Can anyone give me your honest opinion of Dobie dorm? I’ve read mixed reviews that it’s rundown, old, renovated, small bathrooms. What kind of people live in Dobie? Is it a party dorm? The pictures I’ve seen don’t match what people are saying about it. I would really like to know if this dorm is a pit or is it a place that a freshman girl would be happy in, make friends and live in a relatively decent, functional atmosphere. Thanks!
Absolute trash, never met someone from Dobie who said they enjoyed living there.
Thanks @IJustWantInMan I’m hoping the renovations will make a difference and make it more livable
@Carolinenora
It’s not. A friend of mine saw one of the “renovated” rooms. He said it was just like the old ones without any carpet.
The front lobby makes it seem so lively and exciting. But that’s just for show to get people hooked into leases. The elevators take forever. The hallway to the rooms are very dark, gloomy, and run down. Anything is better than that shack.
Thanks @Toastyful
What is the cost of Dobie vs alternatives?
@EngPII Dogie is the cheapest - even less than on campus. It’s $870 for a 1 bed 1 bath 2 person studio. They go up from there. I’ve called several times and spoke to people that work there. Many of the people living and working there are UT students. They sound ok with it. I am looking for a place for my D because she signed up late for housing, and we haven’t heard any news about supplemental housing. Will be going down at orientation and will check it out then. Being that Dobie is so close to campus is appealing. Would much rather live close than further away where It might take awhile to walk. Also don’t want to live in an apartment with other people. It might be harder to make friends. The places that cost more are much bigger, but are too big, like Calloway and The Castilian, which are full now anyway. I’m curious to know exactly what renovations they are doing and hoping they’ll make a difference. I have found few positive reviews on Dobie. Most reviewers say it is trash. But, nobody has said anything post renovation. Unless an earlier poster from this thread was talking about a friend who was at Dobie recently. I’m not looking for high-end, just somewhere relatively decent where my D can live, sleep, eat, make friends. I will try to get in touch with management about renovation details. I’ll report back if I learn anything.
Good idea. Best to check it out.
We just signed a lease for our DS. Hadn’t read reviews before now but hoping its ok…
@Carolinenora We went yesterday (my self and my transfer daughter and my UT son). I grilled the guy who showed us around. Told him the place has a horrible reputation and we are afraid to sign there. He was not “salesman-y” at all and he agreed that the old management was beyond horrible. They are fighting to recover bit by bit. He said last year several folks were put in non-renovated rooms and were pissed. Don’t blame them. There are still renovations going on in some of the common areas - pool, gym, etc. Yes the bathrooms are small, but basically the same as Callaway. The food may not be great - who knows - but at Callaway (in College Station) last year my daughter ate an average of one meal a week there because the food was awful. Yes, if you’re on a high floor add elevator time into your travel time.
To compare we went to Castillian. I was not as impressed there. The guy was definitely trying to sell even though they are on a wait list.
As far as the renovated rooms being awful? We saw one and I didn’t see anything bad about it at all. I’m not sure what people are looking for. It’s a dorm and a dorm room. It is far roomier than my son’s previous room in San Jac. It has way more amenities.
At the end of the day we signed at Dobie. Maybe it won’t be ideal, that remains to be seen. My thought - can it really end up being worse than a dorm? My oldest lived in various apartments in Austin and this is by far better than those. The price is good - $980/mth (Castillian was around $1300). The location is great.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
@rach98n that is reassuring. We visited yesterday around noon and had a similar impression. We’ll give it a go and hope for the best. At least it is close to campus!
@CorpusChristi - We may have crossed paths. That’s about the time we were there as well!
@rach98n we were on the 11th floor and we saw adobe double and a corner quad. We’re from corpus but our son is a transfer student.
@rach98n Thank you so much for your thoughts on this dorm! I feel much better now knowing Dobie is on an upswing. Did the guy that showed you around say the renovations would be completed by the time school starts in August?
@Carolinenora He told us that last year some people weren’t put in non-renovated rooms, but before the year was over all the residents who were not in renovated were moved. I asked if my daughter was guaranteed renovated and he said “definitely” but it isn’t in writing anywhere so I guess we could get screwed there. He said the pool and gym were supposed to be done mid July.
After her year in Callaway (College Station, but same management at Austin) she experienced - cricket infestation, bad food, a roommate who quit school mid year and didn’t tell anyone, and broken heat (never were allowed to turn the heater on). I can’t imagine this place would be any worse! LOL
Ours promised a $500 gift card at move - in; we’ll see if that materializes!
@CorpusChristi Yes, we were promised that too, but nothing in the paperwork. I called to ask about how that works and they said they take your guest card and compare it to when you signed to determine if you qualify. Hmm. We’ll see. We’ll have to remember to follow up.
Try to get that in writing or documentation of that offer. So I’m assuming there is a new management company now? Anyways, one of my friends was promised a month (Or a gift card, don’t remember which) off rent at Dobie 2 years ago but was still charged. He had to argue with them constantly before he showed proof in an email that he was offered and guaranteed it.
@Toastyful great idea— I’ll have my son message the RA who showed us around and mention the gift card she promised we would receive at check in.
@CorpusChristi - if you get any confirmation, let me know and we will do the same.