How was staying at home for uni?
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
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Reply 1
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hey @Taki12 how are you? 🤗
I lived at home when I was studying too. My university was only a short drive away, and I didn't want to move out, just personal preference. I knew others who lived at home too and it didn't affect their student life at all, they were still able to get involved in societies, nights out, making friends etc! I focused more on my studies rather than the student life personally, so it didn't affect me at all, I enjoyed my time, and I enjoyed staying at home for it
Becky
Reply 2
19
I was heading towards moving out for University as the course I wanted to do wasn't available locally, but at the last minute, a new degree course arrived closer to me. I wasn't financially in a position (neither did I get a huge grant) to move so it was helpful to be a bus and a train ride to uni. I didn't maximise social outings and building new friendships but they was down to me rather than being at home.
Reply 3
Hi Taki12,
I also stayed at home while studying for my Bachelors and found that it worked well for me. It worked out cheaper, but there was of course the added hassle of commuting to University. There are many pros and cons to doing this, but my best advice would be to just make sure you still try out and get involved in the things going on at Uni.
It may take a little bit more effort to be involved and do things, compared to people who live right on campus, but this does not make it impossible. And it is all about what works best for you, and how you can still get the best of your time at Uni while still living at home.
So I would say that you should try not to view living at home at a burden, but rather a way that allows you to use your money on other, perhaps more fun things!
Hope this has helped a bit,
Sam Lynch - Environmental Science and the Climate Emergency Student Ambassador.
I also stayed at home while studying for my Bachelors and found that it worked well for me. It worked out cheaper, but there was of course the added hassle of commuting to University. There are many pros and cons to doing this, but my best advice would be to just make sure you still try out and get involved in the things going on at Uni.
It may take a little bit more effort to be involved and do things, compared to people who live right on campus, but this does not make it impossible. And it is all about what works best for you, and how you can still get the best of your time at Uni while still living at home.
So I would say that you should try not to view living at home at a burden, but rather a way that allows you to use your money on other, perhaps more fun things!
Hope this has helped a bit,
Sam Lynch - Environmental Science and the Climate Emergency Student Ambassador.
Reply 4
Hi there!
I did not personally live at home during uni, but I have met lots of people who did during my time at uni, and most of them had the same comments about how they made it easier for themselves and still connected to other students:
1. Make the most of societies! Living at home doesn’t mean you don’t get to enjoy aspects of university life outside an academic setting. There are so many activities and societies at university that are available to join, regardless of where you’re living, and they’re a great way to meet likeminded people, as you’ll already have a common interest! If you’re not sure what’s available to you, you could look online, or attend your university’s freshers fayre.
2. Make the most of opportunities to meet up with people. You could invite people for a coffee, or to study together at the library. There are loads of ways to spend time with people outside of accommodation, and it’s a great idea to maximise these!
3. Remember that who you live with is a very small proportion of the people you see at uni! Even for people in student accommodation, most of the people you spend your time with are those you meet throughout the year, particularly in first year! Everyone is in the same boat of wanting to build new friendships, so try to focus on that!
I hope this helps, and good luck with starting uni!
Eryn - Portsmouth Student Rep 🙂
I did not personally live at home during uni, but I have met lots of people who did during my time at uni, and most of them had the same comments about how they made it easier for themselves and still connected to other students:
1. Make the most of societies! Living at home doesn’t mean you don’t get to enjoy aspects of university life outside an academic setting. There are so many activities and societies at university that are available to join, regardless of where you’re living, and they’re a great way to meet likeminded people, as you’ll already have a common interest! If you’re not sure what’s available to you, you could look online, or attend your university’s freshers fayre.
2. Make the most of opportunities to meet up with people. You could invite people for a coffee, or to study together at the library. There are loads of ways to spend time with people outside of accommodation, and it’s a great idea to maximise these!
3. Remember that who you live with is a very small proportion of the people you see at uni! Even for people in student accommodation, most of the people you spend your time with are those you meet throughout the year, particularly in first year! Everyone is in the same boat of wanting to build new friendships, so try to focus on that!
I hope this helps, and good luck with starting uni!
Eryn - Portsmouth Student Rep 🙂
Reply 5
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hey there!
