University Independence?

[googleit6]

My parents and I have had an interesting series of discussions about what university I should go to when I am older. I still have a good few years, so nothing is absolute, but my brother only has a year until he graduates, so the topic has inevitably come up for the both of us.
Personally, I can't wait to get out of my town and go to university somewhere else. I crave the independence, and I have a feeling that my relationship with my parents won't be as strained as it is now, as I live under their roof. I want to be able to make my own decisions, and find like-minded people as friends.

But, going to university is obviously extremly expensive, and I do live in a good city for post-secondary education. I could live at home for university, and save a bundle of money, but I would miss out on that all-important first year of living away from home. (Or so I'm told.)
Honestly, I havne't been thinking about the cost that much, as I plan to work my arse off in university so I have little to no debt to pay off by the end of my schooling.
Fellow Escapists, I have these questions for you today;

Is living at home during university a smarter choice? And, if you believe so, do you think you would feel smothered?
Or, if you lived on your own, would you enjoy the independence you had? Was the extra money worth it?

And, even if you haven't been to university, feel free to share your thoughts on living at home or living away.

 

[Marter]

I think it depends on the relationship with the parents rather than the financial situation. If you have great parents, then I'd prefer to stay home, just so that I wouldn't have as high a student loan to pay back. On the other hand, if the relationship is not so great, move away. The extra stress will not help you in the long term.

I'm hoping I'll be able to move away when I go to university.

 

[Gigaguy64]

I think it depends on the relationship with the parents rather than the financial situation. If you have great parents, then I'd prefer to stay home, just so that I wouldn't have as high a student loan to pay back. On the other hand, if the relationship is not so great, move away. The extra stress will not help you in the long term.

I'm hoping I'll be able to move away when I go to university.

Exactly what he said.

Im going to be living at home when i go to college in the fall.
My parents are great and it will help me save a ton of money.

But if you and your parents dont get along well, then moving into the university would probably be best, less stress so you can focus on school and work better.

 

[Anthropaphagi]

The financial constraints on both yourself and your family can prove very difficult, also, lenders aren't as keen to give out money as they once were so check all your funding options and take full advantage wherever you can.

As for your choices, here are a few to consider:

You could do two years at home and two years on your own (even if you attend a local school nothing is preventing you from striking out on your own)

You could stay home for the duration.

You could move away and find alternative means for keeping costs down so that you're not repaying lots of money upon graduation.

You say you've got a few years before you've got to consider this seriously. Alot can change in a short period of time, so nothing is set in stone, but why not at least get a part-time job so you can put some money away in the event you do want to go away. (assuming you don't already have one)Realistically, you won't have much to contribute, but it's better then nothing if you're keen to strike out on your own.

 

[Megalodon]

You could go to Uni in your home town, but you should defineately move out, otherwise a lot of the point of the Uni experience is missed. You would almost get the best of both worlds, the independence of Uni, but you would know your way around the town right from the start and home would be close.

It can be annoying occasionaly when home is a hefty distance form Uni, especially when you leave stuff at home when you come back. I've done that several times, once with my glasses, that was not fun.

 

[Wadders]

I reckon living at home during university is pretty pointless.

I mean sure uni is all about getting a degree and stuff, but it's also about the gradual move towards your own independence, as well as meeting new people and having fun. That wont happen if you're staying at home when you dont have lectures.

You'd be missing out on an essential part of the university experience by living at home, and that may be a decision you come to regret, no matter how convenient it may seem in the short term.

 

[Good morning blues]

I lived with my parents for my first year and moved out following that. I hated living with my folks; I get along with them very well, but it was very difficult to spend time with friends, and the fact that I was commuting meant that I made very few friends on campus. I am happier in pretty much every respect now that I have moved out.

That said, I live in Canada, where you can get a degree for roughly the same cost of one year of schooling in the United States. Student debt, particularly in the states, can be crippling ? you should do some very serious research.

 

[Gigano]

I would've lived at home given the chance, as it's much easier on the economy and comfort. There's a lot of things to take care of once you get out on your own, and I for one wouldn't feel smothered.

If you feel it's best for you to live on your own by then (and you can get the ends to meet), then you should probably go with that. Having lived on my own for 4 years, I can't really say that it's all that bad, but I don't find myself being able to do stuff I absolutely couldn't have done at home.

Education is free where I live though, and the government even sponsor you with the equivalent of some 800$ a month, so I'm not sure it's comparable. There are a lot of expenses which suddenly crops up once you move out, so I'd recommend sitting down with your parents and having a talk about those when the time comes, so you can factor these into your budget and thus decision.

