<p>Since I am not sure I am going to get a dorm on campus I am considering getting a private dorm. I am hoping to room with this other kid I know, but the question is is it too late to get into Dobie? If anyone has information on how each private dorms fill up and if there are usually empty rooms I would appreaciate it. Or opinions on what I should do since its this late and looking for housing with a friend.</p>
<p>UThopeful: You can probably still get supplemental housing on campus. It's actually not bad at all - in fact, maybe nicer than a regular dorm room(you share a huge study room with four people). Just call up the housing dept. after you've sent in your university deposit and applied for housing and ask them for supplemental housing.</p>
<p>I'm not (yet) a UT student(will be in the fall of '08), but I toured Jester, Castillian, and Dobie. Both the private dorms(Castillian and Dobie) I toured were awful. They had stained carpets, and old bathrooms. Dobie may look nice on the outside, but I assure you it's just a new shell put on an old building -- inside it's old.</p>
<p>It's not that Jester was great or anything(average comes to mind), but it's a hell of a lot better than the private dorms. On campus you have much more -- huge heated pools, a large gym, lots of food etc. Private dorms don't provide much, at least from what I saw, and you're paying the same price as the on campus dorms. At least get the most for your money by staying on campus.</p>
<p>I had decided on Dobie but then I found Jefferson26. They are brand new right by the drag. Welcome</a> to Jefferson 26 - Student Living near The University of Texas</p>
<p>I live in Dobie right now, and I didn't apply for housing there until last summer, so I'm pretty sure you can still get a room there. As said before, the building is kinda old, but all its rooms are carpeted (if that's important). The Castilian is garbage. However, a lot of Austinites live there, and I randomly know a lot of cool people on one of its floors. I think that's more of a coincidence though. If you're into partying, Towers is a great dorm to be at. The only downside is that it's about 3 or 4 blocks from the drag, so if you're in business or music, or something else is the south-east part of campus, it becomes a long walk or a long wait at a bus stop to get back home.</p>
<p>I have a few friends in supplemental housing. It's all right, but living with 4 people in one room can be a drag, especially on weekends, if you want to sleep, but other people are playing poker/other stuff at like 3 in the morning. Also, if this applies to you, sexing three people out is much harder than doing it to one. A lot of people bash Jester, but in all honesty, if I could do it over again, I'd want to live there for freshman year. You're just surrounded by freshman, and it's the ebst way to meet people.</p>
<p>Kaleidoscope,
The private dorms are actual "dorms." They have RA's to help you out and meal plans so you don't have to grocery shop or cook or clean your kitchen. Jefferson 26 looks beautiful but it is more like an apartment building with multiple tenants leasing a room, I think.</p>
<p>I've heard great things about Co-Op in Austin, they're cheap too.</p>
<p>Anyone know anything about the honors dorms? I just submitted my housing application in the middle of April and got a supplemental contract. The woman from the housing dept said that this year, they may start having supplemental housing in honors dorms. I was accepted into an honors program already(Turing), so that's not an issue.</p>
<p>The honors dorms are supposed to be pretty social and they have that little quad area in between the four buildings that the kids hang out in. If it is a choice between supplemental elsewhere and supplemental in honors, honors would probably be nice. (The honors dorms are older, not as snazzy as San Jac or Duren.)</p>
<p>I would NOT recommend Dobie to any new student. My daughter is ending her first and last year there. The room was filthy when she moved in. Yes, there are carpets but they are so dirty you would not want to walk on them without shoes on. The furniture was chipped all over. The front door to the room had huge chunks of Formica missing.
From what I heard her RA is nice enough but they do not plans meals or help you shop.
But more importantly the management of the building is very unresponsive to complaints. I am very happy my daughter will not be there next year.</p>