I lived at home for the first couple of years and I don't feel like I missed out! It can make it a bit more difficult to get to and from social events if you don't drive but there are definitely ways around it and sometimes you just have to plan in advance a little more!
I hope this helps,
Rebecca, UCLan
Reply 6
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hi there @Taki12
I had personal experience of staying home for university and found that it much suited me compared to accommodation in my personal opinion. I am naturally quite a introverted person and because of this, I found being able to do my work and revise at home suited my preferences much better than being with others.
In addition, I would have to admit that I am not the best cook in the world, so because of that, still having my parents cook for me I much preferred🤣
In all honesty it is definitely up to personal preference. You should really do what is best for you as an individual based on finances and your personality I feel.
Hope that helped!
Brandon - Student Rep
Reply 7
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
It’s absolutely ok staying home I did too and I saved a lot of student loan I’m happy
Reply 8
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hi,
I hope you are well! 😊
Just to add on from what Brandon has said, the choice of living away or staying at home is a personal choice, and one which has to be best for you! I'm glad you feel you have made the right decision.🙂
I had a really similar situation to you too. After considering finances I decided that moving away was not going to be an option for me. I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to move away either! Like Brandon I'm quite introverted too, and love being at home surrounded by family and my dog! 🤭 So felt that living at home was the best option for me, and luckily there was a great course that ticked all my boxes close to home too!
I know the pressures of others moving away, and feeling that you're going to 'miss out' or won't have a social life if you don't move away, however, I think that your university experience is what you make it. So you can still get involved in societies, activities, or even nights out (if you have a trusted friends to say at for example) while living at home, if this is what you want to do. I'm part of two societies and my friendship group all live at home, so you can definitely have a social life and connect with others who live at home too, which I think is really nice!😊
There will be lots of people feeling the same as you! I know I do, and I don't regret my choice at all. University is a big commitment and journey so feeling comfortable financially and personally is super important, so I'm glad you chose the right choice for you. And remember- you have the rest of your life, or university journey if you plan on doing a masters etc to move out/away!
Best wishes for your studies! 🎓️
Josie
Uni of Kent Student Rep🎓️
Reply 9
Hey @Taki12
This can be a really difficult decision so I've made a list below giving the pro's and con's for each side! I both commuted and lived at uni over the years so this is just from my experience!
Living at home
There are definitely pro’s and con’s to living at home. The big benefit is saving money as you don’t have as many outgoings as you do if you are living away. You save money on things like rent and shopping, and it is a great thing to do if you are trying to save up – I used the money I saved to put towards a car, so this was a great thing for me!
Around exam time, it is also so much easier living at home as (if you’re lucky) you have your meals made and washing done, it’s these little things that make the difference!
The downside to living at home was having to commute every day as this got tiring quickly! It depends on how far you have to commute and how many days you are in university on how much this might wear you out. It also depends on how you commute – for example, if you get the train, it’s a good time to get some work done whereas if you drive, it means you may loose an hour or two in your day!
Living at university
Like living at home, there are some benefits and some downsides to living away. I found that when I moved out in third year, I really enjoyed the sense of independence that I gained from doing this.
By moving out, I did also find it a bit easier to socialise! When I lived at home, it wasn’t as easy to just nip into town to meet your friends or make spontaneous plans, I felt like everything had to be a bit more planned! Now it’s really easy to nip out to meet friends!
You also get to meet a lot more people who might not be on your course! A lot of first year halls will put you into random flats (unless you specifically ask) and this is a great opportunity to meet people you otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to meet!
One of the downsides to living at university is the cost. The cost of living can be expensive depending on where you live and a lot of people that I know work alongside their degrees in order to have extra money to socialise. Luckily for me, UCLan is one of the cheapest student cities to live in so this made it a bit easier for me!
I hope this helps!
-Rebecca, UCLan 5th year
This can be a really difficult decision so I've made a list below giving the pro's and con's for each side! I both commuted and lived at uni over the years so this is just from my experience!
Living at home
There are definitely pro’s and con’s to living at home. The big benefit is saving money as you don’t have as many outgoings as you do if you are living away. You save money on things like rent and shopping, and it is a great thing to do if you are trying to save up – I used the money I saved to put towards a car, so this was a great thing for me!
Around exam time, it is also so much easier living at home as (if you’re lucky) you have your meals made and washing done, it’s these little things that make the difference!
