Many schools require freshmen to live in on-campus dormitories. These dorms are a great idea because they allow the students to live on campus for relatively cheap, not have to worry about issues with a bad landlord, and provide a sense of community and security.

I lived in the dorms during my freshman year and absolutely loved it. Sure, they were not necessarily fancy, but they had their perks: I did not have to find a parking spot at my crowded campus, my bed was literally 10 minutes away from my first class, it was cheap, and I became great friends with my roommate. When you look at it this way, it is no wonder that many upperclassmen decide they want to continue living in the dorms after they are no longer required to. But what happens if there are not enough dorms for all of the students who want to live there? Read the rest of this entry »

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In May 2009, a new trend in student housing was raising concern among parents and some students. Now, this trend has been implemented in about 50 schools across the country.

What is this trend? These 50 schools are now allowing men and women to live in the same dorm room.

This trend is called “genderblind” housing and was created to help students feel more comfortable with their living situation on college campuses. The original focus was for “gay, bisexual and transgender students who wanted to live with a member of the opposite sex,” according to the Washington Post.

However, many heterosexual students are taking advantage of the new rule and living with members of the opposite sex whom they are friends with or are romantically involved with.

Read the rest of this entry »

Where are the most expensive dorms in the United States?  According to BusinessWeek, here’s where to find these pricey digs:

1. University of California – Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)

2 Suffolk University (Boston, MA)

3. Marymount Manhattan College (New York NY)

4. Sarah Lawrence College (New York, NY)

5. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)

6. UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)

7. New York University (New York, NY)

8. Eugene Lang College (New York, NY)

9. University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

10. Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY)

Of course, all of these have something in common — huge metro areas with a high cost of living and expensive housing!

If you’re a student at one of these schools, or at a school with similarly expensive housing, should you live in the dorms, or opt out to sharing an apartment?  It depends.  Yes, these dorms are expensive, and it may not be worth it.  On the other hand, you pay for the convenience.  In addition, with the price of commuting, living where all your classes are does save you money, a factor you need to weigh in when deciding how expensive it really is to live in a dorm.

And, of course, you need to look at how much it costs to live in an apartment.  In some areas, apartment living is a bargain, and in other places, it isn’t.

Also Read:

America’s 10 Most Expensive Colleges and Universities

LA Opens Most Expensive School in the Country