Off topic, but on topic.
I would re-think going to Auburn, especially if it means you need NROTC scholarship to attend. I get you THINK you want this life, but you won't really know UNTIL you are there and in the program.
~ ROTC scholarship students get to walk with no obligation up to their 1st day of school their sophomore year. If you look around all of these boards, there are many kids that decide it is not a fit for them. Yes, even kids that were in JROTC. It is a different world in college.
How will you pay for Auburn if you don't want to stay in NROTC? Will it mean you MUST stay so you can graduate from Auburn?
~ Again, I get it, but remember.... college is 30 weeks a year, 21 hrs at tops in a classroom, at a place you decided to go to for 4 yrs., and a major you chose. Navy is 52 weeks, 24/7 a week for 4 years in a career field and at a place where they have final say.
~~ The cliche Service Before Self is not a cliche...it is reality.
As a Mom, with my 3rd in college now. I agree that living off campus, even in the lowest rent areas, we typically spent more money for them to live off campus than on
~ Oldest 2 went to colleges where only freshmen were guaranteed campus housing.
~~ Remember most rental units do not offer leases less than a year. That means if classes end in early May, and you took the lease Mid Aug., you are on the hook for those months between. READ the fine print... it probably says no subletting during the summer. Thus, you are paying not only rent, but also utilities for an empty apt.
Chances are that you might have another issue that you have yet to understand. Rental units will run a credit check. I doubt you have any credit, so now the folks will have to co-sign the least. Utility companies may also ask for a co-signor. Can the folks co-sign, are they willing to co-sign. Anytime anyone co-signs, credit is pulled on them, and because they are guaranteeing that you are good for it, but if not they can go after the co-signor it impacts their credit too.
Kinnem and gokings bring up great points on the big tickets that will add up, but they missed a few from my personal experience that tally up quickly.
1. Live off campus, what will you do for lunch?
~ Most college food (board) offers you basically all you can eat, whenever you want to eat.
~~ Buying food at the dining hall or student union becomes very expensive, very quickly. Are you going to pack a lunch everyday for school?
2. How will you furnish the apt.?
~ I don't care if you use milk crates as end tables and night stands, but unless you are taking your bed from home, or want to sleep on an air mattress for 9 months, you will need furniture. Not even addressing a sofa from Goodwill to sit on while you eat Ramen or do your classwork assignments.
~ Same goes for silly things like dishes, glasses, pots/pans, silverware, etc.
~~ If you intend to take all of this with you...than you are renting a small UHaul tow, and not every used car has a tow hitch, which means renting one that you can drive.
3. The first month and security deposit paid in full before they hand off the keys.
However any way you roll it, there will be an outlay of money up front, even if you could get FAFSA early, which you can't.
If Auburn is like most colleges that I know of, they will also offer a 0% payment plan. As gokings stated earlier...work and save money starting now. Also as kinnem stated they may offer you work study as part of your financial aid package. The 0% payment plan deducts all of the scholarships and FA package, than whatever is left, depending on their payment plan, they will divide it out and charge you monthly.
~ This really varies school to school. They may say that you can pay it over 3 or 4 months and the 1st payment is due before school even starts. They may say it is automatically deducted on X date of every month. Contact the bursar for the details.
Finally, many ROTC units have a social aspect too, and this is a reason you may want to scrap this idea of living off campus. It is not uncommon for ROTC units to have a lounge where they congregate during the day. It is not uncommon to have one night during the week where the GMCs (freshmen and sophs) hang out from 6-9 at night in the lounge. Assume you are not working a PT job that night...are you going to drive back to the school to hang out?
~ If they have that option, and kids take advantage of it, than that means they are bonding together outside of the classroom.
Sorry for the novella, but I think you need to see everything. I get you want to go to Auburn and that $ for R & B is scary, but if your EFC is truly zero, than you should get a good FA package.