BYU Housing Question ?

[OceanBlue]

My son was notified this morning that he has been accepted at BYU-Provo. Can anyone here give us tips on housing for freshmen ? Any spots to totally stay away from ?

[I.J. Reilly]

Congrats on your son. I have no tips regarding freshman housing. Sorry.

[TripletDaddy]

I would avoid 2nd floor mens bathroom in the HBLL and also that grated air duct just outside the Kimball Tower.

[old_gregg]

send him to helaman with a meal plan. good way to make friends, and dorms are an important part of the college experience.

[wuapinmon]

I haven't lived there for 12 years, but from my pizza delivery days, I would advise staying out of Branbury over along the river. Tim and I were roommates in Roman Gardens, which was decent, but the walk up 9th East in the snow wasn't always fun. If I'd been a freshman when I transferred, I would've tried for on-campus.

[The_Douger]

I'd get him a meal plan so he doesn't have to be worried about that.

I had a good time with other freshman on my floor, and I'm still friends with some of those guys today. Helaman Halls is a good place to start, it's pretty close to most things on campus, easy walking distance, etc.

[Blueintheface]

Try Miller Apartments near the Old Academy builidng. He will need to get a gamma gobulin injection first though. Norman Bates lives in the adjacent house.

[Paperback Writer]

send him to helaman with a meal plan. good way to make friends, and dorms are an important part of the college experience.

Agree about living on campus the first year but perhaps not Helaman Halls. I've got a Freshman student at BYU right now living in one of the new Heritage Hall buildings. He seems to like it. Also recommend a meal plan. Before choosing to enroll at BYU vs Texas A&M, my Freshman said he would only go to Provo if he didn't have to live in Helaman Halls (stayed there during EFY).

If you want to live on-campus, there is an on-line sign up that can be a mad scramble the second housing registration begins. Be prepared. Have a bunch of different options ready. By the time we finally found something available, we were on sixth option. But it worked out OK.

Other BYU students mention that they like living in Helaman Halls so that's probably something related to my son or EFY.

[wuapinmon]

Agree about living on campus the first year but perhaps not Helaman Halls. I've got a Freshman student at BYU right now living in one of the new Heritage Hall buildings. He seems to like it. Also recommend a meal plan. Before choosing to enroll at BYU vs Texas A&M, my Freshman said he would only go to Provo if he didn't have to live in Helaman Halls (stayed there during EFY).

If you want to live on-campus, there is an on-line sign up that can be a mad scramble the second housing registration begins. Be prepared. Have a bunch of different options ready. By the time we finally found something available, we were on sixth option. But it worked out OK.

Other BYU students mention that they like living in Helaman Halls so that's probably something related to my son or EFY.

Get the Dude to register you with his souped-up Google Fiber account.

[OceanBlue]

Paperback, my son was accepted at A&M as well. He considered Corps of Cadets and International Relations as a major. The drawback in our eyes is a lack social life at A&M as a LDS kid. He got instate rates and an offer for Cornerstone program. We just felt BYU's Kennedy Center's International Relations is thought of more highly then A&M. Throw in the social life for a LDS kid and BYU makes more sense. Son is the only LDS males in his HS and he is ready to have a vibrant social life.

[TripletDaddy]

those new DT buildings look sweet. I loved DT even though they razed it to the ground.

[old_gregg]

Agree about living on campus the first year but perhaps not Helaman Halls. I've got a Freshman student at BYU right now living in one of the new Heritage Hall buildings. He seems to like it. Also recommend a meal plan. Before choosing to enroll at BYU vs Texas A&M, my Freshman said he would only go to Provo if he didn't have to live in Helaman Halls (stayed there during EFY).

If you want to live on-campus, there is an on-line sign up that can be a mad scramble the second housing registration begins. Be prepared. Have a bunch of different options ready. By the time we finally found something available, we were on sixth option. But it worked out OK.

Other BYU students mention that they like living in Helaman Halls so that's probably something related to my son or EFY.

i don't know how heritage is set up now, but being in the dorms and sharing facilities with your whole floor is probably better in terms of meeting new people and friends. the apartment style (wyview and what heritage used to be) might not be as fun for a freshman who doesn't know many people. the new heritage buildings look really nice though.

[The_Douger]

those new DT buildings look sweet. I loved DT even though they razed it to the ground.

I lived in DT my freshman year. I was sad when they knocked it down.

[Paperback Writer]

Paperback, my son was accepted at A&M as well. He considered Corps of Cadets and International Relations as a major. The drawback in our eyes is a lack social life at A&M as a LDS kid. He got instate rates and an offer for Cornerstone program. We just felt BYU's Kennedy Center's International Relations is thought of more highly then A&M. Throw in the social life for a LDS kid and BYU makes more sense. Son is the only LDS males in his HS and he is ready to have a vibrant social life.

Social life to a certain degree is a result of a student's personality and willingness to pursue it. My oldest son studied chem engineering at Texas A&M before going on a mission. He was engaged socially to a greater degree at A&M than his brother is at BYU; but that's not surprising given their different personalities. If a student joins the Corps of Cadets, his social life will most likely be taken care of given that much of that is built into the Corps program.

My Freshman son chose BYU for the same reasons as your son. It was a better university for his studies (pre-med/health sciences) and he wanted an improved social life than what he experienced in HS. That's easier to do at BYU then Texas A&M for LDS kids. But my Aggie son had a very vibrant social life at A&M and has a strong group of friends and support network - all of whom are not LDS. He will probably become more involved with the LDS Institute in College Station as a RM. He chose A&M over BYU for it's engineering programs.

Both A&M and BYU are excellent schools. Hope your son likes BYU and does well.

[Paperback Writer]

i don't know how heritage is set up now, but being in the dorms and sharing facilities with your whole floor is probably better in terms of meeting new people and friends. the apartment style (wyview and what heritage used to be) might not be as fun for a freshman who doesn't know many people. the new heritage buildings look really nice though.

The set up in my son's building was three bedrooms (all shared), bathrooms, kitchen, breakfeast area, and a common area. Don't remember how many dorms where in each hall or wing but it seemed like a typical dorm with a few less doors. The new Heritage Hall buildings are large; bigger than the old ones. So there are a lot of students in each floor/wing. The new Heritage is much more like a dorm than the original Heritage.

My oldest son helped us move his brother into Heritage. I thought his dorm room at Texas A&M was nice but he really digged the new Heritage and was envious of his younger brother.

Helaman Halls are OK to. You're correct to point out that there will probably be a hight degree os student interaction in Helaman. Another big difference are the bathroom arangements: two bathrooms shared by 6 students versus bathrooms shared by the entire floor.