Parents of College Class of 2018 (A.K.A., "Is this the line to the poor house?")

[mom2rtk]

Never mind my DD, I want to go to college! What school is that? Add my DD to the "prison cell" dorm crew.

Forget the dorm room. I just want a meal plan!

 

[disneymom2one]

Have to agree ... that dorm room looks incredible.

Our daughter moves in a week from Friday. One good thing - no hall bathrooms anywhere on campus. Each room (two students to a room) has its own bathroom. We drove over today (it's an hour away) to deal with some financial aid issues and buy her books. Books were actually somewhat reasonable. The student in front of her had a $1200 total. Her total was about 1/3 of that and she bought everything from the bookstore, used when she could. I was pretty happy as we spent a lot this summer - probably more than I anticipated but she's our only one, with special needs, and I really wanted her at least be pretty comfortable in her dorm room.

We took a short trip to the Georgia mountains last week and it was wonderful and are spending this week trying to do some extra things with her in between getting ready for our own students (we start class two days before she moves in and we both have crazy schedules this semester).

Move in day is a long one at her college. We can move her in as early as 8:00 (and we've been told people line up much earlier than that). I imagine it'll take several hours (and she'll be meeting her roommate for the first time although they have texted and coordinated things). I thought we would head out after that but there are two events that afternoon/evening that parents are encouraged to attend (a university wide convocation and an honors induction ceremony). We'll probably stay for both but I know it'll be a long day for her - and for us.

One exciting thing - her autism program was featured in an article on Forbes.com. I have no clue about Disboard rules anymore so I won't post the link but it was a good, positive article and she was excited to see that.

 

[Bluestars]

disneymom2one, it is cool that her autism was featured in the article.

IDodis, that dorm room looks wonderful! My son's room will be nothing like it. They have bathrooms down the hall and I think the rooms are very small.

My son leaves in four days to go to the freshman camp. Then my husband and I are driving his vehicle out there next week and will help him move into his dorm. He will meet get a roommate on the day he moves in.

I think we've finally go everything he needs to take with him. It's hard to believe that the day is almost here. Thankfully, we will be going to his school at the end of the month for an event with the Corps of Cadets. I am really looking forward to that.

 

[pigletto]

I am lurking on this thread because dd will go away to University next year and I'm already in planning mode. But I couldn't stay a lurker when I saw that dorm room. Where is your dd going .. the Hilton? Seriously, it makes me want to post pictures of the dd's top choice school dorms. $7000 for res fees to share a room with cinderblock walls with 2 or 3 strangers for 8 months. And you have to have a certain average to even be guaranteed a room! No way am I ever showing her that!! It's awesome!

 

[IDoDis]

I am at some of the posts on DD's dorm! No, it's not the Hilton, although DH and I joke and call it "The Suite Life..." like the old Disney TV show where Zach and Cody live in a ritzy hotel. DD is going to UNM. I have to admit though that before this newer dorm and new off-campus housing (apartments and cottages) were built within the last few years, this school was ranked dead last in dorm quality by the Princeton Review in 2011. Good thing things have changed.

If you think DD's dorm is nice, take a look at this off-campus housing community close to her school. Talk about college kids living in the lap of luxury for $600 a month!
http://www.thecottagesofnm.com/cottages/photos/

We felt it was best for DD to live on campus for the first year or two. Maybe by her junior year she will move to the cottages or to an apartment. For now, I think of it like staying on-site at Disney vs off-site. Off-site gives you more space, but when you stay on-site, you get the full experience. Also,the environment is more controlled when living on campus as opposed to the off-campus housing which can be a huge party 24/7.

Best of luck with all of the upcoming move-ins! It was a fun but exhausting day!

 

[pigletto]

I am at some of the posts on DD's dorm! No, it's not the Hilton, although DH and I joke and call it "The Suite Life..." like the old Disney TV show where Zach and Cody live in a ritzy hotel. DD is going to UNM. I have to admit though that before this newer dorm and new off-campus housing (apartments and cottages) were built within the last few years, this school was ranked dead last in dorm quality by the Princeton Review in 2011. Good thing things have changed.

If you think DD's dorm is nice, take a look at this off-campus housing community close to her school. Talk about college kids living in the lap of luxury for $600 a month!
http://www.thecottagesofnm.com/cottages/photos/

We felt it was best for DD to live on campus for the first year or two. Maybe by her junior year she will move to the cottages or to an apartment. For now, I think of it like staying on-site at Disney vs off-site. Off-site gives you more space, but when you stay on-site, you get the full experience. Also,the environment is more controlled when living on campus as opposed to the off-campus housing which can be a huge party 24/7.

