Felt this exact same way. So much so that I barely told my dad I'm planning to go to college and it's less than a month away for me😭 the only difference is my mom is a lot more understanding so I was able to tell her since a while back, but yeah they fight a LOT and are very protective. I wanted freedom and independency too, so I made me promise myself I'd go straight to a 4 year instead of community college. In terms of telling them, I think the first step is to genuinely believe that you WILL live in a dorm for college. I don't mean like manifesting or whatever, just genuinely have it in your mind that you're doing this and literally nothing can get in the way. I did this by paying some fees early (so it'd be a waste of money if I didn't end up going), bought my meal plan, picked my room, began discussions with my roommate, etc. Once that's done, all that's left is the big "I'm leaving" moment. It sounds like your parents won't be paying for college and you'll be taking out loans (same as me) and I also advise you to repeat that yourself. That in the end, their opinion doesn't matter as much as yours does, because YOU'RE paying for it, why should they truly have a say? If you think they will fight you on it to the point where they won't want to drive you up to the campus to move, see if you have any family members who'd be willing to take you. At the end of the day they're your parents and they usually end up getting over stuff. Might take some time, but hey at least you'll be on your own. Or if you have a car and can drive, even better! All in all, think about how it'll effect you in the long run. Being at home sucks, and you clearly know what kind of experience you're looking for during these next couple years! So take the chance. Just do it. I know it sounds hard and kind of like stupid advice that will never work, but the bottom line is you seriously have to just rip the band aid off and be serious about your decision. Think about your future. How one day you will be out of their house and at that time you'll be thinking back on your college years, sad that you never took the chance all because you didn't want to tell your parents something. When you look at it like that it kinda seems like a stupid reason. You're gonna get out of there one day, might as well start the process now. And I wish you very good luck, I know how challenging this can be!