Originally Posted by jamescw1234

I actually live at 2000 Main, I can say that it is possible to have more than 2 people in a 2 br apartment (there are a lot of families living here, but it might be different in that situation). If you are interested here though, get on it fast, because as said: these apartments are really nice, and still affordable. The downside is that if there is a place available, they won't hold it until May, it will be available ASAP. You will need to give a certified cheque or money order for last months rent, so be prepared for that. You'll also need proof of income (I had my parents cosign the lease, so if you are not currently working you can do that). But if you want a two br apartment, I'd suggest anywhere in the Main and Whitney area

Can you give me a link to a list of places available at 2000 main? I cant seem to find a list.

Originally Posted by lifesciman1

I cant pay $17,000 for res.. I dont mind living 5./10/.15 mins away. Whats the difference??

...the hell, where'd you get $17000 from? The difference is, you don't socialize with people as much, you don't have a community ready right outside your door to interact with. In my neighbourhood back home, I barely knew any of my neighbours, despite them being right there. Meanwhile, in rez, I know a bunch of people who live on my floor and hang out with them all the time. It's pretty awesome, definitely worth it. I've heard so many people say that they regret missing out on the rez experience.

Originally Posted by Amaryll

...the hell, where'd you get $17000 from? The difference is, you don't socialize with people as much, you don't have a community ready right outside your door to interact with. In my neighbourhood back home, I barely knew any of my neighbours, despite them being right there. Meanwhile, in rez, I know a bunch of people who live on my floor and hang out with them all the time. It's pretty awesome, definitely worth it. I've heard so many people say that they regret missing out on the rez experience.

I dont really mind not having a connection with neighbors...and the pricing is 17k total for everything including tutition, meal plan etc?

I think my first year cost was like 12,000, including res and meal plan etc. The only way I can see it being 17,000 would by in Keyes with a large meal plan 0_o

Originally Posted by crazyfree

I think my first year cost was like 12,000, including res and meal plan etc. The only way I can see it being 17,000 would by in Keyes with a large meal plan 0_o

Wait so how much would life sci cost? Total? It said 17k in my acceptance package but I dot know if they were exaggerating .

Tuition should be ~$5000-$6000...supplementary fees will be another ~$1000. If you live on res you're looking at approx $5000, depending what type of room you get. Average rent around here is $350-$450/month, which does not always include utilities (which can be another $50-60/month). Assuming you pay $400/month for rent+utilities, that works out to $4800 for the year, since most leases are 12 months. Really not that big of a difference...in terms of food, you can cook or buy a ton of campus food whether you live on or off campus. If you want to cook a lot on campus, just get the smallest meal plan...it's not like groceries are cheap, and as long as you use up the basic part of it, the remainder of the money carries over to next year. Plus, if you get a house or apartment, you'll have to buy stuff for it. That will cost more than you'd think.

tl;dr: Just because renting a house/apt doesn't show up on the bill that you pay to McMaster, doesn't mean you can call it negligible.

Originally Posted by nerual

Tuition should be ~$5000-$6000...supplementary fees will be another ~$1000. If you live on res you're looking at approx $5000, depending what type of room you get. Average rent around here is $350-$450/month, which does not always include utilities (which can be another $50-60/month). Assuming you pay $400/month for rent+utilities, that works out to $4800 for the year, since most leases are 12 months. Really not that big of a difference...in terms of food, you can cook or buy a ton of campus food whether you live on or off campus. If you want to cook a lot on campus, just get the smallest meal plan...it's not like groceries are cheap, and as long as you use up the basic part of it, the remainder of the money carries over to next year. Plus, if you get a house or apartment, you'll have to buy stuff for it. That will cost more than you'd think.

tl;dr: Just because renting a house/apt doesn't show up on the bill that you pay to McMaster, doesn't mean you can call it negligible.

$6400 for tutition + $1000 for books etc. + $200/month for rent (sharing a bedroom) = $9800
food is provided by my family..so all i pay is like $10,000. I dont count my daily personal expenses because I would have been spending that anyways, regardless.

