Although living on campus isn’t mandatory after freshman year, Residence Life encourages students to continue living on-campus. However, the benefits of living in an apartment outweigh the benefits gained by living on-campus.
The price of living on-campus for a nine month period ranges from $431 per month for doubles in the E-Complex and North Hall to $678 per month in Colonie Apartments. Renting an apartment in Troy can cost substantially less at around $250 per month per person. Residence Life will claim that this amount per month does not include utilities, cable, and internet, but even with those added on the price will be comparable to the cheapest Rensselaer residence hall and most apartments will have much more space than the most inexpensive on-campus residence.
With the exception of the E-Complex and North Hall, other dorms such as Davison Hall, Nugent Hall, and the Quad cost between $583 and $678 per month depending on whether the room is a single or double. Those dorms are close to academic buildings, but off-campus housing with a close proximity to campus can be obtained at a much lower price. Other housing, such as RAHPs, Stackwyk, and Colonie Apartments are located further than some off-campus housing. The cost of living in those buildings ranges from $517 to $678 per month.
Students are required to purchase a meal plan to live in BARH and students living in Davison and Nugent Halls effectively need a meal plan because of the lack of cooking facilities in those residences. The cost of a seven-day-a-week, three-meals-per-day meal plan raises the cost of living by at least $443 per month. Residence Life might make the argument that the meal plan is a convenience offered to students, however, cooking and taking care of oneself is a skill needed after college that should not be exchanged for an expensive $443 charge.
Other factors to consider are this: One does not have to pay for parking at an off-campus residence. During summer and winter breaks, the on-campus student must move to a different room and continue to pay the high rent required by the school, whereas the off-campus student does not.
One gains these benefits in addition to the lower cost of living off-campus, which allows money conscious students to decrease their monthly expenditures significantly. There are no great disadvantages to living off-campus, and any that exist are outweighed by the larger space available, greater privacy, and quietness offered in an apartment. These advantages cause many students to look for apartments, so students must go apartment shopping soon in order to find one for the next semester. If you do choose to enter the housing lottery, keep these issues in mind before signing the housing contract.
