<p>Anyone have any new insight into their dorm choice? Was it good or bad? Please recommend/warn the 2010 freshmen.</p>
<p>I live on the 10th floor in Jester West. It doesn’t smell, and it’s pretty quiet. The closest thing to a party that I’ve seen is a bunch of people playing guitar hero. I’m definitely glad that I chose it as my first choice.</p>
<p>it does smell a little bit on the 4th floor though, but it’s something you forget after a couple minutes. quietness depends on your neighbors and that means any dorm can be quiet or loud.</p>
<p>I chose Jester because Moore-hill, Roberts, Prather, and Brackenridge doesn’t have an in-room sink, and it has a wendy’s and of course, J2.</p>
<p>most guys try to avoid simkins because its not really near anything. but honestly, NONE of them are bad. I know people who have had great experiences in each and every one.</p>
<p>I live in Moore-Hill and it is AMAZING. It takes just as long to get to the food from a room in Jester than it does from Moore-Hill because Jester is so big, plus your lobby is really nice because everyone gathers and just hangs out, studies, plays games, and eats cookies together in a giant group. There’s pingpong table, big screen, pool table and foosball table and everyone’s is really friendly. They have the best Residence Hall Council of all the dorms (think sarcastic/nerdy/awesome) and it’s just pretty great. Bathrooms are cleaned everyday so that’s not an issue, rooms are a good size and you can actually move your furniture! Only downside is no sink, but I hardly notice.</p>
<p>Jester offers suite-baths, right? Does Moore-Hill?</p>
<p>Jester is not as bad as everyone makes it seem so you don’t have to worry about getting into one of the nicer dorms. I have yet to see a party or people being very loud at night.</p>
<p>I live in jester east (8th floor). don’t listen to anybody who hates on jester, because they probably have never lived here. firstly, it is in an awesome location. also, everyone warned that it would be loud and smelly. not true! i’m always at san jacinto and it smells there sometimes, but not here. there are no parties here, so don’t worry about it! (if you were worrying about parties around you). my surroundings are quiet 95% of the time…loudness depends on neighbors. I love that there’s a sink in here, and i don’t have to clean the bathroom. community bathrooms are not bad at all, and you never have to worry about it being full/having to wait for a shower or toilet. you get to meet a ton of people, and there are always events with free food (think tiff’s treats and ice cream). there things like a jester east vs. west dodgeball tournament, pajamarama party, and capture the flag.
basically, don’t listen to all the bad things about jester (the majority of them are false/glorified). it doesn’t feel like a jail cell at all. i keep my blinds open and i have a great view!
for anyone planning to live on campus, i’d advise bringing a mattress topper. none of the beds on campus are comfortable, even in san jacinto.
hope that helps!</p>
<p>^The beds in prather are actually pretty good, and San Jacinto is okay.</p>
<p>That said, all of the dorms are doable, the biggest difference is just if there is a private bath or not. If there is, you get to roll out of bed and hop in the shower and you get to leave all of your toiletries at the sink.</p>
<p>The rooms in Jester are noticeably smaller than in other dorms and you will need to raise your bed and put stuff under it to make it work if you have a remodeled room, and if you don’t, it will be a bit dated. That said, they’re still doable.</p>
<p>The main thing is going to be the location, then the bathroom situation.</p>
<p>I’m in San Jac and from my dorm I overlook downtown Austin and the people across the hall have a clear view of the field in the stadium. Cypress Bend downstairs has possibly the best food dine-in dollars can buy and better hours than J2 and it’s cheaper than jcl. It’s also closer to the rec center and there’s a bus stop right next to the building.</p>
<p>Hi all. My son ended up in Duren (was torn between that and San Jacinto, but each had it’s own benefits). I was totally impressed when we arrived and happy to report that my son loves it. Rooms are spacious. Common areas are gorgeous. No “virtual tour” does it justice. He loves it’s proximity to the Engineering bldgs, his fraternity, and does not mind the walk to the gym. The cleanliness, privacy, quietness of the dorm are a plus for him. As he stated to me at the get-go. “I can always find a party…don’t need it on my hallway!” I hope this helps some of you. (I will also note that he stayed in Jester for orientation and said it was just fine. I’m sure he just feels lucky to have scored with Duren.)</p>
<p>I am a freshman living in San Jac, and I absolutely love it! I thought the room sizewould be small, but my room is really not small at all compared to the majority of the other dorms. It’s so nice and so convenient to have your own bathroom. I was also kind of skeptical about living at San Jac, because I heard that having private bathrooms makes the dorm kind of unsocial or quiet, but it’s not that way at all. My hall is really social and there are always people talking and hanging out and some of the people here have made their only friends through living here at San Jac. Cypress Bend is very convenient and the fact that Jester is so close is really nice just in case you want to go get something else to eat besides Cypress Bend. Another great plus is that San Jac has 2 study lounges per floor, and it’s really nice to be able to go study at those. If you’re trying to choose between San Jac or Duren, I would definitely say San Jac because although Duren is just as nice and built more recently than San Jac, the rooms are a bit smaller, the lighting is kind of dark, and the location is not as great as San Jac’s. In addition to being close to Jester, San Jac is also right by the stadium, Gregory gym, the biggest library on campus, and the Forty Acres bus stop. My biggest recommendation is APPLY EARLY FOR HOUSING. Even if UT isn’t your top choice or you’re not sure if you’re gonna come here, even if you have the SLIGHTEST feeling you want to end up at Texas, you shoudl apply for housing NOW! or as soon as it opens. Housing fills up real fast, and if you want your top choice, you really really have to apply by the end of October at the latest. Let me know if you have anymore questions!!</p>
<p>I live in Jester East this year, and it’s really not that bad. Everywhere you look Jester is getting terrible reviews, but the truth is it’s a typical dorm. Over the summer they fixed up the first 6 floors of J East, complete with hardwood floors and granite countertops- they’re really nice. The other 4 floors aren’t as nice, just tile and normal counters, but still not too bad.
