Rooming for College

I would actually advise you to live in the dorms for your first term at school, and if need be, your whole freshman year. The reason why I say this is because you already have a system that can sort of play "matchmaker" with you and your future peers. This makes things easier for you in the long run because then you are forced into situations where you have to meet other people, and usually the first ones are those who are similar to you. Then, if you are fortunate enough, and you find a group of friends in your first term, take a look at housing in the area.
I would advise about 5 or 6 people living in a place, if possible.
Look for not only apartments in the area of school, but also check out houses that are available for rent. This, I feel, is the most economical method of living at school.
A good plan to have is to share the food bill with everyone else in the house; split it evenly. Additionally, because of this, when you go shopping, bring a couple of your housemates along so that you can keep each other accountable for what you would spend. This can save you lots of money on impulsive purchases.

Anywho, I say go for option D: Living with several people in a house off campus.

Jam it back in, in the dark.