Janda 1

Michael Janda
Mrs. Barth
English 12 Period 2
4 September 2016
Student Life
Introduction
College is an extremely exciting time in a students life, however it is also one of the
most stressful. They are providing for themselves for the first time in their life and must create a
plan for the future. The school I would like to attend is Arizona State University. Since I was a
kid, I have followed ASU sports and have become a very big fan of the school. In addition, a few
of my family members have attended and have talked only of good experiences.
Housing Information
Housing is an important part of college life, and also one of the most expensive. Housing
can be in a dormitory, a nearby apartment, or even at home with parents. Roommates are one
way to cut down on housing costs.
On Campus Housing

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Arizona State University offers many
options for residence halls, one being the
Adelphi Commons. Assuming a roommate,
costs are cut tremendously. Not including meal
plans, the rates for a full academic year are
$6,450. As for meal plans, the unlimited meal
plan is priced at $5,046.
Apartment Housing
Another option is apartment
housing. Slightly more expensive, it
provides some more freedom than dorm
housing. Rent for The Standard, an
apartment near ASU is $930 a month for two
bedrooms. Electricity and trash for
twelve months come out to totals of $1,320 and $150. Also, meals must be paid for and prepared,
bringing meal plan totals to $5000 per year.
Data

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Housing Expenses for 12

Months
Rent (1 roomate)
Electricity
Trash
Meals
Total

On
Apartme
Campus nt
6,450
11,160
1,320
150
5046
2,500
11,496
15,130

Comparative Housing Expenses

20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0

Total
On Campus

Apartment

Overall, apartments are more expensive than

dorms. However, both have their separate benefits, so some might prefer one or the other.
Apartments bring more expenses such as utilities.

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Housing Reflection
Both options have benefits and consequences, but I would choose to live on campus. Not
only do you experience more of the college life, but it is much cheaper and has meal plans. With
a roommate one can cut housing expenses tremendously. Overall, the better choice for me is on
campus housing.
Financial Plan
College is a huge expense in a young persons life. Even without housing, expenses are
still enormous. It is a necessity to make a plan for how these expenses will stack out.
Estimated Expenses
Rather than live in an apartment, I would rather live in a dorm on campus. There are
several expenses to think about including transportation and cell phone bills. People often times
dont consider all of the different costs there are in ones life.
Estimated Income
Income comes from a plethora of sources. Some of these include working, scholarships,
and student loans. In a perfect world, income would be greater than expenses. However, in my
case it is less, so I will have to take out some student loans. Hopefully I will be able to find more
money in scholarships.
Data
The charts show the breakdown with expenses and incomes. As shown, income is slightly
less than expenses. This means that either I will have to find more money or cut some expenses.

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Item
Tuition
Books/Supplie
s
Room/Board
Computer
Transportatio
n
Cell Phone
Entertainmen
t
Personal
Expenses
Travel
Misc.
Total

Expense
s
10,184
1,060
10,394
1,000
2,000
1,500
Item
1,200
Job
Parents
800
Student
Loans
500
Scholarships
1,000
Financial Aid
29,638
Gifts
Other
Total

Income
8,000
6,000
5,000
8,000
0
1,000
1,000
29,000

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Expenses versus Income

29,800
29,600
29,400
29,200
29,000
28,800
28,600

Expenses

Income

Financial Plan Reflection

After researching, I learned that my expenses are slightly higher than my expenses. As a
result, either income must rise, or expenses must drop. I had not realized all of the different
expenses that I would be facing my first year of college. There are many things to think about
before I start college but I am confident I will be able to handle it.
Conclusion
This research has really helped me to prepare for the next era in my life. I learned that I
may need to put in some more hours working or find extra scholarships in order to pay for all my
expenses. I had not nearly anticipated the amount of expenses I would have to pay, not even
including housing. Keeping up with these expenses may be one of the harder parts of college life.
I am closer to being prepared for one of the most exciting yet stressful experiences in my life.

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Works Cited
"University Housing." Asu.edu. Arizona State University, n.d. Web. 04 Sept. 2016.
"The Standard Apartment Guide." Apartmentguide.com. Apartment Guide, n.d. Web. 04 Sept.
2016.
"Arizona State Universty." Collegedata.com. College Data, n.d. Web. 04 Sept. 2016.