Only 13, and thinking about college! O.O (Reptile Related)

Well, as the subject says...I'm already thinking about which college I might want to go to. (I sometimes like to plan out my future) One thing is that I don't want to go to college locally. I'd like to go to college somewhere in either North Dakota (near Minot), or Louisiana (north-western corner), or somewhere in Japan (never gonna happen! XD). But the thing is, I don't really know how to find out if you can have pets and what types of pets you are allowed to have! LOL. (I already found out about UND, they only allow fish) If you could tell me how to easily find out (preferably without having to e-mail someone, that would be great!) Please help me if you can. If they do allow reptiles, they probably won't allowe my snake...but hopefully a leo. If you already know some colleges that allow small reptiles in the dorms, please post them! It would help alot. Thanks in advance!

 

I think the only way you're going to find this information is to contact schools directly. Use their web pages to find the housing info.
To speak for Purdue, no pets were allowed, save for small fish tanks. You may need to look into off-campus housing if you want to keep your pets.
Why are you trying to plan so far in advance? You've got alot of living to do b/t now and college. Try to make the best of it, as these will hopefully be some of the best days of your life. Make the best of each day, and things have a way of working out in your favor.

 

Thanks for replying. I guessed that would be the only way to find out. Lol. As for why I'm trying to figure this out so early is because I just want an idea of what colleges would be suitable for me (and a reptile lol) when the time comes to chose. I have no idea why I'm doing this right now though...I guess I'm just, well...bored. Lol. So...I guess I was just wondering if anyone knew if there were any colleges allowed herps, so I'd have an idea of what colleges I should choose from. Lol, I'll enjoy living as a kid...it's a good life. (You don't need to pay bills, you don't need to buy the food [you just might have to cook it though lol], and it's much more fun [exept for when it comes to the fact that I can't watch family guy because it comes on 30 minutes after my "Bed-Time" XD] )

 

hey man dont worry bout it, i only 16, i should be thnkin bout it, but really, just live life to the fullest and dont worry about it. you still got like 5 or 6 years to go.

 

You may be missing out on some wonderful opportunities if you're screening colleges based on what the dorms will allow for pets. Your best bet is to find colleges that you'd like to study at and THEN find out their housing policies. Many universities provide different housing facilities and even within the same campus, some dorms may allow pets while others won't. (The university I went to had dorms that only allowed potted plants to ones that even allowed dogs.) Besides, rules change so what you think allows pets now may not and vice versa 5 years from now when you're actually ready to attend.

 

Very few colleges allow anything more than fish. I am lucky because mine allows anything small and easily-cageable like snakes, lizards, hamsters, turtles, rabbits, etc. However, I applied to 13 schools and this is the only one that would allow my snake to live in the dorms with me. Luckily, this was also my top choice, but I was ready with a backup plan because my biology teacher from high school loves rosy boas and was willing to care for mine at college. Since so few schools allow them, I agree with Spot that you need to decide what you want to study and have a list of schools that interest you. Your pet should not be the main factor in choosing a school.

 

Hmm...don't most colleges have student apartments near them? I know the one I live near does... If I could find one that allowed soemthing like a leo, I could rent an apartment instead AND go to the school I want! If not, there are a couple of local colleges that are good. (URI [University of Rhode Island] is one)

 

Off campus housing is always an option. You just have to have a reptile friendly landlord. Again this is a case by case situation. Get in to a school first then hunt for a house/apartment.

 

yeah, get accepted to a good college and then figure out the living/pet situation...most on campus dorms are not going to allow pets. not even pets kept in tanks. at Florida State, we were only allowed a goldfish bowl, anything bigger than that wasnt allowed. and no other pets allowed. if you were caught with a pet, you could get kicked out of the dorm.

even off campus housing doesnt always allow pets. some landlords will even be specific in their leases as to what types of pets are/are not allowed. my current landlord allows all pets. but i always ask him before i buy...so far he's been cool. he loves animals and doesnt care as long as the rent is paid and we've been good tenants. we're clean and take care of the house.
i've had landlords in the past that definitely didnt allow exotics, especially snakes. they said it was because they were afraid of the snakes escaping and causing problems.
and even if they allow pets, you may have to pay a pet fee, which is NON-REFUNDABLE amount of money on top of your security deposit.
the best thing to do, once you figure out what college you want to go to, is to get a classified ads section from the town the college is in and start calling landlords and apt complexes. ask them what their pet policy is, what pets they allow, and how much the pet fee is. when you go to sign the lease, make sure to read over the pet policy CAREFULLY, if you violate the pet policy, you can be evicted. which isnt cool. i've taken in friends' pets because their landlord didnt allow them to have the pet they owned. they went ahead and bought the pet before clearing it with their landlord. and their landlord found out and wasnt too happy. to avoid eviction, they had to give up the pet.

 

I go to Augusta State Universityand live in an off campus apartment. I'm allowed to keep my bearded dragon and leopard gecko in tanks with tight lids on them. The landlord allows pets in cages that can not get out of their cages.

By the way, its cool that you want to go to college, but don't spend time thinking about it so soon. Just get the grades and don't worry about college til senior year of highschool.

 

Good for you start thinking now. I just started and i need to submit applications on tuesday! Im not in a very good position
.

 

I think when you're in high school, they make it sound like your choice of college is going to make or break the rest of your life. Yes, it will have an impact, but not as great as you might think.
Trust me, you can have all the degrees and fansy schooling you want. But if you can't apply your knowledge, and don't have good interviewing skills, you're not going to get anywhere. Take your time and pick a school you want to go because you'd like it, not because of its reputation. They could be some of the best 4+ years of your life, but only if you pick a school you'll enjoy. Then really focus on learning how to apply your knowledge, not just on learning things.