<p>I’m a transfer student, and will be attending the University of Houston. After going to the UH I plan to get a masters in genetic counseling which will cost at least 50k. Genetic counseling programs are unfunded so there will be no stipend. My parents have only given me 30k for all of college, and I have about 20k of my own saved up. I’m trying to decide whether it would ok to live on campus or if I should commute and save money for the masters program. </p>
<p>UH’s tuiton is about 8k, housing is about 7k, then you have to add in all the other expenses like books, etc.</p>
<p>how far is it to commute?</p>
<p>The commute is about an hour and 15 minutes long.</p>
<p>Does the 7K include a meal plan on campus?</p>
<p>Have you added up what each option (dorm vs commute) would cost per semester?</p>
<p>One hour and 15 minutes each way is two and a half hours each day that you attend classes. If you were in an area where the commute would be on a train or a fairly direct bus, and you can study it would be one thing, but in the area where you are I expect it is by car. In that case, you need to live closer to campus (or on campus). By not commuting, you also will have time to have a part-time job to help with your expenses. Commuting one hour and 15 minutes each way by car is tolerable for a short summer course, and it may be necessary for someone who has family responsibilities. In your situation, it isn’t absolutely necessary. Try to find a way to live closer to campus.</p>
<p>An hour and 15 minutes? </p>
<p>That’s too long…and could be longer during high traffic commuting hours.</p>
<p>Plus, you’d be spending a good bit on gasoline and wear/tear on your car. </p>
<p>If you lived on campus, you’d have time for a part-time job to help repay your savings that you’d be spending on room and board.</p>
<p>Are freshmen required to live on campus if they are not at home? If not, it is often cheaper to get an apartment with friends in a student housing area near campus than to dorm. Something to look into.</p>
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<p>Agreed. Plus you would have to schedule your classes around commuting. If you needed at a class even at 9:30 am you would need to leave probably at least by 8. You wouldn’t want to have classes too late in the day if you didn’t want to make the commute in the dark. I’d also worry about making that commute in bad weather, though I dunno if you have much of a problem with snow and ice in Houston.</p>
<p>I’d only do this if I were going just one or two days a week. You could always take a lot of general education classes online and then take one or two other classes on campus.</p>
<p>If you’re thinking about commuting why not just look into a community college closer to home? Then you would save a lot on tuition as well. You could do this for your general education classes and then live in Houston while taking classes for your major.</p>
<p>Do the numbers. What will it cost for you to commute? What will it cost for you to live there? Can you get rid of your car when you live there? Just owning a car is good for costing a nice piece of change as my son has learned.</p>
<p>If you can find a part time job near campus to defray living expenses, it may be worthwhile to stay there.</p>
<p>I know several people who commute from where I live to the University of Houston. From what they’ve said, they don’t mind the commute, and are saving quite a bit of money. Commuting would cost about 3k per year, and a dorm would cost 6k plus 4k for a meal plan. So, that’s about 14k of savings for the two years. The thing is, I feel like I need that 14k to be able to afford graduate school. If I live on campus I’ll only have about 15k to go towards a giant 50k cost of attendance. I’d feel better about having twice that… When you guys are saying I shouldn’t commute are you thinking about the giant cost of my masters program? Because honestly I thought everyone would be recommending I commute.</p>
<p>Commuting Cost: 20-22k (35k towards graduate school=15k debt)
On campus cost: 35-40k (15k towards graduate school=35k debt)</p>
<p>Btw, the average starting salary for my career would probably be about 50k.</p>
<p>Oh, and it doesn’t snow or ice in Houston. Rain is also rare ;)</p>
<p>If you don’t mind the driving then try commuting for the first semester or the first year. You could also see if the other people who are commuting from your area would like to car pool and split the driving. You might only be able to do that certain days depending on everyone’s schedule but it would help with boredom and save some wear and tear on your vehicle.</p>
<p>Since you’ll be a junior, see if you can arrange your schedule so that you’re not going to school everyday.</p>
<p>Then, commuting, it should be. My friends’ son is doing the same for his degree. It’s over 90 minutes each way for him, 2 hours when there are any traffic issues. But he lives rent free, and his parents also provide him with food. He packs a lunch and saves every cent. Like you, he is looking at a graduate program that is going to be a tough go, so every dime counts. Good luck.</p>
<p>If you’re a junior I would recommend just living off campus in Houston. I was able to find plenty of places around campus that were a lot cheaper than living on campus. Also, are you sure you’ll need that $4k for a meal plan? Usually juniors and seniors are exempt from expensive meal plan requirements and can pick a cheaper one- or not have one at all. If you lived off-campus you could find a job and be able to work so you can save up even more money.</p>
<p>I assume you meant the commute was an hour and 15 minutes long each way? Personally I know my car would be dead if I had to drive it 2.5 hours, multiple days, every week of the semester for the next two years. If you are going to commute, make sure you have a reliable vehicle that’s not going to suddenly have the transmission go out or any of the other number of problems that could really cost you. It would be great if you could schedule your classes just 2 days a week, and if not that than 3. If it has to be every day then that’s when I would seriously re-think the commuting plan.</p>