Live in the dorms, go visit your buddies and sleep on the couch when it's party time, get the car. Easy choice.

And that's just with the stuff you've laid out, but you missed a few things:

• the dorm almost certainly includes a meal plan or the option to add one. In an apartment you will have to get, pay, and cook your own food. That means going to the grocery store (do you have a car?), cooking, dishes, fighting for fridge-space with roommates. This is a significant cost and time-stuck. And let's be honest, you're going to spend a lot more on takeout/delivery if you have to cook for yourself, so there's another added cost.

• student housing qualifies for student aid. What is your loan/scholarship situation like now?

• academics. Students who live on campus tend to perform better academically. You can certainly buck that trend in either direction, but the reality is its easier to succeed at school when you're in student housing rather than a party house.