While in college, we make a lot of decisions and ask ourselves a lot of questions. "What classes should I take?," "Should I rent or buy my books," and the biggest question of them all..."Should I move out?" As we get older, moving out is on all of our minds. For me, it was no question that after my sophomore year I was going to get a cute little apartment in Akron, but here I am going into m junior year living at home. Before I made the rash decision to move, I weighed my options. I sat down and thought of all the pros and cons of living at home and decided that living at home was the best option for me. What will you decide is the best for you?

PROS

1. You will save money!

Saving money is one of the many things we need to learn to do in college. We have books to pay for, loans to pay off, food to buy, and possible bills to pay! We get caught up in the wonderful college experience, BUT THAT IS OKAY! If you chose to live at home, you will be able to go to that concert you have wanted to go to, or buy those cute shoes you saw at the store last week because you will not have to worry about paying rent! Personally, I want to experience life and live a little instead of paying rent and worrying about bills. I have my whole life to worry about those things!

2. FREE FOOD! woop woop!

Do I have to say much more? When living at home, the pantry is always stocked and you get some awesome home cooked meals. Even if you have to cook the food yourself, you don't have to worry about going out and buying the ingredients!

3. Support and love from family is never ending.

Home is where the heart is. Living at home is special because all the good (and bad) news can be shared with your family personally. Personal interactions instead of texts or calls are so nice. Being able to come home and tell my parents about my day is great. I really believe it loses something when your mom or dad text you and say "good luck on your test!" It is so much better when I get to hear it in person every morning! A lot of my friends do not have their parents near them while at school, and I need to realize how lucky I am! To all you out there living at home, realized how blessed you really are!

CONS

1. You miss out on the full college experience.

When you live at home, you don't get to experience everything the kids on campus experience. I remember being so jealous of everyone getting to move into a dorm freshman year, and I am still kind of jealous of everyone moving out on their own now! There is always something going on on campus, and it is hard to go to those events living twenty minutes away (and don't even get me started on parking). I feel like moving into a dorm or house is a very big part of college and is a sneak peek into reality.

2. Independence is scarce.

Ask anyone...I am crazy independent. Ever since I can remember, my famous words have been "I can do it." While at living at home, I can still do a lot of things on my own and for myself, but I feel like I do not have a hold of the independence I've always wanted. I've always wanted to take care of my own place, buy my own food, and be responsible for more of my life. I mean, who knows... maybe I just like the idea of having the world in my hands. All in all, as we get older we should take on more responsibilities and become more independent, and I want to do just that.

3. It is harder to make friends.

So far, the friends I have made at college lived on campus or have their own place. Talking to them, they say they have met so many people in their dorm, on their street, or from mutual friends. In the later years of college, a lot of people already have their friend group established from living in the dorms. Also, it is hard when you go to class, then go home. I try my best to stay in the library or go to The Rec to try and meet more people and get more of the college feel, but it is definitely still harder to make friends.

If I can offer any bit of advice, it would be DO NOT WISH YOUR LIFE AWAY! If you want to experience more in life and save money, live at home! If you really need some independence, freedom, and can handle finances, move out! Live your life the way YOU want, be happy, and have fun!