If you’re planning to attend university, you’ll have quite a few big decisions to make, such as what to study and which universities to apply to. Once you’ve figured out your general direction and have done a bit of research into which universities provide the appropriate degree, you’ll have to narrow it down to which ones to apply to. Factors that you may want to consider in choosing a university are how well renowned the programme is and whether you have other friends attending that institution. Another big element of deciding which universities you’re interested in will likely come down to location, and this is where you’ll need to make the choice between studying in your hometown or moving away. There are, of course, pros and cons to both options. Today we’ll explore some of the arguments for studying in your hometown, and in the next post we’ll highlight some of the benefits for going elsewhere.

The most obvious pro is probably that you already know your way around. While this might seem like a fairly minor thing (after all, you’d get to know your way around a new town or city as well), it means that you have a level of familiarity and comfort with the location, which will give you an extra element of confidence as you embark on the next step of your education. After all, you’ll likely already have a number of cafes and bars that you like to frequent and won’t have to worry about catching the wrong bus and ending up who knows where. This insider knowledge can also be really helpful in making new friends who have come to study in your hometown, as you’ll be able to take them to places they wouldn’t necessarily know about.

Studying in your hometown can also be a big money saver. You may be able to live with your parents, which, while not appealing to everyone, means that you’ll save quite a bit of money and will likely benefit from good food and free laundry access. Being close to parents can also provide you with a solid grounding for when the stress of university starts to get to you as they’ll be readily available to talk and listen. Even if you decide not to stay at your parents’ home, you’ll have the luxury of choosing between university accommodations and finding your own place, as you’ll be much more aware of which neighbourhoods you’d like to live in, rent prices and may even already know some people to share a place with.

It may also be that some of your friends are staying close to home for work or university as well, meaning that you’re more likely to have a social network in place from the get go. While it’s important to meet new friends at university, this can be quite an intimidating experience, especially if you’re in a new city and don’t know anyone. The comfort of knowing that you’ve got friends readily available can take some of that pressure off.

Another argument for studying in your hometown is that you may also have an easier time finding part-time work should you decide to do so. Again, knowing the lay of the land will be hugely beneficial here, as you may have an awareness of which places are likely to hire students and can start searching for work before people arrive from elsewhere. And some places may be more likely to hire you knowing that you’ll be around during the summer when there are no classes as well.

There are of course plenty of other reasons that sticking close to home can be better than going elsewhere, and it all depends on what you feel is best for you. In the next post we’ll highlight some of the pros for going elsewhere to study.