Moving home with the parents for school- better than debt?

[cherubhipster]

Hello my friends!

Here is my situation. I am starting nursing school in the end of August (this will be my second degree). I am 25 years old, and I have been living with my boyfriend happily for the last 2 years. Before that, I lived at home and was absolutely miserable. I hated it. A large part of this is due to my dysfunctional family (there is alcohol abuse involved), and since I have moved out I have been much more emotionally healthy.

I thought I would have some help from other relatives to go back to school and to put towards my living expenses, but just found out that I will not get any help towards living expenses at all. My boyfriend has his own things to pay for, and I wouldn't expect him to pave my way anyway- this is my career, not his.

If I try to stay where I am, I will have to borrow about $50,000 total in student loans. If I move home, the number will be drastically reduced to $30,000 total (maybe less).

So..I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Is my emotional sanity for 2 years worth the $20,000+ interest I will have to pay back for the next 10-30 years? I know that nobody can know the answer but me, but I really am at a loss. I've made pros and con lists and I just don't know what to do. I could really use some ideas, advise, or stories about what other people did (or are doing) in school.

Thank you!!:redbeathe

[Jules A, MSN]

Hi again,

It sounds like you have really thought things through and I would guess you could always move back in with boyfriend if things are really horrible with your parents.

The one thing that caught my eye is the value you seem to place on your school's NCLEX pass rate. Unless you truly can't get into another school to be very honest NCLEX rates don't impress me one bit. Imo it is a solo sport anyway and while it is nice if your school has helped nurture your test taking skills etc. its not crucial. In fact I feel pretty confident that I could have passed it with 6 months of independent study and no nursing school at all....not saying I would be fit to practice of course. As the worst case, it is only a test and for a couple of hundred dollars you can take it as often a needed.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Liddle Noodnik]

Hello my friends!

Here is my situation. I am starting nursing school in the end of August (this will be my second degree). I am 25 years old, and I have been living with my boyfriend happily for the last 2 years. Before that, I lived at home and was absolutely miserable. I hated it. A large part of this is due to my dysfunctional family (there is alcohol abuse involved), and since I have moved out I have been much more emotionally healthy.

I thought I would have some help from other relatives to go back to school and to put towards my living expenses, but just found out that I will not get any help towards living expenses at all. My boyfriend has his own things to pay for, and I wouldn't expect him to pave my way anyway- this is my career, not his.

If I try to stay where I am, I will have to borrow about $50,000 total in student loans. If I move home, the number will be drastically reduced to $30,000 total (maybe less).

So..I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Is my emotional sanity for 2 years worth the $20,000+ interest I will have to pay back for the next 10-30 years? I know that nobody can know the answer but me, but I really am at a loss. I've made pros and con lists and I just don't know what to do. I could really use some ideas, advise, or stories about what other people did (or are doing) in school.

Thank you!!:redbeathe

I faced the same challenge and what I found out a year after moving back was that my sanity could not take it. What I did was move in with an elderly lady who needed a companion (light hskg and cooking, someone to look after her). I got room and board and a stipend. After a year of that I shared an apt w/ a gf -

If I had it all to do again I probably would just have lived w/ the GF and swallowed the extra loan - it took a lot more from me than it gave when I lived w/ my mom that year.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

the school I am going to had the highest scores on the NCLEX in 2007 for the US. I feel like it's worth the money.

There is no need to pay thousands of dollars more for a school with a solid NCLEX passage rate.

In addition, there's no such thing as an "NCLEX score." Either you pass it, or you fail it.

[cherubhipster]

I thought I should share with everyone on this post what is going to happen to me.

After telling my parents that I would be moving home, and starting to get everything ready, my boyfriend realized that it would cost him nearly as much to live in a one bedroom as it costs for us to have a 2 bedroom apartment...

and so, after considering his options for a week, he has decided to offer to pay most of the rent in our apartment. I will need to take out a loan still, but the extra amount I will need for only a tiny amount of rent is nowhere near the amount I would have needed for the full price. To help make things more even, I will be a "house babe" as we are affectionately referring to the job, and I will be responsible for most of the cleaning and chores to help make things more even since he will be working full time and supporting me so much.

I'm really happy, and I feel like I've reached a good compramise. Thank you so much to all of you for being there for me!