8 Things Everyone Hates About Moving Back Home After Uni

“You don’t know what you had until it’s gone.”

This common relationship adage applies all too well to all grads moving back home. After three years enjoying the relative freedom of university, those apron strings are about to be re-tied.

Here are some of the most common frustrations for students living at home.

You no longer have any freedom

Remember in university, when you made your own plans and didn’t need permission from anybody? Remember when you could make appalling decisions, and how it would all be okay because Mummy and Daddy would never, ever find out?

Well, now that you’re back home, freedom is something you’ll never get to taste again. Your Friday nights are no longer your Friday nights, and your weekends are now pre-booked, months ahead, for family gatherings. This means that even trying to plan a dinner with your friends can turn into something of a chore.

You have to inform your parents of your whereabouts. You must also let them know when you’ll be home. And don’t even think about trying to come back later than your curfew.

Student discounts no longer apply

Having to pay full price for Spotify Premium sends shudders down the spines of recently graduated students. Unidays, you were so good to us. Why did you break our hearts in this way? Let us stay, just for a little while longer…

The only thing worse than having no freedom is not being able to listen to your tunes offline. And having to pay full-price for clothes you really don’t need. And paying the full cost of a meal. And basically not getting to be a student anymore. Sigh.

Actually having to go to your 9AMs

A.k.a. your job.

There’s no getting out of this one. There’s no opportunity to let yourself lie in because you’ve had a big night last night. No faking a headache to get out of going places. You have to be at the place that gives you your pay cheque at 9am sharp. Everyday.

Being an adult

Your free time is no longer spent at socials, sports matches or nursing a hangover. Instead you’ll have to go to work parties, team-building days and networking events. Snooze.

Having to clean up your house because other functioning humans actually live there

In your student house you could hoover once a month and feel like your life was utterly on track. Now you’re back in your family home, you realise that people in the real world don’t actually like stewing in their own filth, and you’ve got to reach these heights of adulthood too.

So that means chores: actually taking the bins out (wow, you do know how to do this!), going to the supermarket mid-week when the fridge is running low on milk and actually putting the dishes away where they belong.

Never having alone time

Your house is full, your room isn’t really your room and, after a long day of being around people at work, you now have to be around people at home.

You never get to just be alone like you could at uni. If you want to shut off and watch Coyote Ugly for the 18th time in bed, you’ll find yourself pressing pause as you’re constantly disturbed by family members.

Seeing your friends far less often

They no longer live down the road in your tiny student town, or next door in your campus accommodation. Sad, sad times.

Dating is, erm, different

You can’t just pull someone in a club and magically end up in a relationship with them after a few more alcohol-infused meetings. Now you have to go on proper dates. Sober dates. This is far too difficult.

So it’s true what they say. You never know what you had until it’s gone. University, we miss you dearly.

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