The struggles of living at home vs living at uni

For most people, moving away from home to go to uni is a vital part of the ‘uni experience’. They can’t wait to slum it student style with the independence to do whatever the hell they want. But what about those that live at home, sheltered from the horrors of dodgy landlords and broken boilers? There are pros and cons to living at uni and at home, but which one wins?

Food

At home: Your kitchen is well equipped with everything from a pineapple corer to a marinade infusing meat tenderiser. The cupboards are stocked most of the time, with stuff that probably isn’t from the Tesco Value range. You also enjoy home cooked meals regularly, especially your dad’s heavenly roasts on Sundays.

At uni: The closest you get to your five-a-day is the fruit shots you have in Ca Va. Tesco meal deals and fried chicken will become diet staples and the inside of Nabzy’s will become more familiar than the inside of your uni kitchen. Once in a while you may try one of Jamie Oliver’s ’15 minute meals’ but you realise you don’t have half the ingredients (who has thyme in a student house?) and the finished product looks like someone’s vommed on a plate.

Studying

At home: Whilst there are fewer distractions at home, you’ll never escape your mum’s disapproving glare as you slob around on the couch avoiding your essay. Plus there’s no popping to the library for the book you’ve forgotten.

At uni: Housemates are bad influences. Once you’ve finally convinced both your housemates and yourself that you can’t go out, you settle down for a productive night of essay-writing. But then the thumping pre-drinks music starts and you find yourself running down just for one drink. Finally, they go out, and you attempt to begin again, only to hear your other housemate having unnecessarily loud sex in the next room. Eventually you give up and go to the Sydney Jones.

The library may be an escape for some

Pets

At home: Fido/Rover/Tiger/Whiskers the faithful family dog/cat will always be there to greet you. There’s nothing better than cuddles with your dog after a stressful day at uni.

At uni: You have to facetime Fido/Rover/Tiger/Whiskers and you are convinced they’re starting to forget you. If you’re in a student house you may decide to get a compensatory house pet, probably a fish or hamster, and call it something like Kanye. But then you argue about who takes it home for Christmas and Easter. Not to mention having to relocate their cage upstairs every time you pre-drink as not to give the poor thing partial deafness and/or a heart attack.

Social life

At home: Your trusty old school friends lived just a stone’s throw away from you, but now most of them have moved away to uni themselves. When you’re invited to a uni mate’s party, nothing says cool like having to leave at half 11 so you don’t miss the last train home.

At uni: You can stay at that party as long as you like. In fact it’s probably your party, because you can do whatever the fuck you want now. You can start off in the Brookhouse and end up in Diablos at 5am. Your Smithdown neighbours may hate you for it, but they have no relation to you so who cares.

The party don’t start til we walk in

Stress

At home: They say you can’t choose your family, and if you live at home, you can’t choose your housemates.

At uni: You have to find people you want to love with for the next year, ok fine. Then you have to decide where you want to live, Smithdown or town? Then you have to find a good house at a decent cost, arghh. And don’t forget to keep up with your rent payments. Kensington also doesn’t feel as safe and cosy as home, the rats don’t help either.

House problems

At home: The dog has dug up the flower beds and dad’s pretty pissed. Oh, and your mum tried to tidy your room as a favour and found your vibrators, awks.

At uni: The boilers broken, there’s mould in your bedroom, there’s rodents outside (or inside) the house, and worst of all? You’d rather lick a toilet bowl than touch one of the tea towels in the kitchen. Your landlord hasn’t fixed the leaking tap in your Smithdown house for over a month, home seems more appealing than ever.