Everyone comments on a weird smell in Jester, but I don’t remember ever smelling something weird and if I did it certainly wasn’t bad enough for me to remember it. The only problem I’ve found is that my room is very dusty from dust in the vents, but if you get a swiffer and run it up by the vent every week or so that takes care of the problem. </p>
<p>The nice thing about Jester is that there are a lot of people around, and it has a great location near the stadium and a 2 minute walk from the Tower. The 40 Acres bus stops right in front of the dorms, and the city buses that take you downtown stop about a block away by the stadium. There’s also the JCL and J2 dining halls, and JCL is open until 11 most nights so you can eat almost anytime you want.</p>
<p>No. VALonghorngal is wrong. They only fixed the 4-6 floors. I live on the ninth floor.
The smell is non existent… well… i’m used to it. haha its not bad though. I really like the location. The elevators suck but not a major issue. Jesters cool. :]</p>
<p>But still San Jac and Duren are the best. Those are the only places I would pick over Jester.</p>
<p>All the dorms seem the same to me. Living off campus is more definitely better and is usually cheaper. </p>
<p>In my opinion the extra cost for Duren and San Jac isn’t really worth it.</p>
<p>if you’re a freshman I’d highly recommend living on campus or in the private dorms, it makes things so much easier, I wouldn’t want to live in an apartment my frosh year because you meet so many people in your dorm, so you have instant friends that way.</p>
<p>The Honors Quad.</p>
<p>Great location in the middle of campus, next to Kinsolving all-you-can-eat dining hall, a block from the Drag and West Campus.
Great community and very affordable.</p>
<p>I live in Jester right now. I would tell you the room number so that god forbid you end up with this room from hell, you could cancel your contract and find another place to live because its not worth it…
I do live in a suite. There’s one door. This means no privacy. If your a girl that sucks, because your suitemates in the other part of the room have a door but you don’t. So you might be changing and the door’ll open and well…
Now you may suggest changing in the bathroom, but not only does it get dirty approximately 25 hours after it is thoroughly clean, millions of ants like to live there. Oh the ants. We had 7 ant problems. Classes started 8 weeksish ago. Thts like almost one ant problem a week. There were a bunch of ants in our sink, toliet, and shower. Everytime some comes they spray a couple of spots and leave. They don’t seal the holes from where they come from. I had ants in my bed 4ish times. Dude they bite. I had to be really really assertive to get minimal amount of work done. They were coming out of our outlet and through random spots in our bathroom wall, etc. NOt only that, our wall leaked twice (pipe problem from floor above).
Maintenance is useless and the people at the desk/RAs don’t really help. Jester is also pretty trashy. The dorms are ugly. If you want a nice living space I would pick Dobie, I feel like the rooms are nicer and more modern. If you can afford it go for San Jac or Duren. If you don’t give a damn about cleanliness, then Jesters your spot.</p>
<p>My son finished his apps last week and he put in a $50 housing deposit, but it didn’t ask for his choice of dorm. Does the $50 just put you in a line and then after the acceptances go out you pay a larger deposit and choose the actual dorm? If he is accepted, it will be late because he is not top 10%. So will paying the $50 in mid-October help or does only the admittance date matter?</p>
<p>I know his odds are low, BUT… I’d hate for him to get in and then not get a decent dorm! After reading the comments I think San Jac would be worth the extra money for him.</p>
<p>You are absolutely wise to get his housing application in early. Your priority for room assignments is set by the date of your $50 deposit. You will receive an e-mail when your student is awarded a contract. At that time they will want a $300 deposit and you will be able to prioritize your dorm choices, 1-5. The $300 is refundable up until May 1st and the dorm choices are changeable until July 1st. You can access them on “Be a Longhorn” after you receive your contract.</p>
<p>Thanks Queen! Any idea on the time between the $50 and “when your student is awarded a contract”?</p>
<p>Allofthisisnewtome…we are in the same exact boat as you…not top 10% but we did pay the 50.00 as soon as we could. I am pretty sure that we won’t get a housing contract unless and until we are accepted…keeping fingers crossed really tightly!! Oh, and my D appled around the end of August. Her status had said that they are reviewing her application for well over a month now… I am pretty certain that we won’t hear anything until late February or early March.</p>