<p>I am pretty certain that all my kids’ friends who did quarters abroad either were able to sublet their space while they were away or to find an appropriate sublet when they got back. No one paid for an empty apartment room while he or she was away. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen; only that it’s not necessarily the norm.</p>
<p>What’s more, I think there’s something of a subculture of students who keep their housing costs radically low by moving from sublet to sublet, one quarter to the next. Most kids can’t really handle that psychologically – I sure couldn’t – but a few thrive on it.</p>