Considering Living at Home During Vet School: Need Advice!

[snowdrift]

Hi everyone,

This will be my first post on SDN! I've been reading all the threads and really loving the community here and how supportive everyone is of each other. I will be applying this upcoming cycle and wanted some input as I begin vet school "shopping". I have the option to live at home as I live near a vet school (~15-20 minutes away).

It would save me a ton of money if I applied to this particular school and got in, if I do live with my parents. My only concern is just that--living with my parents.

As much as I love them, after being in undergraduate for a while I find myself coming home and associating it with complete relaxation as it's now a sanctuary because I come here during school breaks. Can anyone speak from experience about this? Do you live with your parents (if it is available) or did you opt out because of something?

Any Pros/Cons you could list or consider would be great. Advice from vet students who don't live at home would be great too.

Thanks!

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[DogtorCK]

Save money if you can. Snap yourself out of that association, as long as your parents will understand the time commitment to vet school and will not expect more of you than you can give just because you live there.

 

[rockatiel]

Gives me an idea... My parents are coming to vet school with me!

 

[twelvetigers]

If you absolutely can't stand the idea of living at home, see if you can find a cheap option - like a tiny apartment - and you can still probably save money with laundry (at parents) and meals (what's for dinner, mom?). But definitely stick with the in-state school, and save money wherever you can.

 

[Caiter92]

I moved back in with my parents my last year of undergrad, and have been living with them since to save up money for vet school.

My parents are awesome and don't want me to pay rent, so aside from paying for my cats and incidentals, I don't have any other expenses. But after living on my own for three years, it was a major adjustment. Like you, by then i was has to having my apartment be an oasis, and when I moved back in I was basically never alone. My mom isnt working right now because she is my grandmas primary caregiver, and my stepdad works from home most of the time. So aside from when it lines up that he's at the office, she's down with grandma and I have a day off, there is always someone there. We also have an open concept house, so it's impossible to just get away.

Honestly if I don't get in the cycle, there is a very good chance I will be moving out next year. I LOVE my parents and we get along well, but it can be stressful. If we had a larger house and I felt like I had somewhere to be alone it would probably be a different story.

However, it was way easier when I was still in undergrad (probably because I often stayed late at the library on days I didn't work so I wasn't home as much), and I think it would be similar in vet school. If you get along well with your parents and you and them can come to an arraignment that will work for you, I would at least try it. Like you said,
you could save a ton of money.

Best case scenario, it works out well. Worst case scenario, you move out. Even if it's just for a year, you could save a fair bit of money, so it wouldn't hurt to try.

 

[snowdrift]

Thanks everyone. I think I will definitely try to live at home. I'm afraid of them being like "Do this favor because we don't charge rent," and I honestly don't want it to interfere with my studies. I think as long as I set a boundary and make sure they understand the time I have to put into vet school it should be okay.

 

[StartingoverVet]

DO NOT LIVE AT HOME.

I am sorry, there are some things that are not worth the money.

It is time to grow up and be an adult. You are in professional school for dog's sake.

You will miss on interactions with your classmates, you will miss out on studying with your classmates, you will be that pathetic person still living with your parents in their mid 20s.

Just don't do it. Start your life away from your parents for good.

 

[snowdrift]

DO NOT LIVE AT HOME.

I am sorry, there are some things that are not worth the money.

It is time to grow up and be an adult. You are in professional school for dog's sake.

You will miss on interactions with your classmates, you will miss out on studying with your classmates, you will be that pathetic person still living with your parents in their mid 20s.

Just don't do it. Start your life away from your parents for good.

Yeah this is a fear of mine...I'm not sure. Do I save the money and live at home? Will I have time for a social life in vet school?

 

[StartingoverVet]

Yeah this is a fear of mine...I'm not sure. Do I save the money and live at home? Will I have time for a social life in vet school?

yes. to a degree. The alternative is going insane, in some cases literally. You need support, and your parents are not going to understand no matter how understanding they are.

 

[shortnsweet]

Yeah this is a fear of mine...I'm not sure. Do I save the money and live at home? Will I have time for a social life in vet school?

You should make time for a social life.

