1.59 burgers on Mondays at Be-Bops or free rewards on the Fazoliās app. Way cheaper than a meal plan.
Housing in Dā19ās college town is reasonable. My two nephews shared an apartment for $600/month. If DD can get something like that at $300/month for her share, it will cut the room & board cost in half. I pictured her on campus for 2 years, but sheās already talking about moving off campus sophomore year. The problem with that will be finding parking each day.
Itās getting real guys. Took DD to the Panhellenic registration info session this past Saturday. We need social resumes, professional photos, digital and printed packets for each groupā¦Hard deadline is May 1, they want everything by end of February. I knew all this, but sitting in a room with 200 other moms and daughters gave me a tiny panic attack.
I really hope she goes to school up north, southern sororities are no joke. ?
Yikes, @2019hope! Sounds like a beauty pageant application! Stressful!
@2019hope What even is a āsocial resumeā?
?. Itās insane. Beauty pageant plus dissection of your family tree, financial status, parents social heirarchy. And we live in the wrong zip code to start withā¦ SEC schools are apparently brutal. (UT Austin was pretty dang rough in my day - it seems to have gotten worse with the internet )
A social resume has all your regular stuff, plus a 2nd page that highlights your volunteering and makes note of who your parents are and which organization they are affiliated with. Hubby wants to tap out already.
Holy cow @2019hope , do they require this at fraternities as well? Itās a world I know nothing about.
@2019hope
I donāt blame your husband at all! That is nuts! Is it cheaper to stay in a sorority?
Some extra expenses to keep in mind for certain majors (health, education). Fees for Clearances, shots and lab tests, membership fees for professional organizations.
My music education major also has private lesson fees (voice and piano), accompanist fees, and certain requirements for professional dress.
@Acersaccharum I donāt know anything about fraternity rush - but I canāt believe they have to jump through these particular hoops.
@JBSeattle hubby has always been anti Greek. I had a good experience but you never know. Sheās an only child and I think She might really like it.
Iām ashamed (?) to say Iāve been purposefully making connections since her birth for this moment. (Am former engineer so that takes some doingā¦) I feel icky just typing that out.
@2019hope Iāll admit l never had the most positive view of sororities based on my experience as a non-joiner in a heavily Greek big state U. However, the idea of having an instant network when you get to college is really comforting, so I hope your D finds something she likes! I have friends who had great experiences and formed lifetime bonds that have been a huge benefit to them.
@2019hope So the sorority rush preparation starts this early in Senior year of high school? Iām so naive. For what it is worthā¦my very non sorority girl wife had a fantastic experience undergrad in a sorority. A handful of the girls have remained some of her closest life long friends.
Iām on the fence. Sheās very independent, thinks for herselfā¦ but I figure I might as well check off all the boxes to maximize her opportunities. She was very gung ho after Saturday. Texas can be its own little world.
On a happier note she got into Indiana Kelley and Miami Ohio so she has some great choices. Weāre going to Indiana in February for a visit!
@2019hope
Uh oh, I think weāll fail. D19 is interested in joining a sorority. But we, her parents, have no social life. Lol. Could be a problem.
@momzilla2D It is completely school dependent, I feel like this is just a weird Texas thing that self perpetuates
@momzilla2D I think 2019hope is correct that itās a southern thing. My daughter just rushed/joined and didnāt have to do any of that.
Iām pretty active in my sorority as an alum. We are at more northern schools and California, but starting to open chapters in the south. Recommendations are going by the wayside and I donāt think any of our chapters require them. Iām not sure the few I send in are even considered that much because some of the big southern schools have 2500 girls going through Rush - do you think they care that Haley has 200 hours of community service but Katie only has 190? Legacies have a little edge, but really not much.
So for all you worrying about Rush, it is not the same at every school and not the same in every house even in the south on the same campus. You can just sign up in the fall, you can arrive without 27 letters of recommendation and a Lilly Pulitzer wardrobe, and you can still get a bid. I think the U of Ga has a pretty good webpage about the process.