Hey guys,
I am very unsure of what to do in this weird and unique situation I put myself into for a good 4 months (Aug 2021 to Dec 2021). I will be graduating with my bachelors in Dec 2021, but the circumstances are different. I was advised by probably my 4th academic advisor to only take 1 course at the university since its my final semester. I have some options but very clueless on which route. I did experience the shared room back during orientation and very much disliked the entire experience, and always had those private rooms on campus every semester. The one class I am taking is only on Tuesday and Thursday in the afternoon. My current options are the following:
1) Drive to and from university on Tuesdays and Thursdays (adds up to 16k miles of highway driving over 16 weeks)
2) Get an off-campus housing with a full 1 year lease and pay arms and legs in rent for each month
My vehicle does take 87 regular gas (required) but 93 premium gas is recommended. Gas prices here are literally touching and surpassing the $3 per gal for regular and $4 per gal for premium. I have an easy understanding that I might have to spend anywhere between $1000 to $1500 in fuel if I go with option 1.
What do you guys suggest?
Advice on final semester of Uni
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datechboss101
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Bubba1
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Re: Advice on final semester of Uni
You do have options, though it's really up to you to crunch the numbers and determine what works best for you versus the cost. For example, Option 3 might be to live at home and do one round trip per week. As in drive out early Tuesday, stay at an inexpensive airbnb or motel on Tuesday/Wednesday nights, then drive home after class on Thursday. That cuts your mileage in half. And if you go the chain motel route, sign up for their frequent stay program, which could reduce your cost even more. Plus it could be cheaper than using campus housing or renting an apartment for a year. Do some research.
Since you're also taking about only 4 months, which is not a long time, Option 4 is if you know some friends that rent a house/apartment near campus, see if they'll let you crash at their place a couple nights per week.
I've had friends crash at my place both during college and after. Friends do that for each other plus it's good practice in networking. But if they do let you do it, don't be a cheapskate, do something nice for them in return.
Option 5 is pricing out campus housing for a semester. You might be surprised that discounts are frequently available including for single rooms, but you would need to negotiate. fwiw, a very close friend of mine had a similar predicament as you back in college. He miscounted his credits and ended up 3 short for graduation. He ended up coming back a full semester taking just one course to graduate in December. Sound familar? He negotiated a heavily discounted single room rate for 3 nights per week, though most weeks he ended up staying 7 nights per week. (this was an off campus university rented facility) My point is if you're considering a real estate career, think of it as an opportunity to practice negotiating.
On a side note, if you plan to keep using your parent's car well beyond graduation, I strongly recommend using the octane recommended by the manufacturer. They spec it for a reason. Yes, it'll probably run on lower octane, but over the long run, it could end up costing you and your parents more in the end with a shorter engine life.
Since you're also taking about only 4 months, which is not a long time, Option 4 is if you know some friends that rent a house/apartment near campus, see if they'll let you crash at their place a couple nights per week.
I've had friends crash at my place both during college and after. Friends do that for each other plus it's good practice in networking. But if they do let you do it, don't be a cheapskate, do something nice for them in return.
Option 5 is pricing out campus housing for a semester. You might be surprised that discounts are frequently available including for single rooms, but you would need to negotiate. fwiw, a very close friend of mine had a similar predicament as you back in college. He miscounted his credits and ended up 3 short for graduation. He ended up coming back a full semester taking just one course to graduate in December. Sound familar? He negotiated a heavily discounted single room rate for 3 nights per week, though most weeks he ended up staying 7 nights per week. (this was an off campus university rented facility) My point is if you're considering a real estate career, think of it as an opportunity to practice negotiating.
On a side note, if you plan to keep using your parent's car well beyond graduation, I strongly recommend using the octane recommended by the manufacturer. They spec it for a reason. Yes, it'll probably run on lower octane, but over the long run, it could end up costing you and your parents more in the end with a shorter engine life.
