Living at home while in med school

[docmercer]

Hi,

If there are any current medical school students who live at home with their parents to save money, I would love to hear what kind of experience it has been for you (i.e. do you stay at school until you go to bed? do your parents understand your new lifestyle? what are the pros/cons, besides saving money? do the pros outweigh the cons? etc.)

I will be going to medical school about 20 minutes from my parents house at a private school next fall. After spending the last 4 years living on my own, I'm seriously considering taking them up on their offer and moving back in, especially when I start thinking about financial aid and how much money it would save.

Any feedback is appreciated in advance. thanks

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[GuzzyRon]

Hi,

If there are any current medical school students who live at home with their parents to save money, I would love to hear what kind of experience it has been for you (i.e. do you stay at school until you go to bed? do your parents understand your new lifestyle? what are the pros/cons, besides saving money? do the pros outweigh the cons? etc.)

I will be going to medical school about 20 minutes from my parents house at a private school next fall. After spending the last 4 years living on my own, I'm seriously considering taking them up on their offer and moving back in, especially when I start thinking about financial aid and how much money it would save.

Any feedback is appreciated in advance. thanks

The advantages of living at home far outweighs any perceived disadvantages in my opinion. A few of my classmates live at home and they don't complain about it. Among other things, you'll save a ton living at home.

 

[Jwax]

If I was single and if I still got along with my parents, I would strongly consider living at home. I did it for a year of college (after being out of the house for 2 or 3 years), and they were pretty understanding that I was 21 years old and it was none of their business what I did with my free time. I did get ragged on about skipping school though, and I imagine I would get ragged on even worse now since I'm a homeschooler. But having someone else pay for all your living expenses = . I imagine I will ultimately pay of $250K in loans... if I had parents paying for most of my living expenses, that would be severely decreased. That's a lot of extra money you'll have in your pocket once you've got a disposable income. As long as you get along with your folks & they are accepting of your having your own hours / life / etc... I'd say go for it.

 

[Pembleton]

I think it's a good idea, as long as they respect your time and space.

 

[HEADintheCLOUDS]

If they give you your own space and autonomy without imposing too many restrictions then for sure stay there. My parents offered this but I declined. Only because they feel that "its under our roof and so its our rules". I am very independent and coulnt live that way. Now that I moved out though our relationship is much better too!

 

[Hurricane95]

I live at home and love doing so. It really is great on many levels. Living at home combined with my 50% scholarship means I will graduate medical school with about $75k in loans (a portion of which is for, um, personal expenses not completely school-related, and some to help my parents out even). Everyone else living on their own with no scholarship money will be $200k+ in the hole when done...so I am essentially saving at least $125k by staying at home. Not only that, but my parents help me with food and laundry too. It's nice to arrive home and have hot dinner ready and waiting for me instead of having to go get carry out or microwave something on my own.

That being said though, I understand that not everyone has the relationship with their parents that I do. They are both completely laid back and give me complete independence to do as I wish. They treat me like an adult son, not a kid. I come and go as I please and am free to spend as little or as much time at home as I want. I can basically come home just to shower, eat dinner and sleep if I want or I can take the whole day off, watch lectures all day, or sleep all day in my room for all they care. No one is going to be nagging at me for not contributing to home income, for not going to class, or anything else. I often study at home and am comfortable doing so because I have my own room set aside as my private office where I can lock myself in there for 8 hours of studying and not hear a pin drop. Not everyone can say this of course. If your parents are the naggy type or talk too much, or expect you to spend half of your time as mandatory "family time" (or you have little siblings who make tons of noise) living at home is not a good idea. You need your own place.

The only disadvantage is that I live a bit far from school (I drive for 30 min. and then take the train for an additional 20 min. ride, each way) but I think overall it's worth it.

 

[xxbruinxx]

i'm having a similar issue...
I live about 7mi away from school (in LA), but at the same time, i want to the full experience of med. school. I've been living at home since my last year of undergrad (about 3yrs now). Living at home would save me about $45,600 over the course of 4 years.

i'd love to hear some more opinions.

thx

 

[durfen]

I suppose I am the perfect example of staying home....I'm staying home now during med school, as well as undergraduate.....

Usually I stayed at school and/or went out until I got home between 6 and 11 pm. As long as I called home a couple of times, my parents aren't particularly restrictive.

In general, I like it. Most of my basic needs are taken care of and I can focus on studying (or having fun). Your sense of independence derives from your actions not by your location.

I echo Hurricane's comments in general, except that I generally do like 'family time', since my siblings are home too.

 

[TMP-SMX]

i'm having a similar issue...
I live about 7mi away from school (in LA), but at the same time, i want to the full experience of med. school. I've been living at home since my last year of undergrad (about 3yrs now). Living at home would save me about $45,600 over the course of 4 years.

i'd love to hear some more opinions.

thx

"Full experience of med school."

You can experience studying all day long at home too. If you have a SO you can study with them too. Add sleeping and eating and you have it covered.