Jeez, tough decision.
Appartment, 40m², ~650 in total. Nice house, nice surrounding, 10 minutes by bike from university. Would have to organize electricity and internet myself (already included in the calculation).
Alternatively, another appartment, in a student's complex, 5 minutes closer, 20m² bigger (~60m²), 760 all inclusive, nothing to worry about fo myself. Doesn't really look worse, but located more central.
Distance to supermarkets, public transportation, etc. not a problem for both.
So...100/month more....1200 per year more, for not organizing my own stuff and 5 minutes less biking? But I don't really need that space, 40m² is more than sufficient for me.
It depends on what you want to do with the apartment, really. Do you have any projects you want to complete? Do you have a specific room layout in mind that requires a certain amount of room? Does it have enough pantry space for your food needs? Can you fit your bed in the bedroom? Things like this can help make the decision for you.
Furthermore, do you "feel" better in either apartment, or are you neutral in either location? If so, which apartment has the nicer surroundings? For example, would you be more inclined to have a drink outside if you went to Apartment A, but would be more inclined to simply sit in the corner of your kitchen if you went to Apartment B?
Also think about your finances. What are your goals for 2013? What are your goals for 2014? If you spend an extra 1200 euros a year, will this put a dent in any of your plans, or does it not matter?
I'd say that if both places are honestly equal to you, to take the cheaper one and save that 1200 euros for a rainy day, or put it into savings, or do something nice for yourself. An extra five minutes of biking is good for the legs and negligible when looking at the time difference in the bigger picture.
Also, @Hobbs: It's not going well. It really fell apart on me with things that I could not have any say or influence over, and my last ditch effort to stay in college and in Niagara Falls fell on its face when the apartment I was moving into suddenly became undesirable. And by undesirable, I mean that the owners live in the basement and are religiously insane with ridiculous rules that while I
could live there without a problem, it would be entirely pointless for my development as an individual and I would be going backwards instead of forwards.
At this point I'm just trying to see if I can get distance education via OSAP, but my academic advisor is being useless and
not answering any of my questions no matter how many times I ask and I can't seem to find information from anywhere else so my time is running out.
So I guess I have a question: Does anyone here have experience with distance education in Ontario, Canada? Will I remain eligible for the Ontario Student Assistance Program? How expensive is a distance program? Are there any programs (through a college as I am barred from going to a university due to educational discrimination) that are similar to that of a General Studies associates from the United States? I'm honestly becoming desperate so I'll take any help I can get. Resources, personal experiences, contact information. Anything.