The reality of living at home when you are at university

The perks and problems you will face living at home whilst being at uni:

Missing out on the uni experience

Living at home means you’ll miss out on the drinking, partying and going out for 7 days on the trot. Although being at home means you will not get the constant ‘you coming out tonight?’ you’ll miss out on nights out with your uni pals. Sometimes this might distance you from them but try to go out every opportunity you can so you do not feel left out.

Saving money

It’s so much cheaper to live at home: you do not have to worry about paying for rent every month and doing your food shopping. But there will still be times when you overspend, from the temptations of grabbing food on your breaks in between lessons and meals out with uni friends. But at least you can say you have saved the pennies on the Jager bombs on the nights you’re missing out on.

There might be family fallouts

Being at home means you’re closer to your family, but sometimes being in a house with other people can be a nightmare. If there are people over and you are doing an essay that needs to be in as soon as possible it can get stressful, you will find yourself screaming at people to keep the noise down. Mood swings are inevitable, you will go up and down and sometimes take it out on those closest to you, but the majority of the time your family will understand, especially when you have huge bags under your eyes from staying up until 5am working on an essay.

You will feel less like an adult

Your mum will normally do your washing and ironing for you and have a meal on the table most nights when you get in from uni. Even though it might come across as you being dependent on your family, you still have the independence of getting up and getting yourself to uni every day. Be prepared for the endless nagging if you’ve slept in and missed a lecture — try not to make the mistake of telling them your whole timetable.

You will be more organised

Being at home makes it easier to be more organised. Not being in halls means you will not have the problem of noise, people pre-drinking and listening to your uni flatmates’ problems. At home, you can be nuisance-free and prepare for your assignments and exams in a more quiet environment.

Being in a relationship

Relationships are not easy regardless whether you live at home or in halls. But being at home means it will be easier to see your partner, normally because they only live 5 minutes away. You will save yourself the embarrassment of your flatmate walking in inconveniently. But, be prepared to not seeing your partner for days and maybe weeks when things get tough but the majority of the time they will understand, it is not easy being a student.

The best support system

You will get the best support at home if you are low on money your parents will be there to help. If there is something you do not understand and need some help with, your parents will be your first port of call. Your siblings will appreciate you being at home and you might get closer to them. You might fall out and argue sometimes but, they will be there for your problems and vice versa.

The hours wasted on commuting

The dreaded hours of the morning when you need to be in for a 9am lecture and find yourself stuck in traffic for hours, finishing at 5pm and doing it all over again on the way home. Filling up your car with petrol is something you will do almost every day. Oh, and do not forget the parking, you will find yourself getting endless tickets for not having a permit and spending x amounts on 4-hour tickets near your uni, to then moving your car to a road around the corner once this runs out. So be prepared to have a ton of spare change in your purse or wallet.

You will still make friends for life

Even though you miss out on the uni experience, your uni friends will be there for life. You will see each other at your lowest, they will know you better than most people,  you have grown up together they will want what is best for you, you know each other’s biggest hopes, fears and secrets. But, most importantly they will always be there for you whatever the future holds.