Arizona State University ASU housing in Tempe

ASU: Dorms, Apartments, Houses?

College students face new challenges every day, and they must make choices they have never had to make before.  Arizona State University ASU housing in Tempe is one of those choices.  Many times early on in the students’ college career this choice is made for them.  Parents either want their student to live at home or live in the dorms.  I won’t go into factors  that influence this decision with the exception of one, safety.

Parents have fears about their children growing up and going off to college.  At the top of that list is the parents’ concern that their son or daughter is safe.  This concern is the main force why most freshman live on campus in the dorms or at home with their parents.  These two options provide the most supervision and least amount of ability to get into too much trouble.  Arizona State University has a history of being a party school.  Many of these parties are thrown in student housing.  Here is a great article from azcentral.com that talks about this very problem.

Click Here For AZCentral.com Article

The article highlights many of the negative aspects, but does not talk about the positives.  Here we will look at both pros and cons of dorms, apartments, and rental homes.

Dorms

Dorm rooms are a great way to get the college experience for many students.  Dorms allow students to meet a lot of new people and experience new things.  This type of living is usually mutually beneficial for students and parents.  Students get the freedom of being away from home, while the parents have comfort of knowing their student has some supervision and rules.  However, some dorms can be old and relatively dirty.  Dorms can also have some inconveniences such as coin operated laundry, laundry off site, community bathrooms, and no privacy.  Roommates can be a problem, especially since you have them in your room as well as the common areas.  In terms of finances, dorms will be money paid just like rent on an apartment.  Dorms may or may not be cheaper than apartments.  Check with the school to determine costs.

Apartments

Apartments provide more freedom and privacy than dorm rooms.  There is next to no supervision, and in most cases students are not sharing a bedroom with other people.  Students also have a little more control over who they live with.  Apartment building come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are resort like with many units, others are small and grungy, and there is almost every combination in between.  Some apartments seem to be very popular with college students.  Some are advertised or endorsed by the university and some aren’t.  As referenced in the AZCentral.com article above, just because it is being advertised by the school does not necessarily mean that the complex is good…or safe.

Safety at college apartment complexes can be a major concern.  Instead of all of these students being spread out and partying separately, they are all together and things can get out of hand.  Lots of alcohol and in some cases drugs plus thousands of students can lead to serious problems.  This is not a concern at all complexes and there are plenty of benefits to apartment living.  Many apartments have plenty of amenities such as, tennis courts, resort style swimming pools, clubhouses, fitness centers, sand volleyball courts, outdoor TVs, and the list goes on.  Rent is paid to the complex and no equity can be had.

Houses

Houses can be similar to apartments if the student rents in terms of finance.  However, if done correctly, money can be made or the student’s living expenses can be drastically reduced.  I will get into that later.  Houses offer more space and separation from other roommates.  Many college students like houses over apartments for this reason.  Houses can accommodate more people which makes them better for entertaining, student groups, and other events.  Houses, however, generally need more upkeep with cleaning and yard work.

If the student or their parents can purchase a home, this is the best method for the student’s college experience and the financial improvements for the family.  If acquired properly, bedrooms rented for the correct amount, and sold correctly, money can be made.  This can be a win-win situation for everyone.  How this can generally be done is found can be found here.  For detailed information on Arizona State University ASU housing in Tempe contact William Morris at Re/Max Omni Consultants at (602) 740-1900.