I love my parents, but after undergrad and being away, more than just a two week break at home and we would drive each other nuts. I'm too independent and having them constantly ask me who i'm going out with, when i'm coming home...ugh just no.

I also went to vet school in a foreign country, so I got super used to doing my own thing.

I get the saving money thing, I do, but find a couple of roommates. That will cut down costs.

 

[Jess Monster]

I think it's better to try to save the money and at least see if it's a doable arrangement to live with your parents first. If it doesn't work out, you go find your own place.

 

[SocialStigma]

I never lived at home during undergrad/vet school because it wasn't an option (both schools were 2 hours away). However, I now work at a clinic 20-25 mins from my parent's house and still chose to live on my own downtown. It would've saved me a considerable amount of money while paying off my student debt. I have a great relationship with my parents and I want to keep it that way. It really depends on your relationship with them. My mom is the type who worries that I'm getting too skinny, that I'm working too long/hard, that I'm not eating healthy enough, that I'll get sick, etc. There's no way she would be able to handle me coming home after working a 16 hour day and going to sleep without eating dinner. Or eating chips from the vending machine for dinner. She would try to "mother" me too much and it would just be another stressor for me if I lived with her (as much as I love her).

 

[LetItSnow]

If it is a viable, sane option (i.e. You get along with your parents, they give you space to be a 20-something and live), then I think it is worth saving the money and living at home.

If they are charging you rent then you would probably do better off on your own.

 

[Minnerbelle]

DO NOT LIVE AT HOME.

I am sorry, there are some things that are not worth the money.

It is time to grow up and be an adult. You are in professional school for dog's sake.

You will miss on interactions with your classmates, you will miss out on studying with your classmates, you will be that pathetic person still living with your parents in their mid 20s.

Just don't do it. Start your life away from your parents for good.

Wut!?

If I had the chance for vet school, I'd live at home in a heartbeat and have my parents feed me, do my laundry, take care of the pets, and take things to the post office and stuff.

I don't see how that would impinge on interacting with classmates honestly. They could feed my friends too.

 

[Trilt]

I have at least one classmate who lives with their parents, works really well for her. I'd go insane, but admit that it would be damn nice to have dinner and laundry done for me when on insane blocks...

 

[WildZoo]

You will miss on interactions with your classmates, you will miss out on studying with your classmates

I don't see how that would happen. It's really no different from living with non-classmates in that regard, which tons of people do.

 

[DVMDream]

DO NOT LIVE AT HOME.

I am sorry, there are some things that are not worth the money.

It is time to grow up and be an adult. You are in professional school for dog's sake.

You will miss on interactions with your classmates, you will miss out on studying with your classmates, you will be that pathetic person still living with your parents in their mid 20s.

Just don't do it. Start your life away from your parents for good.

I completely disagree. If the OP can make it work, study well and be able to live like an adult while still living at home, I see no problem.

Heck, I'm heading back home in march after vet school and will probably be with my parents for at least a few months until I have some money to get a place.

The amount that can be saved by living at home is definitely worth it. I mean most people need at least $12K to live on each year, if not more. Add in that is usually obtained via loans at an interest rate of 7ish%..... yeah, saving 50+K is worth it.

And it won't cut into time with classmates unless that person allows it to.

But hey I'm just going to be that "pathetic 20 something who lives with her parents for a while" what do I know?

 

[snowdrift]

Thanks for all the input guys!! I really appreciate it.

 

[Kpowell14]

The only real issue I see in staying at home is that they will have to adjust to your new lifestyle - long hours studying and being super busy.. This is something my husband is still getting used to and we have lived together for a year now. The savings in loans and interest would be super beneficial and makes it worth attempting to make it work IMO.

 

[battie]

I'm on the fence for this.

Staying home: SAVING SO MUCH MONEY!!! Just what that could mean in the long run just blows my mind. I'm very paranoid about money and took a job that pushed my relationship back to long distance because of being able to save so much of my salary. So I feel the whole vibe of saving money and staying with the parentals.

