<p>Hi!
I'll be a graduate student this Fall. I'm still looking for a roommate and an off-campus place to life. It would be great if someone is interested or have ideas.</p>
<p>Peter</p>
<p>i almost chose ut for grad school, but at the end chose a different school. i did go to ut undergrad and i'll give you one tip --- live in hyde park/north campus.....you do'nt want to live in west campus -- it's filled with undergrads and frat/sorority houses....live north of campus...it's a super cute neighborhood and you'll be surrounded by grad students.</p>
<p>west campus . . is that where all the UT dorms are?</p>
<p>No. Most of the UT dorms are on campus. West Campus is the area directly behind (west of) the drag. There are a few private dorms and some of the co-op houses in west campus....(Castilian, Towers, Hardin House, Co-ops, almost all the fraternity/sorority houses)....plus there are tons of apartments in west campus...but it's mostly undergrads. I lived in West Campus all four years of my undergrad and loved it...but I know some of my neighbors who lived near me got really sick of the noise level and wished that they had lived in north campus b/c it's got a more artsy/homey/nice feel to it and upperclassmen/grad students/young profs live there</p>
<p>How are the on campus dorms compared to West Campus? I was thinking of either Jester of San Jacinto.</p>
<p>campus dorms have their advantages.....the two biggest being that they are cheaper and right on campus. i would say you probably have a more diverse group of people in the on campus dorms. san jac is pretty new and nice.....jester, some people love, some people hate...but you'll have that at every place. my main advice to anyone starting out at a dorm is be open minded, remember this is only your home for a year...even some of the worse situations aren't THAT bad...and if you get stuck in a room or a roommate that you dislike, then, don't fret...just go out and enjoy the million different things to do on the UT campus or in Austin and meet people. there is no way to predict if you'll have a cool roommate or a complete nut....so just put down what you want and hope for the best...and then make the best of what you get! san jac is nicer than jester, that's for sure. jester has more people. it's a toss up. the off campus dorms are more expensive and have a more "stuck up" feel to them. i lived in one, had a decent experience, my siblings lived in teh same one and had amazing experiences. dorm match-up and roommate match-ups are a game of luck. good luck!</p>
<p>Would living in castillian or one of those west campus dorms give a person who wants to join a fraternity an advantage?</p>
<p>an "advantage"....not so much...maybe. there are plenty of greeks who live on campus. if you want to join a fraternity, go to the rush events and meet the brothers and see if you like them and the fraternity and see if you mesh well with them.......they'll be judging you regardless of where you live....you judge them back. which fraternity are you interested in? if you are jewish, a lot of the jewish fraternity guys live at towers.</p>