The pains of living at home

Living at home has it’s perks, but all things considered moving out should be the option students go for, writes Byron Murphy. 

There is a common misconception in UCC circles that those who live at home with their parents are ‘better off’ than those who brave the city and move into student accommodation. I can of course see why this notion is so popular, those living at home have the benefit of food which wasn’t cooked for 4 minutes on 800 Watts, and in most cases when they put their clothes in the wash pile, they don’t remain there for weeks, but rather wash, iron and fold themselves to be ready for wear a few days later.  Principally, though, the best part of living at home are the financial perks. No rent, bills or food costs is a pretty sweet deal, even for a frivolous spender like myself. If milked for its full worth you could hypothetically go entire days without spending anything more than transport costs. This hasn’t happened to me yet, but it may well some day.

      So you may find this sounds like the perfect way to live out your college days, in comfort and wealth. The reality, I would argue, is quite different. There may not be grass outside most student apartments, but if there was I can assure you it would be greener than that found in my garden. First and foremost I don’t think anyone can deny the fact that moving away from home is the ultimate form of liberation. It allows you to become your own master, and after the compulsory year of excess it prepares you to go out into the working world without having to worry about starving to death.  

First and foremost I don’t think anyone can deny the fact that moving away from home is the ultimate form of liberation. 

      Coming up to Christmas this freedom is particularly taken for granted. Tis’ the season for excess as we all know, but this is impeded viciously when living with ones parents. Should I choose to wake up Christmas afternoon on my kitchen table I’d rather it wasn’t to the sound of my family pulling Christmas crackers above my face. And if I do partake of the Barracks Street challenge this year I feel I will be unfairly hampered by the need to get a taxi home, while most people have only to find their house (usually within no more than 15 minutes walking distance, before alcohol is involved) and throw themselves on the aforementioned kitchen table.

      Now we come to the absolute worst part of living at home outside of the city centre, the horror that is the Glanmire bus service. Never has an institute existed more purely in name than this. Putting aside punctuality which is a big factor, it has happened on more than one occasion that a bus simply has not turned up at all. The layout of the timetable is as anti-student as one could imagine. If you have a lecture at 9 the 8 o’ clock bus will rarely get you in on time with traffic and if you have a lecture at 10 you still have to get the 8 o’ clock. Compare this to the average of five-minutes-to-the-lecture when students in accommodation have to leave. I wouldn’t mind it that much except for the fact that this is the bus most densely populated with nutters. Any chance of a relaxing commute to the city centre goes out the window when there are people staring at you, talking to themselves or staring at you while they talk to themselves. The obvious alternative is to cycle but from one who has an experience of driving (which was swiftfully and painfully cut short), the deepest depths of hell are reserved for those on bicycles.

      So living at home during college is a double edged sword. Yes, you will save a fortune and will eat food classed as edible but the restrictions are too tough to handle. If you own a car, living at home shouldn’t be that difficult but in all other circumstances, students should try to fly the nest whenever possible.