<p>Are there any current students living in Arbol de la Vida, that can tell me the pros and cons of living there?
Is the distance from classes really a problem?
I’m trying to figure out if I really want to stay there next year.
And, in general, is it better to room with someone you know or a stranger Freshman year? </p>
<p>Anybody know anything? Please respond</p>
<p>Bump. Arbol de la Vida vs. Yuma?</p>
<p>Yuma is old and as such is not as attractive as some to new students, though I do think it has a certain distinct character that some find pleasing, plus its in a good location central to campus. </p>
<p>That said Arbol is far nicer, its new in the last 3 years and has some really nice touches, similar in many ways to the way Barrett honors dorm was to ASU a few years ago. Like Likins, Arbol is the most expensive dorm and somewhat like a hotel in design. Arbol is the furthest from the Mall in the centre of campus, but its really only a few minutes extra, plus you have Park campus centre very close. Arbol is probably the nicest dorm at UofA, plus I’d go random some really good folks esp from cal like UofA. @Beaudreau congrats on ds getting into honors@UofA, I hope you like it too. #betterthantempe.</p>
I love Arbol de la Vida. It is a bit far. But we all need to burn up that freshman fifteen somehow
@Englishman Thanks. I think he still wants to go out of state, but he has at least agreed to visit with some of his friends. If a few of his friends go to UA, he might go along.
I currently live in Yuma and I visit Arbol from time to time. To help your decision I will make some pros and cons of each honors dorm at UofA as far as I know:
Pros of Arbol:
-It’s a really nice place to live (arguably the nicest dorm on campus)
-There are lots of nice resources at Arbol such as multiple study rooms an d two or three grand pianos (if you like playing piano)
-Majority of honors students stay at Arbol so you will probably see a lot of people in your honors classes around Arbol (so you can form study groups and the like)
Cons of Arbol:
-It is expensive (one of the most expensive dorms on campus)
-It is very far from the rest of campus so expect to walk at least 5 minutes to get to your closest class
-It is near the Coronado dorm which has police raids almost every night (from what I heard, never actually seen it) so quite a scene to watch
-It’s kind of antisocial; it’s a huge community so most people who live there probably don’t even know the name of the person who lives in the floor above them.
Pros of Yuma:
-It is 100% honors (unlike Arbol, which is like 90% honors) so noise after quiet hours, stealing and bullying/harassment aren’t much of a problem at Yuma
-It is really cheap
-It is right in the middle of campus, less than a minute walk from the main Student Union/Bookstore and really close to the buildings where you’ll most likely have your classes in
-It is a close community so everyone knows each other; all Yumans are like family to each other (if you’re into that). I can guarantee you that you will make life-long friends if you live in Yuma.
-It is less than a minute walk from the Slonaker House (the honors college lounge where you can access printers available to honors students only)
Cons of Yuma:
-It is a really old building so things like broken toilet seats, non-functioning ceiling lights and showers that don’t work aren’t that rare
-(Not really a con but something that Arbol has that Yuma doesn’t) It doesn’t have multiple grand pianos or study rooms. There is one grand piano on the third floor lounge and one study room on the second floor (and no guarantees that it won’t be full)
So yeah, I chose Yuma over Arbol but it seems that most honors students (around 4/5) choose Arbol. Out of 40 people from my high school who went to UofA honors, only 4 students (including me) live in Yuma. I hope my pros and cons list helped you and if you want more clarification, feel free to ask!
@Durran999. Much appreciated. I will share this with my son.
@Durran999 So informative…thank you! My daughter is eligible to self assign this coming Monday. Will likely choose Arbol de la Vida.