So I’m a Canadian and the whole idea of campus life is for people who moved to different cities or hate their parents and home life. But all my American friends deadass live on campus which is something I only thought was in movies. My question is why unless you moved cities and how y’all afford that?
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Most of the time you are going to a different city, and it is part of the experience. Living away is a big growth experience
Some schools require freshmen to live on campus
From what I’ve seen, living on campus is sometimes a *requirement* by the university for at least the first year. And usually the university isn’t close enough to comfortably commute to.
It’s not common for college students (at least the ones doing the traditional four years starting immediately after high school) to go to school super close to their families. Very few of my high school friends went to college anywhere near their hometown, and those who did attended a school that requires freshmen to live on campus.
Ignoring the satellite campus that doesnt have the classes I want, the closest college is 45 minutes to an hour away from where I live. That’s way further than I want to drive regularly. On top of that, I knew I would never be happy at a school in downtown atlanta or at a big state school like UGA, so my college is actually about 2 hours away from where I live.
Some people do, some people don’t. You have people who live on campus and people who commute (whether still living with their parents or an apartment / home off campus).
Yes, people do move for college as they have the means to and want to experience something new, with the added responsibility of doing so.
There isn’t enough dorms for all students at a college so it’s not like all students live on campus in America. But yes, some do. Same like in Canada.
Nope. I didn’t.
The answer is most people can’t afford it, which is why we’re all drowning in student loan debt. Going away to school is common here, even if it’s just a few hours away, if it’s too far to drive every day then you live on or near campus. There are also lots of “commuter” schools where people live at home instead of on campus.
I didn’t. I attended a state university in my hometown and worked part-time. However, after the first 2 years, my stepmother “facilitated” my move into cheap campus housing.
Fun fact: they’re called state universities because originally the states fully funded them through tax dollars. Tuition was free, or very inexpensive, for state residents. Not anymore.
At my college most students commuted.
I’ve lived in, and navigated universities, in both Canada and the US. As others have already said, money is usually the driving factor for student living arrangements, but there are loans, grants, and pt work available for university students in both countries. I don’t see much of a difference.
The OP makes some unfair generalizations. The dorms are packed full of students who hate their parents, while those with great families live at home after high school? Geez. Nothing is ever that simple.
We have commuter colleges as well. Not everyone goes away for college, but many do. And those that do are going hours away
I don’t know how else to explain that teenagers going into adulthood want more freedom from their parents. Doesn’t matter your relationship.
Grants and scholarships covered good bit of costs. 30 mins trip there and back isn’t worth it when you can’t drive. Better to live on campus
Not all but many do. There is no guarantee of a decent college in commuting distance of your parents’ house, if you are in a good sized metro and have one or a few there’s no guarantee you’ll get into that one in particular or that you won’t get into a better one farther away. We’re not nearly as concentrated as y’all are population wise.
On top of that, given the option, many young people want to get away and start living a bit on their own.
a decent number of universities require freshmen to live on campus. it’s considered an important part of transitioning into adult life & getting entrenched in a college experience.
its a requirement for some universities at freshmen live on campus
It’s part of growing up, we encourage and look forward to the independence of college. Would you rather live with your parents or in a dorm with hundreds of people your age sharing experiences together? It’s…*fun*.
We also don’t all live in cities with universities that offer the programs we’re interested in.
It’s very easy to get loans to pay for college and a generation or more ago, college wasn’t prohibitively expensive. Most of my friends worked summer jobs and part time jobs and graduated with manageable debt, not soulcrushing debt.
>Do you guys really all move out for college?
A minority of students attend universities in their hometown and continue living with their parents. Sometimes it’s because your city has a good school, and you grow up with an emotional attachment to it.
Maybe you weren’t accepted into any other place. Maybe you want to save money, or need to care for your household.
Other times your local uni will be a “commuter school” that might not even have dorms. So the entire student body must drive in, or rent nearby apartments, to attend class.
>how y’all afford that?
