A friend of my mother's has a son who will be attending Lake Forest College in the fall. (Congrats!) She asked via my mother's Facebook profile whether it would be better for her to board her son in the dorms, with the mandatory bundled meal plan, or to rent an apartment or buy a condo nearby for the duration of his 4 year stay. It seemed like a question that lots of parents would have so I've done an analysis not only for Lake Forest College but for 9 other Chicago area colleges and universities as well. (more…)