First Year is all about being in res - not living at home with your parents!

It’s your first year at University – your first year out of school. New friends, new subjects, new surroundings but most importantly…res! The only way to experience all the fun and drama of first year is by being in res. A tiny room, yuck res food, cold showers and an active social life – perfect! Or is it? I strongly believe that first year can be experienced and enjoyed in exactly the same way if one lives at home…with their parents.

As the old saying goes: “there is nothing better than a home-cooked meal”, and I fully agree. Be it from mom or dad, a good plate of food always goes down well, very well. Lucky for me I am blessed with this privilege everyday. Do I ever get tired of it? Not a chance!

Res life. With all its perks and wonders, really isn’t that great. Sure, friendships and bonds are made, fun is had, rules are broken and money is spent. A whole new ‘family’, a new ‘home away from home’ is formed. Yet students who live at home with their parents share in on the exact same things. Students at home have just as much fun, can make just as many friends and still get to enjoy coming home to a real family every evening (or morning).

What are the pros of living at home with the parentals? The list is endless. Mom (or dad’s) made-with-tender-loving-care roast on Sunday with veggies, full remote control access and power whenever desired (no bookings needed), piping hot baths or showers and a HUGE warm bed to snuggle in every night. Just to mention a few…

And the cons? Home isn’t always paradise as I’m sure you would’ve noticed in your 18 years of living at home. Sibling rivalry appears to be on the increase as stated by Ettioné Ferreira. (http://www.etto-pressurepoints.blogspot.com). “My sister and I fight a lot!” she says. Then there’s the awful sound of the kitchen sink filling up with bubbly water and the innocent, yet daunting, plea: “please come help dry up a few dishes pumpkin”. What a lie! There’s never only a “few” dishes.

Meagan Claasen, on whether staying at home is better than res, definitely enjoys the comfort and support of her family. “I can do whatever I want” she says with a naughty smirk. She also believes that she can get more work done at home and that she has “way more freedom”. (g08c2330@campus.ru.ac.za). Ettioné Ferreira, although experiencing some sibling difficulties, also prefers home life to res life. “I get to watch television all day long! And I get to decide what I want to eat, whenever I want it” she says. Yet a few more reasons as to why home-life is better than res-life. I can definitely vouch for couch potatoe!

There are always two sides to every story so I have also got comments from students living in res. Jethro Le Roux of De Beers House thoroughly enjoys living in residence. He prefers it to home because one can experience a sense of ‘spirit’. He does however, not like the res rules at all; “they tend to oppress one”. (g08l0874@campus.ru.ac.za). Isabel Collett also loves res, perhaps because she has been in hostel for five years of her school career. She says that she’d have to do “stupid chores” if she lived at home during her first year and that would simply be “the pits!” (g08c2341@campus.ru.ac).

It is clear to me that students living at home in their first year tend to enjoy all the fun and drama just as much as res students do, if not more! Students at home love living at home. Students living in res love res and thoroughly enjoy their first year experience too – perhaps also due to being in such close proximity to everything on campus.

Despite many gloats of the “Ha! You live at home with your parents, shame!” phrase, I still prefer home life to res life. Just as much fun is had in an already familiar environment with the most amazing support system (and food!) in the world. Oppi’s (non-res students) living at home with their families are not deprived or disadvantaged in any way by living off campus. The exact same facilities are available. My name is Jess, I’m in first year and I’m proud to say I live at home with my parents and I love it!