Last week we looked more into what it was like living on campus for students, and as promised this week we look more into off-campus student housing. These places are made to be of more convenience to the student so they don’t have to go out of their way to find somewhere to live but it comes at much too high a cost. With students at Kennesaw State University already paying some outrageous student fees and thousands of dollars in tuition and books, they are expected to be able to fund these living expenses that is most cases are more than a husband and wife pay for a mortgage.
Off-Campus Student Housing: While off-campus housing offers a couple of more amenities to the students, such as pools, hot tubs, tanning beds, gyms and a few other things that are not offered on campus, are they worth the extraneous prices? After talking to a couple of friends who live in these places such as The Blake, Stadium Village, UPointe, UClub and West 22, they pay the same, if not more in most cases to live in these communities. Some people pay as much as $700 a month to live in these places, all for what? Not having to go out and find somewhere they can live while following the laws of Cobb County? Which begs us to question why is it that rent it so much for college students? Isn’t this the time for people in the early adult years to save money and do crazy things? But because of these outrageous prices every month, that essentially drains their bank accounts, they can’t be normal young adults and do crazy things. If a student worked a minimum wage job, $7.25 an hour, for 40 hours a week every week, they would make $1,160 before taxes get taken out. For the sake of this example, let’s just say the evil tax monster doesn’t exist, and you see the full $1,160 a month.
So with everything broken down, and the minimum payments made, the student is left with a negative balance, and that is not including extra school expenses.
"Sometimes it is a tough situation to be in. I don't want to have to ask my parents for money, but I also want to be able to pay for things I need without having to put myself more into debt. By the end of the year, no matter how much I work at my job, I will be lucky to have any money left in my savings account."
Now if I am not mistaken, I don’t even think Superman could do that.
Make sure to keep an eye out for next week's article where we dive into some more money savvy options. Until then, "May the odds be ever in your favor."
