/Stick Around for the Summer or Go Home?

Stick Around for the Summer or Go Home?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Should you stay here or go home for the summer? That depends. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have a place to stay? If you go home to live with your parents, you can save money. But the cost of rent can be defrayed if you share a place with friends or can stay with relatives in your school’s town.

2. Is employment better here or at home? If you can earn much, much more nearer your school — even with additional living expenses — then staying put makes sense. But if the job opportunities are better at home, that’s where you should be.

3. Is job continuity important? If your job near school is plum — good pay and learning opportunities — and you don’t want to lose your position by going home for the summer, staying may be a good idea.

4. Do you want to “try out” living independently? Sharing an apartment with friends for the summer can give you a chance to experience a taste of life after graduation but without a long-term commitment. Maybe some fellow students who live off-campus have an extra room you could rent.

5. Do you need some down time? If the rigors of school, work and extra-curricular activities were tough this year and you want to relax and rest, go home. Taking on more responsibilities by living independently, such as rent and more household chores, won’t give you that break you need.

6. Where are the advancement opportunities? Whether it’s volunteering, interning or networking, go where you can better yourself and further your future career.

7. Do your parents need some help? For example, if your parents are caring for your grandmother while working fulltime, or you have several younger siblings, your presence could really help them out, especially if you work different hours from your folks.

8. Will you have friends at home or your college town? While it’s not a deal-breaker, if all of your friends are gone, it could be a lonesome summer.

9. Do you need some family time? In a few short years, you may move far away from home and not see your family often. Maybe this would be a good time to spend with them.

10. Which appeals to you more for entertainment and socializing? Would you miss the places and events back home? Do you want to try out some new things in your college town?

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