Leaving home: I just don't ever want to live with my parents again. I've moved out (though there's still miscellaneous crap here and there at my parents' house) and I could not imagine moving in with them again. Granted, it wouldn't be rent free for me, either; but it would probably be cheaper than living with roommates/by myself. I just like having my own space with my own stuff and my own schedule. Moreover, there's no way I'd be able to balance family/school time if I lived at home. Spent too many years treating home as a vacation spot, even with the gap year there. I focus way better when I'm with friends and even better by myself.

It'd be a hard choice for me, so I feel you OP.

As a side note: I wish my parents still did my laundry! They haven't done my laundry since I was able to reach the buttons!

 

[lailanni]

I know a few DVMs who live with their parents because it helps pay off student loans. And I know DVMs who were/are estranged from their parents and didn't even invite them to graduation. So... depends on how you get along with your parents.

If they will drive you crazy to an intolerable degree, then maybe don't live with them.

But if you guys get along, they won't get in the way of your studying or social life, then do yourself a favor and save some money. Say at the least it saves you 8k a year. That's 8x4 years is $32,000. That is A LOT of money. A year of tuition +/- depending on where you go. A nice new car. A downpayment on a house depending on where you live. A few stellar vacations. 32,000 McDonalds apple pies. If you're not driving each other crazy and have a happy mutual existence, then why not? I'm sure you'll be able to ditch the r&r and snap into study mode when needed.

Bonus: Food in the fridge. Someone to put a blanket on you when you fall asleep studying. Someone to move your clothes to the dryer when you forget. Someone to give you a hug at the end of a hard day. Someone around who cares about your well being - a support system. They won't be able to really understand what you're going through (no one will except your classmates), but it's nice to have someone around who gives a crap. I kid you not, I would have LOVED it if someone would have just warmed up a frozen burrito for me when I got home and threw a blanket on me when I literally fell asleep on the floor studying. Maybe they'll even take care of your animals when you're insanely busy. My BFF had to give her dog to her parents in 4th year because she was home so little. Also culturally, in some regions it's really quite normal for kids to stay with their parents for longer. Good lord, maybe they'll even make you soup when you're sick. When I was sick with the flu for a week I had to run my febrile self to the store for gatorade and medicine - I ate cold canned soup because I felt too crappy to make it decent. Had to text my friends to check on me in a day just in case I was dehydrated. I would have given my pinky to have my mom around. Kinda jealous I didn't have that option.

Cons: Maybe your parents nag a lot. Maybe they're the "kick you out at 18" type and don't like you around. Maybe they're distracting and get in the way of your study focus. Maybe they'll expect you to be entertaining and keep them company. I don't know what your parents are like. If you think it's worth 32k to stay out -- then by all means live elsewhere. Sanity is worth 32k.

Reality: No one in school gives a crap if you live with your parents. If anything, they'll wish they could save the money. Maybe some judgmental person will think mean thoughts, but you can laugh all the way to the bank. Friends won't care. Heck, maybe your parents will invite them over for dinner. I loved it when my friend's parents would visit and invited me over for a home cooked meal. It won't get in the way of any new special romantic relationships because if you're single now, it's like a 95% chance you won't find lasting romance in vet school. (You've got the 85% female class on top of smelling like anatomy, on top of having basically a non-existent amount of time for a significant social life). I can personally think of more people who broke up/got divorced than people who got together during vet school...

And if you like your parents, it is nice to spend time with them. They're not around forever.

 

[lailanni]

yes. to a degree. The alternative is going insane, in some cases literally. You need support, and your parents are not going to understand no matter how understanding they are.

I think the only people who will understand are your classmates and people who have been through it. People who haven't done it won't get it. So parents or random other roommates won't understand.

And FWIW you know what it's like to live with your parents. You don't know what you're getting into with a new roommate. Maybe they'll be your new best friend and it's awesome. Maybe they're sloppy or psycho and you end up disliking your home situation. Kind of a gamble.

Also from the conversations I've seen it's a split between vet school and non-vet school roommates. Some people love it - automatic commiseration and study buddies. Some hate it - you see those people all day long, why do you want to see them at home too? It's nice to have a different set of people to see, etc.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Correction, @lailanni:

64,000 mcdonalds apple pies when you can get 2 for $1

 

[CalliopeDVM]

If you're parents will allow you to be an adult (and not treat you like a child) and you are willing to be an adult (and not expect your parents to take care of everything), live at home and save the money! Not just the money saved, but the compound interest on that money that will accumulate when you need a loan to pay for it.

