What does everyone think of staying at home while doing their undergraduate degree? The best university in the country, for my subject, happened to be fairly close (15 miles), so I decided to stay in the parental home. This is fairly common here, but significant amounts of people also live in halls/private flats, but accomodation is really pretty expensive. I get on pretty well with my parents, and they pretty much let me do what I want "in their home", so I don't feel I'm missing anything: but am I?
I'd recommend staying with your parents, if you also happen to be earning money it'd be a good idea to save it or blow it on what ever you want instead of paying for accommodation which is presumably being provided for free by your parents.
Agreed, specially considering you're on good terms with your parents. Save your money for something else,...
My sister's currently doing this. She seems a lot better now than when she was living independently and totally depressed, but that's just her.
I lived on my own the first year of college when I was 18, but I moved back with my folks the after the first semester. It is much easier to get you're shit done, and you are more likely not to waste your time fucking around.
I wound up going to a school about 30 minutes from my parent's home. My first two years I lived on campus, to have the whole 'being on my own' experience, while still being close enough to come back for mama's home cooking and to do my laundry for free a few times a week. Worked out beautifully. Of course, I wound up losing my scholarships (lol) and having to move back home anyway. It was good that I could live at home and drive to class, but I really regret missing out on the whole 'campus life' thing... granted that there wasn't much to do on campus if you weren't greek. Dry county, lol. :(
Long story short, stay home if it makes financial sense, but maybe try to work towards getting an apartment or something? Perhaps you'll meet some people you can share a place with.
OP here. I'm planning on doing postgrad study anyway, so I figure that's when I'll move out, plus I'll actually be able to afford it at that point (hopefully!).
On a less related note, I'm amazed at how many sensible replies there are: this is why I love text-only boards, as they seem to attract non-idiots.
Thanks y'all!
p.s. what exactly is a dry county?
I went to technical school while living at home. I lived right across the street, so I just walked there.
Loans paid for school, parents paid for food, and I was handicapped enough to get about $300 a month of walking-around money from the government. So I didn't have to work.
Unfortunately, being able to work would have been good for me, and if it weren't for a friend of mine recruiting me for his senior project, I would have graduated with no experience at all.
>>7 a dry county is a county where alcoholic beverages are still illegal.
Clarification... it's legal to possess/consume alcoholic beverages, just not to SELL them, i.e. you have to drive to the 'county line package store' for all your boozing needs, and resturants(Chili's, T.G.I. Fridays, etc.) that want to serve alcohol have to set up as a 'private club' and charge a small membership fee. As I mentioned, the city where I went to school is dry, but it's the DAMPEST dry city I've seen... we have dozens of these 'private clubs'. The joys of living in the Bible belt, I reckon.
my uni is only 30mins aay from home.. it would be stupid to move out.
Not necessarily. What if you move so that it's 5mins walk?
oh god leave home, it was the best thing i ever did.
Unless you and your parents do not get along, leaving home is just plain stupid. It makes no economic sense.
Most of the rest of the world has figured this out, but not the Anglosphere. This is why large chunks of land are being bought up so easily by immigrants where I live -- because those with a clue realise they have more financial power by pooling resources. And they do. To great effect.
Meantime the unthinking white males are busy being independent (the irony), wasting money on substandard housing, cars, poor food and parties. Is it any wonder they're generally failures?
if money is all you care about, then by all means stay at home. if you actually want to experience university life instead of another 3 years of school, and you want to come away from it a more interesting well-rounded person instead of a boring financially-obsessed wanker like >>15, move the fuck out.
i suggest that you live on campus for tehfirst 2 years of your college life. that way, you'd be able to make new friends and basically have the "college experience". after that, it might be better to commute because at that point, you would have already established some good friends
I lived at uni halls first year, then rented a flat with some people 2nd year. 3rd year my living plans fell through and i lived at home (~1hr journey time in total) but that fucked me up. I couldn't work on the train or at home. I shouldv'e stayed in the library more often but didn't. I'm repeating that year and still living at home but I'm doing better now. Only thing is that it's hard to have friends at uni because you can't go out on nights out with them because you have to think about getting home. I saved so much money though.
I am just a fag and when I live on the campus I can have reach arounds!
>>15 might have a point, in that non-Anglo cultures have a tendency to stay close to their extended family.
That's why I have an Indian friend who's 22 years old, about to graduate college, but was grounded for six months because of some trivial impolite behavior from one of his siblings. That's healthy.
But I confess, living alone is not only expensive, but lonely as well.