I'm in grade 12, and I'm hoping to get into SFU or UBC (I'm liking SFU better though =P).

I've been wanting to move out away from my parents for a while now (family problems...) and I was wondering how are the dorms at SFU and UBC? I'd really, really, really like to either pick my roommate (probably not possible, I'm guessing) or live in my own dormroom. I like my privacy and it'll be hard to know if my future roommate will respect that unless I already know them. I also really need my peace and quiet... I hope dorms in university isn't like in the movies were there are drunken parties every night.

Would living in an apartment be better? Is the apartments near SFU cheaper than UBC? I'm hoping to live alone or with my two friends (but they aren't as independant as I am and may not be able to leave without thier parents' permission)...
What about renting the basement of a house? My friend said it would be a better idea to live with a nice family that would help us out before me and my friends move into an apartment. In my house we used to have some college boys renting our downstairs place (they were loud though...)

I'm really hoping to move out as soon as I can, but my friends want to see how things go first. Wait a year before moving out. I kind of want to move after first semester if possible, since the system is different from high school, courses end in 3 months, not 9. So my friends wanting to see what a year at university is like is not much different than what a semester at university is like, right?

Opinions, stories, rants, whatever is greatly appreciated! Thanks.

i don't know how most of you will feel about this but imo especially if you're asian, kids who do move out realize it's better at home after a while (economically) and move back. every single person i've known that have moved out when they were young moved back home until they were much older before they moved out. it's not as easy as it sounds unless you've got a really good paying job or bank of mom/dad. it's all about budgeting and when you're barely an adult, it's not easy. if you do choose to take the step, move out with a bunch of friends, it'll be cheaper that way.

you miss out on a lot if you live at home - but you save money but you kinda stagnate as a person

you miss out on a lot of college stuff that is part of the experience

its only a short time in the scope of life and you learn a lot of life lessons by living on your own

its only a few years and you must live very poorly and scrape by so you learn to budget and all that - stuff they can't teach you in school

its hard to get into the dorms at school if your home is in the Vancouver area - so that might not be an option - but the schools have housing offices where you can find cheaper rents - basement suites are great money savers

I wouldn't move out if I were you. you got school to worry about. I don't think you wanna add more stress. and wouldn't you like to come home to see food already made for you? what if you decided to drop out. your choice.

yup agree with candy

i would NOT move out at your age, unless your parents are willing to pay for your place to stay. it's expensive and difficult, especially during first year in university. trust me, you take a LOT of things for granted when you live at home.

not sure about the apartments near SFU, but the dorms for first years are TINY, especially if you get placed in the towers. tiny ass rooms, i swear to god.

if i were you, i'd just mooch off and live with my parents until after university or until i can financially support myself (which won't be for a while)

I'm staying at home for 2 years..then undecided after that. My whole program will take 4-5 years so I might not move out til after I finish it entirely

sfu dorms for freshmen (the towers) are so so so tiny. you get a tiny bed (it's like kids size i swear, just longer) a small closet, and a table. that's it. you share bathrooms and you have a common TV room with a microwave.

it's expensive too, around 1300(??) a semester, plus you have to pay for the meal plan and internet (both mandatory). having the meal plan is absolutely useless, food is crappy and expensive. since sfu is up on the mountain, you don't have any choice but eat chartwell's or live off cup noodles and microwavable foods

my commute to sfu is 2 hours each way yet i'd rather do that than live in sfu dorms.

if you have the money, you can buy/rent an apartment/ studio in univercity in sfu. i crash at my friend's univercity apt. on nights i get out of class late

not trying to discourage you or anything, but beware!

Sfu is apparently not a fun place to live. Not much community or anything. Sfu also has the worst rated food in Canadian universities!

I have always wanted to move out ever since I graded from hs and I still do! Now I'm 20 and I have no idea how I would deal with it. Currently I am living in my parents basement and paying $300/month. I was suppose to be "locked" down here but I still always go up and eat their food. It'll be really hard if you want to work and go to school. I am working and schooling right now and it's great to just go home and eat. Seriously if you thinking about moving out would be good make sure you can rent with people you can stand. Also stuff you will need instead of just "rent" ie. laundry, food, transit, phone bill, entertainment, hydro, schooling+books etc... it adds up even if you get a cheap place. You will most likely have to have a full time job to be able to do it or be very thrifty!

I've talked to my coworkers (most are older) and they do not reccommend it, because you can be savign that money for the future. AND thinking about it... you do save alot looking at it on a yearly bases.

Yea as long as your parents don't want or expect you to move out right away might as well stay home
unless there's something that's really pushing you out

haha, i'm one of those people that moved out the second i got the chance to. i'm actually attending school an hr away from home and my parents pay for my rent and i'm grateful for that. really, i am lmao. because i know how hard it would be to work ur ass off just to pay the rent here and going home late..cooking ur own dinner. hell, i don't even have to 'work' yet i still can't find time to cook once i get home& im just so goddamn tired. but i'm loving every second of it..so much more freedom<3 i still come home every once& a while though.

and whaaat?! i saw that it's around $1300/semester to live in the dorms at your college? WTF..the dorm at college is roughly $7,000/semester!!

If you move out, the cost is around $7000 (including tuition) for two terms. This isn't including food, laundry, day-to-day living expenses, etc. UBC dorms for first-years are TINY. You can request to live in a single dorm, but if you sign up for a double room (which is cheaper), you don't get to pick your roomate unless you have a friend going and the two of you request to be roomates. Or if you already know a person and want to be that person's roommie and that person wants to be your roomie as well.

I don't live on campus yet, but I'm planning to move on campus when I do my post-graduate studies. Older students get to sign up for a townhouse :D.

I don't think you'd miss out on a ton of the university experience as UBC and SFU are primarily commuter schools anyway.