But.......You need to act like you're a lodger and not a child: do your own laundry, clean up after yourself, cook for yourself when warranted (odd hours, etc), and be pleasant. And they also need to treat you like an adult, and not all parents are capable of that: Allowing you to keep your own hours, take care of your own needs (shopping, cleaning, eating), and be pleasant. I don't mean that you must buy all your own food, cook all your own meals and never eat together, but if you're out early or home late, you should be willing to fend for yourself and your parents shouldn't be telling you to work less/eat better/sleep more.

Some university students and parents can act that way, and some can't.

 

[katryn]

You will miss on interactions with your classmates, you will miss out on studying with your classmates

Just laughing a little that I didn't live at home with my parents, and these things still happened to me...because I lived my separate from parents married with kids adult life instead. And when I admit to it, I'm highly socially awkward.

To the OP, if I hadn't been married when I started school, I had every intention of living with my parents during school. But I had been co-habitating with my parents as a free roaming adult for several years with no issues. Its worth a try if you have the right family dynamics and all parties have realistic expectations.

 

[Minnerbelle]

What is this obsession with adulting?

I wish I could be babied into my 50s.

 

[Felixor90]

Live with them! That's a ton of money you're saving not only on rent and utilities, but also there'll be less temptation to eat out if your parents cook for you. I love living on my own, but I barely have time to go home anyway. I can't concentrate if I study there so I always end up staying late at school or going to a coffee shop with my study buddies.

 

[epivetlove]

I have a classmate that lives with her parents and you honestly wouldn't even know if she didn't bring it up. She's going to save so much money and seems to get along really well with her parents, so win-win.

 

[Coquette22]

What is this obsession with adulting?

I wish I could be babied into my 50s.

Amen. I can adult. But to have someone bring me soup when I'm sick? That'd be amazing....

 

[davisa]

Does anyone have suggestions at what point it isn't worth driving the distance? I know school will be a huge time commitment, but I am just not sure moving closer would be worthwhile. I have a 35 minute commute, all expressway. I know that it is an hour a day and that seems a lot.... I am not really worried about the technicality of living with my parents. They are both academics, extremely respectful and understanding, more than happy to help me out/have me at home, and even willing to renovate rooms to allow for a better study area. I just have found that even moving closer physically doesn't always help THAT much on time. If I moved 3/4 of the distance to the school I could still potentially have a 15 minute commute due to traffic and is that 1/2 hour a day really worth the cost of rent? I have also considered how I could potentially make it more useful by perhaps replaying lectures during that time or something of that sort. Essentially...I know time is precious in school, but how much it worth to those of you who are already in school?

 

[HorsesRLife]

Does anyone have suggestions at what point it isn't worth driving the distance? I know school will be a huge time commitment, but I am just not sure moving closer would be worthwhile. I have a 35 minute commute, all expressway. I know that it is an hour a day and that seems a lot.... I am not really worried about the technicality of living with my parents. They are both academics, extremely respectful and understanding, more than happy to help me out/have me at home, and even willing to renovate rooms to allow for a better study area. I just have found that even moving closer physically doesn't always help THAT much on time. If I moved 3/4 of the distance to the school I could still potentially have a 15 minute commute due to traffic and is that 1/2 hour a day really worth the cost of rent? I have also considered how I could potentially make it more useful by perhaps replaying lectures during that time or something of that sort. Essentially...I know time is precious in school, but how much it worth to those of you who are already in school?

I have about the same commute and its been fine first thru third year. Forth year I'm going to have to get aquatinted with some friends' couches though. The only down sides are if there is a meeting in the evening and you only have morning classes you either have to stay at school and study for several hours, drive back, or don't go.

 

[lailanni]

I love this thing

@Minnerbelle 64,000 McDonald's apple pies - I'd be stupid not to buy that!

I had a 15-20 minute drive into school depending on the weather. The only annoying part is that I couldn't really run home for lunches. Other than that, I spent the longer breaks between classes studying in the library instead of studying at home. During 4th year it might be a bit tiring. But I enjoy driving, so the ride in and out was like decompression. It was long enough for 3-4 good songs each way.

