You might assume that an adult still living with his or her parents is a loser. The stereotype of a basement-dwelling comic book nerd or George from Seinfeld is not one most people aspire to be.
Yet many college students are doing exactly what you think they would dread after graduation: moving back in with their families. Monster, the job search company, reported in a 2007 survey that 48 percent of prospective graduates planned on becoming “boomerang kids,” or graduates who return home. Although many expect to just make a quick pit stop, Monster found “42 percent of 2006 graduates say they are still living with their parents.”
There are several good reasons to move back home. Most importantly, it allows recent graduates to save money. But in talking to friends and classmates who will enter the workforce soon, I have found hardly anyone is returning out of necessity. So if affordability is not the issue, what is?
Senior finance major Eric Liang told me the location of his job would be the primary deciding factor. If Liang gets a good offer in the area, then “living at home saves the trouble of finding a spot,” he explained. Plus, it spares him the hassles of “acclimating to a new environment,” he said.
Senior environmental engineering major Neha Rustagi said she, too, would live at home if she gets a job close by. Because her parents give her relatively free reign, “other than minor inconveniences, there wouldn’t be significant incentives to move out.”
Many students want to preserve close-knit family relationships. Mariella Belli, a senior finance major, enjoys being with her family and eating home cooking. Senior chemical engineering major Abbas Rashid said living away from home during college has brought him closer to his parents. He would even prioritize being able to live at home above salary when considering job offers.
The comforts of home are tempting to pre-med student Asfar Hasan, though he hopes that living independently in college has “enabled [him] to get up and out of the house to make a life of [his] own,” he said. Kevin Chai, a senior biology major, acknowledges the value of being independent but points out that “saving about $15,000 to $20,000 per year is worth sticking around home a little longer.” He hopes this ability to save will help him buy a car or house sooner than he otherwise could afford.
While all these peers of mine have good reasons to move home, I am planning on getting my own place. I love my family as much as the next guy, but learning how to be an independent person is important. After all, the post-graduation period is a transition phase. Before it are the sheltered environments of living at home and at college. Soon after, for many people, is the creation of one’s own family. So, in between is the only time to really discover oneself.
Senior chemistry and mathematics double major Neil Agarwal suggests that even though “nobody’s image of success is living at home…most people who graduate from college aren’t ready to be independent yet.” But if not upon graduation, when? I want to find out how I handle being outside my comfort zone.
It’s OK to be a little uncomfortable or have a reduced standard of living when you are just starting your adult life. Besides, living at home carries the risk of inertia and the possibility of spending your savings on more clothes, partying and vacations because you can afford to.
At least try striking out on your own. You can always give up, remember how good mom’s pancakes are and return to the nest anyway.
Jay Nargundkar is a senior finance major. He can be reached at terpnews@gmail.com.
