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Did or is anybody else here living with their parents while going to college? I did and it was the worst decision of my life. Yes, I saved a lot of money but at the cost of four years of pure hell. My school was a 45 minute drive from my house and I worked a part time job that didn't like working with my schedule, so I had no friends and no time for any on-campus activities. All the challenge and homework of the college life coupled with all the fun of being treated like a 17 year old is not great. Though I am out of college now, I still bear the scars of having lived at home. I don't have near the life experience the average 23 year old has and while my friends commonly talk about how wonderful their college years were, for me it was four lost years, as if I was in prison. I strongly suggest anybody considering living at home and going to school to reconsider it. You will save money, but it's not worth losing what should be one of the best times of your life. Thoughts?
If anybody else has experience living at home and going to school or knows somebody who has, feel free to post a response.
It depends on how your parents are some parents will still treat you like a kid some parents understand that you are an adult and leave you be
My mom suggested I live home but hell no. The women still asks me if I brush my teeth when ever she sees me.
Let me answer this from the parents' POV. It is the parents' home. They are under no legal obligation to support you after the age of 18; they are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They shouldn't try to control the student, but they can have "house rules" that the student should follow (like no sharing your bedroom with someone of the opposite sex, no wild drinking parties, etc); they may own the cars, and have a right to say what you can do with the cars. The student should expect to act like an adult, as well. This means helping around the house, being considerate of the others that live there.
My kids mostly lived away during college, though were home summers, some times working, some times going to school.
I don't regret it because I don't have a life crushing debt. I have enough to travel and indulge my interests while taking care of the rent and other fixed expenses. I have a friend who has never taken a vacation because she has nothing but debt and moved back in with her parents.
Don't worry about what you missed out in the past but focused on how you can balance your work and personal life now. Figure out a way to have some savings and also reward yourself. Find friends who are in the same level as you, because it's good to go somewhere and share the experience but it's not fun when they're worried about how much they're spending every step of the way. I take my friends' financial status into consideration whenever we go out to eat or otherwise.
It depends on how your parents are some parents will still treat you like a kid some parents understand that you are an adult and leave you be
My mom suggested I live home but hell no. The women still asks me if I brush my teeth when ever she sees me.
My parents were horrible my freshman year. Still had a midnight bedtime. I thought I would do anything to get out of there but my high school friends were gone and I was unable to make new friends in college so I was trapped. My parents lightened up a lot by my senior year but were still way too controlling. That aside, strict or lenient parents, it's difficult to connect with your campus and college classmates if you live at home.
My parents were horrible my freshman year. Still had a midnight bedtime. I thought I would do anything to get out of there but my high school friends were gone and I was unable to make new friends in college so I was trapped. My parents lightened up a lot by my senior year but were still way too controlling. That aside, strict or lenient parents, it's difficult to connect with your campus and college classmates if you live at home.
No you werent trapped. You were free to leave anytime you wanted.
Geez, you get four years of free rent and your complaining?
I had friends live at home and did not have a problem being involved in the campus activities they wanted to be involved in.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bchris02
Did or is anybody else here living with their parents while going to college? I did and it was the worst decision of my life. Yes, I saved a lot of money but at the cost of four years of pure hell. My school was a 45 minute drive from my house and I worked a part time job that didn't like working with my schedule, so I had no friends and no time for any on-campus activities. All the challenge and homework of the college life coupled with all the fun of being treated like a 17 year old is not great. Though I am out of college now, I still bear the scars of having lived at home. I don't have near the life experience the average 23 year old has and while my friends commonly talk about how wonderful their college years were, for me it was four lost years, as if I was in prison. I strongly suggest anybody considering living at home and going to school to reconsider it. You will save money, but it's not worth losing what should be one of the best times of your life. Thoughts?
If anybody else has experience living at home and going to school or knows somebody who has, feel free to post a response.
Well I'm doing that right now and I dont like it much. My mail gets "accidentially" opened sometimes. I still get treated like i'm in high school like getting a phone call every time 11:30 pm comes around on a weekend asking why i'm not home. I dont drink or smoke and dont run with those who do. Yeah i'm saving some money but if I have to deal with being treated like a kid the savings are moot. I dont care much about on-campus activities though (maybe b/c i go to a comm. college.) I work a part-time banking job and i hate the stress of that coupled with homework and living with my family.
Hopefully, when i get to Louisville i can do something about it and find a decent single affordable apt. I don't care if i have to work full-time at school and work to get it.
Well I'm doing that right now and I dont like it much. My mail gets "accidentially" opened sometimes. I still get treated like i'm in high school like getting a phone call every time 11:30 pm comes around on a weekend asking why i'm not home. I dont drink or smoke and dont run with those who do. Yeah i'm saving some money but if I have to deal with being treated like a kid the savings are moot. I dont care much about on-campus activities though (maybe b/c i go to a comm. college.) I work a part-time banking job and i hate the stress of that coupled with homework and living with my family.
Hopefully, when i get to Louisville i can do something about it and find a decent single affordable apt. I don't care if i have to work full-time at school and work to get it.
Agree. Sounds pretty similar to my experience. Though I went to a full four year university, it was basically a community college because it was a very low-grade small town commuter school. I was working at Office Depot roughly 30 hours per week all through college in addition to taking 16 hour semesters. At least you are doing something I didn't - changing schools part way through your college. I stayed at the same school in the same conditions all four years - talk about a living hell! I wanted to change schools in the worst way. I even would have given up my full paid scholarship at my local commuter school to do it I was that miserable. My parents however wouldn't let me take out a loan and I didn't have the ability to get one without their approval.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skipcromer
No you werent trapped. You were free to leave anytime you wanted.
Geez, you get four years of free rent and your complaining?
I had friends live at home and did not have a problem being involved in the campus activities they wanted to be involved in.
Insert into the equation a 45 minute commute and a very non-flexible, demanding part time job and see what happens. I can understand for some people in some situations living at home during school works fine, but its NOT that way for most people I have talked to both online and offline.
Agree. Sounds pretty similar to my experience. Though I went to a full four year university, it was basically a community college because it was a very low-grade small town commuter school. I was working at Office Depot roughly 30 hours per week all through college in addition to taking 16 hour semesters. At least you are doing something I didn't - changing schools part way through your college. I stayed at the same school in the same conditions all four years - talk about a living hell! I wanted to change schools in the worst way. I even would have given up my full paid scholarship at my local commuter school to do it I was that miserable. My parents however wouldn't let me take out a loan and I didn't have the ability to get one without their approval.
Insert into the equation a 45 minute commute and a very non-flexible, demanding part time job and see what happens. I can understand for some people in some situations living at home during school works fine, but its NOT that way for most people I have talked to both online and offline.
Again, you were not trapped.
My friends also had the same commute as you. Door to door easily 45 minutes.
Again, these are all decisions you made. If you were that unhappy with your job and living rent free you were free to do something about it. You were not trapped.
Quote:
My parents however wouldn't let me take out a loan and I didn't have the ability to get one without their approval.
#1 son lived away for 4 years until he graduated. Now, he is back home, and has applied locally in order to get a 2nd degree. We paid for the first (private) college and all expenses. Now this one will be on his dime. If he wants to live here rent free, he is welcome, and I think that's what he will do.
We moved while he was in college, so after he moved back home he didn't know anyone. A job and a gym membership opened his social life up a bit.
Two more kids to go, and we are encouraging them (not that they need encouragement!) to go away. I think it will help them grow up and be more independent.
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