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Those of you who live off-campus

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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
I'm having a real hard time convincing my mom to let me get an apartment next year. In my mind, the learning experience of living on my own is worth extra cost (which is very small. Per month, room and board + meal plan = roughly rent + utilities) She's convinced that she wouldn't be able to send out another check every month for my rent, which is about double the mortgage payment on my parents' house.

So my question is: Do any of your loan providers cover your rent? I believe they cover my on-campus housing, but I'm not sure.
Dec 6 2009 7:07PM
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timmi
Posts: 12874 - Karma: 3,460
yeah if living with your mom is holding back your experience you gotta get out of there.

im not sure how it works totally, but i think student lines of credit and student loans, they dont care how you use the money.
Dec 6 2009 7:10PM
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LadySaGa
Posts: 774 - Karma: 81
alot of providers dont cover it but some do... ill tell ya one thing, moving off campus fucked my grades up...haha be careful
Dec 6 2009 7:11PM
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vomit
Posts: 227 - Karma: 10
yeah you can do it. technically u can spend the student loan money on anything you want.  remember your paying out the ass in intrest on the money.

as someone who lived both on and off campus id suggest just staying on campus because its just more convenient(dont have to deal with landlords, dont have to pay utilitys every month)

but yeah there def are some perks to living off campus.
Dec 6 2009 7:11PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
I'm not living with my mom - I'm in a dorm. But she pays the bills for school, so she pretty much has the final say.

I need to call my provider tomorrow to see whats up. I can't live in the dorms anymore, I just can't take it...
Dec 6 2009 7:13PM
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skiminnesota
Posts: 9093 - Karma: 429
dude, what are rent prices where you live? if i were to rent something that was going to cost double my parents mortgage i would be renting a mansion. (and we live in a small house with almost no mortgage)
Dec 6 2009 7:35PM
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cab509
Posts: 806 - Karma: 34
yeah seriously, I pay a reasonable amount for rent and I'm nowhere close to what my parents mortgage is on our house.


If you actually cook food, living off campus is cheaper then the dorms, at least at the Ohio State.


I also raised my GPA a couple points when I moved off campus because I had the ability to shut myself in my own room instead of study while sharing a room with my roommate.


and kegs are so much easier to have in a house then in your dorm.
Dec 6 2009 7:37PM
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dergblerp
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 77
I dono where you go, but I'm at UW, and here living off campus costs about 1/2 as much as living in the dorms unless you want something really nice like a studio to your self or something.  My whole 4 person house costs 1600 a month (400 per person) which I easily pay with a part time job.  How much is rent (approx) where you live?
Dec 6 2009 7:40PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
The 3 BR apartment we are looking at is $2100/month, plus utilities. This is in Burlington.

Further downtown, about a 15-20 minute walk to classes was still $1900 for a crack den.

I'd say the average per person rate is around $650/700. Any of you Burlingtonites who want to correct me feel free, but we searched for 4 BR's and then switched to 3 BR's, and the prices were about the same.
Dec 6 2009 7:49PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
Also, this 3 BR is in a house that has two other units, both being 4 BR apartments. Landlords make a killing.
Dec 6 2009 7:51PM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
yeah you can buy whatever on student loans. i know friends who have taken on more student loans because they liked the terms better then a car dealer and went out and bought a new fuckin car.


Dec 6 2009 7:51PM
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Mr_Papageorgio
Posts: 1271 - Karma: 117
im not sure what the norm is for off campus housing in burlington but i live in downtown pittsburgh in the heart of the southside (a booming area of bars food and shopping) and my 5 roommates and i pay 500 a month for a biggg house. 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 kitchens, and a back courtyard, and the people that lived here before us fit 9 comfortably.

i would try and find something a little cheaper.
Dec 6 2009 7:57PM
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Dosh
Posts: 1818 - Karma: 14
burlington is so fucked for renting. too many students and not enough housing for them so the landlords can  let the apartments go to shit and still charge you way more than a lot of large cities. i lived in burlington for two years and now i have an apartment that i share with one person right in montreal and we pay a lot less than i did in burlington. it's a much nicer place too.
Dec 6 2009 8:10PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
Yeah, its pretty crazy. The demand is so high, and UVM isn't really trying to keep kids on campus. A vast majority of this year's freshman class are in triples, and there is nowhere to build new dorms.

