If you have the opportunity to live at home during school, I strongly suggest that you take up the offer. Even though Hollywood portrays moving away to attend post-secondary as glamourous, the reality is far too often ignored; and those that once held this romanticized view are shocked when they discover how tough it is to live on your own. The benefits of living at home greatly outweigh the cons.
The big factor for students is finances. Living away from home during school comes with a cost, and unfortunately it is a rather large one. Tuition already costs a bundle, so why add the extra burden of finding the money to pay for living on your own, when you don’t have to? Of course there are certain things that you would still need to pay for (i.e. transportation, food… etc), but in comparison to paying for rent and utilities amongst other things the cost of living at home is miniscule. In the end, more money would go towards school, and you would have less chance of going into debt.
Many students that live on campus are there for the social aspect. A former student, that had lived on campus, advises “Whether you are into partying or not, studying in your dorm is a challenge.” Although I live at home, I have observed students come to class tired or constantly late, or skip/drop-out of classes, because of the “freedom” living away from home grants them. Is this really freedom? Falling behind in school due to partying is being disrespectful to yourself, and those who support your decision to go to school. Time and money are both wasted when this breach of freedom takes place. Living at home allows you the privacy to properly study, and get a good night’s rest, so you can do well in school. You can still hang out with friends, and have fun, but a healthy balance must be obtained and living at home gives you this opportunity.
Support from your family is another huge benefit of living at home. They are there to encourage you when you are down, advise you when troubled or confused, and rejoice with you in your times of joy. Even though you may get annoyed by being nagged to study, your parents only want the best for you and want you to succeed; if they didn’t care then they would not be “nagging” you.
As you can tell, there are many benefits of living at home. I have only outlined a few, but as you continue your journey through post-secondary you will uncover other little things along the way, such as home cooked meals that are hard to come by when living on campus.
