“I don’t feel they’re in positions of authority, but that they’re part of the community,” he said.

REACTING TO EXPENSIVE PRICE

For some students, the price of Harvard housing, which for the 2012-2013 academic year was $8,366 for room rental alone, is motivation enough to search for cheaper alternative housing options.

The price tag of a Harvard dining plan, which cost $5,264 this past year, can serve as a further monetary deterrent.

According to the Student Handbook, Harvard’s Financial Aid Office assumes that students who choose to live off-campus have “the same room, board, and personal expenses as students living on campus.”

Students on financial aid still receive monetary support for room board even if they choose not to live in College housing.

Khatod said that the difference in room and board rates made living in the Dudley Co-op cheaper for him than living in a Harvard House. Meals at the Co-op, not including lunch, cost $185 per semester.

As a result of living off-campus, Khatod estimated that he saves “around $6,000 a semester total.”

Students who do not pay the full cost of board are able to purchase dining plans of 5, 10, or 21 meals in Harvard’s dining halls, but many choose to eat most of their meals at home or out at restaurants.

Ann M. Chiaramonte, an accounting assistant with the Harvard University Dining Services, wrote in an email that these plans range in cost from around $860 to $2,500 a semester.

Tania T. Rivers-Moore ’15, a quarter-boarder at the Co-op who took last semester off to travel across the United States on a Greyhound bus, said she saves thousands of dollars by living off-campus and eating her meals in the Co-op.

“It’s still significantly cheaper,” she said. “And [all] I had to do was press one button online.”

—Staff writer Michelle Denise L. Ferreol can be reached at mferreol@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @michiferreol.

—Staff writer D. Simone Kovacs can be reached at dkovacs@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @simkovacs.