What would you do in my situation?

[Jeff]

I have gotten more money in the area of scholarships and grant/financial aid money than I expected. I don't have to pay any of it back, I've been accepted to my university of choice, etc. Here are my options:

1.) Live at home, have my full tuition + books paid for, and still have enough money left over to buy a killer PowerBook (my current PC is kind of falling apart, and I've been going after a PB for quite some time now.)

2.) Live away from home, i.e. in the dorms. Would have nearly full tuition + books + room and board payed for (rest of the cost would be covered by my parents, or more likely money I've saved up.) (would be stuck with my crap PC)

Now, I could probably afford to live away from home and get the PowerBook, but I'd like to have some money left over to save. I would not be moving away from home in spite, as I love my parents dearly. They do a lot for me. However, I experienced living in a dorm environment for a week this summer, and I really liked it a lot. My school counselor (who has helped me immensely in getting all this money, and is extremely involved with getting students into college) says living on campus is a really great way to get connected and networked with people.

All that said, my home life really isn't that bad. I stay here for free in a warm house, get meals and eat food when I want, and my parents let me do whatever I want for the most part (I try to stay out of trouble.) My sister stayed home for her first year of uni, and she didn't go crazy. I've wanted a PowerBook for a long time, but various other expenses have always gotten in the way of that happening. I have a number of friends who take laptops to class, and they say it helps them immensely. So whatever.

What would you do in my situation?

[maggotcontrol]

Get your parents something really nice and show them your appreciation for putting up with all the **** in the past : )

[megadeth]

also...i don't know if I sound like wuss but stay with ur parents. I am from india currently in US for masters..and i know how my parents feel when i am away from home. There's no other comforting place than home.

[maggotcontrol]

As much as I love my folks, living with my parents would've driven me insane. I'm glad I moved out.

[bammbamm]

Tough call, Dorm life gives you a chance to experience a somewhat lop-sided view of what it'll be like when you move out, good and bad. I guess it depends on a couple factors, like your desire to get out of the house and how well you get along with your folks. on the + or - side depending on your perspective, you can get away woth more away from home and experience all the fun school has to offer, but many people abuse it and flunk out, so figure out what you can handle. Do you need some order and structure in your life to keep you focused or can you stand on your own?

BTW, you can build a nice PC for around a Grand, power book is nice, but that is a lot of $ and you might be able to hint at one for a graduation gift.

I enlisted in the army when I was 16, went in as soon as I graduated HS, went to school in the army and then finished up after I got out. I got to see a lot of the world by the time I was 21.

Bamm

[Jeff]

I'm going to ask my parents not to get me anything as a graduation gift -- they've done more than their fair share for me.

I'm not really sure if I could live on my own. I'll never really know until I do it. I'd like to think I could, and I know it's really hard, but I'm fairly independent now (as independent as one can be living at home,) and I think I could survive in a dorm environment. And if I couldn't, well, at least I could say I tried.

Originally Posted by megadeth

also...i don't know if I sound like wuss but stay with ur parents. I am from india currently in US for masters..and i know how my parents feel when i am away from home. There's no other comforting place than home.

I could stay with my parents, but the way you state it, it would be like delaying the inevitable. I'm going to have to move out sometime, so why not make it now?

Originally Posted by maggotcontrol

As much as I love my folks, living with my parents would've driven me insane. I'm glad I moved out.

My parents are nice people, and they let me go and leave when I want. The reason I would move out if I chose to isn't really for independence, but more for the experience. Maybe I'm just ready for some big changes in my life?

Originally Posted by bammbamm

BTW, you can build a nice PC for around a Grand, power book is nice, but that is a lot of $ and you might be able to hint at one for a graduation gift.

Tried the PC arena, and I'm tired of it. I've done my research and tried things out, and I know I want a PowerBook. And as stated before, there's no way I'm going to ask for something that big for graduation.

I don't have to make this decision tomorrow or anything, so I'll just wait for some more advice.

[pawel]

Dorm life is fun, in the first year, but you would probably find that you get tired of it and might want to move out away from the university campus (that depends on where the campus is located though). On the other hand, I think it is a valuable experience to live away from home, in whatever environment, something that having a nice computer does not necessarily compensate for.

[jemsite]

congrats on the scholarships, etc.

killer powerbook should be a non-priority as it does'nt help your studies or your income earrning potential

if you are mature enough, dorm life is a great experience. from experience i can guarentee you that 1/2 the people (or more) doing it are ill-prepared and it screws up their education, social life, bank account and mental development. I would work a few hours a week in college and put 1/2 that $$$ in a savings account for post-graduation not to be touched.

