I'm sort of in the same situation, with my dad paying my telephone bill and some of my travel expenses (like if they want me home a weekend during the semester, they'll pay, and sometimes they'll pay for me to go home for summer/Christmas, but if I have to go back to school early because of, say, failing an exam, I have to pay for it), and they've always said that if I have financial problems, to let them know, and they'll help me out. I could get by without their help, but I would've had to be veery careful about spending money, had less money for things other than food and rent and maybe found somewhere else to live - or gotten a job (but my studies require a lot of time and effort). It would work, but not be very enjoyable.. So I don't know if I would call myself independent, but I honestly don't mind being a little dependent while I'm still in school and in a somewhat difficult financial situation (meaning living off of a student loan + summer job money, as most students do). It's not a bad thing!
I've started thinking about maybe studying a year abroad, because I definitely need to get out of my comfort zone a little, and it sounds very exciting and rewarding (but also like a LOT of hard work and somewhat scary), but there are so many things to consider and things to plan and worry about that I have a feeling it'll never happen. I have this year and the next two years left before getting my MSc, in theory, and if I wanted to go next year, I should've already started planning...which I haven't. I also sort of want to take an "extra year", because honestly, the fact that I'm already half way through my education scares the crap out of me, and I have a couple of subjects where I've failed, plus there are a few subjects where I want to improve my grade, and I really like being a student and the somewhat relaxed schedule that comes with it. Bah, decisions and worries!
Also! For some reason unknown to me, my grade in Algorithms and Data Structures was raised! Like, with no warning, no info and no change in overall statistics for the course. I discovered it by pure accident, and was totally ecstatic.. It's an important subject, and while a D isn't good, it's so much better than an E, because at least I know that I've done a little more than just barely pass it.