Should I move out?

[mdstudent38]

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Guys,
I wanted to get your opinion on a decision I have to make shortly.

I'm going to be an MS1 next year and am deciding whether to move out of the house into a graduate student housing complex. They are both equidistant from campus so thats not really a factor (my parents live really close to campus as well). Living at home will be free (thanks to my parents) and moving out into the graduate housing will cost about 12K. I feel as though if I move out I will be able to live with my classmates and really get to know them better, especially since its the first year. I also feel that it might foster a more studious working environment. However, of course this comes at a huge financial cost. I think I should add that my parents at home are very chill and kicked back and give me my own privacy. Are there factors that I should consider that I'm not considering? I know this is ultimately a personal decision, but I want to know what you guys think.

Thanks.

 

[the other Dr.]

Uh, a med student living at home? Move out now so you can get used to it before you're forced to do so at a less forgiving time of med school.

And you can get it on without putting a pillow over his/her face. 🙂

 

[Medikit]

I dunno, can't you do things with them now? You don't have to live with someone to be friends with them. It can actually ruin a friendship.

 

[Alexander99]

I can't believe you used the words "equidistant" and "studious" in one post while being serious. What are you, some kind of nerd?

 

[Heliums]

Stay at home save your money. You can still hang out and study with your colleagues and best thing is if you get sick of them you can get away from them. Of course if your parents are crazy them you might want to consider moving out. But free room and board, hell I wish I could move back in with my parents! WAIT a minute. . . . no I don't, cuz they are CRAZY!

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

Guys,
I wanted to get your opinion on a decision I have to make shortly.

I'm going to be an MS1 next year and am deciding whether to move out of the house into a graduate student housing complex. They are both equidistant from campus so thats not really a factor (my parents live really close to campus as well). Living at home will be free (thanks to my parents) and moving out into the graduate housing will cost about 12K. I feel as though if I move out I will be able to live with my classmates and really get to know them better, especially since its the first year. I also feel that it might foster a more studious working environment. However, of course this comes at a huge financial cost. I think I should add that my parents at home are very chill and kicked back and give me my own privacy. Are there factors that I should consider that I'm not considering? I know this is ultimately a personal decision, but I want to know what you guys think.

Thanks.

Live at home... at least for the first two years. When rotations start, maybe then you can move out. If you save the money and live at home, you will thank yourself for the rest of your life. Also, when you don't have to worry about cooking, paying too many bills, rent, buying food, personal supplies and a host of other things, you will be better able to focus on your studies. The choice here is easy for me to make. I will be living at home and no matter what anyone says, they wish they had it like me (except for Alexander... he hates his parents, so don't listen to his opinion).

 

[MedJoe]

It doesn't matter if living alone would cost you $30k extra, MOVE OUT! You should have found a way to do this 4 years ago. But don't live with any of your med. classmates. You'll be spending the majority of your time with them as it is, let your home be your escape. If you must have a roommate, that is perfectly fine, but find someone that's not in med. school. Because after a long day of class and studying, it's nice to have a normal conversation with someone.

 

[synapse lapse]

I have to agree with the above poster. I do think it's ok to live with a classmate though. You are going to be in medical school and a doctor soon. I think that you should experience the independance that comes with adulthood. The money is well worth the experience, trust me. I moved out my senior year in high school, and that is the best thing I ever did. BUt I must say too, my parents are crazy. Ha, 2 alexanders with crazy parents, go figure.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Live at home and save $$$.

 

[Heal&Teach]

It doesn't matter if living alone would cost you $30k extra, MOVE OUT! You should have found a way to do this 4 years ago. But don't live with any of your med. classmates. You'll be spending the majority of your time with them as it is, let your home be your escape. If you must have a roommate, that is perfectly fine, but find someone that's not in med. school. Because after a long day of class and studying, it's nice to have a normal conversation with someone.

My sentiments exactly. Move out and in by yourself (if you can afford it) or with someone who is not in school with you. It will save you some sanity in the future. Plus, if school is that close to home, have your parents bring you food, etc. I think it's definitely worth the extra cost. Just my $0.02.

 

[stinkycheese]

I will have been living on my own (outside of college, I mean) for three years when I go to medical school-- hopefully in my hometown-- and I am just itching to move back into my parents' house. All of my other sibs will have flown the coop by then with my youngest sister having just left for college. They'll be missing having the kids around and I'll be missing having laundry in the house. They have plenty of space and I want to live with them, so yeah, I'm going to move back in for a least the first year. I'm so excited... home-cooked meals, a clean house, and laundry, AND the first time I can really spend extended quality time with my parents in six years... 😍

 

[Sweet Tea]

I say stay at home. 2 of my classmates lived with their parents this year to save money, and they definetly weren't social lepers. If you have a good relationship with your parents and you will be able to study like you need to at home, I don't see a reason why you would move. You will save a huge amount of money and still be able to hang out with people at school. Of course, this is highly dependent on the relationship you have with your parents!

