Brigham Young University has several housing options for incoming freshmen.
Each year, incoming students are faced with the decision between different on-campus options. They also have the choice to live in off-campus contracted housing or with a qualified family member.
Chauncey Wilkes, manager of campus accommodations at BYU, highly encouraged freshmen to consider on-campus housing options.
“Students should recognize that living on campus helps them integrate into the university culture and supports them as they begin to thrive in the various opportunities before them,” Wilkes said.
Students who live in on-campus housing can also enjoy the short walk to campus and make use of the helpful BYU employees who are trained to help students with their various needs.
Helaman Halls resembles what most people envision when they think of a typical college dorm. Two roommates share a small room and live in a hall with 30 or more residents. Helaman is often known for being a very social environment with little alone time.
Alexis Russell, a junior at BYU and former Helaman Halls resident, said her favorite part of living at Helaman Halls was the spontaneity.
“I would get home from doing something, and I would see some of my friends leaving to go somewhere, and then they’d be like, ‘Oh, we're going to go thrifting ... so you should just come with us,’ and then I would just go,” Russell said.
The main complaints of residents at Helaman are the lack of privacy and food independence. Each hall has a shared bathroom and showers for the residents, and because there are no kitchens in the dorms, students are required to purchase a meal plan. Students at Helaman commonly eat at the Cannon Center and the Cougareat.
“It felt like it was really hard to be healthy with what I was eating,” Russell said.
Heritage Halls, the other on-campus housing option, provides a different environment for residents. Heritage has a layout that is more similar to an apartment than a dorm. Each apartment accommodates six people, featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room.
Students residing in Heritage are not required to purchase a meal plan; however, many still choose to do so. Some people with allergies or food intolerances may choose to live at Heritage so they can have more control over the food they eat.
Although Helaman Halls is usually stereotyped to be more “social” or “spontaneous”, many Heritage residents also experience a fun and social campus environment.
When asked what advice he would give to freshmen when deciding which dorm to live in, Boston Harris, a freshman residing at Heritage, said food is a major point to take into consideration.
“Heritage and Helaman both are pretty close to campus, and you kind of get a campus vibe,” said Harris. “But if you don’t want to cook, go to Helaman. If you do, go to Heritage.”
Many freshmen, especially those entering college in their twenties, decide that off-campus housing is the best option for them. Off-campus housing can offer more independence, better parking availability and a chance to live with people who aren’t students at BYU.
If students entering their freshman year choose to live off campus, it must be a BYU-approved contracted housing complex. BYU-approved off-campus housing is also available for freshmen enrolled in the BYU FlexGE program, but it is not required.
Popular off-campus apartments include King Henry, The Colony, The Village and Raintree, where costs and amenities vary. While King Henry and The Colony are BYU-approved contracted housing, The Village and Raintree are not. Freshmen who have family nearby also have the option to live at home and save money on rent.
It is important for freshmen to check with BYU housing for a list of contracted housing facilities to make sure they are in compliance with university policy.
Students with questions about which housing option is best for them can visit the BYU Housing page.