 

[Treefingers]

Well, I did my first 2 years of University in my home city living with my parents. For my 3rd year i've gone abroad to a University on the opposite side of the world, which i am currently coming to the end of.

The independence and freedom of living on your own is brilliant imo. You get way more out of your university experience, learn to stand on your own two feet a little bit and that. If you can afford it, go for it i say.

 

[googleit6]

I think it depends on the relationship with the parents rather than the financial situation. If you have great parents, then I'd prefer to stay home, just so that I wouldn't have as high a student loan to pay back. On the other hand, if the relationship is not so great, move away. The extra stress will not help you in the long term.

I'm hoping I'll be able to move away when I go to university.

Exactly what he said.

Im going to be living at home when i go to college in the fall.
My parents are great and it will help me save a ton of money.

But if you and your parents dont get along well, then moving into the university would probably be best, less stress so you can focus on school and work better.

I don't think I worded my explanation correctly. When I said I had a strained relationship with my parents, I didn't mean that every day was one long, screaming fight. I also didn't mean that they were bad parents. However, there are many issues we don't see eye to eye on. On the surface, we are usually okay, but I feel that our relationship would fare better if we didn't live in the same house, as we often butt heads over silly things. Had I not been living at home, we would never have had those arguements in the first place.
This doesn't exactly relate to the discussion, but I didn't want to paint my parents in the wrong light- my conscience couldn't handle it.
I apologize for not wording my original post more clearly, but thank you very much for the input.

 

[DividedUnity]

My parents and I have had an interesting series of discussions about what university I should go to when I am older. I still have a good few years, so nothing is absolute, but my brother only has a year until he graduates, so the topic has inevitably come up for the both of us.
Personally, I can't wait to get out of my town and go to university somewhere else. I crave the independence, and I have a feeling that my relationship with my parents won't be as strained as it is now, as I live under their roof. I want to be able to make my own decisions, and find like-minded people as friends.

But, going to university is obviously extremly expensive, and I do live in a good city for post-secondary education. I could live at home for university, and save a bundle of money, but I would miss out on that all-important first year of living away from home. (Or so I'm told.)
Honestly, I havne't been thinking about the cost that much, as I plan to work my arse off in university so I have little to no debt to pay off by the end of my schooling.
Fellow Escapists, I have these questions for you today;

Is living at home during university a smarter choice? And, if you believe so, do you think you would feel smothered?
Or, if you lived on your own, would you enjoy the independence you had? Was the extra money worth it?

And, even if you haven't been to university, feel free to share your thoughts on living at home or living away.

Its not a smart choice to live at home. Live close to home but not actually in it. This way you can get your washing done when you need it for free. University is when you start learning what its like to live in the real world. If you live at your parents house then this will shelter you somewhat. Sheltering is not what you want. You want crazy ass partys loads of hot girls and loud music. Can you really picture yourself doing that at your parents house?

 

[Gigaguy64]

I think it depends on the relationship with the parents rather than the financial situation. If you have great parents, then I'd prefer to stay home, just so that I wouldn't have as high a student loan to pay back. On the other hand, if the relationship is not so great, move away. The extra stress will not help you in the long term.

I'm hoping I'll be able to move away when I go to university.

Exactly what he said.

Im going to be living at home when i go to college in the fall.
My parents are great and it will help me save a ton of money.

But if you and your parents dont get along well, then moving into the university would probably be best, less stress so you can focus on school and work better.

I don't think I worded my explanation correctly. When I said I had a strained relationship with my parents, I didn't mean that every day was one long, screaming fight. I also didn't mean that they were bad parents. However, there are many issues we don't see eye to eye on. On the surface, we are usually okay, but I feel that our relationship would fare better if we didn't live in the same house, as we often butt heads over silly things. Had I not been living at home, we would never have had those arguements in the first place.
This doesn't exactly relate to the discussion, but I didn't want to paint my parents in the wrong light- my conscience couldn't handle it.
I apologize for not wording my original post more clearly, but thank you very much for the input.

Oh don't worry about it.
I didn't think you meant that they were bad parents, just that you don't see eye to eye and sometimes get frustrated at each other.

Me and my dad are the same way, i love him but, we defiantly DON'T see things the same way, and we argue often.
I completely understand where your coming from.

And if you do think that being on your own would help then you should, its true that living on a university is a great "First time living outside the nest" experience and its till safe because of the help most universitys give to the students, and like i said, removing even just a little bit of stress can help in the long run.