Even if you add an extra $500 for utilities I would be saving.

Originally Posted by lifesciman1

$6400 for tutition + $1000 for books etc. + $200/month for rent (sharing a bedroom) = $9800
food is provided by my family..so all i pay is like $10,000. I dont count my daily personal expenses because I would have been spending that anyways, regardless.

Even if you add an extra $500 for utilities I would be saving.

well if food is provided by your family then i agree you would be saving. if, however, you have to go grocery shopping this will inevitably rack up the bills because the two closest grocery stores are also two of the most expensive (fortinos/metro), so while i agree that the res experience would be great, i think off campus seems like a good idea for you. and if you find a place 5/10 minutes away its not really a big deal. but DEFINITELY start looking now, many of the leases are 12 months meaning they start in may, so to get a good house that's close by (i assume these are in demand), you should've starting looking even earlier.

good luck!

u dont save that much living off campus...

Originally Posted by MCHEDDENITE

u dont save that much living off campus...

What did residence cost me first year, over 7 grand? Something like that, I have a 15k line of credit that has nothing left in it (was for first year)... tuition was under 7 for sure.

Residence:
7k+ for 8 months (with an overpriced meal plan)

Off-Campus:
250-500 dollars/month for 8 or 12 months = 2000-4000 for 8 months or 3000-6000 for 12 months.

My own personal food expense:
I'll say about $120 per month for myself, but that is extremely generous. So for 8 months, that's $960 and for 12 months it's $1440

So actually, you save quite a bit if you're not paying 500/month in rent and utilities. I'm living here longer and I pay less.

Off campus is dirt cheap compared to res if you get lucky.
First year res for me was 4700(double room) + 2750 (meal plan) THats like...7k+ right there just for res. And your only in res for under 8 months anyways. And the meal plan is pretty expensive.

my rent for 12months including my utilities comes out to 4500. thats alredy cheaper than the rate for my room in res, plus its my own room to. ANd its for 12months instead of 8. THen food is just whatever you feel like getting essentially or whatever your parents drop off.

Originally Posted by lawleypop

My own personal food expense:
I'll say about $120 per month for myself, but that is extremely generous. So for 8 months, that's $960 and for 12 months it's $1440

Oh my! How do you spend $120 per month?

I do a minimum of $60 per week. or $240 per month

I dont get why people keep recommending res for first year

Is it just because it helps them make friends?

Originally Posted by mfattal

I dont get why people keep recommending res for first year

Is it just because it helps them make friends?

(Potentially) Increased sociability, convenience/location, some people might feel like they're not ready for 2 big changes at once (university and having to live on your own and have real responsibilities), etc..

Oh my! How do you spend $120 per month?

I do a minimum of $60 per week. or $240 per month

I probably spend about 20 bucks a week on food.

It's mostly because of what I don't buy: fresh meats, pop, junk food (off the top of my head)

My biggest expensive is probably the 6pack of canned tuna I buy every week. But asides from that: box of oatmeal (~$4), 6-7 bananas (~$2), carton of eggs (~$3-4 and lasts me well over a week), bag of peanuts (~$3 and lasts me like half a month), frozen veggies (~$6-7 for the whole week), and my 6pack of tuna (~$7)

So yea, a little less than 100 bucks a month, lol.

Originally Posted by lawleypop

I probably spend about 20 bucks a week on food.

It's mostly because of what I don't buy: fresh meats, pop, junk food (off the top of my head)

My biggest expensive is probably the 6pack of canned tuna I buy every week. But asides from that: box of oatmeal (~$4), 6-7 bananas (~$2), carton of eggs (~$3-4 and lasts me well over a week), bag of peanuts (~$3 and lasts me like half a month), frozen veggies (~$6-7 for the whole week), and my 6pack of tuna (~$7)

So yea, a little less than 100 bucks a month, lol.
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Impressive. Yea thinking back, I think I spend a lot on fresh meats and random stuff like Yogurts (gawd so expensive) and Mango Juice.

What do you eat the tuna with? Bread or rice?