Staying at home during college provides numerous costs and benefits
When people describe the typical college experience, it usually involves living on campus in a dorm. Many colleges actually require students to live in dorms for their first two years, unless they commute. After moving out of the dorms, many students often move into a nearby apartment during their junior and senior years.
However, the quintessential college experience is changing. In fact, according to a report from Forbes, 54 percent of students now choose to live at home during their college years. Whereas living at home was seen as a rarity in the past, it is now rather commonplace. University students have come to recognize the various benefits that living at home provides them during their college career.
Of course, living at home does come with its drawbacks as well. Each student must weigh out the costs and benefits of choosing to live at home while attending college to determine which path is right for them.
Benefits of living at home
The most obvious benefit of living at home, and the number one reason why students choose to do so, is cutting costs. Amy Diluna of NBC News reports that students can save around $10,000 a year by commuting from home, depending on what college they attend. With each passing year, college grows more expensive and many students are forced to rely upon loans to pay for their education. Room and board will only add to the climbing amount of debt that students acquire by the end of their academic journey.
Beyond room and board, living at home can save students money in other ways. Doing laundry will likely be a much simpler and less expensive task while meals will probably cost less as well. Living at home carries more than just financial benefits. Staying with family can often provide students with a social support system, according to Kate Ashford of Forbes. College can often be a tough time of transition for many students and living away from home can make them feel isolated. Living at home often eliminates much of that isolation.
Drawbacks of living at home
Living at home might eliminate the distractions of those late-night parties, but it will also reduce the number of social gatherings and events for students as a whole. NBC News’ Amy Diluna explains that many students that live at home can feel like social outsiders, due to their reduced presence on campus. Students who commute are less likely to join clubs and activities than those who choose to live on campus.
Living away from campus doesn’t just make socializing with other students harder. It also makes working with them harder. Diluna also notes that scheduling group projects can be more difficult when one student lives farther from campus. The distance between where students live and where they go to school can often land them with a long and arduous commute. Said commute can drain students of energy or even cost them a hefty fee in terms of gas money, according to Susannah Snider of U.S. News & World Report.
Furthermore, commuting to school and living at home only works if the university that students are interested in attending is in the same vicinity as their family home. If students truly want to live at home during college, then it can greatly reduce the number of universities where they can feasibly enroll. Needless to say, the decision to live at home also depends on how strong the relationship is between students and their family members. Many students will pursue the independence that living away from home provides, even if it may cost them more in the long run.
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