Hey everyone, I’m thinking of applying to the U of A as a safety school since I live 10 minutes away. However, I had the opportunity to stay in Yuma Hall for the Summer Engineering Camp and I really didn’t like the dorms and their setup. I was just wondering if many freshman DO live off campus, or even Tucson residents who live at home and commute. Would you recommend sucking it up and staying in the dorms freshman year, or is living off campus a viable option? I’ve seen pictures of The Hub at Tucson and it looks fantastic, but I’m not sure if they let freshmen live there, or if freshmen even live there regardless. Any input would be much appreciated!
bumppp
If you can afford it, The Hub, Next, etc. are all pretty nice, but I think they’re a little too far. Colonia De Le Paz and Likins are pretty nice and are situated in the middle of campus.
I’m a freshman living in a dorm, but it’s a bad one since I applied for dorms later than normal and all of my preferences were filled up.
Which dorm do you live in? I’m not big on parties, so if I have to live on a dorm I’d rather live in one that’s more tame.
Also, are there any age requirements for apartments like the hub, next, etc.? When I graduate HS I will be a year younger than everyone else, since I skipped a grade.
Furthermore, is there a sizeable population of students who live at home and commute?
Thank you!
I live in Babcock but am trying to switch for next semester. Don’t apply there. I don’t think any dorm on campus is tame, but it’s not hard to find quiet time. I have no idea about the age requirements and I do think a good portion of students commute. If you have the ability to, then definitely commute.
Yeah, I live in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson, and I have a car, so I’ll definitely be able to commute if need be. If you don’t mind me asking, what was so bad about Babcock? I was browsing the UofA housing website and it said that the rooms in Babcock have private bathrooms, so there must be something not so great about the residence that overshadows that fact 
Also, where are you trying to switch into next semester, and for what reason?
There are some shady kids here, man. Yes, the bathroom is awesome, but I live with a dirty person so a community bathroom wouldn’t be all that different. I’m trying to move into the $$$-tier rooms (right below Arbol, Coronado, Likins) because they’re pretty inexpensive, located in the highland/park area, and look appealing.
Babcock is a former motel, not deluxe.
My son is in his second year at UA in PSP and VDP Highland dorms because of their convenient location. Someone took a tour of campus and the guide said Highland Dorms are quieter. Pros of Highland dorms: very clean, very central location, quiet enough for studying, across the street from the rec center, and 24-Hour Highland Market downstairs. Highland dorms are not a huge social life though.
Arbol, mostly for honor students, is more of a community with more social life.
Coronado and AZ-So have a lot of Greeks so on Fridays, there’s a lot of cars picking up Greeks.
I do not recommend Next Level apartments, renamed Sol y Luna, under new management, but apparently still an awful place. It’s too noisy for studying; sure, you might study at the library, but might want to come home to peace. They look deluxe, but see Yelp reviews - you don’t need the headaches. My son visited Hub and it’s the same, always noisy: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sol-y-luna-tucson
The problem with living off campus is that they don’t enforce silence because they are not affiliated with the university.
The key to social life at UA is to sign up for clubs because it’s not like back in my day, where people left their doors open for socializing with beer. These days, this behavior is not allowed. There is also a lot of pot smoking so people find friends through that route. We used to attend dorm events too, but apparently, students these days think those are lame. With technology, there is just less hanging out these days - people are behind closed doors on technology - this is true of many campuses. The other thing is that many students are from AZ or Tucson so they already have friends from high school and are uninterested in meeting new people.
Keep checking the UA Housing website so when there is an opening, you can grab the dorm. Around February is when some dorms opened up, perhaps people decided to attend different colleges. Likins will never have openings, however.