Moving

I don't know how much I can help, but I'll give it a try:

A loan to help with University education is probably the best bit of money you're ever going to get in your life - make use of it! In England we pay it back when we start earning £15,000 (around minimum wage, I think), at a very low interest rate which converts to about £50 a month. Yeah, it takes years to pay off, but who really notices £50 a month?

Unless the place is really huge, I'd advise against a car. Most campuses can be walked, and if you don't fancy that then there's always public transport. Whilst it may be useful sometimes, a car can be a lot of hassle - having to park it, insure it, pay for petrol/maintenance. There's always the risk that burglars will target student areas - hundreds of laptops, lots of money, bikes and cars. Easy pickings - students aren't known for being security conscious, and living in an area with other students can make you careless as you think that you're safe.

Things might be different in America - I lived on campus in my first year, this year I'm living about fifteen minutes walk away, and I'll be back on campus next year.

I'd be tempted to not get a job during term time, too, unless you really need the money - do you really want to be cooped up in an evening or weekend job when new friends are having fun? Chances are you'd be stuck in fast food, too - I can't imagine employers wanting to pay students a lot for good jobs, but rather paying them little for the shitty jobs other people don't want.

---

Good luck with it! Keep us posted.