I think a 30 minute commute is pretty reasonable. (I'm also from a city, so that skews things) And if you find that you really want to be closer, you can always get a place for 4th year. You'll be saving at least 3 years of cost by that.

Edit - Also if you're comparing 30 minutes each way vs 15 minutes each way it's only 30 minutes difference per day - time I easily would have wasted on Facebook or something. So I don't think it's huge enough to make a difference to me personally. I'd draw the line on longer though -- what's the traffic like? Will your 30 minutes become 45 or 60 on weekday mornings and rush hour? That's probably no bueno.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Does anyone have suggestions at what point it isn't worth driving the distance? I know school will be a huge time commitment, but I am just not sure moving closer would be worthwhile. I have a 35 minute commute, all expressway. I know that it is an hour a day and that seems a lot.... I am not really worried about the technicality of living with my parents. They are both academics, extremely respectful and understanding, more than happy to help me out/have me at home, and even willing to renovate rooms to allow for a better study area. I just have found that even moving closer physically doesn't always help THAT much on time. If I moved 3/4 of the distance to the school I could still potentially have a 15 minute commute due to traffic and is that 1/2 hour a day really worth the cost of rent? I have also considered how I could potentially make it more useful by perhaps replaying lectures during that time or something of that sort. Essentially...I know time is precious in school, but how much it worth to those of you who are already in school?

I don't think a commute like that is too long, by any means. I agree that saving 30 minutes a day isn't worth the $50,000 it might cost you. I had some classmates that commuted over 90 minutes each way through third year, but moved into town for their final year. If you can commute with another student, you can quiz each other and go over material on the drive (that's what my classmates did).

 

[LetItSnow]

Forth year I'm going to have to get aquatinted with some friends' couches though.

I said that for my first three years ... even talked about renting an apartment with a couple friends who had a similar 30+-minute commute where we could crash as needed....

But it just wasn't that big of a deal. My days were mostly as plan-able as they were the first three years. They were often longer, to be sure, but 4th year wasn't any harder to live 30 minutes away than the first three. Hopefully that is your experience, too.

 

[davisa]

Thanks for the information! I am really thinking I'll stay put for now. The traffic is not usually an issue at all except for 30 avoidable minutes during the morning rush. My dad has made this commute for the last 25 years, but his time was not as limited as I foresee mine being. Plus--if it isn't working out I can move later on. I feel much more confident in this decision after reading what everyone has said on this post. Much thanks Snowdrift for starting the thread.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Oh man, I wish I could live at home. As much as I hate the regular drama my family experiences, the money saved would be well worth it. Plus, my parents wouldn't make me pay for anything (some parents make their older kids pay rent or for their own groceries). My mom is also known to make me an egg sandwich and throw it at me while I run out the door...

If it's an option, take it.

 

[Shreddr22]

My mom would be thrilled to death to have me live at home again. She has hinted at it more then once. I did just fine for my first two years of undergrad, she left me alone to study and made me food and all that. We fought about all kinds of things like friends and boyfriends and staying out late, but it was good for my academic situation. When I moved out things got so real. School took a backseat once or twice to paying rent and finding something to eat, but that's being an adult isn't it. If I was able to live at home during vet school, I would do it but only if I took over a spare bedroom and turned it into a private study room. That's the only way it would work. They would have to respect my priorities in the order that I placed them in, and if it didn't work out I would move out. There's plenty of time to be an adult after graduate school when you are working to pay back fewer loans since you saved money by living with your parents!

 

[CalliopeDVM]

There's plenty of time to be an adult after graduate school when you are working to pay back fewer loans since you saved money by living with your parents!

You should start being an adult even when you're living at home! If you act like a child, expect to be treated like a child.

 

[Shreddr22]

You should start being an adult even when you're living at home! If you act like a child, expect to be treated like a child.

haha straight from my mother's mouth! I meant "be an adult" in the sense of living on your own without help from parents. If I was a parent I would do everything I could to assist with the financial burden my children would face trying to obtain higher education, but not at the expense of their maturity and development.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

haha straight from my mother's mouth! I meant "be an adult" in the sense of living on your own without help from parents. If I was a parent I would do everything I could to assist with the financial burden my children would face trying to obtain higher education, but not at the expense of their maturity and development.

