1 year til college. Looking at a school close to Seattle. (Redmond: apartments, to rent)

[sheet of paper]

Currently, I'm 17 and a senior in high school. I live in Ohio but am for sure traveling to the west coast to pursue a career in game design. There is a school in Redmond that I have grown particularily fond of, but it doesn't have dorms. I've grown worried about what I'm going to do because I'm going to be fresh out of high school and thrown into the real world. No more mom to pay for everything... haha.

Anyways, my mom is a single parent with two kids. We have an apartment in Ohio which I believe is only $450 a month to rent. Shes a waitress at a local restaurant and can barely afford all the bills she has that, in total, probably adds up to around $650-$700 a month.

I've done my research online and it looks like I cannot find apartments any lower than $700 a month. With the cost of living, food, phone bills, and depending on if utilities are included, the cost every month can exceed $900. I think. I'm going to be going to college, and I'm going to have to find a job... My problem is, I'm not going to make enough money to even pay the rent every month by making minimum wage if thats all i can find.

So, I guess my inquiry begins here. With the cost of living higher out there, do jobs pay higher to accomodate? Does anyone have any suggestions on some of the best places to live? I'd like to stay kinda in between Redmond and White Center or atleast a reasonable distance between both. I'll be commuting to White Center a lot as well.

Thank you ahead of time for any advice you may have.

[Bill Loney]

Originally Posted by sheet of paper

Currently, I'm 17 and a senior in high school. I live in Ohio but am for sure traveling to the west coast to pursue a career in game design. There is a school in Redmond that I have grown particularily fond of, but it doesn't have dorms. I've grown worried about what I'm going to do because I'm going to be fresh out of high school and thrown into the real world. No more mom to pay for everything... haha.

Anyways, my mom is a single parent with two kids. We have an apartment in Ohio which I believe is only $450 a month to rent. Shes a waitress at a local restaurant and can barely afford all the bills she has that, in total, probably adds up to around $650-$700 a month.

I've done my research online and it looks like I cannot find apartments any lower than $700 a month. With the cost of living, food, phone bills, and depending on if utilities are included, the cost every month can exceed $900. I think. I'm going to be going to college, and I'm going to have to find a job... My problem is, I'm not going to make enough money to even pay the rent every month by making minimum wage if thats all i can find.

So, I guess my inquiry begins here. With the cost of living higher out there, do jobs pay higher to accomodate? Does anyone have any suggestions on some of the best places to live? I'd like to stay kinda in between Redmond and White Center or atleast a reasonable distance between both. I'll be commuting to White Center a lot as well.

Thank you ahead of time for any advice you may have.

Redmond and White Center? Why on earth would you do that? That's roughly 25 miles into the teeth of traffic. If you want cheaper rent and lower commuting costs, head east or north, not south or west.

Are you referring to Digipen? I was under the impression that was really tough to get into and that they have a huge backlog.

[sheet of paper]

Originally Posted by Bill Loney

Redmond and White Center? Why on earth would you do that? That's roughly 25 miles into the teeth of traffic. If you want cheaper rent and lower commuting costs, head east or north, not south or west.

Are you referring to Digipen? I was under the impression that was really tough to get into and that they have a huge backlog.

Thank you for the suggestion. The reason why I want to be closer to White Center is because I have somebody who lives there that I kinda want to be closer to. I plan on commuting to White Center very often.

Yes, I was refering to Digipen. I was just really interested in the school. It seems like a perfect fit for what I want to do. If its too hard to get into, I'll still try, but I'll look at other nearby schools that offer something similar. I was looking at the Bachelor's of Science in Game Design. Most other places I look at, focus on art more than programming. I'm not quite on the level of a college art student so I decided to go into the programming more...

[Dport7674]

18 yr old college freshman have a gang of roomates to help pay the bills.

[odie91]

I don't know the answers to your questions, but just wanted to say, wow, I'm impressed at the amount of responsibility and independence you have for a 17 year old. Good luck....

[SHARKRN]

Rent a one bedroom aptment and share with three other students. that will help you save big. goodluck.

[just4ivaylo]

We're in the same boat, except I'm down in Texas and will be applying to UW soon. The only difference is I've lived in WA for most of my life.

Like others have suggested, having roommates is necessary in order to keep the costs down. I'd look into getting a room at a house for $400-$450. It's certainly doable. Good luck!

[sheet of paper]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

18 yr old college freshman have a gang of roomates to help pay the bills.

Yeah I gotta meet people out there! Haha

Originally Posted by odie91

I don't know the answers to your questions, but just wanted to say, wow, I'm impressed at the amount of responsibility and independence you have for a 17 year old. Good luck....

Thanks!

Originally Posted by SHARKRN

Rent a one bedroom aptment and share with three other students. that will help you save big. goodluck.

Thanks. Ill certainly consider this.

Originally Posted by just4ivaylo

We're in the same boat, except I'm down in Texas and will be applying to UW soon. The only difference is I've lived in WA for most of my life.

Like others have suggested, having roommates is necessary in order to keep the costs down. I'd look into getting a room at a house for $400-$450. It's certainly doable. Good luck!

see, I wanna go to Digipen in Redmond. But if I can find a course in UW or SU that fits what i need, I'd certainly take a shot at those.

[Beat02]

Originally Posted by SHARKRN

Rent a one bedroom aptment and share with three other students. that will help you save big. goodluck.

That would be hell.