Category Archives: Topics

How Off-Campus Housing Is Changing During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Leave a reply

Students are scrambling to find off-campus housing for next semester, more than what you’d usually expect to see over summer break. That’s not because they’ve put off finding housing until the very last minute, but because colleges across the United States have slowly started to announce their plans to reopen campus for the fall semester following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While there are still a ton of universities holding off on officially announcing whether classes will be held on-campus or online next semester until mid-July, it’s safe to assume that most college campuses’ plans to reopen will include adjustments to how many students can attend in-person classes at once and other plans to limit large groups. While the possibility of getting out of their on-campus living requirement may be a welcome change for some students, it will also mean that landlords should be ready for a possible flood of inquiries from potential student renters. 

To get a better feel for what that’s like, we spoke with the Chief Operating Officer of DABCO Property Management near Washington State University to figure out exactly what this pandemic has and will mean for them. 

Continue reading →
COVID-19’s Impact On Property Management at College Campuses
Leave a reply

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last few months, you know that literally everything about our day to day life has changed. We are socially distancing ourselves from family and friends, wearing face masks when we need to venture outside, working remotely at home offices, and waiting on daily updates about what the new few months of our lives are going to look like. It’s boring, but it’s what we need to do.

Even though some places are slowly opening businesses back up, it won’t be business as usual. Not for a while anyway, and the off-campus housing market is no different. With some schools announcing they intend to have on-campus classes in the fall and others still holding off, it’s a tumultuous time for property managers.

Continue reading →
How to Avoid Rental Scams
Leave a reply

From Telemarketing scams, identity theft, to credit and debit card fraud we’ve all heard horror stories about scams, or even worse, fallen victim. Rental scams are prevalent across the nation and first-time student renters looking for off-campus housing are especially vulnerable to fraudsters because they often communicate with landlords and lack experience when it comes to renting.

College Pads surveyed hundreds of students across campuses nationwide and found that many students have encountered an online rental scam when looking for off-campus housing near their university.

Continue reading →
How To Stay Productive While Taking Online Classes
1 Reply

When you first were told your courses would be moved to an online forum, you were probably thinking it’d be super great to work from home. You’d be simultaneously listening to a lecture while also rewatching an old episode of The Office on Netflix. 

As Admiral Ackbarr from Return of the Jedi once said: “It’s a trap”.  And that’s because working remotely is … or it can be. There are so many different obstacles to working remotely that will get in the way of your productivity. 

This is why we created a list of steps you can take to stay productive while taking online classes.

Continue reading →
10 Campuses With SUPER HIGH Rents for Students
Leave a reply

After doing a year or two of hard time in the medium security correctional facility commonly referred to as “on-campus living”, students are itching for the freedom of living off-campus. No rules. No RA’s. No more shuffling down the hall in a towel to your room after a shower. Just freedom. But that freedom comes at a price: Rent.

While living off-campus is traditionally cheaper than living on-campus, that doesn’t mean that by choosing to live off-campus you’ll suddenly be paying thousands less in living expenses and start living like someone from Fancy Living Digest. What it actually means is that you’ll be paying a little less than you would in the dorms, but you’ll have more freedoms (and responsibilities).

Unfortunately for students across the nation, the cost of college is rising 8 times faster than the cost of wages (yikes) which makes paying for rent increasingly more difficult. Sure, there are a ton of ways to make sure you don’t end up having to sell a kidney (or two) to pay for next semester’s rent, like keeping what’s important in mind when you’re looking for your next place – I.e., lazy rivers, 24-hour fitness centers, indoor something-ball courts, and personal masseuses are not necessary amenities to have in your next rental.

However, when you attend any of our 10 campuses with super high rents, you’re going to be stuck.

  1. California State, Long Beach
  2. California State, Fullerton
  3. Rutgers University
  4. University of Michigan
  5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  6. Cornell University
  7. University of Delaware
  8. Western Washington University
  9. University of Arizona
  10. Penn State University 

While there are hundreds of different factors leading up to why these schools have the most expensive average rent prices for student renters, the main factors that affect the cost of rent include: Enrollment, Luxury Apartments, School Prestige, and Vacancy Rate. So let’s dive into the reasons why each campus is so expensive.

Continue reading →

The Diminishing Value of a Degree
1 Reply

What’s the value of a degree? It’s tough to say exactly, but it certainly isn’t what it once was.

The message of necessity with regard to college is reinforced from the first day of elementary school to high school graduation. You must go to college. Without a college degree, you’ll be in trouble. It still holds true that college graduates typically have more earning power than those who don’t graduate college, but the rate of return on a degree isn’t what it once was.

Nationally, the cost of education is rising far faster than the expected salary of college graduates. Hear recent grads complaining about their loans? The complaints are only going to get louder and extend longer given the current trend.

No one denies that tuition and fees have exploded over the past decade. Every state is fighting the same battle.

We analyzed tuition and fees at four-year public schools nationally against the median salary for college graduates and found a troubling trend. Students are paying far more for their degrees without the same rate of return on salary once they graduate. We found the percentage of tuition and fees against the expected salary after graduation in 2005 and then compared it to 2015. Below is a reflection of the change in the percentage of tuition and fees over that 10-year span.
Continue reading →

Brr, It’s Cold in Here: 5 Hacks to Stay Warm and Lower Your Winter Heating Bill
2 Replies

If your guests have been asking you if you’re hiding the Toros cheer team from Bring it On somewhere in your house or apartment, it’s probably time to start considering winterizing your rental because seriously – BRRR it’s cold in here!

All great awful movie references aside, if you’re tired of spending an arm and a leg on trying to heat your place, you need to try a few of these simple hacks to keep your rental warm while lowering your winter heating bill.

Continue reading →

The College Ramen Diet: How To Your Ramen Less Boring
Leave a reply

If your meal prep is assigning 21 different packets of ramen as your weekday and weekend breakfast, lunch, and dinner…. you’re probably a broke college student. Or a recently divorced dad. Either way, you’re definitely looking for a quick bite that won’t break the bank. Unfortunately, having ramen for every meal can get pretty boring pretty fast. But what if we told you that ramen doesn’t have to be boring?

Here are the 5 steps to better ramen:

Continue reading →
5 Simple Ways To Reduce Stress
Leave a reply

Photo by energepic.com from Pexels

If you’re not stressed out about something, are you even in college? Stress is a natural part of life – a little stress can be helpful when it comes to kicking yourself into high gear to complete a big project or paper. Too much stress can overwhelm though, preventing you from focusing on getting one task done because you’re too worried you won’t get anything done. 

But there’s good news – there’s a lot you can do that will cut down your stress levels! If you integrate a few of the tips below, you’re sure to reduce your stress almost instantly.
 Continue reading →

What Majors Would The Stranger Things Cast Choose?
Leave a reply

Summer is in full swing, the Fourth of July is on the horizon, and we can practically taste the sweet, sweet nostalgia of a Bomb Pop and Summer Break. But the cast of Stranger Things is growing up fast, and while saving Hawkins from an impending Sci-Fi apocalypse might seem like the only thing on the priority list, it might be time to put some real thought into what the future holds, and what majors they should choose when it’s finally time to leave the nest and forge their own paths in college—that is, if the town hasn’t been completely overrun by the forces at work.

Continue reading →