<p>hi,
I'm an exchange student from Europe.
I will attend UT next year and I'm looking for an accommodation. I gathering information about housing: the option are private dorms (I'm oriented to Dobie) or a room in a private apartment. I prefer the latter because I'm a graduate student and I heard dorms are places mainly for freshmen. </p>
<p>I'll not be in Austin before early August, so my concern is: how hard will it be for me to find a decent room in an apartment so late? Is there any other option instead of living in a dorm?</p>
<p>You don’t want to be in a dorm. They are too much “full of 18 year old freshmen away from home for the first time.”</p>
<p>Have you checked the co-ops? These are a better option for an older student. [Austin</a> Cooperatives - Coops in Austin, TX](<a href=“Austin Co-op Directory - List of Cooperatives in Austin, TX”>http://www.austincooperatives.coop/) You work four or five hours a day to help run the house and in return, you have meals, a bedroom, full access to a kitchen, and a group of people around, a way to meet some extra friends.</p>
<p>Finding an apartment in a good location in august will not be easy but you may find someone who needs one more roommate. Are you looking at the housing tab under [Hey!Longhorn</a> | University of Texas at Austin Classifieds](<a href=“http://www.heylonghorn.com/]Hey!Longhorn”>http://www.heylonghorn.com/)
?
sometimes there are good options there.</p>
<p>Check Craigslist. There are always people who have pre-leased and can’t attend at the last minute, especially in the “luxury” apartments in West Campus. Each room has an individual lease and the buildings are located very close to campus. Be aware though, because they are so close to Guadalupe (“The Drag”), evenings can be pretty loud. You would certainly get the UT experience while living in the hub of activity.
If you would prefer a calmer site, lots of Grad students live in Northwest Austin on the Far West shuttle route. The area is very quiet -a cluster of student apartments in an older family oriented neighborhood. They are too far from UT to walk or ride a bike, but the shuttles run frequently.</p>
<p>He is an exchange student visiting ut. My opinion: He should live near UT, near downtown, where he can experience the vitality of Austin and the campus.</p>
<p>Out of the co-ops mentioned, I suggest The Nueces Co-op. It is geared towards older students and grad students and the rooms are more of an apartment style. Also, it’s pretty cheap, compared to Dobie at 4k for a whole year. Also, the people are really nice and it’s only a few blocks away from UT.</p>
<p>You will be able to find killer deals on the luxury apartment complexes in West Campus. Check sites like Jefferson 26, Texan Pearl (and their other properties), 21 Rio, The Block, and The Quarters. These places hike up their prices and are never able to fill all of their rooms. As a result, rent drops as low as $500-600 a month for these normally priced over $900 rooms!</p>
<p>They are expensive now for people who plan ahead. I have also heard that there are last minute bargains for people who look for space right before school starts. It would be nerve-wracking though!</p>
<p>It is, especially if you don’t have any other place to stay. But I know from experience that the prices drop in order to fill units. (hotwire.com style…or whatever travel agency uses that slogan)</p>
<p>They start advertising drops in price after the ‘preleasing’ period ends around mid july.</p>