The Student Room Group

Do you live at home while attending uni?

First of all I am not bashing people that re living at home during uni. I was just wondering apart from money. why have you decided to live at home as apposed to in halls?

(I lived in halls and loved it)

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Would you say that people who live at home really, very much significantly, miss out on the whole uni experience in your opinion?
Original post by Lyrical Prodigy
Would you say that people who live at home really, very much significantly, miss out on the whole uni experience in your opinion?


I would say you miss out on a lot, yes. When you move out you get to explore more about yourself as a person and you largely miss then when you're living with your parents. You're still living under their rule, still living up to their expectations on your likes and dislikes. You can't live at home forever. It's the perfect time to fly the nest!
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Lyrical Prodigy
Would you say that people who live at home really, very much significantly, miss out on the whole uni experience in your opinion?


well yes but I was just wondering what the reasons were apart from money.
Original post by Welsh_insomniac
I would say you miss out on a lot, yes. When you move out you get to explore more about yourself as a person and you largely miss then when you're living with your parents. You're still living under their rule, still living up to their expectations on your likes and dislikes. You can't live at home forever. It's the perfect time to fly the nest!


Hmmm funny, that's exactly what my uncle said when I told him I'll be going from home. Thank God my uni guaranteed that there will be accommodation left for when I start in September cos I told them I was still in two minds :smile: I guess you're right, thanks.

OP to answer your question I'd say, I initially chose to go from home because I'm just so comfortable at home and feared that I'd miss my siblings too much haha! Plus I wouldn't say I have OCD but i'm just so paranoid about sharing certain facilities (I know you could get an en suite or studio flat etc but obviously with it comes money) also I just recently started driving a few weeks ago as soon as I had finished sixth form so I thought it would come in handy, there was no defining point really just little factors all coming together, but hey everybody's different those were my reasons.
I stayed at home last year in my first year. The reason I stayed at home was because I lived within walking distance of my uni, even closer then some of the halls of residence. I saved a ton of money (no paying for rent, groceries, etc...). I also don't know if I could have coped being on as tight a budget as I would have been had I moved in to halls, after Iooking at the weekly rent, b/c I do eat a lot of food:P
Do I feel like I missed out? Yes I do. I didn't make many friends, even in freshers week I didn't do too much. But this was really down to my personality really, since I didn't drink at the time. As much as I hate to admit, when I eventually started drinking toward the end of the year, I did go out a bit more and enjoyed myself more, so it's not fair to just blame it on me staying at home.
That being said, I am moving out in to a house share this coming semester, and I'm actually able to pay for the whole year's rent out of my maintenance loan from last year because I didn't spend much of it, and I have my maintenance loan from this year too, and I have a job, so money isn't really an issue. I might even enjoy myself more than all the other second years, since they have only this year's maintenance loan to pay for things.
The reason I'm moving out is because 1. I can easily afford to, and 2. my sister did the same, and she said it was good because it gives you a taste of independent living in the real world that can come in handy later in life, and like you said OP, you have to move out sometime. Also, some people worry about other people they will live with, in case they have bad habits and stuff, but then my parents have plenty bad habits that get on my nerves, just that I'm used to them. No matter who you live with, you'll have to put up with little annoyances.
At the end of the day there are pros and cons to living at home. If I could do first year again, I probably would still stay at home, but just try to be a bit more out going. Then again, some people have to get up at 5 every morning just to get the train to uni because they live so far away. In that case, I would probably go a head and move out.
Original post by Lyrical Prodigy
Hmmm funny, that's exactly what my uncle said when I told him I'll be going from home. Thank God my uni guaranteed that there will be accommodation left for when I start in September cos I told them I was still in two minds :smile: I guess you're right, thanks.

OP to answer your question I'd say, I initially chose to go from home because I'm just so comfortable at home and feared that I'd miss my siblings too much haha! Plus I wouldn't say I have OCD but i'm just so paranoid about sharing certain facilities (I know you could get an en suite or studio flat etc but obviously with it comes money) also I just recently started driving a few weeks ago as soon as I had finished sixth form so I thought it would come in handy, there was no defining point really just little factors all coming together, but hey everybody's different those were my reasons.


I hope you do choose to move out. It's a lot easier to make friends if "going back home to change your clothes" is literally walking 5 minutes from your lecture hall to your halls. It's a lot easier to adapt to social situations than being at home where it will just be business as usual.

I knew a couple of people who lived at home and it was just all work for them. Funnily enough they are still living at home and they are 25. I'm sure your family would love to have you and your siblings may miss you but that's what Christmas is for. You'll be really excited to join your family for the holidays again to share your stories :smile:

I think when I moved out I got to appreciate my parents more, they respected me more because I was starting to grow up (pay bills, hold down a job for rent). It's definitely worth it.

Edit: I'd also like to point out that living with new people is a perfect way of broadening your horizons. These will be people you will bond with for ages. Not all friendships are lifelong ones but you'll definitely be able to look back in your university years and laugh about situations you had with your housemates.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 7
Because it is cheaper and I work here as well.
Original post by Butterfly92
Because it is cheaper and I work here as well.


