Why I Chose to Live at Home

Adjusting to University life can be a challenge. With things like having to move to a new city, budgeting your money carefully and trying to make new friends – a lot of it can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Though it may not seem common, a lot of students do decide to live at home and commute to University instead of moving out due to financial, health or family issues (plus so much more!). Personally, I knew straight off the bat that living on my own would not be sustainable and could potentially affect my health as I suffered from severe panic attacks during my high school and college years. So, when the time came, and I had to make the choice whether to move out into Halls or stay living at home, I decided to choose the latter.  Choosing to stay at home was a tough choice, but I knew it would be the right one for me.  Still, this did not stop feelings of jealousy and “FOMO” at the start of the term, while my friends were all busy shopping for duvet covers and moving into their University flats. But over time, I got used to my own routine and was very glad I had my family around me during those stressful first few months of settling into University.

I get a lot of people ask me about my experiences with living at home and commuting to University. I get many questions like: “aren’t you missing out on the Uni life”, or “Isn’t it more difficult for you to make friends?”. From working as a mentor for prospective students, I know a lot of people are scared that living at home would mean that they would miss out on the University experience; but it is not like that at all! If anything, living at home encourages you to put yourself out there a little bit more than those who live in halls because you actually HAVE to make the effort to attend events to meet people. I felt like I had made the wrong choice at first, especially after seeing everyone plan pre-drinks or outings in the University group chat. But after a few weeks, I liked the fact that I was able to separate my University life and my home life! I never felt like I missed out on anything either as I still had fun during Freshers and I even came out with a group of friends who I am now very close with. Some obvious perks of living at home also include being able to save money, having your family around as a support system, and not having to eat pot noodles every single night!

See, living at home doesn’t sound so bad right?

When people ask me for advice on whether they should move out or stay at home, I always tell them to do what they think is best for them in the long run. When my mentees ask: “But what if I miss out on the University life?” All I can say to that is, do not let the “fear of missing out” force you into moving out if you cannot or are not ready to. As I know of a few people who decided to give up their lease to move back home, after finding it difficult to adjust in the first few months of University.

So, if you’re reading this, and you’re one of those students who have decided that staying at home would be the best option, then do not fear! You can still have the absolute time of your life at University, regardless of your situation/ where you live – it’s all down to you!

Just remember that University is what YOU make of it.

See you all on the flipside!

Enna