"When Melissa Jenkins received her college diploma last year, she was ready to get on with life -- and move in with her parents.</br></br>The 23-year-old from North Reading, Mass., was saddled with student loans from her years at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire and felt she had no solid career prospects.</br></br>""It didn't make sense for me to move out on my own,"" she said. ""I didn't have the appropriate funds. I was searching for a career path.""</br></br>Nearly half of students graduating this spring are expected to move back home, said Susan Shaffer, co-author of ""Mom, Can I Move Back in With You? A Survival Guide for Parents of Twentysomethings."" Their number has remained pretty consistent since the dot-com bust, a result of financial and social pressures unknown to previous generations, she said.</br></br>The economy isn't entirely to blame: This year's job outlook is better than last's, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, with companies planning to hire 8 percent more recent graduates this year."