I lived at home for 2 years after college while I was working full-time, taking classes, and applying to med school. It worked out really well for me because my parents and I really treated each other more like roommates than anything else. They went out of their way to give me privacy and to give me time to study, and it was nice to have that extra support there when I was studying for the MCAT and feeling like I was never going to get into school. Then again, my parents and I have a great relationship. Had I gone to med school in my hometown I probably would have moved out, but that's only because my parents live in BFE and it would be a long drive to school every day.

Just my 2 cents. I say stay where you are and save the money!

 

[gildas]

A med student living with his parents mmmmmmmmmmm, I don't know

 

[Sweet Tea]

A med student living with his parents mmmmmmmmmmm, I don't know

if it will save 12K a year, then it's worth it! Everyone in your class will be broke. People will understand why you want to live at home and save money. And if it doesn't work out, then you can move out. If we were talking about college, then I'd say live in student housing. But you can assume that someone going into medical school has had enough time to assert their independence from their parents, and that independence is not threatened by living with them and saving 12K.

I don't know what school you're going to, but most of my classmates don't study at home. For the most part, we all study at school, in the library, or in coffee shops b/c we want to be with our classmates (and because there are distracting things like the tv and the bed at home). Save the money, at least first year. The good news is that because you're going to med school in your hometown, you can move out at any time. If, after 2 months of living at home you decide that it's not going to work you can move out.

 

[mdstudent38]

Thanks everyone for your replies...

To add, I have lived on my own for the past 3 years of college, have lived in student housing, abroad, with friends, you name it. I am confident that I can live indepedent of my parents and thats not really the issue here. I have a good relationship with my parents in that they give me the space at home that I need (I live at home right now). As long as my studying environment at home is not affected, and as long as I am not compromising potential relationships with classmates, I dont see a reason to move out. So I guess I'm answering my own question here. I can really use 12K these days. I feel as though moving out is more of a luxury than necesity at this point. Thanks guys.

 

[OmahaMX80]

...but my parents live a solid 25 minutes from school under ideal conditions... it's more like half an hour or more if there is any traffic and I really don't want to deal with that. I'm moving out and spending the extra $$. This is the kind of decision only you can make. I've never lived on my own before and I am 24, I feel like it's overdue. I went to college here and stayed home to save money. And I think it was worth it, I graduated from a private university with less than 15k of debt. I stayed home after graduation because I knew almost right away I was going to take the MCAT and apply to medical school and I wanted the extra support. For me, it's totally time to move out. My folks are pushing me to stay home, save $$, etc. But I want to live closer to school and I want to learn how to be more responsible. And I have great parents, we get along very well... my Mom is already talking about bringing food up to the duplex where I'll be living on a weekly basis, it's really sweet.

Anyway man, sorry to go on and on it's just, to make a decision like this you need to weigh everything. Money is important. My folks are not wealthy, they can't give me much support besides the intangibles that would come with living at home. By moving out, I'm basically going it on my own to a large extent. Yeah my Mom will bring food and help as much as she can but money-wise I will be responsible for all of my bills, gas, rent, etc. But I've never not lived at home... so for me, it's really just time to move out. Many people my age have lived on their own for a few years, they've acquired the experience and in the face of medical school living at home is a great option if it's available. Plus my folks don't live as close to school as it sounds like yours do, and I still have two siblings at home besides me. So, yeah... there is no blanket "move out it's worth the money" or "stay home and save at all costs"... it just depends on your experiences so far and what's important to you. For what it's worth, my aunt married a doctor and he told me to move out, that the extra money when compared to the cost of medical school is negligable and really won't make all that much difference. Good luck.

 

[indo]

I can't believe you used the words "equidistant" and "studious" in one post while being serious. What are you, some kind of nerd?

That is the same thing I was thinking. With those types of words there will be no need to worry about covering someone's sex screams with a pillow while at mom's house.

 

[VFrank]

This is actually something I asked my premed advisor about ... what a coincidence. He said there are only two students he has sent to medical school who have had serious problems in school. Both of these students lived at home. When you're at home, your parents don't realize that you don't have time to spend a Saturday mowing the lawn, you don't have time to sit down for dinner, and you don't have time to drive your younger siblings all over town. This is especially true if your parents have never been to medical school. In short, his advice was to ABSOLUTELY NOT LIVE AT HOME!

 

[Medikit]

I think a lot of you guys are basing your decision for the OP to move on your own relationship with your parents rather than the OP's. VFrank, the OP has already spent a year living at home and isn't complaining about those problems, the OP is simply having a hard time meeting friends. My advice would be to get invovled in more activities, you can still be alienated once you're moved out.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Plus, he will make plenty of new friends and future colleagues in school. Assuming that his mom let's him go out and play. 😉

Personally, I would live at home and save for the future.

 

[kinetic]

Plus, he will make plenty of new friends and future colleagues in school. Assuming that his mom let's him go out and play. 😉

Who are you to mock someone? You're the one who needs his brother to take care of him, you wimpy Red Robe! 😉

 

[RaistlinMajere]

True, but I decided that I look better in black.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Unless you do a lot of dating, I would suggest staying at home. Save the cash, you dont need to live with someone to become their friends. But their are few things worse that crash on your game than taking a girl home to your parents house.

