And I’ve had a productive day.
The first thing I did when I woke up was visited the Office of Residential Life. I spoke to Ben, the guy I had been corresponding back and fourth with. He apologized for his email last night, wherein he told me I could move in on the 19th. This was problematic as band camp starts on Wednesday (the 12th) for me. This was also problematic because my lease expires tomorrow. Well, apparently, Ben did not have his early arrivals list in front of him when he sent me that email, so I am all set to move in tomorrow at 2pm.
I’m happy to get back into campus housing. Living off-campus this summer makes me wonder even more why some people fight ResLife tooth and nail to get authorizaiton to live in off-campus housing. It’s normally discouraged and almost never approved. To the school, “resdiential college” means “you need to live on campus all four years”, but this deeply offends some and they spend countless hours of time, energy, and rage fighting to get off-campus. Now, if you’re from the area originally, I understand. But there’s not a whole lot of housing options within the city of Albion for it to be practicial. Oh, sure, in a few cases, people are better off. One person I knew was as good as homeless when she went home so she got off-campus to have permanent residence. And then there is the odd person who simply does not think they should be made to live with anyone else and have to pay extra for a single. But for the apartment I got for the summer, which was a two-bedroom apartment that we put three people in, was $525/month. Plus utilities, which are expensive in Albion. For a nine-month school year, this would equal out to, if I was living in this apartment by myself, $4725. Let’s say utilites were $900, even though that is a conservative estimate. $5625. Not to mention paying for laundry at the laundromat because most places don’t have facilities. Oh, and cable and Internet – I think that $900 would just be basic utilities. Yowza. But for approximately that $4725 per school year (which I am eligble to pay for with student loans, scholarships, grants, etc – which I wouldn’t be permitted to pay for an off-campus apartment with), I live in campus housing, have all of my utilities, including a rather generous cable package and Internet, taken care of.
But, you know, whatever works for some people. I’m not saying it’s not totally a bad idea, but for my finances (student loans and part-time on-campus job, definitely no time for a full-time job elsewhere in town)
And I realize that Albion is sort of unique, being a “residential college”. If I had gone to a larger school where most people choose not to live in dorms after thier first year, I would more than likely be in an area with more student-oriented housing options locally and it would be more practical, but the case remains that the city of Albion is not really a college town by any stretch of the imagination.
That’s not to say I will never want to get my own apartment or that I will live at my parent’s house until I’m 25, either. I’m sure after this year I will be straining at the leash to go to grad school or work wherever things take me. But I want to enjoy my senior year with my roommates, friends, and cheap utilities.
