The time has finally come. You’ve snagged your high school diploma, you’ve got your college picked out, you’re ready and can’t wait to take the leap into freedom and independence. But where are you going to live? The answer might be the key to making it through your first year smoothly. You have several options; of course, depending on where you go to school: living at home, living in school dorms, or living off-campus. Choosing where you want to live during your first year is a big decision and one that should be made with clarity of mind and realistic hopes instead of unrealistic fantasies. There are some things you need to take into consideration when making this decision.

The unfortunate truth is, every other housing option is going to cost loads more than living at home with mom and dad. So, this is where we will start. Some of us would not even want to consider living at home. For others, it’s an easy choice. For those of you who are repulsed by the idea of spending another year, or even four years living at home, take a second and consider these points.

• Financially, staying at home is the most cost-effective option. Most recent high school graduates have difficulty realizing all the ways their parents support them and how much money it costs to sustain living. The cost of living in a dorm or apartment is most likely more than living at home. Even if your parents want to charge you rent, it’s probably less than the average one thousand dollars a month that universities charge for dorms.
• You also should think about the cost of other expenses such as laundry, groceries, transportation, toiletries, household items, clothes, These are all things that you will be needing at some point during the year. I didn’t even realize how much cleaning supplies and doing laundry for quarters would add up to. Most of the things would be supplied to you for free if you stayed at home. With that in mind, the food is usually better too.
• For those who might be overwhelmed with the big change, living at home for at least the first year can be a nice, gradual way to get used to the college life. You will have your family nearby for support and instead of diving in head first, it would be like dipping your toes in the water and getting used to everything before jumping in. You could keep some of the same friends, you already know your way around town, and would be able to keep that job you’ve had since high school.
• I mentioned transportation earlier, but I’m going to elaborate a bit. Most students aren’t conscious of the fact that as freshman, they likely won’t be able to bring a car with them. Many universities don’t allow freshman to bring cars with them if they are living on campus. If you are going out-of-state or in a different country, it might not be feasible to transport a car with you, even if it is allowed. If you live at home, that part of your independence will remain.
• If you live at home, unless you share your room, you will have more privacy than if you stay in a dorm or off-campus housing. This does, of course, change with circumstance. Living at home gives you a free pass to not having to deal with roommates who snore or are inconsiderate about doing dishing, being quiet when you study, or bringing random friends over at the worst times. You will have to deal with your parents, but they only want you to be successful so if you need your quiet, they are more likely to understand.
• The main opposition to living at home would be that you don’t get the full college experience. Most colleges suggest, if not require, that you live in the dorms the first year for this reason. Whether it’s your choice or a requirement, there are some things you should contemplate.
• Living away from home may seem like the step into freedom, but with dorms, sometimes that just means there are more rules. Find out the rules or options for the dorms at your chosen school. Some specific residence halls have themes or common interests which are meant to bring the students together such as being eco-friendly. Some are quiet halls or permit smoking and others are just mixed with all different lifestyles. Figure out which best suits you.
• As I said before, it does cost quite a bit to live on-campus, but usually this cost includes internet access, all utilities, and generally a meal plan. The university takes care of paying all those bills after you send in your one payment, which can be a plus for those deadline-deficient students. It’s not quite the same to living at home and not all bases will be covered but if you can afford it, it is usually a good experience for a student and helps them grow and mature while getting acclimated to the college.
• Many dorms are considered on-campus housing, but sometimes it won’t feel like they’re actually on your college campus depending on how big it is. Take into account that some housing will be further away than you’d like to walk and you might have to find alternate transportation if you aren’t permitted a car. Many college students choose to ride bikes as the most cost-effective and fast way to get around. There are other options though such as taking the bus, carpooling, or some schools even have trolleys if the dorms are particularly far away. Some of these will cost money though so keep that in mind.
• Living in dorms also means you will more than likely have one to eight other roommates and maybe even more suite mates depending on the way the residence is. You may or may not get to choose your roommate or how many you will have. Usually the single suites or even doubles are more expensive than just doing whatever is assigned to you. Many schools have small questionnaires to help match you with a roomie, but these don’t always seem to work out. This option might mean that you live with someone who might not be the nicest or cleanly person ever.
• For those who opt-out of the first two choices, there is a third subcategory: off-campus housing. This includes greek life, school related off-campus facilities, or rentals. It will usually take a term or two to rush for greek membership, and many schools don’t allow freshman in their off-campus housing. Usually, private renting will be the most common choice allowed for first term freshman. When considering renting an apartment, remember to be realistic. This may seem like the best option. You think you won’t have any rules and can do whatever you want, but there are some downfalls. Make sure you understand the good and the bad.
• The cost of living in a private apartment is significantly higher than most other options. Along with rent, remember there will be other expenses such as utilities, internet, cable, phone bills, groceries, etc. You will be responsible for taking care of many of these. If you choose to have a roommate, remember that not everyone is going to be as reliable as you, and sometimes people won’t pay their portion on time which can have consequences for you. If you plan to pay on your own, remember that it might stretch you thin and you could barely scrape by in certain months. Going to school full-time and working full-time is not easy.
• Location will be a key when picking the apartment or house. You have to think about a lot of factors such as distance from school, the safety of the neighborhood, the type of neighbors you will have, etc. If you can bring your car with you, then it might not be such a big deal to live further from campus. If you plan to throw a lot of parties, it might be best to make sure you live around a lot of other college students instead of a sweet, elderly couple.
• A benefit would be having your own space. You will likely have to provide your own furniture, which comes with problems of its own, but that means you can create whatever kind of space you want. Most dorms have shared rooms coming off of a large common room. In an apartment, you can live with however many or few you want. The sky is the limit with those kind of options, as long as it is in your budget.

Try to keep a clear mind when weighing your options. You may want to move into an apartment, but if the cost is too high and you’ll be stretched too thin, don’t put that pressure on yourself. Be realistic when making your choice. The worst thing you could do is put yourself in a bad situation from the beginning. You can always upgrade to a better living situation for you, but it’s harder and can waste a lot of money to downgrade.