I sign the lease to my first apartment in just a few weeks!

I'd like to say thanks to the US government for allowing me to go in debt so I can live independently and not be forced to live with a random person in a dorm on campus.

is it cheaper to study abroad than doing this US student loan thing?

(south africa for example is cheap and has good universities)

@heyheni Probably. But it's not for me.

I'm also only having to take out loans for my apartment and food. All my tuition is covered by grants and scholarships.

But living in an apartment is cheaper than living on campus. My apartment is $590 and another $100 for electricity and internet (cable and landlines are obsolete). That's $690 a month. 12 month contract makes it $8,280. A dorm on my campus is $3,600 a semester, so $7,200 a school year. But here's where they'll get you. If you live on campus, you HAVE to get a meal plan. There's only 2 options for those who live on campus: one is $1,600 a semester (plus taxes) and the other is $1,700 semester (plus taxes). So even taking the cheap route, I've got to pay $3,400 (tax is roughly $100) a year. So we're now at $10,600 a year, just to live on campus.

I'm a mile away from the campus, so it's close enough I could walk or ride a bike. And I'm saving money, because I don't eat a lot or very expensively. Not to mention, I can stay in

in the apartment during the summer, but I can't stay in the dorm during the summer.

It's a win/win in my eyes. The apartment is cheaper and I'm alone.

good luck! 🙂

@heyheni I'm getting a degree that's not actually useless *compared to other degrees* so getting a job that pays well enough should make it easy to pay my loans off.

There's a company that has a satellite office half an hour from my house, and the pay is amazing compared to the cost of living here. If it's still there when I graduate, I'll try and get a job and live as cheaply as possible, pay my loans off in a few years, then move into a city of my choice. Planning ahead and being realistic is something I enjoy being able to do lol

But thanks dude!