jpm: are you within a few hours drive of BC? (It makes a difference if one can bring ‘stuff’ from home.)
did you co-sign the lease?
Coming from the west coast, where we had to purchase a bed, some ‘target’ storage boxes (for a ‘dresser’), etc., off campus was more than dorms for us. 12- months of a lease for 9 months of use. (Was able to sub-let for a few weeks over the summer.) 6 girls packed into a four-person dump. (Oh you wanted hot water?) One block from the B line! Did receive a tax deduction for donating the stuff at the end of the year.
And due to BC’s calculation which only uses 9 months of off campus housing, even though most leases go 12 months, need- based FinAid declined.
Of course, YMMV, depending on how much leg work the kids want to do. For example my D’s BF had a sweet deal in Cleveland Circle, but it was an illegal conversion. (I refused to allow my D’s group to participate in such a deal.)