Moving Home After College: Expectation Vs. Reality

While college is an amazing experience, we all have to return home eventually. This can be both wonderful and jarring at the same time. The following expectations versus reality are based mostly on my own experiences after my freshman year! You, too, will probably be able to relate to these in one way or another when you’re moving home after college!

Expectation: You can maintain all of the same habits as in college.

Reality: In college, you get used to staying up to all hours of the night and waking up in the morning at the latest possible moment. This can lead to chores, such as laundry, getting done in the dead of night. Of course in college, the dead of night is pretty lively and no one thinks twice about you doing your laundry at that time. However, at home, you might irritate your parents by using the machines in the middle of the night. This usually leads to some serious readjustment of sleeping schedules.

Expectation: You will get more sleep.

Reality: Speaking of sleep. You would think that you could get more sleep now that you no longer have those dreaded 8AM classes; and you might get that much needed sleep… for the first few days. Then you will get your parents bugging you about working and “why do you sleep so much?” Of course they do mean well, it just can be jarring for someone who might be expecting to sleep until noon.

Expectation: You can go out whenever you want to.

Reality: So this might match some people’s realities upon their return home. However, for those who have the stricter parents, this might not be the case. Suddenly, you cannot just meet up with friends for an impromptu movie at midnight. You will be expected to plan ahead and to hang out with your friends at a reasonable hours.

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Now this is not an article saying that returning home sucks because it does not. Being able to shower without shoes and eating home-cooked meals every night is wonderful… there can just be that initial shock factor when suddenly there are rules again.

Where you hit with any more realities different from your expectations when you were moving home after college? Share in the comments below!

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