How to Decide Whether to Live at Home During College
Most students are ready to get out of their house by the end of high school and try living life "on their own" in the experimental structure known as college. Still, there are some benefits to living at home during college: whether or not they outweigh the benefits of living on campus is left for you to decide.
Consider finances: this is probably the biggest and the most common factor for students choosing to stay at home. The cost of living in a dorm or apartment is just too much to handle for some students, as well as the cost of food and other expenses that home life normally provides (i.e. laundry, toiletries, clothes). While there may be some extra costs in transportation to and from school every morning, this is small change compared to the other financial burdens living away from home entails. If you're strapped for cash, you might find yourself thinking of staying in the nest a little longer unless you plan on working a job and getting financial aid while in school.
Consider the transition: this may not apply to everyone, but certain personality types just don't transition easy from one life phase to another. For those who have never been away from home for a long period of time, suddenly uprooting and going away to college in an unfamiliar place can be mortifying. For these people, living at home during college can ease the transition from high school to a school where there is more personal responsibility. Of course, if you're a regular traveller or more ready than ever to be out on your own, then this is a smaller consideration for you.