The downside to living at home was having to commute every day as this got tiring quickly! It depends on how far you have to commute and how many days you are in university on how much this might wear you out. It also depends on how you commute – for example, if you get the train, it’s a good time to get some work done whereas if you drive, it means you may loose an hour or two in your day!
Living at university
Like living at home, there are some benefits and some downsides to living away. I found that when I moved out in third year, I really enjoyed the sense of independence that I gained from doing this.
By moving out, I did also find it a bit easier to socialise! When I lived at home, it wasn’t as easy to just nip into town to meet your friends or make spontaneous plans, I felt like everything had to be a bit more planned! Now it’s really easy to nip out to meet friends!
You also get to meet a lot more people who might not be on your course! A lot of first year halls will put you into random flats (unless you specifically ask) and this is a great opportunity to meet people you otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to meet!
One of the downsides to living at university is the cost. The cost of living can be expensive depending on where you live and a lot of people that I know work alongside their degrees in order to have extra money to socialise. Luckily for me, UCLan is one of the cheapest student cities to live in so this made it a bit easier for me!
I hope this helps!
-Rebecca, UCLan 5th year
Reply 10
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hi @Taki12 ,
I hope that university is going well for you and that you are feeling okay with commuting now that you have been doing it for a little while. I am not a commuter student myself, however some of my good friends are so I thought I could give you some of my advice in case you are struggling with this.
1.
If you haven't already, think about joining a society. I know when you are commuting this can be tricky if it doesn't match up with your schedule, but some societies have meetings during the day or in some evenings or weekends so you may be able to make them and this is a great way of making friends.
1.
Try and stay with your friends from your course after classes. Try not to rush off after you have finished and stay around and see if they want to do anything. Some of my friends from my course commute so we go for coffee after uni or go to the library together!
1.
I am sure you have got a routine now, but if you have a long wait between classes, it's a good idea to go to the library and get some work done. I know this seems obvious but this is what my friends often do between classes and often I stay with them and get things done!
1.
If you go on the train to uni, try and get some work done on the train too! I know that WiFi is not great on trains but if you have anything to do that does not require the internet, this is a great time to get this done.
1.
Make plans. Just ask people to make plans with you as often they will want to! You could always go out for dinner, or drinks, or ask to stay at someones house and yo can go on a night out!
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂
Reply 11
I think not so many students have opportunity to stay at home during studies. But of you do, it saves you lot of cash and energy
Reply 12
It was ok honestly stayed for a year
Reply 13
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hello,
I’m currently living at home and commuting in to uni on the days I need to go in. I’d agree with the previous replies to your thread, that it really doesn’t make any difference to the uni experience. My friends are mixed in that some are home students and others live in the uni city and the living at home ones say the same thing, they don’t feel they lose out in any way either.
Clubs and societies are available to join regardless of where you live and in Chester there is a commuting students society that tries to help support us if we need it, they have campaigned for lockers to be installed for us, for example, so that when we come in on the train we can keep our stuff in them without having in its out having to carry it round with us all day.
I think provided you are prepared to get involved and join in with everything where you live doesn’t really make any difference whatsoever, and this is the same for those living on campus. The onus is on the student to take up the uni offer of clubs etc to join in with, regardless of where the live.
I hope it all goes well for you
All the best,
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Reply 14
I lived in halls but had a couple of weeks in my final year where II had to commute (couldn’t find a place to live.) I found I missed out so much I think it probably has to do with distance and time travelling for instance I was going from Reading so that was 2ish hours each way a mate of mine lived in St Denys which is 28 minutes away by train but he had a mother bike so his commute was only about 4 minutes so obviously he didn’t miss out much at all provided he didn’t drink too much he could get to and from Southampton with ease.
Reply 15
Original post by Taki12
As the title says. I chose to stay at home for uni due to Bristol being very expensive, the current economic situation (Cost of living + insane rent) being out of my control, and the lack of financial support I would receive if I did move out. It does hurt to miss out on moving out, but I have thought about it for 5+ months about moving out and realised that it would not be the best for me.
Hiya!
I just graduated in November and lived at home throughout my studies. I personally didn’t find that it affected my experience at all! Yes sometimes I had to make a little more effort than others to go out but overall I got used to it. On some occasions I would crash at a friends house for the night to make it easier! I’ve found being at home really helped me financially and being close to my family and friends was great, as you have that extra support!
