Reasons Why You Should Live at Home During University

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In many ways, living at home can also mean you keep a valuable support network close at hand.  Plenty of students find university a lonely and unhappy experience, with mental health conditions on the rise among the student population.  And even though your parents might embarrass you from time to time, or still treat you like a child, there’s nothing quite like getting a good, warm hug from your mum or dad when you’re upset about something, or your favorite home-cooked meal when you’re exhausted after a long day.

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By this we mean both geographically and emotionally. While you might feel stifled and limited in some respects, living at home also makes it easier to keep up with old friends and you know there’s always a sympathetic ear and a cuddle to hand if things start to go wrong in either your studies or love life. Obviously, this is even more ideal if you happen to be neighbors with your closest friend/s.

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Living in flatshares or university halls can have their difficulties. Whether it’s thieving flatmates helping themselves to your milk, piles of dishes accumulating in the sink, people coming in at 4am making loads of noise and waking you up when you have a 9am lecture the next day….the list goes on. And chances are, your parents are a lot tidier and quieter to live with (and probably own a dishwasher). So if you’re easily bothered by noise or mess, living at home might be an ideal option.

Obviously, living at home isn’t always going to be ideal – so it’s worth bearing in mind the following before you make your decision:

• You won’t get the same sense of freedom as your fellow students who are living in halls or a house share. You may be an adult in the eyes of the rest of the world, but your parents will probably still see you as a child, so might not be too keen on letting you come and go as you please at all times of the day and night.
• You may find that your university social life is a little more limited as a result of this. It’s harder to get involved in late night social events if you have to get home at a reasonable time and not wake the whole household. 
• Halls of residence and student accommodation tend to be closer to the university, while your home might well be commute or long walk away from your uni campus. You should factor in the costs of your commute and also think about how much time you’d need to allow to get to lectures in time.
• This means it might be harder to make friends. You’ll have to try harder than those who live in halls and are surrounded by other students day and night. Joining societies and clubs or volunteering can be a good way to meet people, but if they hook up in the evenings you might not find it so easy to join in.
• Living at home can also put a bit of a dampener on your love life. Few people will want to bring a new partner home to their parents’ house, and it might not go unnoticed if you fail to return after a night out. 

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In summary, there are pros and cons to both staying and home and leaving the nest – it’s up to you to weigh up the positives and negatives of each accommodation option to decide what’s right for you.

Lizzie Exton writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in sourcing candidates for internships. To browse our graduate jobs London listings, visit our website.