"The One-Week Resaerch Project"

Question: How has moving out of your home to go to college affected you? Financially? Socially? What has changed form your perspective?

This is a question I have been debating for awhile because I am debating whether I want to move out or stay at home. I interviewed three people, two recently graduated, and one has been in college. my first interview was from a friend of mine, her name is Danise Herrington. She is a sophomore at UCI. Her response to my question was "Well moving out was a little stressful. I didn't know what it would be like on my own and I was afraid I wouldn't make friends. But since I have been gone I like it and I feel more independent. Financially I'm a little more stressed because I need to make sure to pay off student loans, but I'm sure it will be fine. Socially, I have met new people and its fun to be able to connect with others that I wouldn't have met unless I went to college. Since leaving home I have realized that I took a lot of things for granted and being on my own had made me more aware." My second interview was from a friend who graduated from Mayfair in 2016, Emily Rytting. Her response was "Moving out to college was very rough at first and I didn’t realize how dependent I was on my family. However,  it allowed me to become very independent and less reliant on my family. I was lucky enough to have a family who starting saving up since birth so I could further my education so it has not been an issue financially. It changed me socially in the sense that I had to make new friends and start a new life in a place that I was unfamiliar, but I have gained amazing friends and have formed amazing relationships. I do have a job! I am a math tutor at the nearby community college. College has changed me in a way that I have been able to live on my own, form new relationships, build community, and learn lots of leadership and communication skills!" My final interview was from a recent Mayfair graduate, Emily Chavez. Her response was "Ok so moving out is a really big change and at first I was a little homesick but since you are living with the same people in your hall you see them all the time and it’s a bit easier to make friends. Also in class the first two weeks it’s really easy to make friends because everyone is trying to make new friends and college is a new experience for everyone. Also financially you have to always make sure that you are trying to save as much as you can because money is really tight because of how much school actually costs. You have to be very disciplined and be on top of everything because your parents aren’t there to yell at you to do your homework or wake you up when you slept through your alarm. It’s also very different because the professors don’t tell you the homework they just expect that you have already checked online and know. Currently I don’t have a job so I can’t tell you anything about that." The responses I received gave me a more clear image as to what my experience would be like if I left home. Leaving home is definitely a challenge, and will affect every part of ones life, and will affect everyone in a different way.