Best of luck with all of the upcoming move-ins! It was a fun but exhausting day!

Those cottages are something else!!!
It would seem being ranked dead last for dorms really put a fire under them!

I completely agree with you about dorms being best for some kids the first year. Some are ready to leap into adult life but others (like my daughter) really need that interim step between home and living on her own. She'll meet people easier on campus, and have that time to grow a bit before she's responsible for all the aspects of living on her own. I definitely think it's worth the cost. I just can't help but roll my eyes a little at $750 a month for two roommates in a closet together. But, it's going to be an important first step to independence for my daughter and I think it's integral to her success to not be overwhelmed that first year.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

WOWSERS!!! Those cottages are AMAZING! I can't believe they're only $600 a month. I want to move in there. And I can't believe how much DD's college charges for room & board compared to other schools. DD's housing contract for the year is $11,298! Fortunately, she got a scholarship which covers housing and tuition or I'd be quite upset seeing these luxury accommodations for much less.

 

[elgerber]

WOWSERS!!! Those cottages are AMAZING! I can't believe they're only $600 a month. I want to move in there. And I can't believe how much DD's college charges for room & board compared to other schools. DD's housing contract for the year is $11,298! Fortunately, she got a scholarship which covers housing and tuition or I'd be quite upset seeing these luxury accommodations for much less.

Wow, that is nuts! Are the dorms at least really nice?

 

[Gina]

Holy crow... I wish my "cottage" that I call home was even close to as nice as those!! Those are really amazing. And a waste on young people who can't appreciate it.

The dorm of your DD, IDoDis, looks so similar to the one my DS moves into next week, I almost wonder if they were designed by the same company?? The kitchen and the room itself looks just so similar... aside from that half-divider, though, which I think is such a great idea!

Oh, and I have got to quit calling them dorms... They keep adamantly telling us that dorms don't exist anymore -- these are "residence halls." Still haven't figured out the difference, but they keep correcting everyone! Lol..

Whatever they're called, they have come a long way. I *loved* dorm living, but mine was like a big old house with all the "quirks" that go along with an old building. DS's residence hall is nicer than pretty much any place I have lived! I keep threatening him that I'm going to sneak into the lobby to play video games on the ginormous big screen TV. And my lazy washer/dryer has never once texted me to tell me my clothes are done, like the ones there do!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Wow, that is nuts! Are the dorms at least really nice?

Not really. She is in the newest (and nicest, according to her) building on campus but the dorms reminded me of a hospital ward -- cinderblock construction, very basic finishes, cheap office type furniture in the common areas and rooms.

I realize how important it is for her to be in the dorms (and her scholarship covers all 4 years as long as she maintains a 3.4 GPA), but I would seriously balk at paying that sum myself if I had to for such basic accommodations.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

And tomorrow is the big pack up. Friday is move in day for my sons college - 4 hours away from us.

He will be in a simple 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom dorm room - each room has 2 people in it so it's 4 boys to a bathroom.
Hope it will work out well.

He never contacted his room mate so we have no idea what this other boy is planning on bringing - and doesn't have contact info for the boys in the other room either so they could end up bringing way too much stuff for that one bathroom (4 shower curtains and garbage cans). LOL

And my son hasn't looked into books for his classes either. It's going to be interesting when school starts on Monday that's for sure.

 

[mom2rtk]

And tomorrow is the big pack up. Friday is move in day for my sons college - 4 hours away from us.

He will be in a simple 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom dorm room - each room has 2 people in it so it's 4 boys to a bathroom.
Hope it will work out well.

He never contacted his room mate so we have no idea what this other boy is planning on bringing - and doesn't have contact info for the boys in the other room either so they could end up bringing way too much stuff for that one bathroom (4 shower curtains and garbage cans). LOL

And my son hasn't looked into books for his classes either. It's going to be interesting when school starts on Monday that's for sure.

It will be fine. That's pretty typical for a guy just entering college. It would perfectly describe my son's experience last year except he's not in a suite.... his bathroom is down the hall. I think he likes it that way because someone else comes in and cleans it.

Good luck getting him settled.

 

[NotUrsula]

WOWSERS!!! Those cottages are AMAZING! I can't believe they're only $600 a month. I want to move in there. And I can't believe how much DD's college charges for room & board compared to other schools. DD's housing contract for the year is $11,298! Fortunately, she got a scholarship which covers housing and tuition or I'd be quite upset seeing these luxury accommodations for much less.

That's $600/mo PER PERSON. I have a good friend who works for the company that builds and manages them. Each resident has a separate lease, even though the apartments are shared.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

That's $600/mo PER PERSON. I have a good friend who works for the company that builds and manages them. Each resident has a separate lease, even though the apartments are shared.