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datechboss101
- Posts: 934
- Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:01 pm
- Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SL -- RIP
2018 Nissan Kicks SR -- RIP
2019 Nissan Rogue SV w/ Prem. Pack - Location: Orlando, FL
Re: Advice on final semester of Uni
Car is no longer on my father's name for over a year, and I started to pay insurance without any help and also fuel. So technically the latter two is coming out of my pocket since this semester started, not from my parents, so there's that. The vehicle is no longer theirs, but I do plan on buying my mother a car (gonna have to talk my parents into trading that deathbox Rogue eventually) once I get my financials situated. Right now it only has regular maintenance, and once in a while, I do use 93 octane instead of 87. But I believe the octane rating shouldn't matter if the fuel is coming from a top tier fuel station (i.e.: Costco, Wawa, Shell). I was able to achieve the same MPG as the Rogue, with this vehicle having Variable Cylinder Management and manual shifting, on the same stretch of road I achieved on the Rogue.Bubba1 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:24 pmYou do have options, though it's really up to you to crunch the numbers and determine what works best for you versus the cost. For example, Option 3 might be to live at home and do one round trip per week. As in drive out early Tuesday, stay at an inexpensive airbnb or motel on Tuesday/Wednesday nights, then drive home after class on Thursday. That cuts your mileage in half. And if you go the chain motel route, sign up for their frequent stay program, which could reduce your cost even more. Plus it could be cheaper than using campus housing or renting an apartment for a year. Do some research.
Since you're also taking about only 4 months, which is not a long time, Option 4 is if you know some friends that rent a house/apartment near campus, see if they'll let you crash at their place a couple nights per week.
I've had friends crash at my place both during college and after. Friends do that for each other plus it's good practice in networking. But if they do let you do it, don't be a cheapskate, do something nice for them in return.
Option 5 is pricing out campus housing for a semester. You might be surprised that discounts are frequently available including for single rooms, but you would need to negotiate. fwiw, a very close friend of mine had a similar predicament as you back in college. He miscounted his credits and ended up 3 short for graduation. He ended up coming back a full semester taking just one course to graduate in December. Sound familar? He negotiated a heavily discounted single room rate for 3 nights per week, though most weeks he ended up staying 7 nights per week. (this was an off campus university rented facility) My point is if you're considering a real estate career, think of it as an opportunity to practice negotiating.
On a side note, if you plan to keep using your parent's car well beyond graduation, I strongly recommend using the octane recommended by the manufacturer. They spec it for a reason. Yes, it'll probably run on lower octane, but over the long run, it could end up costing you and your parents more in the end with a shorter engine life.
I did look off campus options (where I can park the vehicle on campus and either walk or bike back-and-forth, and they are asking for a 1 year commitment, which is a deal-breaker especially with me staying in this city for 4 months. The other issue is most of my friends did move out of Miami during the pandemic. I did ask if the immediate off-campus housing apartments can do a month-to-month contract or 4 month contract (a semester), but they couldn't. The other city I have to now look at is North Miami Beach, which is closer to another campus, where I can take the bus.
I've been doing Option 3 since I had the 16 Rogue. Just 1 round trip per week.
I am still keeping Option 1 on the table, but added Option 5. Option 3 is 50~50 right now.
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datechboss101
- Posts: 934
- Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:01 pm
- Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SL -- RIP
2018 Nissan Kicks SR -- RIP
2019 Nissan Rogue SV w/ Prem. Pack - Location: Orlando, FL
Re: Advice on final semester of Uni
My prior ignorant self now started staying at Marriott branded hotels. Got a membership with them too so there's a plus that I can use once graduation comes for me later this year.Bubba1 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:24 pmYou do have options, though it's really up to you to crunch the numbers and determine what works best for you versus the cost. For example, Option 3 might be to live at home and do one round trip per week. As in drive out early Tuesday, stay at an inexpensive airbnb or motel on Tuesday/Wednesday nights, then drive home after class on Thursday. That cuts your mileage in half. And if you go the chain motel route, sign up for their frequent stay program, which could reduce your cost even more. Plus it could be cheaper than using campus housing or renting an apartment for a year. Do some research.
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