Having now been home from college for nearly two months, I have gotten a sense of the good and bad of being home after living on your own for an entire school year. Although it is primarily a positive experience to be home, after a year of independence, there are certain privileges you begin to miss. Here are some pros and cons of being home for an extended period of time.

Pros:

1. You get to live with your family again- Of course the greatest thing you miss at school is your family and having constant access to your support system.

2. You are living in a home again with multiple rooms- It is slightly more enjoyable to live in a place that consists of more than a bed, desk, and dresser. A house provides some more options.

3. You are no longer living off of dining hall food- As enjoyable as the social scene of a dining hall can be, no one doesn't miss home cooked meals.

4. You get to see your home friends that you have missed for the past year- After spending the past four years with these people, it is weird to go a whole school year without them, and when you come home you take advantage of every minute of having them.

Cons:

1. Not living 30 seconds away from all of your friends- One of the greatest advantages of college is being just a short walk away from a majority of your friends. This makes it unnecessary to create an elaborate plan in order to hang out and makes people much more accessible.

2. Having a much less active social life- Although there is fun to be had at home, opportunities do not arise nearly as often as at school, and it is on a lesser scale.

3. Being monitored much more often- Part of living on your own is that there is no one to watch all of your actions and make sure you are fulfilling all of your responsibilities. Of course living with your family is great, but you do not have the same freedom you have now had a taste of.