Accepting more students + little off-campus housing = $$$$

And the landlords know it. It really pisses me off too, because I really can't stand living in a dorm anymore.
Dec 6 2009 9:40PM
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t-roy
Posts: 4041 - Karma: 52
i was in the dorms (required at my college) for 2 years and have been in apartments for the last 4 years. my financial aid calculates cost of attendance which still includes money to live somewhere, not just tuition. i end up having to take out extra on top of what they give to pay more bills and whatnot. my rent is 400/month. the only think my parents pay for is my car insurance and phone bill. can't wait to be done and start making money.
Dec 6 2009 9:45PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
So grants/scholarships/loans?
Dec 6 2009 9:48PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
Bump...I'd love to hear from those of you that are currently renting in Burlington right now...
Dec 7 2009 9:00AM
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clive_bixby
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 499
you might not even have to take out a loan. get a part time job and budget your money correctly and you should be able to swing rent/bills with relative ease. of course this is based off me guessing you could rent/ pay bills with about 500 dollars.
Dec 7 2009 9:43AM
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802IceCoast
Posts: 23 - Karma: 10
haha yeah burlington sucks, anywhere downtown charges an arm, leg, and your soul. take a look at winnoski area, same distance to uvm campus but a lot cheaper. downside: longer walk to downtown. upside: beverage warehouse is within easy walking distance. Where do you live on campus?
Dec 7 2009 11:25AM
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802IceCoast
Posts: 23 - Karma: 10
ps. if renting downtown, try to get john irish as a landlord. He owns a ton of the places right next to pearl st. beverage and everyone who has had him has only had positive reviews as far as ive heard
Dec 7 2009 11:29AM
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sk1er
Posts: 614 - Karma: 10
i signed up for extra credits and got a student loans then got refunded for a 4 credit class and have been living off the money hahaha. So yes
Dec 7 2009 1:00PM
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Neffer
Posts: 806 - Karma: 38
Dude, you can find housing way cheaper than that. You'll be further away, but nothing is really that far away in Burlington.
Dec 7 2009 2:41PM
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Nicholas.
Posts: 10905 - Karma: 60
it will be covered by your loan, but i owe 8 grand right now just from an apartment i had for a year in Burlington off my loan. Burlington is so shitty, my apartment wasnt even really nice at all and i was paying 945 for a 2 BR.
Dec 7 2009 2:46PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
Farther down the place was $1900 for a much smaller & crappier place. I don't know, I guess I'll keep an eye out on CL for cheaper places...right now I'm just using Champlain Apartments and they're prices are insane.
Dec 7 2009 2:54PM
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doritos
Posts: 7368 - Karma: 53
I'm using leftover school loans from last year to help with rent...so some do. Sort of. If that helps.
Dec 7 2009 2:58PM
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theBOSS.
Posts: 4705 - Karma: 496
Yea dude.. if you can't find somewhere for a little cheaper in Burlington you definitely aren't looking hard enough. I would say the average is definitely $600-$700 (I pay 700, but live literally right on campus), but I know plenty of people paying 400-500 for real nice places that aren't even far from campus.. it's all about looking around.

If you really want to live cheaply, you have to move a little farther away, but even then, if you find somewhere right on a bus route it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

And even paying 700/mo, living off campus is still waaaay cheaper then room and board in the dorms. Make this clear to your parents.
Dec 7 2009 3:08PM
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skinnylove
Posts: 6807 - Karma: 167
I'm heading to uni next year (hopefully, if I get in) and I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to stand dorms either. I guess I should prepare myself to be paying a ridiculous amount of money for rent in an apartment.
Dec 7 2009 3:15PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
I'll admit - I haven't tried hard enough. But what I have found is still $600-700, including places on N. Union and N. Winooski.

I don't mind walking, but my roommates aren't down with a hike. I calculated the cost of my room and board & meal plan, and it comes out to a per month total of about $1000. Granted, this is from Sep. - May, not June - June. I plan on getting an internship back home, so I probably won't live here during the summer. I'll attempt to sublet, but that's a whole other process.

Anyways, I talked to student financial services. Basically, they said that when it comes time to accept my financial aid, I have to accept MORE than the cost of tuition. I will be credited for the difference, which I can put towards rent. I'm still hesitant though, because I won't be receiving that check until the week before classes starts, meaning I would have to pay for the deposit, June, July & August out of pocket.

