...and I LOVE it.
To the OP, I would suggest you consider a few things before you decide to stay home for med school:
1. What kind of relationship do you have with your parents? Will they be bothering you with things to do while you are studying? Do they understand the time constraint you are under?
2. How far away are you from the school? A commute of an hour is too far and a waste, but if the commute is below 20 minutes (one way), then it may be worth it, especially if, like me, you stay home and watch most lectures streaming.
3. Do you LIKE living at home? Some people love it, others hate it. It's not worth it to live at home if you don't like the environment.
4. Do you have a significant other? This may be an issue with having 'alone time' depending on how you and your parents handle it.
I went out of state for college at the age of 18 and live by myself for the next 6+ years (4 years of college + 1 year of grad school + 2 years of working). So no, I am not someone who can't cut the apron strings. I've had a 'real' job as an IT programmer and was completely financially independent, even paying off my own $20k debt within two years, but decided to go back to school to become a doctor.
I moved back home to take classes/study for MCAT. Fortunately, I managed to get into the local med school here and my parents live about 15 minutes away from the med school. They are extremely supportive right now and never bother me with chores. In fact, my parents gets annoyed with me when I try help to around the house because they'd rather see me studying or out with friends.
I have healthy home cooked meals every night. I bring a hot lunch to school every day I am in school, and I get compliments from others who see my warm, healthy homecooked meals which I do not have to pay for from the hospital cafeteria. A hot breakfast is also available at my discretion. I also cannot stress how important healthy eating is. I know students who can't/don't have time to cook, and it is one more stressor on your body.
I never have to worry about chores except to keep my study room clean. I never have to worry about laundry, getting my car's oil changed, or grocery shopping (although I did all this when I lived by myself).
This may not seem like much, but when you guys hit med school, you'll understand how every minute saved is every minute you can sleep, rest up, do something fun or STUDY.
Med school is NOTHING like college. You have a severe time crunch for the better part of the year. That three hours you save not having to cook/clean every week, the two hours you save not having to do groceries and worry about bills or taking your car in to get fixed---that's time saved to sleep an extra hour, cram an extra hour, spent time with friends etc.
And a few hours saved may not seem like a big deal now when you're in college, but I cannot stress how big of a difference that makes once you get into med school. You 're studying 60-70+ hours/week, so to no longer have to worry about the nitty gritty of everyday life really alleviates some of the burdens of med school.
This isn't to say that those living by themselves are going to have a horrible time with med school....but living at home for me alleviated some of the stress of med school that otherwise would be piled on top of my already overscheduled days.
As for social life, you won't be missing much since med schools generally don't have dorms and there's never enough time to go out every weekend with friends. Most people I know in med school live within 15 minutes of school but there is no 'campus life'. We study on the weekends, in the evenings. When breaks hit, most go home or travel or sleep in. We have socials after every exam and at the end of the year. We also have dance every year. Living at home does not deter you from enjoying any of these functions. You can also work in groups with friends and stay on campus as late as you want.....again, I'm not sure how living at home would deter you from hanging out with friends.
I have participated in almost all school social events and have had dates and a boyfriend while living at home. If I want privacy with guys, I go to their place or we go out. That is the only inconvenience I see.
I have no curfew. I come and go as I please. My mom calls me when I am out late but it's only to confirm that I'm still alive. I answer and tell her I'm fine, at a friend's house etc and she goes to bed.
No one in school looks down at you for your living arrangement. In fact, I have quite a few students that have told me if their parents lived close by to the med school, they'd do it in a heartbeat. This isn't high school. There are no 'cool kids', especially for not living at home. We're all focused on our career and worried about med school debt.
The fact is, I save about $10k/yr in living expenses because I pay nothing in rent and my expenses minimal since my parents can buy in bulk for the three of us instead of me shelling money out for the separate household. I guess $40k isn't much in the big picture but it's $40k that I don't have to pay back once I start residency, it's $40k I can put towards retirement, mortgage etc. If I'm 'uncool' or whatever....well, I've outgrown that after junior high. And oh year, you guys will all be MEDICAL STUDENTS. There is no other schools with a nerdier student body.
A few replies to the comments upthread:
By this logic, no one should ever move out of their mom's place. Why pay $80k a year when you can live with mommy for the rest of your (well, I guess more accurately her) life? That's what, $800k you save?
Because the money you are using for rent during med school is ON LOAN which you have to pay back with interest, at a time when you don't have a job to pay it down with. Once out of med school, a paycheck is available to pay for rent etc without having to borrow for that. I've had to pay back college loans with my own money...it is a slow going affair and not all that pleasant. As a result of that experience, I want to minimize my debt as much as possible wherever I can. I don't think people realize how painstaking it is to slowly pay that debt down....that the paycheck you see gets eaten up by the debt month after month. Debt repayment is not a pleasant affair. As a result, I make an attempt to "live like a student now", so I don't have to live like one after graduation.
Dude, would you really want to be a 26 year-old living with your mother? Think about it.
I'm 28 and I "live with my mother" as a medical student. I find no shame in it and plenty of students in med school here have told me I am very lucky.
This isn't high school anymore.
"Looking cool" has been replaced with "finding ways to save time and money while studying your butts off" once you hit med school.
People don't care about what cliques you're in, whether you live at home or not, or what types of sneakers you have.
Everyone is concerned about cramming in as much crap as they can and be able to regurgitate it a short amount of time. Almost everyone in med school have, at one time, lived on their own. Some are married with kids.
So most people are no longer concerned about perceived "coolness" factor. That's been replaced with worries about debt and having enough time to get everything done. I can minimize my debt and maximize my free time with one stroke by living at home. And I've been told that's "pretty cool".
I will add one more thing. Living at home for med school isn't for everyone. But I highly recommend it if you can study well at home because it really cuts down your expenses.
Anyway, I hope I've offered a good perspective of what it's like to live at home. I find no shame in it. In fact, I had a party during spring break last year and invited about 20 friends over to my house for home cooked dinner. Needless to say, I was VERY popular after that.
