SEASON PURCELL / Scroll Illustration

To live with mom, or not to live with mom

Amy Barrus BAR04050@BYUI.EDU Campus asst. editor

If you had the choice to live at home or live in housing while going to school which would you choose?

That is the question that many BYU-Idaho students face who live in the surrounding areas of the university, and there are many things that affect their decision to live at home or on their own.

Adriane Wieben, a junior from Rexburg, has tried both. She lived at home her freshman year and has since stayed in Greenbrier Apartments. She said that both options had their pros and cons.

“You’re more independent and you have more freedom,” Wieben said of living away from home.

Having more independence is something that many people who live in the area spoke of as a plus.

“It’s the whole independence factor,” said Ryan Jeppson, a freshman from Sugar City, Idaho, who currently lives at home. He said he plans to move out when he comes back from his mission. “I think I’ll grow more on my own,” he said.

Although independence is a bonus, money also plays a big role in any college student’s life.

When you have the opportunity to stay at home, you could save upwards of $1,700 a year on housing, food, laundry and other little expenses college students have and for some students it’s the way to go.

“It’s all about the money,” Jeppson said. “I’m saving up money for the mission.”

Jarom Fogle, a junior from Sugar City, Idaho, has always lived at home while going to school. He said he likes it.

“The biggest reason was that it saved me a lot of money,” Fogle said. “I don’t have to worry about food or transportation. I don’t have to pay to get my laundry done.”

But don’t those who live at home have a harder time getting involved? “I don’t have as many connections with friends,” Jeppson said. “I lose roommate camaraderie in certain situations.”

This is a problem many people who live at home have to face; however, it is possible to still be involved.

“I’ve had to be a little more outgoing to find out about things and to be involved,” Fogle said. “No one comes by my door to put a flyer on it.”

Fogle said he had a hard time getting involved his first year, but ever since he’s been back from his mission it’s been easier.

This not only means being involved in student activities and sports, but the student ward.

When you live in student housing “you get a lot closer to the ward,” Wieben said. “I thought it was a lot more fun.

Those who live at home and those who live in housing, said that they like having their families close by.

They also like that they know a lot of people from the surrounding areas, especially professors and others who work on campus.

They said this adds a unique angle to being a local, whether or not you live at home.

“My whole street is BYU-I teachers,” said Aubrey Frandsen, a sophomore from Rexburg, of her home, even though she lives in an apartment.

And although one would think that this would make the professors seem more human and take them more lightly, Frandsen said that having them there makes her have more respect for them.

“There are some professors in my ward,” Fogle said. “I like it because it makes me feel more comfortable. I know more about the teacher, so I know if I like them or not.”

Fogle also mentioned that he knows some people who work in other buildings around campus and that they know him and are always willing to help.

Frandsen said she sees about seven students daily on campus that she knows from the area.

“During the I-team stuff I did, one guy I was with almost got annoyed at all the people I knew,” Jeppson said.