If you change your mind at some point, you can always do a short term rental and see how it feels. Moving away for uni isn’t for everyone tho! I actually know a few friends that decided to move home after the first year because of some of the reasons you mentioned!
Good luck at uni!
Sophie 🙂
Reply 16
I often see people on here saying it didn’t affect them(living at home).That’s great and all you had a great time !but how do you know? I mean you lived at home you didn’t try living a university. You might have saved money I don’t know but al my calculations ( calculated over 5 days because some courses are 5 days a week) have shown me I would have actually lost money if I lived at home. Your Daley cost would be:
1/ Bus to the statilon.
2/Train to university city.
3/ Food
4/ Train home
5/ Bus from station to
6/ Bus from station to home.
Let’s plug in some numbers
The bus fare is £6.50 a day
Train fare is £17.90
Food is about £5.00
So over a 5 day week that’s £147 a week halls cost (with bills included) £121.50 a week so I’m saving £25.50 a week when you think a student food shop for a week can be a touché pen I’ve but there are many ways to cut down on that price in several ways like buying the supermarket own brands or shopping at places like Lidl or Aldi also if you can find out when the supermarket puts out their reduced price things that helps too.
You also miss out on a lot of the halls madness you actually do miss out on rather a lot if you live at home.
1/ Bus to the statilon.
2/Train to university city.
3/ Food
4/ Train home
5/ Bus from station to
6/ Bus from station to home.
Let’s plug in some numbers
The bus fare is £6.50 a day
Train fare is £17.90
Food is about £5.00
So over a 5 day week that’s £147 a week halls cost (with bills included) £121.50 a week so I’m saving £25.50 a week when you think a student food shop for a week can be a touché pen I’ve but there are many ways to cut down on that price in several ways like buying the supermarket own brands or shopping at places like Lidl or Aldi also if you can find out when the supermarket puts out their reduced price things that helps too.
You also miss out on a lot of the halls madness you actually do miss out on rather a lot if you live at home.
Reply 17
Original post by jonathanemptage
I often see people on here saying it didn’t affect them(living at home).That’s great and all you had a great time !but how do you know? I mean you lived at home you didn’t try living a university. You might have saved money I don’t know but al my calculations ( calculated over 5 days because some courses are 5 days a week) have shown me I would have actually lost money if I lived at home. Your Daley cost would be:
1/ Bus to the statilon.
2/Train to university city.
3/ Food
4/ Train home
5/ Bus from station to
6/ Bus from station to home.
Let’s plug in some numbers
The bus fare is £6.50 a day
Train fare is £17.90
Food is about £5.00
So over a 5 day week that’s £147 a week halls cost (with bills included) £121.50 a week so I’m saving £25.50 a week when you think a student food shop for a week can be a touché pen I’ve but there are many ways to cut down on that price in several ways like buying the supermarket own brands or shopping at places like Lidl or Aldi also if you can find out when the supermarket puts out their reduced price things that helps too.
You also miss out on a lot of the halls madness you actually do miss out on rather a lot if you live at home.
1/ Bus to the statilon.
2/Train to university city.
3/ Food
4/ Train home
5/ Bus from station to
6/ Bus from station to home.
Let’s plug in some numbers
The bus fare is £6.50 a day
Train fare is £17.90
Food is about £5.00
So over a 5 day week that’s £147 a week halls cost (with bills included) £121.50 a week so I’m saving £25.50 a week when you think a student food shop for a week can be a touché pen I’ve but there are many ways to cut down on that price in several ways like buying the supermarket own brands or shopping at places like Lidl or Aldi also if you can find out when the supermarket puts out their reduced price things that helps too.
You also miss out on a lot of the halls madness you actually do miss out on rather a lot if you live at home.
Where are you living where buses cost £6.50 a day? And where student halls only cost £121.50 a week??
Reply 18
Original post by pagan-scimitar
Where are you living where buses cost £6.50 a day? And where student halls only cost £121.50 a week??
A I live in a little village just outside of Reading and the halls are in Southampton and owned by Solent.
Reply 19
Ah that makes sense. I was just surprised to hear of halls being that cheap, maybe I've been looking at too many of the expensive cities 😅
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