I drove my Aunt's beater car she gave me for 15 years of nearly unpaid yardwork.
I did accept a 9 year old desktop computer from my dad.
I did have a girlfriend that was supportive, let me nap in her dorm.
I'm sure if you try hard enough, you can find 1 friend or family member that gives me privilege.
I don't have anything further to contribute, but I wanted to frame the entire situation. Maybe it's these obscure privileges that made it possible.
I don't imagine it's more than 20% and I expect it is substantially less. If so, what is the point of your objection?
The bast majority of people could do what OP did, but don't. That's interesting.
Disclosure: I went to college 50 minutes away from where my parents lived and still lived on campus because I had to get out of living in the middle of nowhere and a 50 minute commute to class wasn't my thing.
Why do you think so many colleges have so much housing infrastructure?
Most people study grew up in places without any decent universities within commuting distance.
It's not just the elite universities that have housing infrastructure.
I remember that I was one of the few students in my year who grew up in the city in which my alma mater was based.
I couldn’t find stats, but my impressions is dorms are way more common in america.
Top university in my country, so not everyone could to begin with.
For the same reason each region - aside from those who had good schools themselves - was represented roughly proportionally to its population.
One of these things is not like the others. If you lived rent free at your parent's home, you did it with your parent's money. I know a number of people who, come 18, were on their own.