Living with parents as a grad student in early 30's?

[MettaSutta]

I'm in the process of applying to Columbia's online MSW program; if accepted I would live with parents and do my fieldwork locally (in PA) to save $$$ and avoid the disruption of moving to NYC.  What have people's experiences been in this sort of living situation? Pros/Cons?  I know it's stigmatized in American culture, but not in Indian culture.  

 

[Sigaba]

 

 

[ResilientDreams]

I think it really depends on how your relationship with your parents is. Set reasonable boundaries but still treat them with respect and I think you'll be fine.

[MettaSutta]

On 9/8/2018 at 12:53 AM, Sigaba said:

 

 

 

OP in that post is almost 10 years younger than me, so I'm not sure if his experience would be relevant to mine.   

Edited September 9, 2018 by Bodhicaryavatara

[ExponentialDecay]

...are there not MSW schools in PA? Seems silly to apply to Columbia if you want to live in a different state.

I lived with my mom for a year once. It was fine. I don't think one's living situation is a typical subject of social discussion, so I'm not sure that anyone knew where I lived - not that I'd care if they did. 

[MettaSutta]

There are MSW schools in PA, but I'd like the pedigree of Columbia.  

[PsyDuck90]

Honestly, for an online MSW, I don't know how much you're really benefitting from the "pedigree of Columbia." Social work isn't exactly a field that focuses on ivy league distinction, and given then you'll be online, you won't really benefit that much from the relationship-building that happens at an ivy league university which is typically what opens the door to certain opportunities. You can do a search of GradCafe of people weighing the pros and cons of spending the extra money on Columbia, and most people state it isn't worth it. You will most likely get a much better education from attending a PA program in person and having the intellectual discussions with your professors and classmates than the education you'll get in an online program. Ivy league at the MA level really only matters for law school (I know technically not an MA, but it is 3 years) and business school. 

Where you live is no one's business but your own. As long as you feel you can accomplish what you need and your family gives you the space to conduct your work and have a social life as you see fit, there isn't really anything that precludes you from living with your parents. 

[juilletmercredi]

^I agree with the above post that an online MSW may not confer the 'pedigree' that you'd assume came with a Columbia program, and a local MSW in PA may be a better choice.

That said, though, I think that your decision to live with your parents should be a personal one. Living with one's parents in one's early 30s is less stigmatized amongst our generation (millennials, as it were); most in our generation knows that the cost of living has risen faster than inflation. These days it's pretty common for young adults to live with their parents while attending graduate school (or saving up for a house). I went to Columbia for grad school and I knew a couple of grad students who lived with their parents in the New York area, and it was...just a living situation. *shrug*