I have experience of both renting a house near campus and living at home while attending MSU, so I’m going to break down the pros and cons of living at home.  

For this pros and cons list, I’m going to assume you have a good relationship with your family, that they help you financially with necessities and that they don't live too far from campus.

Let’s get the negativity out of the way first and start with the cons.

Con: You have less privacy

Being around your family 24/7 means you’re not going to have as much privacy as you would in an apartment or house.

If you live on your own or with roommates, you are free to do whatever you want in your own space. But if you live at home, chances are someone is going to be checking up on you frequently. 

Con: Dating is harder

It’s hard to get to know someone when the threat of parental intervention is looming. 

Bringing your Tinder date home to your parents is just generally a bad idea.

Con: No parties

Chances are your parents don’t want any ragers thrown in their house, so living at home means you can’t host parties.

It also might mean you’re less likely to attend parties near campus since there’s a possibility that you’ll be questioned as to where you're going. 

Con: Scrutiny of your grades

Being questioned about school at family gatherings is already a meme, but it’s based in reality. 

When you’re around your family all the time, the likelihood of being questioned about your grades increases exponentially.

Parents often hyper-fixate on grades, especially if they help pay for tuition, which can be detrimental to your mental health. 

Con: Potential conflict

Everyone’s fought with their parents, it’s human nature. The more time you spend with them, the more likely you are to argue. It’s harder to get in a screaming match with your mom when you live in separate cities.

But, it’s really not all bad. To many, including myself, the pros of living at home outweigh the cons. So let’s take a look at them.

Pro: It's much, much cheaper 

Many students who live at home receive financial assistance, whether it’s with tuition, food, clothing, housing, hobbies, anything. 

Even having the bare necessities covered is a benefit. If your parents are especially generous and are paying for all of your needs, you might not even need a job. 

Even so, just having your groceries and housing paid for is remarkably helpful. It’s also nice not having to stress about rent or utilities. 

Pro: Your pets are there

If you’re an animal lover, this might be the deciding factor for you.

Most apartments near campus restrict animal ownership, and you can’t bring your dog to a dorm. So if you're like me and can't live without your animals, living at home might be a good option.

Pro: It's great for anxious people

If you have anxiety, new places can be scary. To many, attending a new school in an entirely new place might be too much.

Living at home can be a great way to ground yourself in something familiar while you’re going through new experiences. It’s hard to adjust to a new home and community at the same time, so keeping some familiarity can help.

Pro: The food is probably better

Sure, campus food is okay, but nothing beats home cooking.

If you have a family member who cooks, chances are their food is better than what’s served on campus. It also is likely much, much cheaper. And you might have a say in what's made. 

It's a no brainer.

Pro: You don't have to move your stuff

This might sound silly, but I’ve moved twice in the past year and a half, and let me tell you, moving sucks.

It’s so much nicer not having to uproot your things and move them somewhere else.

You’ll eventually have to move when you do move out, but it’s better to move once than the three or more times if you come back home for the summer.

Pro: You have a support network

For many, this is the deciding factor. Being around your family and friends means you have easier access to your support network. 

The people you care about are closer and can be there for you in times of need. Sure, families fight, but there’s no other feeling of comfort that compares to that of family.

This guide isn’t the end-all-be-all, and shouldn’t be the only reason for deciding where to live. Your list may look completely different than this one, but I hope it gave you something to think about. 

There's no objectively “best” place to live while going to MSU, so decide for yourself, but use this guide as backup if needed.