Moving back home after college a popular choice

For some college graduates, the parental umbilical cord isn't completely severed after they receive their degree.

Faced with the daunting task of finding reliable employment and a place to live, many graduates choose to move back in with their parents as they transition out of college.

Beth Neimeier originally decided to move home when she received her student teaching assignment in Omaha. Once she graduated, living with her parents seemed like the best option.

Neimeier, who graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in December 2006, is part of a group of college students who say moving back home after they graduate makes sense.

AForty-eight percent of 2006 graduates are planning to move home after graduation, according to monsterTRAK.com. Forty-four percent of graduates from last year are still living with their parents.

Neimeier said she wants to continue living at home to save money before her upcoming wedding.

"I am getting married in October, so it just makes sense for me to live with my parents until then," she said.

Chris Timm, the assistant director of Career Services at UNL, said her office doesn't track the number of students who move home after graduation.

"We track where students get their jobs, not if they are getting a job in their hometown and moving there," she said.

Some seniors feel stressed during their last semester and decide to delay their job search, Timm said.

"They feel when they graduate then they can put all their efforts into finding a new job," she said. "Moving back home with their parents helps students save money and concentrate on finding a job."

Many students also move home before going to graduate school or to wait for a significant other to graduate, Timm said.

This generation of students is getting along better with their parents and asking them for advice more often, she said.

"Students want to involve their parents in their job-making decision and want their advice," she said.

Katie Taylor, a May 2006 graduate, moved back home after studying abroad in England.

"It was a lot cheaper than living in an apartment alone," she said. "Free meals and rent were two of the best things about living at home."

Rachel Hendrickson, a music education major, also moved home when she began student teaching this semester. She plans on living at home for at least two years after she graduates this May, even if she finds a job right away.

She said living at home was easier than she thought it would be.

"The only thing that is hard is when they remind me over and over to do something like moving my car," she said.

Living at home is the simplest option, Hendrickson said.

"I want to get my life situated and pay off some of my student loans before I move out," she said.