By Sarah Johnson  |Staff Writer|

With our seemingly stagnant economy and slowly rising college tuition, more students are living at home past the age of 18.

Students are living on campus, then returning home after they graduate.

In countries outside of the United States, this is completely acceptable and expected for young adults to not leave the nest until they have found their career or get married.

On the other hand, here in the U.S., students say they receive judgment due to the social stigma of living under their parents’ roof–mostly from fellow peers who don’t have that luxury.

The students I spoke with who live at home don’t pay rent and don’t really have rules or guidelines from their parents.

They’re just expected to get good grades and graduate.

Ernest Quintana, student, moved out at 18 with some buddies, but found the financial obligation to be a struggle and eventually moved back home.

“Why not live at home?” he said. “It’s cheaper. Some people think of me differently because of it, but that doesn’t really matter to me.”

Some CSUSB students said they live at home because their parents allow them to.

They want to help their children be able to save money and hopefully reduce their debt after graduation.
Being able to live at home during college is something that not all students have as an option. Students who I spoke to who don’t have the opportunity feel that they are at a disadvantage.

“I don’t have the extra money that some of my peers do because I have a rent check I have to write at the beginning of every month,” said student Michelle Lopez.

Lopez said she feels somewhat disconnected with students who live at home because she thinks they don’t have any idea of what the real world is going to be like.

As a student who hasn’t lived with my parents since the age of 17, I understand where the social stigma grows in those of us who are on our own.

Some students who still live with their parents have it easy, but I don’t necessarily judge students who live at home; I just wish I had the same opportunity.

Most of us who live on our own do it because we have to, not because we choose to. Though, others do choose to live on their own and endure the struggle.

“It is tough living on my own, but the independence makes it worth it. I get to do what I want and don’t have anyone telling me otherwise. It also helps me to be responsible and more reliant on myself than I was when I lived at home,” said student Michael King.

Overall, whether you’re living at home or living on your own, we’re all students just trying to get our education and go somewhere further in life.

Everyone is dealt different cards in life. What matters most is how we play our hand.