Why not do that for the rest of your life, right? When will the cut off point be?
Original post by Welsh_insomniac
I hope you do choose to move out. It's a lot easier to make friends if "going back home to change your clothes" is literally walking 5 minutes from your lecture hall to your halls. It's a lot easier to adapt to social situations than being at home where it will just be business as usual.

I knew a couple of people who lived at home and it was just all work for them. Funnily enough they are still living at home and they are 25. I'm sure your family would love to have you and your siblings may miss you but that's what Christmas is for. You'll be really excited to join your family for the holidays again to share your stories :smile:

I think when I moved out I got to appreciate my parents more, they respected me more because I was starting to grow up (pay bills, hold down a job for rent). It's definitely worth it.

Edit: I'd also like to point out that living with new people is a perfect way of broadening your horizons. These will be people you will bond with for ages. Not all friendships are lifelong ones but you'll definitely be able to look back in your university years and laugh about situations you had with your housemates.


Yeah, I see. Those are all fair points and very true. It would be quite awkward needing to go home all the time for "a quick change" in certain situations haha. I probably will move out but I've been in two minds about this for ages and everyone is telling me the exact same thing! It almost seems like there's no point of uni without the proper experience. Watching 'The secret life of students' made me long for it more. I appreciate the time you took to respond to me. :smile:

May I ask, have you finished university?
Reply 10
I've decided to live at home when i start uni in September. My house is only 20 minutes away and I already have a car so didn't see the point in selling that to go to uni halls. I'll be 20 when i start uni and have been doing my own washing, cleaning up ect for the past few years so didn't want to move into halls where i would have to use a launderette ect. So much easier to stay at home in my opinion/situation. Slightly worried that i'll miss out on things and not make many friends but i'll just have to put my self out there and make sure I hang around after lectures.
Original post by Welsh_insomniac
Why not do that for the rest of your life, right? When will the cut off point be?


I would suggest you're dishing out some pretty poor advice here. Moving into halls when you live within travelling distance of your university would be stupid in the extreme.
Original post by pane123
Moving into halls when you live within travelling distance of your university would be stupid in the extreme.


At least explain why! :smile:
Original post by Jooooshy
At least explain why! :smile:


Because it's a waste of money.

I am, of course, assuming a decent relationship with parents when I say this.
Original post by pane123
I would suggest you're dishing out some pretty poor advice here. Moving into halls when you live within travelling distance of your university would be stupid in the extreme.


I don't understand why it's stupid to the extreme. We're not children any more. There comes a time when you move out of your parents house and start creating the life you need and want to create. I understand there's some financial benefit to staying at home but most people don't know when to let go and realise that they will have to move anyway so why not make it now and claim those years as the beginning of your life.
I lived at home for all 3 years of university and I never missed out. I am still best friends with those that I met on my first day of uni whereas all of their friendships with housemates etc have fallen apart.
University is what you make it to be, living at home doesn't make you miss out, your choice on whether to get involved or not does.
Some of you mention what's the cut off point to living at home, my answer would be when work or relationships take me elsewhere. I really do not see the point in moving out to pay £400 a month in rent to live 10 minutes from your family home just for the sake of 'independence'. If your parents don't allow you to live an independent life when your at home, then fair enough move out but not everyones parents are like that.
By home do you mean with parents?

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Original post by Lyrical Prodigy
Yeah, I see. Those are all fair points and very true. It would be quite awkward needing to go home all the time for "a quick change" in certain situations haha. I probably will move out but I've been in two minds about this for ages and everyone is telling me the exact same thing! It almost seems like there's no point of uni without the proper experience. Watching 'The secret life of students' made me long for it more. I appreciate the time you took to respond to me. :smile:

May I ask, have you finished university?


I graduated back in 2011 :smile: Had a job for a year, then studied post grad. Now I'm back in the big scary business world.
Original post by Welsh_insomniac
I don't understand why it's stupid to the extreme. We're not children any more. There comes a time when you move out of your parents house and start creating the life you need and want to create. I understand there's some financial benefit to staying at home but most people don't know when to let go and realise that they will have to move anyway so why not make it now and claim those years as the beginning of your life.


Because you are talking about putting yourself in thousands of pounds of debt for the sake of a few years' independence. Even if you're not going to be in debt, you would be better off saving the money. Living at home during university does not necessarily mean your social life will be inferior to those in halls. In fact, your overall quality of life will probably be better due to the extra money you have.
I lived at home but because of my loneliness, I initially moved into halls.

Absolutely horrible. My flatmates were party animals and came into the halls, whooping and hollering at 3 in the morning. No matter how many times I confronted them about it, they laughed at me and continued to do it. So I moved into a private flat and decided to share it with a few acquaintances from my course.

With halls, it's basically a lottery in terms of who you end up with. In a private flat, you can choose your flatmates. So IMO:

Private flat > halls

Any day of the week. I'm still living quite close to my parents because I promised that I'd be there for my parents in these tough times.

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