Am I wasting money?

Question

I'm getting my bachelors degree at the moment. I have been living on campus for a semester, and it costs about $4500, meal plan included and all other fees, tuition is separate. I live about 40 minutes from home. If I was to drive everyday it would cost me $2500 a semester because of gas. I go to school everyday and for three days out of the five I stay until 5:30P.M. I begin at 8:30am. Am I wasting my money if I do this again for the next year and a half. I took out loans to pay for this. If I traveled everyday I would be working all the time just to pay for the gas. What should I do?

Answer 1

yea

Answer 2

You should live on campus.  You have done good by calculating how much you would spend in gas money, but also consider you will need oil changes more frequently, and other routine maintenance, what happens if your car brakes down, would this mean you would miss class until your car is repaired and where would you get the money for the repairs.  Also, you have to consider your meals, if you would be on campus all day, would you purchase a commuter meal plan or eat lunch out everyday or buy groceries to pack your lunch.  When you add up the cost, it is about the same to stay on campus, plus you will most likely stay more focused on school, have campus resources at your finger tips and get more involved in your campus community, which will lead to a mroe impressive resume after you graduate.  Commuting is a great option for students who live a little closer, but with you being about 40 min. away, I don't think you would save any money, and you would miss out on things, so stay on campus.

Check with your financial aid office to see if you can qualify for any more scholarships or grants.  Also, check with residence life to see about being an RA or equivalent.  Often students that serve as RA's get free or discounted housing, and again more to add to the resume.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You should live on campus, and not drive! Gas prices are going through the roof, plus, you're wearing down your car. Not driving every day is good for the earth, too.

Answer 4

Live on campus and give up driving to school. That extra hour or two can give you more study time, more social time and mingling with other students. All of this combined is the college experience. There are many of us who will continue to pay the horrendous prices for gas.