<prompt> Human: Im currently a freshman at FIU pursuing a computer science degree as well as working 40 hours a week. I commute to school three times a week 45 minutes each way.Now my assets:-Own my car 2012 Hyundai Accent with 60k miles.-Have 8k savings-No outstanding debts-Own my expensive macbookMy costs:-Health insurance provided by parents-Car insurance provided by parents-Phone bill provided by parents-1500year for tuitionbooks rest covered by scholarships-3000year misc expenses haircuts, gym membership, gas-My current job busser brings in 20k a year. Soon, I should be promoted to server where I expect to make 30k a year. Now I dont know the best course to take for university financially. Ive basically compiled everything into three options1 Continue to stay at home and commute to FIU while working:This is obviously the most financially sound choice. However the drawbacks consist of family drama, loss of Saturdays to use for my own personal time long story, basically I live in a religious household where we cant do anything work-related on saturdays, long commute to college. In short, this is my current situation and I basically hate life.2 Move out next year to FIU and continue to work on the side:This option ranks 2nd best financially since my tuition is already paid for. However, FIU housing happens to be extremely expensive 900month. Benefits would include being close to classes, gain of Saturdays to use for my own time. Drawbacks would be the fact that Im still in Miami, as well as having to work alongside my studies.3 Stay at FIU for another year then transfer to a Florida school up north:This basically means Id rough it out for another year at my parents house and save up a ton of cash at my server job while commuting to school. Once I have enough money saved up roughly 30k after expenses I would transfer to a Florida university up north to finish my degree. HOWEVER, I do not expect to find a job there nor would it be smart to have one while pursuing a computer science degree, which requires a lot of studying. Id basically be living out entirely on my own savings for the next 2-3 years on campus. The costs would be about 3500 tuition, and 6000 room and board id find an apartment after living on campus one semester as well as food. So were looking at around 12k cost per year of university in north Florida without a job. In my own personal opinion, option 3 would satisfy all personal issues of mine i.e. hate Miami culture, hate Miami weather, move away from home, university with better job prospects, friendlier people, no traffic. But I dont know if its worth depleting a 30k savings account for. But it would allow me to focus on college without the distraction of work, parents, and my birth religion. All I have to do is grind out school and work for another year.  <response>: To paraphrase some advice I saw on pf a while ago that strongly affected me: We work to be financially secure more for the mental benefits than anything. Less stress, more freedom, etc. If your home life is dragging you down, I would strongly recommend option two. On paper you have the means to pay for that housing without putting your finances at risk, and the mental well-being is profoundly valuable. You could also consider looking on Craigslist or local classifieds for a room to rent off campus but close to school. In college towns these are usually plentiful and should cost a fair amount less than the on-campus housing. I say go for it. Make a firm and comprehensive budget, and dont spend outside your means. Protect your savings. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and will benefit quite a bit from the lifestyle change. 