With tuition, room/board outrageously priced, you really need not squander $$$ in school and need to work on having money saved for graduation. Upon graduation when you need to enter the real world cash is king and you $$$$ to start a career, establish a residence, etc.

Good luck... glen

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by jemsite

congrats on the scholarships, etc.

killer powerbook should be a non-priority as it does'nt help your studies or your income earrning potential

if you are mature enough, dorm life is a great experience. from experience i can guarentee you that 1/2 the people (or more) doing it are ill-prepared and it screws up their education, social life, bank account and mental development. I would work a few hours a week in college and put 1/2 that $$$ in a savings account for post-graduation not to be touched.

With tuition, room/board outrageously priced, you really need not squander $$$ in school and need to work on having money saved for graduation. Upon graduation when you need to enter the real world cash is king and you $$$$ to start a career, establish a residence, etc.

Good luck... glen

So PowerBooks and other goodies aside, from a monetary standpoint, would you say it's worth it to live in dorms? (assuming I'm mature enough to handle it.)

[SwirlJem]

Hmmm... if I totally ignore my fatherly instincts (yes, I have an 18 year old at home about to graduate) then the best advice as a PC site support person (My job) would be this...

Any hardware you buy today will, in fact, be considered by most normal folks to be an antique anywhere from 18 to 36 months from time of acquisition/deployment. Sure there are companies out there with 4 yr depreciation cycles but the reality is hardware ages so quickly and what we thought is new and cool today is a piece of junk tomorrow.

Maybe I have a jaded view of things but "needing/wanting/acquiring" new equipment doesn't cure a problem, it only postpones it. Seems to be an endless cyle IMHO, perhaps that's as it was intended to be.

Not much help I know, just my humble opinion of the computer world.

Best of luck in your future endeavors

[Jeff]

Just to clarify a bit more, my first year would be the only year my parents would let me stay home for free. So if I don't live in the dorms this year, next year will definitely be dorms or an apartment/house somewhere.

[jemsite]

"worth it" is not a good question. financially speaking if you can handle it and put some savings aside then dorm life is "worth it".

it's not worth taking out $16k loans to experience "dorm life" (ie. $4k year/ room board - it might be more). it's not worth going broke over. But dorm life vs a "new powerbook" i'd take dorm life 10x over and disconnect from the 'net.

i think the experience of "dorm life" is second to none at that age, but at the same time it offers pitfalls and traps that could flunk you right out of college and ultimately life.

to be honest, if i had a kid in HS i'd probably require them to live locally with a possible stipulation of going away but maintaing a certain GPA.... but i'm 15 years away from those decisions ...glen

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by jemsite

i think the experience of "dorm life" is second to none at that age, but at the same time it offers pitfalls and traps that could flunk you right out of college and ultimately life.

Could you give me some examples of what *NOT* to do? I know the obvious is "partying all the time, no parents around to tell me no," and then never studying, but in what other ways have you seen kids screw up their education and/or lives through dorms?

[pawel]

My personal experience: I left home at 18 to go to school 7000 kilometres from where my parents live. Living in dorms the first year helped me to meet some people, make some contacts, adapt to the new environment. However, I founds that after the first year I wanted to move away, I was sick of being around students all the time and wanted to see some of the city outside of the student ghetto.

If I had a choice to live with my parents or love 4 years in dorms, it would be a tough call. I love my parents, but I like living on my own or with roommates. In the end I would say go for the dorms, it's the thing to do in the first year, and you can always move away. If you don't do that first year in dorms, you would never get a chance to experience it again...

[jemsite]

your parents "rent" rate would probably be alot cheaper than an appt or dorms, but since it's not free that tips the scales.

partying all the time is sort of the obvious thing, but in dorms you could have a collection of kids with no academic goals... sitting around all night and weekend... no studying, no supervision, no motivation except to not flunk out and go back home. getting caught up as a freshman with some chick you think you need to marry. LOL. essentially ANYTHING that takes away from the focus and purpose of being there. Don't get me wrong, there are ALOT of good times to be had, but in moderation and at the right time.

Nowadays you need some role-models around so depending on the school and individual, this is not always available. The largest pitfall is wasting 1-2 years and $20-30k at school, having no major, a C-average and essentially wasting most of the time/credits... glen