For my last article, I talked about the pros and cons of living on campus, and while that is my personal preference, I understand that living on campus does not work for everyone. Not everyone can afford it, and some people simply prefer to live at home. And besides, there are also plenty of benefits of living at home, benefits that on-campus living does not offer. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons of living at home!
pro: you save more money
One of the pros to living at home is that it is a great money saver. I don’t know if you’ve heard lately, but living on campus can be expensive. According to ResLife, a regular double costs $3,718 a semester, and $7,436 a year. College is many things, but cheap is not one of them. If you are looking to save money in college, living at home is a great way to do it, as it can help save a lot of money on room and board, as well as a meal plan.
Con: Commuting eats up a lot of time
A huge con of living at home is that you spend a lot of time commuting, time you wouldn’t be spending if you lived at college. Time that could otherwise be spent working on homework or meeting with teachers. In addition, if you are driving from college to home, it can be expensive. In Connecticut, the average cost of gas per gallon is $3.628. Basically, commuting eats up a bunch of time, depending on how far away you live, that could be better spent on other things.
pro: you can get privacy at home
One of my biggest gripes about living on campus is how hard it is to get privacy. No matter where you go, there are always people around. Even in your dorm, there are people around. You have to deal with roommates after all. Also, living on campus can be quite noisy, whether it be from your roommate or people across the hall. Sometimes you want privacy and quiet but you simply can’t get it. When you live at home, however, it is easier to get it. You usually have your own room or private space at home, so it is easier to relax, regroup, and drown out all the chaos. It is also helpful if you need peace and quiet to study!
con: it’s harder to connect with people
One of the things I disliked the most when I commuted, was how hard it was to connect with people. It was very hard for me to be able to go to social events, like clubs or parties that all my other friends were going to so I could bond with them because those were usually after I went home. As a result, I had a harder time connecting with people because I kept missing out on all the social events that everyone else bonded over.
pro: it’s a good way to ease into college!
One of the ways living at home during college can be beneficial is if you are doing it to help yourself ease into college. Starting college can be overwhelming and overstimulating, and not everyone feels ready for the sudden life change of moving away from their parents just yet. Commuting to college gives new college students the chance to ease into college at their own pace as they get used to what college is like, and once they’re ready, they can move in and enjoy living on campus!
con: it’s harder to be independent
One of the best parts of living on campus, I’ve found, is that it teaches you how to be independent. Since you don’t have your parents around to help you or remind you to do things, you effectively have to be your own boss and learn how to stay organized, do your own chores, keep your own schedule, and learn what to prioritize. When you live at home, your parents are still around, so you don’t learn to be independent quite in the same way as you would if you lived on campus. Your parents are still with you, doing your chores and reminding you to do your homework. You need to learn to do things for yourself sometimes, which can be hard if you live at home.
pro: you’re closer to your support system!
Even though it is harder to be independent when you live at home, it can help to live close to your support system. Sometimes in college, when you go through a period where you have a lot of work, or during finals, it is easy to get in a slump and feel extremely stressed out or depressed. During these times, it can help to have your family checking up on you and making sure that you are doing alright. It can also help you maintain a strong bond with your family throughout college.
To wrap it all up, these are the pros and cons of living at home! So, do the pros of living at home outweigh the cons? As I said in my last article, it’s up to you. Everyone wants different things out of college and has different needs when it comes to their living situation. No two people are alike, in that regard, and therefore one is not objectively better than the other. We all have to do what’ll make us the most comfortable, and will best set us up for success. Anyhow, that’s all for today!