The Cost of (Student) Living

By: Tanner Holford

November 08, 2007 – Students are given the options of commuting, living in a dorm, or living off campus in a rented apartment. Each of these options has its ups and downs and its costs differences. It’s easy to see from just the numbers that the off campus life does seem to be financially cheaper, but it comes at the cost of living conditions and security, which for some people may be more important then saving some money, while others see the reduction in price worth the conditions that they live in. Most students entering college simply don’t have the money put away to pay for tuition let alone rent and room and board.

Living on campus, students are most likely paying more for a better quality room than someone who is renting an apartment in downtown Albany where the living conditions aren’t being surveyed or maintained by the campus. For the most part dorm rooms are safe with a 24-hour security guard system that both patrol the buildings and the campus to keep the area safe, though some problems have known to occur such as theft and some cases of sexual abuse. The dorms on campus are usually nice quality rooms with painted walls, well-kept flooring and easily accessible utilities such as a washer, and dryer, even though they are usually in constant use. If problems arise students can usually turn to their RA for help when needed to keep the dorms and living conditions in order. The cost for room and board at The College of Saint Rose billing is split up into several different fees. As on average from the Residence life the total cost of living per semester is around $9,393, which involves room and board, a mandatory meal plan, orientation fees, and another charge just labeled “fees”, but when asked what this fee was for maintenance if anything may become damaged or is in need of replacing during the semester.

Cayla Merrill is a resident assistant at Saint Rose. She is currently in her junior year and is in her second year as an RA for the college. Merrill is assigned to Riley Hall where she is in charge of 22 enrolled students who are all female, although this is not the case for all RAs as some buildings are Co-ed. As an RA she is guaranteed a single room, which are rather tiny, as some use to be janitor’s closets, but they are mostly in rather good shape, with clean floors and no holes in the wall or pealing paint. Every year students check into the room signing a form that the conditions in the room were exceptional and by the end of the year the resident sign out stating the condition that the room was left in. For every year that she is invited back as a RA she is guaranteed a room, but if she was just a normal student she may not be guaranteed housing on campus as there are only so many spots, which is usually more then enough students that are applying for rooms. RA’s only have to pay ¾ room and board, which cuts the price from roughly $9,393 down to almost $2,348. Her parents mostly take care of the financials, but she knows that being an RA helps cut down the bill. This also includes her meal plan.

“I really like living on campus, because its convenient and you don’t have to worry about cooking for yourself,” Merrill said. This is another factor for students on the go; not having to worry about cooking or cleaning of dishes after eating can save a lot of time in between classes.

Students who live off campus can’t just swing in to the dining hall swiping a card and have a meal already prepared. They have to worry about cooking for themselves. Merrill doesn’t work during the school semester because of her busy school schedule and activities around campus. She also feels that being on campus makes her more interactive with people and going to more school activities that are offered.

Students only living off campus, but are not living at home, are most likely going to try and find an apartment around the Saint Rose campus. These apartments don’t have a security patrol that goes around and are often located in less then perfect areas.

Matt VanWagner is a Graphic Design major who lives off campus.

“For the house I’m in it’s pretty bad, especially for what I’m paying ($1,350 a month in rent, which is split between him and another roommate),” said VanWagner, “It’s ‘historic’ according to the landlords so that’s why its okay to have the drafty windows, lack of doorknobs, old and falling apart pipes, sinks, and walls. But its is a big place close to campus.”

This price may seem a bit excessive for the conditions, but for some students such as the art majors they need a lot of space to store their supplies and to put their projects. As for food though, VanWagner has a kitchen in his apartment he finds it more convenient that he has the option to either order out or cook something for himself, which is typically costs less than the food plan at school.

Ashly Finke is a Math Education Major that commutes from her house to school. While she does commute she is still able to work 35 plus hours a week. With a 30 minute ride into school she is able to stay at home rent free with her parents.

“I’m pretty lucky my Mom and Dad pay for everything,” Finke said in response to a survey. Most of the commuters that I talked to on campus lived at home with there parents for little to no rent and usually only to pay for their personal expenses.

From a financial standing it seems that living off campus may be the better route depending on your apartment’s rent and how much you need to live: food utilities, cable, internet. The cost for renting an apartment off campus can vary. In a recent survey of 22 students there was a price ranging between $810-$1500 a month split usually between 2 to3 roommates. This didn’t include the students’ utilities, cable/internet, or food. Most of the students surveyed had cable and internet (combined) ranging from $80-$100 monthly, there utilities ranged from about $50-$100 as well, and food ranging from $50-$75 per week. Usually these costs would be split between 2-3 people and the occupants would usually have to rent the apartment for the whole year, or have a possibility of being replaced if other renters became interested.

For comparison though if the student was planning to stay for a year in the apartment with all the expenses listed and only had one other roommate their costs would come to $5,760 to 9,750 for a whole year this is almost the cost of room and board for one semester at Saint Rose. This does come at a cost of poor living conditions, such as leaky pipes, rotting floorboards and less than safe living conditions.

This is just a look into what the college campus financial costs are to students that are trying to get by in such an expensive endeavor. The cost of going to college alone has been steadily increasing over the years due to the advances in technology. In the end the choice of living is up to a student’s personal life, some need more space and an independent schedule, while others may like having a more active campus life with a more regimented plan.