UC Students Live in Mansions for Cheap Rent

If your dorm lacks the space and the amenities that you desire, perhaps you should consider moving into a mansion. If you think you can’t afford it, you’re wrong, that is if you attend the University of California in Merced.
Amid all of the foreclosures in Merced, students are reaping all of the benefits. Since dorms are crowded at UC, and luxurious homes are empty, they can move into these lavish mansions and pay dirt-cheap rent (like less-than-$400-dirt-cheap.)
This unique opportunity brought on by a city that is one of the country’s hardest hit by home foreclosures can be described in a single sentence:
“I mean, I have it all!” said Patricia Dugan, a senior majoring in management.
She truly does. The amenities in these homes are endless: chandeliers, Jacuzzis, granite counter tops and walk-in closets, just to name a few. Though these mansions come with a handful of housemates, students maintain a great amount of privacy since each bedroom is equipped with its own personal bath.
Students living in the dorms will pay on average $13,720, while students living off-campus will pay a mere $7,000. Ellie Wooten, a former mayor of Merced and a real estate broker, calls the situation “a blessing.” She said the opportunity allows for students with limited means to pay rent as low as $200 a month instead of more than $800 a month to live in the dorms.
Tenants living in these mansions agree that these foreclosed homes are indeed a blessing. Take Gurbir Dhillon, a senior majoring in molecular cell biology. He sleeps in room that can be called nothing less than a luxuriant boudoir. As for his bathroom, it boasts a whirlpool that is reminiscent of one you would find in Caesars Palace.
Dhillon knows how lucky he is, especially when his dorm-living peers remind him of it.
“You definitely appreciate it when you visit your friends at other schools and they say, ‘O.K., sleep on the floor,’ ” he said.
Via The New York Times