It’s the best four years of your life.

For the first year, most Universities either require or recommend that you live in the dorms. You find your roommate, most likely online, or if you’re brave enough, go in blind and choose random selection.

At first, I wanted the whole freshmen experience. I wanted to live in the dorms and “experience” what college life was like. Meet a ton of people and get really close with my roommate. Go to all the sporting events, especially football, and attend the parties. Going through the process that everyone does when choosing to live on-campus, I found a roommate and filled out the application. Most importantly, I just wanted to get away from my suburban hometown that I grew up in and to spread my wings.

Midway through the summer before my freshmen year, I started having second thoughts. My financial situation really started to take a toll on me. I was growing closer and closer to my family; there was less fighting and more loving conversations. There was a fence that I started to hover over. Finally, I just decided to list out the pros and cons of living at home versus on-campus.

I’m in my first year of college at the University of Minnesota and I am living at home. One of the really nice benefits of living at home is not having to pay for housing. Housing can get expensive and more than likely you’ll be forced to get a meal plan with it. Apart from the housing, you have to purchase dorm stuff and other luxuries you may need. By living at home, you won’t have to take out more money for housing.

I thought that by not living in the dorms I would never really make friends and that experience that I craved for so long. I thought that I would be lonely and just go through college by myself. This is far from the truth. You meet new people every day through classes and clubs, or simply just randomly standing next to someone and sparking up a conversation. During the first week of school, I probably met 100 plus people and I can only remember half the names. It’s not hard to make friends; just get involved and be open to meeting new people.

My family means a lot to me. By deciding to live at home, I get to be close to my family. I don't have to really worry about calling my mom or dad for advice when they’re right downstairs. You get to see your pets every day as well (if you have any) and cuddle up with them whenever. Another perk is free food and laundry. You won't have to sleep on an old, twin sized mattress, either (cause who knows how long that's been there). The only thing that might be a little sucky is you still have to do chores, but you were doing that before you went to college. However, it beats having to pay!

I know this can’t be a possibility for everyone because lots of students come from out of state or don’t live close to school, but for those that do, it’s definitely worth it. If you live within a bus ride away, go for it. If you have your own car and are willing to pay for gas and a parking pass, you can do that too. However, I will warn you that it can rack up quickly and with the bus, you avoid traffic.

Wherever you decide to live, just do whatever feels the best for you. You’re not missing out on anything by living at home. For me, it just felt right to live at home.