Everyone wants to leave home after college. The dream of finally being away from parental influence, being an almost completely legitimate 'adult', makes most high school students apply to every single out of state school they can qualify for. Whether you have to stay home for financial reasons, or you honestly just fell in love with the school down the road, here are the eight best things about going to your hometown state university
1. You can keep your room
Sure, you may not be 100% independent of your parents, but trust me, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed that you know you can get a good night's sleep in. You also don't have to share the room with another (possibly) random person, or share your bathroom with one to three other individuals. So you can keep it as clean (or messy) as your heart desires.
2. Home-cooked, healthy meals are a lot cheaper.
Sure, if you have the meal plan it's not that expensive, but being able to have your own kitchen (or a loving mama or abuelita to cook for you) allows for you to experiment more with healthier foods without being restricted to the salad bar, stir fry station (on some days) and the tiny vegetarian section. Plus, this means more money for you to spend at Starbucks (I don't care if I can make coffee in my room I can't make iced coffee like they do).
3. You commute, which means people will invite you places.
This in a certain light can be bad, but if your friend group from high school all left and you're in the business of finding new friends, this can be a blessing in disguise. All of the out-of-city or out-of-state students with no cars and limited budgets will strategically find ways to become friends with commuters. In return, be sure to ask for napping rights in their dorms. It's only fair.
4. You're a local, so people will ask where the best places to hang out are.
Since you have the best low-down of the land, people will come to you for advice on cool and interesting places to spend a Friday or Saturday night. Whether or not you're in the know, people will still ask, which means more people you can befriend.
5. You keep all your scholarship money (If you have prepaid).
In my case, and the case with a lot of Florida residents, I have the Florida Pre-paid plan, meaning my parents paid for my college education starting from the time I was born over the course of 5 years (for example). The cool thing about that is that they pay the amount the average Florida state school tuition amount is for the year they start, so it ends up being a lot cheaper. If you stay home, and you have scholarships on top of that, you keep all the money the school rewards you! It's definitely something to consider if you plan on moving on to graduate schools such as Law or Medical school.
6. You don't need to get a job unless you really want to.
This of course is tentative to your living situation. Sure, getting a job your first year can help build up your resume quicker. It also allows for more spending money. If you live at home, then you don't necessarily have to unless you want/really need to. I work once or twice a week for my parents and it helps keep my lunch budget intact since I don't have a meal plan or use my scholarship money. Bonus: It's easier time-wise for me to apply for jobs at my school that take more time out of the day since I don't have a lot of responsibilities outside studying. Panther Camp Facilitator is my dream and I highly recommend you apply or go to it firsthand.
7. You never have to live out of a suitcase.
Since your home, you have everything you would ever need with you. There's never a debate on what shoes to take, what you can do without for a couple months. You won't need to restock on gyms clothes as often because they're all already there.
8. You have a permanent support system.
Friendships can be fickle things in college, especially your first semester. People grow and change, and true colors are revealed. You never know how those things can go down, and if you'll ever find yourself without close confidants on campus for a while. Living at home means you have a team of cheerleaders that will always be there for you when times get especially tough.
