University: Home or away??

I had this dilemma - I got offers from Newcastle (where I live) and Leicester. It took me so long to decide where to go, and I was literally changing my mind every half an hour. I eventually decided to go for Newcastle. Here's what I thought about:

- The quality of the course. This didn't matter for me as much, since the quality of the course at both of my unis is similarly great. I don't know what you're wanting to study, but if UEA ranks much higher than whatever your other choice is, then it's hard to justify moving away. Go on unistats.com and compare your course at different unis.

- The cost of moving away. Look at the difference in prices for accommodation, living costs, entertainment, and transport. Factor in train tickets if you're moving away. The difference between north + south for me was huge, but this might not be such a big factor for you. I did really want to move away, but personally the extra cost wasn't worth it.

- Can you live in halls, even as a local student? If you can, great. If you're put on a locals waiting list (like me), how long will it take for you to be offered a room? Would you really struggle to make friends in the first few weeks? Are you willing to put in the extra effort to get to know people? Would you be happy sleeping on your new friends' floors? Remember there are possible downsides to living in halls too. We think it'll be a blast, but I've seen some real horror stories on here

- Which city do you actually like more? Think about the size of the city, entertainment, nightlife, etc... Although I always said I wanted to get away from Newcastle, I realised it's quite a lot nicer than Leicester so I'd rather just stay here. (Just my opinion - no offence to anyone )

- The pros of living at, or near, home. I assume you could get free meals, laundry done for you, parents to clean up after you... Even if you manage to move into halls, having parents close by is a great safety net. If you move into a flat with friends in second year, it would make moving house so much easier, you can dump your stuff back into your house between rent contract periods... Steal your parents' car to move your belongings... Practical stuff like that.

- Friends who aren't moving away. You can still see them all the time, as well as your new uni friends. Or, conversely, you could easily totally ignore anyone you already know, since you'd be busy immersing yourself in your new university lifestyle

Obviously wanting to have independence is a big issue, and it might override everything I've already mentioned. It's a totally personal choice though, so only you know what would be best for you. I wouldn't stress about this too much until you're actually applying for uni, because your feelings could change lots between now and then. But if you need to choose, make lists of the pros and cons of moving away vs staying at home, and the decision should become more obvious. Hope this helps.

SOO.. although I've got A2s to come, i'm already considering my future and university prospects. The issue, is as the title says, should I stay in Norwich (my hometown) and attend UEA, and keep my friends, Norwich city FC season ticket, gymnastics club etc. OR leave home (not the worst thing with my parents constant arguments it seems) and get what many call "the FULL university experience"?? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? HELP MEEE

WOAH. I can't stress enough how helpful this is probably going to be... THANKYOU. A lot!!

I guess it depends if finances are an issue, but I would definitely go away for uni. I don't think if you're living at home, you really learn to be that independent, and besides, uni terms aren't really that long, you'll probably still be able to make good use of the gym and season ticket in the holidays, and when your'e not there maybe you could work out some way of making some money off it by selling part of it to someone who'll only be there when you aren't- such as someone studying at UEA?

Also, maybe it won't be the same for you, but I certainly couldn't depend on many of my friends being around. You don't want to be that person that people come back from uni and see them and think they've gone back in time because you haven't moved forward/ become more independent/ lived in a different area etc while they all have.

SOO.. although I've got A2s to come, i'm already considering my future and university prospects. The issue, is as the title says, should I stay in Norwich (my hometown) and attend UEA, and keep my friends, Norwich city FC season ticket, gymnastics club etc. OR leave home (not the worst thing with my parents constant arguments it seems) and get what many call "the FULL university experience"?? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? HELP MEEE