College housing is a BIG mistake. I live in college housing and I'm constantly hearing people yelling, constantly dealing with drunk kids. But because you want fully furnished that's where you're gonna end up. Cost effective could be anywhere in town but I can circle on a map where you dont want to live. You dont want to be north of division. You dont want to be off downtown more than half a mile because the surrounding areas to the east north and west can be sketchy. There's no "hood" in Springfield mo. The worst parts of town are gonna be surrounding the train track east to west of Springfield mo. The area I grew up in and played in the streets at night as a kid. So yeah sure it's got a little more danger because there are more people whose income also reflects their life choices on the north side but its not a worrisome place to be. I digress.