stay at home or go away

vickialice

What are the benifits from staying at home or going away from home?

What have other people decided to do?

Reply 1

hyper-little-mushroom-men

Going away from home has massive advantages in that it will ease you into living in the big wide world! Even if you go catered rather than self-catered, the independence is wonderful. If you want to go out to the supermarket at nine in the evening, you can, and you needn't tell anyone. You can live on biscuits and chocolate for a week if you like. (I did this. I didn't want any biscuits or chocolate for a while afterwards though. :p:

) It will teach you to shop, probably to cook a little, to use a laundrette, to budget, to organise your own life and to make your own choices.

I think of living away at uni as a useful halfway house between living with parents and really living independently. There's support available through the university and friends in halls/shared houses, but you can do your own thing without having your parents comment on it. :smile:

Also, you get treated like a proper adult, which I find *very* nice, because I am not a child anymore. It can be hard to go back home and then find your parents occasionally act as though you're 15, but... :rolleyes:

The advantages of living at home, I think, are a) it's cheaper; b) you probably get someone to cook and do your laundry for you. But you'd get that in the holidays anyway, so... :smile:

It isn't as if you can't go home for a visit while at uni. Admittedly when you're ill it's nice to have parents around, but that's something everyone will have to deal with at some stage.

Personally I was getting itchy feet by the time I went to uni. Now at the end of the summer after my first year, I'm itching after my independence even more!

Reply 2

Arianwen

I had two friends who lived at home and went to the local university, and they said to me they felt very left out of things. Both moved into student accommodation before the end of the first year.

I was in accommodation away from the main student village, and even we felt quite left out of all the action, as it were! Living on campus - as I did in my second year - makes things easier, closer, and whatnot. Except, by that time, all my friends lived in town. *facepalm*

So, yes - I second the suggestion to move into Halls in your first year.

Reply 3

apotoftea

I can now say I've done/or doing both - lived at home for my BA, am in halls for my MA. Living at home has the best of both worlds I feel - your own room, your own house etc - food available from parents or cook yourself; no dragging of laundry across campus; oh and cost!! I had a fab time at uni whilst living at home and still had a very busy social life. If you get involved with uni life, meeting people for drinks, grabbing lunch together, join a sports club etc etc. It's only when people go straight home after lectures without saying two words to anyone else that causes the "you miss out on everything". Plus once you get to know people well enough, there's nothing stopping you crashing in their room after a late night. Don't forget though that once you're in your second and third years, very few, if any students will be on campus so everyone at some stage will have a commute of some kind, whether it's 5mins or 50mins.

I can see the attraction of being in halls on campus. It's so nice to be able to just leave my room and be at the library in 5mins time and everything's so close. I've not had the social side yet but I am in PG halls so that's most likely why! I've only really seen people in the kitchen and this is before even anyone's course has started so once everyone's got work to do etc, it'll be even quieter. UG first year halls will be completely different though!!!

Reply 4

Surfers_Paradise*09*

In all honesty in depends on what your life at home is like. I mean if you rely on your parents to cook, clean, pay for everything then it will be harder than if you pay towards bills and cook and clean for yourself.

These types of things are what you will need to do independantly, however it is rare you are going to be living alone so it wont be soley your responisibility to maintain the house you will live in, similar to your parents house now.

I didnt find it that shocking to be honest, but really really appreciated home life such as food, washing on tap and my clean bedroom. Most student accom will have shared facilities and make it more of a hassle to wash/cook.

Reply 5

roshi

staying at home is def better and plus after a few weeks or so the thrill of staying in halls will be gone and you would have to cook and clean after yourself which I would hate to do.

Reply 6

hyper-little-mushroom-men

roshi

staying at home is def better and plus after a few weeks or so the thrill of staying in halls will be gone and you would have to cook and clean after yourself which I would hate to do.

You can always go catered. Also, your mum isn't going to be there to tidy up for you all your life... :rolleyes:

Reply 7

Surfers_Paradise*09*

hyper-little-mushroom-men

You can always go catered. Also, your mum isn't going to be there to tidy up for you all your life... :rolleyes:

Even thats not worth it. Too much like spoon feeding

Tbh, cooking and cleaning is something you should learn at a young age not 18. If I were living at home, I would adapt as if I were living on campus, ie cook, clean, get a job (part time), pay rent and buy food.

Reply 8

hyper-little-mushroom-men

We're not allowed to self-cater. The facilities are too rubbish. :frown:

But yeah. If you can't clean up after yourself at 18, I'm a bit worried...

Reply 9

username191238

Advantages of staying at home:

Cheaper - saving on accommodation, food, bills
Family always there for you
Laundry and meals often done for you
More space to yourself e.g. possibly a larger room
You will know the city well and won't feel lost/isolated
Less disruptive than living in halls

Advantages of moving away:

Independence
You can pretty much come and go as you please
Social aspects are possibly better
Meet more people