Living at home during college holds the same sort of stigma that attending a community college does. The general consensus is that both options ruin the so-called “college experience”. Community colleges and technical colleges don’t typically have dorms, so odds are living at home is the only option. However, those attending bigger universities, given their circumstances, also have the option of living at home.
More and more students are taking this route. College is expensive in itself; let alone adding meal plans and housing into the mix. Living at home is an obvious money saver, especially when your school is local; but many students chose to forgo living at home because they want “the college experience”. Some will go from living in dorms one year to living at home for the next three, just to have this experience. Even parents will choose to take out loans rather than save money so that their children can fulfill society’s expectations of a college experience.
The want for this experience is practically shoved down our throats ever since the idea of college was introduced to us. Consequently, those who do not get this experience can end up feeling left out. I continue to struggle with this feeling, much like how I struggled with not having a big sweet 16 birthday bash. Society tends to create an ideal, and then ostracize and judge those who do not attain it. This ongoing rhetoric of these ideal “experiences” continues throughout different aspects of our lives, and we unknowingly let that control our decisions.
There are other obvious reasons against living at home, and most are entirely valid. Parents are sometimes the main culprits of pushing “the college experience”, and they may not give the option of living at home. How far the college is also determines whether living at home is even possible. These situations aside, I find it hard to justify spending thousands of dollars to get “the college experience”. Chasing after this ideal creates a huge opportunity for disappointment. After all, who decides what a true “college experience” is?
Spoiler: most of society’s expectations are unattainable and rooted in an idealized past that is unreasonable for us to mimic today. Past generations may have been able to do so, but owning a house directly out of college or landing a well-paying job in your field of study should no longer be expected. The “college experience” is no longer a cheap experience, so expecting every student to have one is unreasonable.
Luckily, living at home is becoming more common, and when half a class lives at home, not fulfilling society’s expectation leaves less of a sting. Accepting that “the college experience” is unattainable is the key to lessening society’s judgement of those who do not reach the ideal. Living at home makes financial sense. College today is a necessity priced as a luxury, and forgoing an imaginary experience for a chance to live with less debt and a brighter future is a small price to pay.