Well, I suspect I'm old enough to be your mother. But seriously, I've known several adults who live with their parents (by choice, for various reasons) and several people who are adult in age (and in employment) who don't live with their parents and still act like children.

 

[stealthoscope]

Yeah this is a fear of mine...I'm not sure. Do I save the money and live at home? Will I have time for a social life in vet school?

I lived at home my senior year of undergrad to save money, after living on campus for two years and then off-campus for a year with my friends. On the plus side, my mom is Chinese and thus fed me every meal because she was worried I would forget to eat on my own (disclaimer - that sometimes did happen when I was living by myself, but pretty much everyone learns to skip breakfast in college at some point...). I paid for my cats and personal belongings and food when I wasn't home, but when I was at home, I didn't have to pay rent or buy food, which was definitely a plus. However, I did feel a bit smothered after being used to keeping my own schedule - and I'm not someone who ever parties or gets wasted or anything, but I missed the flexibility of being able to go over to a friend's house and come home late and not have my mother lecturing me or worrying about me being out late. Yes, I could have done it anyway - but I felt it was inconsiderate to do things my mother disapproved of when I was living in her house, so I generally kept to her rules / "suggestions" to make things more bearable. I also felt like I missed out on socialization time with my friends who kept living together, because it was easy for them to just hang out with each other at home, whereas I would have to drive to meet them if I wanted to. It takes a lot more planning to watch a movie with your friends, in your pajamas, before bed, if it involves driving! That being said, I didn't mind it so much, and while my mom can get a bit involved, she also realized she had to step back a bit.

HOWEVER, before first year of vet school I decided I wanted to live with other vet students, and after a semester of it, I am SO GLAD I chose to do that. I was studying all the time, and a lot of it at my apartment. I don't think I would have liked the interruption that feeling obligated to do family things included, plus living in an apartment meant I could go and study with my housemates if I wanted to, until really late at night; and sometimes the only time I would see my classmates all weekend was because I lived with some of them. I stayed home some nights in undergrad that I could've been hanging out with friends because it was inconvenient, but in vet school it would have been near impossible to find the time / motivation to make a trip away from my apartment to go study with people and not be able to just go get food, sleep, etc, not to mention having pets to take care of at planned times. If anything, I will consider moving back home during clinics, but I haven't really thought that far ahead yet.

Tl;dr - it's really hard to find the time to see and interact with other people during vet school / you need the support of your peers - don't make it harder by isolating yourself.

EDIT - I don't particularly consider this a "being an adult" / "not being an adult" situation as much as a /for the sake of your education/ situation, because I think it's very important to be able to regularly see your peers in vet school and study with them and have their support, because your parents may find it hard to understand what you're going through. If you think you can keep yourself from getting too isolated while living at home, then it might be the best of both worlds to save the money - but after this first year of vet school, I am really glad I didn't continue living at home. That being said, while I'm in school my parents pay for my rent even when I live away from home (I'll pay them back in the years after I graduate!) so I luckily do not have to deal with that burden, which would obviously be an important factor to consider if that would not be the case for you.

 

[DVMDream]

I lived at home my senior year of undergrad to save money, after living on campus for two years and then off-campus for a year with my friends. On the plus side, my mom is Chinese and thus fed me every meal because she was worried I would forget to eat on my own (disclaimer - that sometimes did happen when I was living by myself, but pretty much everyone learns to skip breakfast in college at some point...). I paid for my cats and personal belongings and food when I wasn't home, but when I was at home, I didn't have to pay rent or buy food, which was definitely a plus. However, I did feel a bit smothered after being used to keeping my own schedule - and I'm not someone who ever parties or gets wasted or anything, but I missed the flexibility of being able to go over to a friend's house and come home late and not have my mother lecturing me or worrying about me being out late. Yes, I could have done it anyway - but I felt it was inconsiderate to do things my mother disapproved of when I was living in her house, so I generally kept to her rules / "suggestions" to make things more bearable. I also felt like I missed out on socialization time with my friends who kept living together, because it was easy for them to just hang out with each other at home, whereas I would have to drive to meet them if I wanted to. It takes a lot more planning to watch a movie with your friends, in your pajamas, before bed, if it involves driving! That being said, I didn't mind it so much, and while my mom can get a bit involved, she also realized she had to step back a bit.

