By Cheri Sicard
In the video below from Kirsten Dirksen, a YouTuber specializing in simple living, we meet Ethan Liebross, a Los Angeles med student who beats the high urban rents by living in his RV “dorm room”.
Ethan Liebross didn’t want to take out more loans for medical school, so he decided to convert a 2015 Ford Transit into an off-grid home to live in for his four years of school. With some help from his dad on the off-grid system, Ethan worked a 9-to-5 job for two months to create a comfortable and practical place to live and study.
As UCLA Medical School sits in the pricey Westwood neighborhood of LA, most of Ethan’s classmates are paying $1,800 a month or more in rent for a studio. Ethan appreciates not having to take out more loans, but he says he also hopes the experience of living this way will help make him a more compassionate doctor.
It’s a practical solution that I know many students are now turning to, although most keep it on the down-low like Ethan did when he first started UCLA medical school. However, once he told a few friends who seemed OK with it, he started telling more people about it. Now friends regularly come over to hang out in his mobile dorm room.
It might look like an ordinary Transit van on the outside, but inside is a stylish and comfortable space that meets Ethan’s simple needs.
Interior details include:
- Butcher block countertops
- Custom-cut memory foam mattress
- Gas range
- Stainless steel sink with a pressure washer.
Besides getting a good look at the RV dorm room, Ethan talks about some of the challenges and benefits that come with full-time stealth urban RV living. But to him, the benefits of not taking on more student debt far outweighed the challenges.
Ethan is not alone in his money-saving living quarters strategy. In the video, we also get a look at a few other frugal students’ RV dorm rooms, so be sure to give it a watch. Ethan also covers the steps he and his dad took in the two months it took them to build his RV dorm room conversion.
What do you think of Ethan’s RV dorm room? Be sure to drop your thoughts in the comments below.
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Thank you for the video and article. I learned from them.The layout of the space is supremely efficient. I wish him the best as he continues to learn and grow.
He shouldn’t worry about his student loans that he applied for and promised to repay. Biden (me as a taxpayer) will pay his bill whether I like it or not.
So you should be happy he’s saving your money. 🙂
It looks very nice, but my 1st thought is where does he pee when he gets up in the morning.
Very innovative young man! Unfortunate he can’t park on campus – however, I am sure once they open the flood gates to RV living it will deface the facilities. If they could restrict to Rv’s like he has it would be great to save money and avoid extreme loans or at least some of them.
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Yes, that is quite a conversion! 🤔 Perhaps I skipped by the right spot, but I never saw a bathroom. I guess he uses facilities at a health club, or the hospital. Certainly, I can see a young person doing this, but the absence of an on-board bathroom would make this arrangement … umm, 🤔 … unsuitable. 😉 Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