Thanks s4ndm4n, you covered a lot of what I wanted to say.
Life is really something you have to experience, all the advice in the world won't totally apply to you, because your experience will be different to anyone else's.
Hard as it is when my 20 year old comes to me with n idea I just listen to her work out the pro's nd cons.
Then leave it up to her. Often now she doesn't come to me So much.
But she knows I am here if it all goes pear shaped.
I can understand why your parents would be afraid for you, and that they want to give you the best grounding possible. But you need to not be afraid that you can't make decisions yourself.

All the best LL, I hope your able to find a compromise.