HOWEVER, before first year of vet school I decided I wanted to live with other vet students, and after a semester of it, I am SO GLAD I chose to do that. I was studying all the time, and a lot of it at my apartment. I don't think I would have liked the interruption that feeling obligated to do family things included, plus living in an apartment meant I could go and study with my housemates if I wanted to, until really late at night; and sometimes the only time I would see my classmates all weekend was because I lived with some of them. I stayed home some nights in undergrad that I could've been hanging out with friends because it was inconvenient, but in vet school it would have been near impossible to find the time / motivation to make a trip away from my apartment to go study with people and not be able to just go get food, sleep, etc, not to mention having pets to take care of at planned times. If anything, I will consider moving back home during clinics, but I haven't really thought that far ahead yet.

Tl;dr - it's really hard to find the time to see and interact with other people during vet school / you need the support of your peers - don't make it harder by isolating yourself.

EDIT - I don't particularly consider this a "being an adult" / "not being an adult" situation as much as a /for the sake of your education/ situation, because I think it's very important to be able to regularly see your peers in vet school and study with them and have their support, because your parents may find it hard to understand what you're going through. If you think you can keep yourself from getting too isolated while living at home, then it might be the best of both worlds to save the money - but after this first year of vet school, I am really glad I didn't continue living at home. That being said, while I'm in school my parents pay for my rent even when I live away from home (I'll pay them back in the years after I graduate!) so I luckily do not have to deal with that burden, which would obviously be an important factor to consider if that would not be the case for you.

I feel like everyone will be different. It is nice that you constantly want to see and be with your peers, but honestly after spending all week with a bunch of vet students, I'd like to be alone. That often means going all weekend without seeing a single classmate and it is absolutely amazing. That doesn't mean I won't hang out with vet students on the weekend, I do, but it is with who I want to be with, when I want to be with someone and we sure as hell aren't going to be doing anything veterinary school related.

Also, the studying thing. Some people love group studying, I hate it. I never get anything accomplished when studying with people. Again that isn't to say I haven't studied with people it is just that I prefer to study mostly on my own. I'm much more productive that way.

The thing is you can become "isolated" regardless of your living situation. Whether that be in an apartment by yourself, with parents, in an apartment with vet school roommates or in an apartment with non vet school roommates.

I don't think you need to live with your peers in order to do the things you mentioned above. And for many people it will be much healthier (and less likely they stab a fellow student ok stab is exaggeration, develop an extreme dislike for) if they aren't living with them.

 

[WildZoo]

I don't know about the rest of it, but skipping breakfast seems awful

 

[stealthoscope]

I feel like everyone will be different. It is nice that you constantly want to see and be with your peers, but honestly after spending all week with a bunch of vet students, I'd like to be alone. That often means going all weekend without seeing a single classmate and it is absolutely amazing. That doesn't mean I won't hang out with vet students on the weekend, I do, but it is with who I want to be with, when I want to be with someone and we sure as hell aren't going to be doing anything veterinary school related.

Also, the studying thing. Some people love group studying, I hate it. I never get anything accomplished when studying with people. Again that isn't to say I haven't studied with people it is just that I prefer to study mostly on my own. I'm much more productive that way.

The thing is you can become "isolated" regardless of your living situation. Whether that be in an apartment by yourself, with parents, in an apartment with vet school roommates or in an apartment with non vet school roommates.

I don't think you need to live with your peers in order to do the things you mentioned above. And for many people it will be much healthier (and less likely they stab a fellow student ok stab is exaggeration, develop an extreme dislike for) if they aren't living with them.

I suppose my tl;dr was a pretty definitive statement, my apologies for that. I can only speak to the pros/cons of my specific situation and I think the rest of my post quite reflected the fact that I was sharing what I did and how I personally felt about it, not trying to give some definitive answer.