dorms v. apartments

<p>So, my date for room assignment is not until July 12th. I really don't want to get a temporary triple dorm or one without ac, but since my assignment date is so late, I am thinking that there is a good chance that is going to be my only option. </p>

<p>If my date comes up, and it ends up that a temp triple is what i am getting, do you guys think it would be worth it for me to just get an apartment instead? Or will those be gone too? Should I just cancel my housing, and start looking for an apartment now? Lately I have been getting stuff in the mail from the area, and some of the apartments sound a thousand times better then dorms but end up being cheaper. Oh, and if I end up with an apartment, I would also get a meal plan, since me and cooking don't go together. ;)</p>

<p>Obviously there will be an issue with a lot of places in how you’ll eat dinner, not exactly easy to commute to campus just for a meal, especially at night.</p>

<p>The apartments are way better while being cheaper. However you should probably have a decent social network in place to live in an apt, because dorms are where a lot of people meet each other.</p>

<p>Thanks for bringing that up, I had not even considered the social aspect of where I’m gonna live, lol.</p>

<p>And on that note, I don’t mean to go off topic so soon, but I know absolutely ZERO people going to UF, </p>

<p>So if there is anyone in the Palm Beach/ West Palm area going to UF, PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE OR SOMETHING!! I really don’t want to go there knowing nobody.</p>

<p>Oh, I meant to also mention in the first post that the apartments in gainesville do not follow up. I mean a few complexes will, but there will still be tons and tons of vacant rooms throughout the semester. There’s more apartments then students nowadays because of the pretty drastic cuts in enrollment the last few years.</p>

<p>Obviously it’s possible to meet people without living in a dorm, but it’s not as easy.</p>

<p>^^^
Exactly. What zaersz said. There are tons of apartments in gainesville, so I wouldn’t worry about skipping to that option just yet, especially since you don’t know anyone going to UF. My d lived off-campus this past year (her freshman year), but she went in knowing both her roommates and having a support system already in place because one of her roommates older sister lives in the same complex and got them plugged in to her sorority. She also had friends from church/school that she recognized on campus so she never felt “out in the cold,” as I understand many can if they go the apartment route w/o a support system. Why don’t you wait and see what housing you get. If you aren’t happy with it, then explore alternatives, keeping in mind it’s more difficult getting plugged in if you live off-campus. You need to know yourself … and how gregarious a person you are … and are you willing to go back into campus for things going on. D did notice that those girls who lived on campus and rushed her sorority seemed to gravitate towards each other. She was very thankful for her roommates and “connections” because those who didn’t have that had a much more difficult time “fitting in,” initially. :)</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>zebes</p>

<p>I strongly encourage students to stay on campus their first year. It really makes acclimating and socializing much easier. The friends I made while living on campus are still some of my closest friends today. There are certain social situations and interactions one misses out on when you live off campus.</p>