<p>The university encourages prospective students to apply for housing even before they send in their college app. How bad is the housing situation? I really want to avoid spending that $50 on the housing app if possible.</p>
<p>If you intend to live on campus, then you would have to apply for housing eventually. But I can see why you wouldn't want to spend that extra $50 unless you were actually going to the school.</p>
<p>The truth of the matter is that the university almost always has enough housing available for all freshmen who request it. It does NOT guarantee you that you will receive your first choice of housing.</p>
<p>However, it's so late in the cycle now that you wouldn't have much chance of good housing now anyway. I'd advise you to not pay the fee unless you get in, but if you end up attending and want to stay in on-campus housing, look forward to spending a year in Jester with a communal bath.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, I just visited the UT website & looked up their 2006 enrollment figures which is 49,697. The total capacity of all dorms combined is 6,749.</p>
<p>I have no idea how many are local students living at home, but it seems to me there is a good possibility that there will not be enough housing available to freshmen if requests are not made well in advance.</p>
<p>To someone who's applying to the Honors Program, they have separate housings available, my daughter has been accepted to attend the regular program but has yet to finish her Honors App. We're not sure if applying to the regular housing is wise at this time if she's later accepted to their Honors Program.</p>
<p>How's the housing situation off-campus, within walking distance?</p>
<p>Bad news for you about the honors housing--it's administered by the same people as the other dorms. It also requires the same application. Once you've been offered a housing contract (which involves paying the $50 housing app fee, the $200 university deposit, and a $300 housing deposit), THEN you get to rank your housing choices. "Honors" is one of the choices--but you don't get to pick between Andrews, Blanton, and Carothers. You are simply assigned one.</p>
<p>Each program is alloted a certain number of beds in honors housing (but not 100%). Plan II told me that around half of entering freshmen are able to stay in the honors dorm. Plan II girls who aren't in honors housing but put Kinsolving or Littlefield as a choice I believe have first dibs on those rooms so you have a better chance of getting a room near the University Honors Center.</p>
<p>Whether you get an honors dorm is based on when you applied for housing and whether you were admitted to an honors program.</p>
<p>If you haven't applied for housing yet, the chances of you getting your #1 choice, including honors housing, are eliminated.</p>
<p>Most off campus dorms are very close to campus--within walking distance. Quite a few are literally across the Drag from campus. They are often newer and serve better food than the school-owned dorms, and you can usually apply for them later and still get in. Some of those you might want to look at include The Castilian, Dobie Center, University Towers, and Goodal Wooten (which are all coed), as well as Hardin House and Scotish Rite which are all girls. Check austindorms.com for more info.</p>
<p>Off campus housing is relatively reasonable. In addition to the dorms, you also have the co-ops which are probably your least expensive choice at about 500-600 including food during the spring or summer semesters. Apartments are much more like 700. You shouldn't have any trouble finding housing within walking distance to campus.</p>
<p>actually if you get a spot in honors housing, they should call you personally. you can then tell the lady on the phone which honors dorm you want to live in and she will mark it down.</p>
<p>Oh do they I did not know that.</p>
<p>I'm hopeful that happens. I will most likely be staying in Honors housing. I've heard Blanton is the most fun but also the most spartan accomodations. My first choice among the three would probably be Carothers.</p>
<p>Then again, I might have to go with Duren and its new rooms and private restrooms...</p>
<p>i live in carothers ... i would recommend duren if your parents will pay the extra</p>
<p>Are the acommodations on the honors quad that spartan? Do those who don't live in the honors dorms still feel like they're welcome at honors events and in the honors community?</p>
<p>the accommodations in the quad aren't bad at all (except blanton is complained about alot). In carothers you have your own climate control, sink, its relatively quiet and clean, and everyone is nice. i didn't mean to say don't live in the quad, its just my personal preference to have my own bathroom as i was spoiled over the summer living in an apartment. if you want to be in the honors community definitely live in the quad as it will be much easier to meet people.</p>
<p>Thank you all for responding, your suggestions have been very helpful :)</p>
<p>thanks aarosurf.</p>
<p>I'm definitely doing Plan II this year. My only real worry was that I really did not want to be assigned to Blanton as I would prefer to not have to brush my teeth a few feet away from where people are using the restroom.</p>
<p>How far is Duren exactly from the quad? Isn't is just on the other side of Kinsolving?</p>
<p>kwyml, many freshmen live in the private dorms around UT. </p>
<p>Someone above mentioned Hardin House and Scottish Rite (SRD). Those are both private dorms for girls, they are very close to campus, and are very nice. You might want to look into them as well if your daughter doesn't get the dorm she wants. </p>
<p>My son is in Towers, which is co-ed, but when I visit there, it seems as if the majority of the people are guys. Don't know about Castillion.</p>
<p>The good thing about Towers is that it is 2 bedroom, 1 bath (no big communal bathroom) with a small kitchen and living area, like a small apartment. There is a meal plan, but he can still fix things for himself. </p>
<p>Most of the kids he knows either live in Towers (guys) or at SRD or Hardin House (girls).</p>
<p>ag54:</p>
<p>thank you, we'll look into Hardin House & Scottish Rite. The Towers appeals to us too because of the small kitchen & no big communal bathroom....</p>