 

[Medikit]

Unless you do a lot of dating, I would suggest staying at home. Save the cash, you dont need to live with someone to become their friends. But their are few things worse that crash on your game than taking a girl home to your parents house.

The OP might be a female

 

[Alexander99]

That is the same thing I was thinking. With those types of words there will be no need to worry about covering someone's sex screams with a pillow while at mom's house.

LMAO! Yeah, somehow those words just don't indicate Don Juan to me.

 

[kinetic]

True, but I decided that I look better in black.

All tied up and getting mauled by Takhisis? Mmmm ...

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

The OP might be a female

True, but the original question was introduced with "hey guys", and I've found that women generally dont start with that phrase. The OP could by male, female, straight, gay, etc... Change genders around, and my advice still applies 🙂

 

[Medikit]

True, but the original question was introduced with "hey guys", and I've found that women generally dont start with that phrase.

😕 Yes they do

 

[ms2209]

Personally speaking, I've lived on campus for three years now (different state from home), and it's not all it's cracked up to be. I have to worry about a lot of other things in addition to studying (food, cleaning, supplies, etc.), not to mention the shabby state of the dorm. I have a good relationship with my family and they're pretty cool, so if it were me, I'd stay at home. There are definitely good things and bad things about each scenario, but considering that they're both located the same distance from the school, the commute would not be a factor. On top of that, you get the added benefit of having a nice, clean room that's not going to cost you!!! I'd go with home!

 

[lotanna]

seeing that my schl is 8mins from my parents' house, no way I'm moving out. Then again my folks are gone for several months out the yr, so its pretty much my siblings and i, and the rest of my sibs are laid back and in college anyway. Everyone has their own domain:my bro in the basement, my sis has her own room, and I've mine. TV/DVD/PC/Phone/even refrigerator and microwave 😀 Its like its own studio. Shoot my room would run you at least $700 in NYC 😛

I was on my own for college(dorms) and for masters prog(apt). Thats 6yrs total. Spent last yr at home and love it! Noone bothers me, I come and go as I please, and no matter how broke I'm at the end of the month, I know I'll never be homeless! I've many friends in med schls, who have had to take emergency loans cause they need to pay bills and all.
For my schl, we have to move for rotations so I'll have to move in 2yrs, but by then, I'll have had all my stupid undergrad debt paid for aka credit card just by saving.

Unless ur from a dysfunctional home were there's a lot of drama going on, or will be expected to take care of little siblings, and stuff, then I'd do that. Just be involved in more activities, ur close enough that u can still hang with ur friends.
If ur a guy/girl that has a bf/gf then they'll probably have their own place and go hang out there!!!

Worse case scenario if its not working and ur grades are affected, u ca always move out. My med schl student center is open 24/7, and its very comfortable, so thats where most folks study, and its 8mins drive from my house, so no studying at home for me.
While my friends are struggling for emergency loans, I'll be taking a Caribbean cruise!! 😀

 

[sistahnik]

just because you live at home with your parents doesn't mean that you will be there to run the erronds, mow the lawn, and whatever else they can think of. I think you should stay home and just make plans to spend time studying outside of the home, then when you want to go home for relaxing, sleeping, or eating, then your studies will be done for the moment and won't be interrupted. I mean you are an adult just sit down with your parents and explain to them the whole idea of being a med student. they just need to understand that you will not be at their disposal most of the time, I'm sure they at least know that being in med school is a bit more demanding than undergrad or even high school. just talk to them and see what they expect from you and you tell them what you expect!! good luck with everything.

PS: I think it is silly to spend an extra 12k just to be away from home to cultivate relationships with friends that you WILL see everyday in class. you will see them regardless if you stay at home or get a roommate. the relationships will come. 🙄

@lotanna: great post girl!! 😀 you make so much sense!!

 

[eggshell]

I think an earlier poster said it best- with this kind of decision, it depends on what kind of relationship you have with your parents. When I did post-bacc work, I moved back in with my parents to save money. I didn't expect them to change how they did things because it was their home. But, I think back to having to repeatedly ask my dad and teenage brother to turn down the t.v. the nights before an exam. And my mom, who was very supportive for the most part, sometimes thought that if I didn't have a book in my hands, it was an open invitation to have me run errands (needless to say, I resorted to walking around the house with my backpack on).
I am super grateful to my parents for housing me, but just the thought of doing it again while in medical school makes me weep. Fortunately, it's not even an option. But this is my experience. More power to you (and your wallet) if you can do it with success.

 

[superdevil]

first, for all the people who have posted things like "a med student living with his/her parents?!?! 😱 what a total douchebag! i mean, you've just got to wonder about someone like that, you know?"....its not that weird. i know a couple people who have done it, and they are not downtrodden social rejects by any means.

to the OP: the real question here is, "do i *really* want to pay 12K per year to be more social?" hell, that's more than the COUNTRY CLUB dues you might pay 10 years down the road. unless your parents are curfew-nazis or you enjoy bondage orgies (ok, who doesn't? 😀 ), there's no reason you can't increase your level or social activity while living at home.

sd