Kylie Stone/The Collegian
Students at Fresno State have several living options made available to them, but many students have a lot of different things to consider before deciding on their living arrangements.
Some options available to students include on-campus housing in the dormitories, Greek housing, apartments, living with family and even a group of friends.
According to Jacqueline E. King, author of “Crucial Choices: How Students’ Financial Decisions Affect Their Academic Success,” “Thirty percent of all beginning students live on campus, 27 percent live off campus and 43 percent live with their parents or other relatives.”
When students are searching for a place to live, there are a lot of factors that they have to keep in mind.
“Convenience, safety, student’s personality and cost are the main factors that sway a student’s decision,” Erin Boele, director of housing at Fresno State, said.
Boele suggests that if a student prefers a more college-like experience, then their best option is to go with living in the dorm halls, or even in a fraternity house.
“For those students who are more social, they have the option of living in the dorm community halls, whereas those students who need privacy have the option of living in a suite,” Boele said.
The option to live in the dorms is open to all students, but Boele said that only 36 percent of the upperclassmen actually take advantage of that opportunity.
“It’s my understanding that there are two main reasons why upper division students don’t like living on campus ”” either it’s too loud or too quiet,” Cody Madsen, president of the Residence Hall Association, said. “Many upper division students don’t like having rules and restrictions, and as they get older they want more freedom.”
English major Natalie Bachicha prefers living in the dorms as compared to off-campus housing. Bachicha lives in the suite style dorm now, but previously lived in community style dorms for her first two years at Fresno State.
“I love the idea of living with my friends in one suite,” Bachicha said. “We all get along well and have the same study habits, which made it easy to choose my roommates.”
Robert Haney took advantage of living with his fraternity brothers at the Theta Chi fraternity house, “because he wanted to be apart of a value-based organization.”
But for those students who are seeking independence, an option to consider is renting an off-campus apartment or house. There are many apartment buildings specifically student-oriented around the Fresno State community.
Senior Sean Jones lives with three other roommates in Copper Beech Townhomes, which is 10 minutes from campus.
“I chose to live in Copper Beech because the rent is low,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of space, they offer amenities and it’s close to Fresno State’s campus.”
An inexpensive option that students often consider is living with relatives. Since Fresno State is considered to be a commuter school, this option is usually the most convenient for students.
English major Amelia Sarkisian used to live with her grandparents during the school weeks and at home on the weekends, but now she currently lives 15 minutes away with her parents and younger brother.
“In order to graduate with minimal debt, I chose to continue living at home during college,” Sarkisian said. “If I was more economically endowed, my living situation might be different.”
Although there are many living arrangements made available, students usually decide the option that fits best.
“Every student has a different preference when deciding where to live,” Boele said. “Some students choose convenience, while others choose a low cost.”
