Bad or good idea living off campus freshmen year of college?

I say it's a good choice. I know that it's a lot of money to pay - not just for room & board, but also for a meal plan and "incidentals" - but there are a lot of advantages to it. The biggest one that comes to mind is, of course, the opportunity for sociability. In college, you have "the freshmen 15". This refers to 15 people that you meet right off the bat when you live in the dormitories. They can be a mix of roommates and other people who live on your floor. These people have the greatest potential to become your friends. I know where I used to live there was a group of 10 or 11 people who all became fast friends while living on campus. And during another year, I saw another group of maybe 8 or 9 people quickly become friends with each other. Plus, the freshmen dorms ae usually the friendliest dorms there are, because there are a lot of people who leave their doors open so people can come in and say hi and hang out. Once you get into the 2nd year and upper classmen dorms, there aren't as many people who do that. Their friend-group is already established.