Time to go back to the drawing board, it looks like.
Dec 7 2009 3:17PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
It's not even that apartments are more expensive than dorms - they're not. But I was afraid that I would not be able to apply my financial aid (grants/loans/scholarships) towards rent...leaving my parents with a $700 check to pay every month, on top of 3 car payments, a mortgage, and loans for myself, older brother and younger sister.
Dec 7 2009 3:19PM
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doritos
Posts: 7368 - Karma: 53
Ahh, interesting that you live in B-Town. Now I can provide a little more insight.

1. Burlington housing is ABSURD. If you aren't willing to pay it, 20 other kids are. Prices are jacked. That being said, you can find decent places... I pay $550/mo for my room in a 5BR right near Centennial. My girlfriend pays $450/mo for her room in a 5BR, 3 bathroom beauty of a home also near Centennial. A lot of it is luck, a lot of it is treating your house hunt like a full time job.
2. Don't look on Willard and Union. Shit's pricey. Look for places that are ~15+ minutes away from campus by foot, and not too close to downtown either. Prime student housing is obviously gonna cost. Location is important, but not the be-all-and-end-all either.
3. If you don't care about living with specific people, I actually have a place for you. I'm moving in with my girlfriend next semester and am therefore subletting my room. As I said, $550/month right near Centennial. I live with four laidback, funny, 420-friendly individuals who are all 21+. We have the badass-est cat you will ever meet. Hardwood floors, nicely furnished, lots of space and seating... pretty legit, my friend. This goes out to anyone reading this thread, obviously, but I'll give priority to you if you want it. If you don't, check Craigslist if you haven't already. It's your best friend.
Dec 7 2009 3:41PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
University of victoria is the same. I am paying $640 a month for a pretty shitty 3 bedroom basesment suite, 10 min drive from campus. They just don't have enough dorms that they are even turning first years away from housing. It sucks it feels like I am missing out on the whole dorm living thing, which would be kind of fun for a while.
Dec 7 2009 3:49PM
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3ski6guy0
Posts: 9201 - Karma: 132
get a job. rent is pretty easy to pay
Dec 7 2009 4:10PM
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doritos
Posts: 7368 - Karma: 53
Not really dude...first of all, getting a job in Burlington right now is a rusty cunt. I applied to roughly four jobs a week, being SUPER persistent with every last one, for about a month in a half with ZERO luck. The only reason I have one now is my mom is good friends with a bartender at Sweetwaters. Secondly, shit is just WAY too expensive... Food is $140/month bare minimum, closer to $200 or more if you want to eat well. Rent is ~$550/month plus utilities, which work out to like $80/month even if you skip out on cable TV, and are very good about lights, heat, etc. I don't, but a lot of people have cars, which are just disgustingly expensive. Then you have day-to-day expenses... going out with friends, the ocassional meal out, beer, weed, random shit... That adds up FAST. So then you have to balance your school and social life with work, so say you work 25 hours a week at a typically minimum wage job, you're making about $160/week, which works out to $640/month. Yeah dude. Rent is real easy to pay. Maybe if your parents pay for your shit. Otherwise, it's literally fucking impossible.
Dec 7 2009 4:35PM
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Neffer
Posts: 806 - Karma: 38
I am paying 350 living in Winooski, and its one of the better places I have lived in.  We are a short walk from a bus stop that takes us downtown.  I don't mind being a bit farther and paying less, but not everybody feels that way.  It is also nice to be able to go home between classes, which is tough being far away. 
Dec 7 2009 5:01PM
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foodisfun
Posts: 5427 - Karma: 287
you right near kampus kitchen or further down?  my TA lives in a 3 person like 3 houses down from KK and it was pretty nice
Dec 7 2009 5:06PM
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Commonwealth
Posts: 3729 - Karma: 11
doritos...thanks for saving me the time.

360guy, you're right. I could get a job. But I'm not going to turn this into a sob story about how much work I have and how I won't be able to balance school/social life/extracurriculars and try to make it seem like my life is hard - it's not. But doritos hit the nail on the head.

Also, doritos, thanks for the offer...I'll keep searching for now, but I'll definitely keep that in mind.
Dec 7 2009 5:11PM
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