I would happily pay $600/mo PER PERSON. DD's housing contract works out to just over $1,400/mo PER PERSON and her place looks like a prison compared to the cottages.

 

[PlutoPony]

I would happily pay $600/mo PER PERSON. DD's housing contract works out to just over $1,400/mo PER PERSON and her place looks like a prison compared to the cottages.

That's an insane amount of money for a college dorm . Is this by any chance at a big city (i.e. NYC) school in the heart of the city where real estate goes for top dollar?

 

[Happy Snowman]

Those dorms are TOO nice . Reality will hit when they graduate and have to live in an apartment for the first time

 

[Gr8t Fan]

That's an insane amount of money for a college dorm . Is this by any chance at a big city (i.e. NYC) school in the heart of the city where real estate goes for top dollar?

Chicago - UIC - just outside downtown Chicago.

 

[scrapquitler]

That's an insane amount of money for a college dorm . Is this by any chance at a big city (i.e. NYC) school in the heart of the city where real estate goes for top dollar?

My daughter's dorm (New Haven CT, prisonlike double, bathroom down the hall, at least the building is air conditioned, unlike many of the other dorms on campus) PER SEMESTER: room fees: $3435. meal plan (mandatory) $2536.50 that's $351. per week. that's more than tuition.

 

[IDoDis]

That's $600/mo PER PERSON. I have a good friend who works for the company that builds and manages them. Each resident has a separate lease, even though the apartments are shared.

Yes, $600 per person, not per house. I assumed everyone knew that, but I should have clarified. Each cottage has 5 or 6 bedrooms and each private bedroom has a private full bathroom. They have granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, too. It costs $30 extra to rent bedroom furniture. I think living room furniture is included in the price.

Gina, this might very well be the same company. I looks up their communities online and there's one at Texas A&M!

DD's dorm is $4999.00 for a 10 month lease. The food plan is pricey though -- $1900 a semester for the freshman required plan which is all you can eat and it!'s open 24/7

The school really got us on books though! The professors require custom books you can't rent online and if bought used, one still has to buy the online code which when added to the used price (if one can find a used custom version) costs almost as much as buying the book and code new. Some professors may say the code isn't needed, but I didn't want to risk her not having her books. The used ones were all sold out anyway. I should have bought them sooner. The man at the off-campus bookstore where we bought the books and saved some money compared to the on-campus bookstore said that the books freshman have to buy usually are custom books, but that goes away in subsequent years as the class sizes get smaller. I think it's a way for the school to just make more money with these custom book requirements.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Yes, $600 per person, not per house. I assumed everyone knew that, but I should have clarified. Each cottage has 5 or 6 bedrooms and each private bedroom has a private full bathroom. They have granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, too. It costs $30 extra to rent bedroom furniture. I think living room furniture is included in the price.

Gina, this might very well be the same company. I looks up their communities online and there's one at Texas A&M!

DD's dorm is $4999.00 for a 10 month lease. The food plan is pricey though -- $1900 a semester for the freshman required plan which is all you can eat and it!'s open 24/7

The school really got us on books though! The professors require custom books you can't rent online and if bought used, one still has to buy the online code which when added to the used price (if one can find a used custom version) costs almost as much as buying the book and code new. Some professors may say the code isn't needed, but I didn't want to risk her not having her books. The used ones were all sold out anyway. I should have bought them sooner. The man at the off-campus bookstore where we bought the books and saved some money compared to the on-campus bookstore said that the books freshman have to buy usually are custom books, but that goes away in subsequent years as the class sizes get smaller. I think it's a way for the school to just make more money with these custom book requirements.

We've always waited until the kids have had class before buying books. There are so many times a book is on the list and it never gets used. Our DD just got an email that she doesn't need to buy the $150 lab book for Physics . Her chem book is listed at $500 ...but it turns out the book is only about 1/2 of that, the rest is for equipment and such, so she got the book used from a friend for $50 and luckily didn't need an online code for this one. Also, the custom books generally are modified "real" books that maybe the prof has chapters that they don't cover removed and we've found they ALWAYS say you can use "this" version and here are the page changes...

With Amazon Prime and the other online book store places, generally they have their books within 2 days and they have never had an issue with getting a copy of an assignment, using a copy of the book in the library or whatever for that first class....and rarely even need the books for the first class or two. Second semester last year our son spent $30 on books....mostly because his classes 2nd semester used the same books from 1st semester (math and CS), but if we had gone with what was posted online as "required" books, it would have been about $500....none of which he really needed to buy. We are on year 9 of having kids in college so we've done this for a while....