For some, making the move between home and campus can be a difficult decision.

Since I am the only writer here on the JPD team that has stayed at home while studying for my degree, I feel obliged to write about the benefits of the stay-at- home life. There are plenty of reasons to enjoy your education from your old stomping grounds

Many people don’t enjoy school because of the intimidating and abrupt change in surroundings. Being able to start your new education in a place you are already comfortable and familiar with can help make the jump to college life a bit easier.

Living on campus can be distracting when completing work becomes a priority. Although living in residence can be fun, the constant social climate is designed t0 better suit your partying agenda more than your academic one.

“Staying at home definitely was a wise decision to keep my marks up, I was able to stay focused and didn’t feel the external pressure of friends and floor-mates wanting me to party all the time,” Mike Manojlovich, fourth year Brock University student confesses.

Worried living at home will starve you of social interaction? Don’t be. There are plenty of ways to get involved while living off campus. Admittedly it takes a bit more initiative on your part to stay current on campus events while living outside of residence.  But if you are committed to staying current with your school’s campus you’ll find a plethora of extracurricular and volunteer experiences that will introduce you to a world of new people.

Another advantage to staying at home is being close to family and friends.  This group of support individuals will be around to lend a hand when needed (and it will be) during your first year of post-secondary studies.

Asides from the personal comforts of living at home, there are also financial comforts. This may be obvious, but living at home is far cheaper than staying on campus. You will cut down on the cost of housing and food, as well as other unpredictable expenses that come with living on-campus.

Don’t knock a great school simply because it’s close to home. Remember that, for many people, an undergraduate degree is only step 1 in a series of post-secondary programs.

Sometimes schools near home offer your ideal program. For graduate student Sandro Rocco, this was most certainly the case. Sandro stayed at home for his degree, and commuted to Niagara College for 3 years to complete his course in photonic engineering.

“It was the perfect program for me, and as luck turns out it was no more than 30 minutes from my house,” Sandro commented. He mentioned that not many colleges have the proper equipment to teach the course in North America, so Niagara College was an obvious choice for him.

“They also offered me tons of great scholarships!” he added.

When it comes down to living on or off campus, you have to seriously consider which kind of university experience is right for you. As much as you will miss the “full fresh-man experience”, a sense of freedom, and a whole new level of self-dependence, you may want to stay home as an academic, financial, and lifestyle strategy for your first year of post-secondary education.