One of the major decisions you will need to make is whether to live at home with your parents and study at the nearest university/college or, whether to travel further a field and live independently.
More and more young people in County Durham and Darlington have made the decision to live at home in recent years (about 50%), in many cases for financial reasons. However, you need to ask yourself, ‘will I be any better off living at home?’ In some cases the answer will be yes, especially if your parents are prepared to make a substantial contribution to your costs, e.g. by providing you with meals and free accommodation. You can't, however, rely on this, your parents may not be able to keep you free of charge and you will have daily travelling costs to think about. You may also miss out on some aspects of student life.
One of the advantages of moving away is to experience independent living but within a structured, supportive environment with other people in the same situation. Living away as a student can be less scary than moving away from home on your own to get a job! The downside is that it can work out more expensive, depending on where you go and the lifestyle you want to lead.
At some point or other during your first term you are likely to experience homesickness. For most students this is a passing phase; but for others it becomes more serious.
► Staying at home - The Pros
• will probably be cheaper for you
• will enable you to keep your present social life, your part-time job and see more of your mates
• will give you the opportunity to make a gradual transition to independency e.g. being able to move into your own accommodation in the second year
► Going away - The Pros
• will give you a wider choice of courses
• will enable you to gain a wide range of life skills by having to manage a budget and share accommodation
• will enable you to gain a wide variety of career related opportunities by being more actively involved in student life
• will mean that when you leave you will have a wider geographic area in which to seek employment - research shows that two thirds of graduates who move away from home are more geographically flexible than those who stay at home! You need to think carefully about the pros and cons, seek advice from current students and above all talk to your parents before making a decision.
