<p>I don’t think staying at home means that a student is less mature. But it does mean he can be less mature than kids who are living away from home. There is a lot more leeway on things at home as the family does often take care of those things. In fact, I felt that my oldest was not maturing and taking responsibilities as he should while he was living at home after college. </p>
<p>Just things like he could dump his stuff in the common rooms without the risk of it being stolen (and likely to be put away for him by someone else when he is so careless), help himself to common family items like food, drink, etc that are just there. He also had us around to help out if he found himself needing a ride, a few bucks, etc, etc. We had to make an effort to not get him too used to these things, since as a family we naturally help each other out in the course of events. </p>
<p>My son currently lives pretty much across the country from us. He has had to learn to live with a stranger, handle his finances, take care of his necessities without any reminder or help from us. A big learning experience for him. When he runs out of shampoo, there is none in the vanity that he can grab. If he doesn’t do his laundry, he has only dirty clothes to wear. If he does not set his alarm, he is likely to miss class. If he’s not feeling well, he has to go to the infirmary and take care of himself. I have 5 kids so I don’t hover as much as many parents I know, but just in the course of a day, I am reminding, helping doing, for everyone at home. There may be kids who do not have such a support network at home, and it is more work for them to have to deal with family needs at home, but for my kids moving into a dorm meant more personal responsibilities.</p>