It’s a big focus for parents that throughout the entire child’s life they are saving for college. It’s probably one of three big financial goals in American life:
* Save for a house
* Save for your children’s college fund
* Save for retirement
For those that don’t have the cash, there are many student loans available.
The closest college is 50 miles away and driving there through big city traffic would take over an hour. You also have to understand that many kids aren’t fully moved out and spend the summer break back at home.
Washington state is a big state, we have 6 state colleges. Plenty of highschool kids live too far away from a state college to make being a commuter student viable.
Nope, many of us go somewhere local.
| … how y’all afford that?
Many of us can’t afford to go to a private university, that’s what student loans and scholarships are for. My cousin went to NYU, full-ride scholarship, her commute would have been like 3 hours one way. That’s just not reasonable for a college student.
It depends on the school. The college I attended requires all students to live on campus because it’s in a rural area and there’s pretty much no other housing around. The school will sometimes make an exception and allow a student to live off campus, but I think your home has to be nearby. Even professors once had to live within a certain distance of campus if I recall.
On the other hand, many of the students at the university where I work are locals who commute.
Many can’t afford that. I lived with parents.
Most people move cities to go to better schools, or try to be located in a city where they have more earning potential.
It’s not affordable lol. That’s what student loans are for, but the return on investment is significant if you play your cards right.
I moved away from my parents house when I went to college because my college was a little over an hour away and I didn’t want to get up early and drive home at night 5 days a week for 5 years
You answered your own question: We all hate our parents.
Well, most people do move to a different city for college. Even if I had gone to the college closest to where I grew up, I still would have had to live on campus to avoid a very long commute and awkward timing for classes.
The college I did go to actually required all students to live on campus all four years unless their permanent residence was within 10 miles or they had some extraordinary need, like being married with kids or something.
No. I went to a “State School” (UMASS, the public university in Massachusetts), and I went to one close by my house so I didn’t have to ***get fucking robbed*** in paying for room and board in a shitty dorm.
Unlike many of my age cohort, I have *zero* college-debt
If I’d lived with my parents, I’d have had a 2+ hour commute to college each way. There was no 4 year college closer than an hour.
I could either live on campus or off campus, but living with my parents to save money was not practical. You afford it with loans, your parents can afford it without loans, or you don’t afford it.
Many people who live in a city with a major university do live at their parents home. Lots of Las Vegas kids go to UNLV and live with their parents.
Canada doesn’t have a university in every city, so there are plenty of people moving to different cities for school.
The nearest state universities are about an hour away, neglecting a smaller satellite campus. That isn’t a very reasonable commute for a student. I ended up going to a public university about 1.5 hours away. I lived on campus for a year and in the fraternity for the other three years.
Tons of Canadians move out for college. Many study in the US.
College kids can afford it because of student loans. Essentially the government writes you a blank check for university in the US which includes accommodation in most cases.
So college kids can afford it because they don’t have to pay that money off until after graduation.
College is meant to be the first step in an adult life. Some people go to work, the others go to college. But it’s hard to become an adult when you are still living in the same conditions as high school.
Beyond that and the requirement of some colleges that you live on campus, it’s important that students immerse themselves in their studies. The biggest learning for me came in late night studies with fellow students.
No. I went to community college living with my parents and working. I just drove to classes. When I was ready to start a nursing program, I transferred with my job and moved to a different town. I didn’t follow the stereotypical “American college” path. Community college was expensive enough.
Well not every town is a college town or even very close to one. Often times, moving out is a necessity because your college isn’t just up the road like high school was.
Yes. I moved out for college. I think Americans are much more likely to go to college away from home. And “the college experience” is as much about the independence, the social life as the education.
Of my high school graduating class of 360 people, maybe 10-12 stayed in the metro area and even then all lived on campus to get the whole college experience and not have an hour commute.
All of us don’t, no. I wish I had, or that I’d gone to community college first and sooner.
Some do, some don’t. There are plenty of commuter schools, plus people with family in college towns