By Adrienne Andros
On-campus housing comes with its own set of pros and cons. But some freshmen seem to think that the experience is well worth the drawbacks.
There are a lot of perks to living on campus, the location being one of them.
“It”s close to campus,” said KaLee Lindstrom, 19, a freshman from Laramie, WY, majoring in pre-nursing. “You don”t need to park. You can walk everywhere.”
Melissa Keegan, 18, a freshman from Pacific Grove, CA, majoring in pre-media arts, also says she likes being so close to her classes.
And Mark Trent, 18, a freshman from Tennessee, majoring in computer science, says that it”s nice to live on-campus because you don”t need a car.
Living on-campus is easy,” said Matt Snow, 18, a freshman from Tempe, AZ, with an open-major. “People take care of you.”
According to the BYU On-Campus Housing Website, BYU on-campus housing provides students with laundry facilities and meal plans, as well as providing academic services such as computer labs and tutoring.
Julie Franklin, Director of Residence Life here at BYU, says that, for freshmen, living on- campus provides them with services that are helpful to get students adjusted to university life.
“It gives students an opportunity to build competencies with others who are building the same competencies,” said Franklin. In the dorms, students are all in the same stage of life, which gives them all something in common right from the start, said Franklin.
However, at times, freshmen feel that on-campus accommodations aren”t quite up to par.
Lance Anderson, 19, a freshman from Spokane, WA, who has not yet declared a major, said that some of the drawbacks are “the rooms, the food, and the RAs.”
“The rooms are cramped and small; you can”t be by yourself,” said Anderson. “And it”s restrictive – girls can”t come up to your room.”
However, Franklin said that one of the advantages of living on-campus are the resident advisors. They are there to be supportive and help students with their academic goals, she said. Franklin compared RAs to off-campus landlords.
“Landlords usually won”t ask you how school is going and refer you to tutors if you need them,” said Franklin.
Lindstrom said that one of the things she likes the least about living on-campus is the status. She said that when people find out she lives in Deseret Towers, she gets “classified.”
“You don”t get invited to do as much,” said Lindstrom. “And not as many people are willing to come visit.”
But even with some of the disadvantages of living on-campus, students would recommend it to upcoming freshmen.
“Definitely on-campus for freshman,” said Keegan. “It”s a good place to meet people and make friends.”
