"Where do you go to school?" "Portland state"
"Do you live downtown?" "No I live at home" "Oh to save money?"
While it's easiest for me to just reply with a yes, the main reason I live at home and commute to Portland State each day is not because of the outrageous housing costs (however, that's an added bonus). The main reason I chose to stay at home and attend PSU is because of my family. I'm so fortunate to have the relationships I do with my parents and brother. Our family operates as a unit and when one piece of the unit is missing, the whole thing feels off. When picturing college, I couldn't see myself living (at least) two hours away from my parents, my brother, my dogs, my big bed, and the city I've grown up in. People would always speak of this "college experience" they couldn't wait to have but nothing about waking up 10 minutes before class because I'd been out all night sounded appealing to me.
What did sound appealing to me was being able to go home every night to a home-cooked meal after watching my brother's baseball game and then getting into a nice big comfy bed in a room I have all to myself. I could definitely picture myself attending classes during the day downtown and then retreating to the suburbs at night.
I've been doing this for almost two years now and it couldn't be a more perfect set-up. I'm still able to get involved at PSU with a dance team, sorority life, and as an orientation leader, all while spending quality time with my parents throughout this collegiate journey.
Every person's situation is different. Some don't have to think about money when going to college and can ultimately go wherever they please. Others rely solely on scholarships and without them, education is out of the question. For me, I'm somewhere in the middle. No matter what a person's situation is, I think it's important that people keep an open mind and realize that just because someone is doing college in a different way than you, doesn't mean it's a wrong way to do it. It just works best for them and their needs. Who cares, really, as long as they are getting educated.
My advice to incoming college students is to not throw this idea out so quickly. I understand I'm in a rare group of people that are close with their parents and enjoy their parents company. But if you are a part of this rare group too, consider staying at home. I promise you'll have some great experiences at PSU. It's what you make of it.
