Questions about UF dorms/off campus housing

I’ve narrowed down my choice of dorms to Cypress, Infinity, Hume and Springs. Any thoughts as to which of these may be the best option and why. I guess the biggest looming question is what should I consider as the biggest factors in prioritizing qualities? Location, AC, larger beds, laundry rooms on each floor, newer buildings, wood floors etc…

The 2nd part would be in regards to off campus housing. Does anyone know how the florida prepaid dorm plan works if you are considering living off campus? Is this a viable option or are you required to be in a UF dorm under the FPP?

What you will find is that there is a trade-off for every dorm area. Those you narrowed down to are (mostly) the newer ones, nicest, have suite options, don’t have the bathroom down the hall, more privacy, etc.

They (mostly) are away from the center of campus. So, you may not be able to walk to your classes. They are (mostly) away from the 2 main dining facilities.

So, you need to decide what is most important to you among these and other factors:
Do you want to be near the center of campus, able to walk to classes in a few minutes?
Do you want to be near the dining facilities?
Do you want more privacy?
Do you want to meet more people or already have a group there?
Do you want to share a bathroom with 2, 4, or 40 people?
Are you planning to rush a fraternity/sorority? Dorm location can be helpful with this too.

My son is a freshman this year in Rawlings (Broward Area). It is an older dorm, 2 to a small room and shared bathroom down the hall with 40+ other guys. On the flip side, he is right next to one of the 2 dining halls and close to all of his classes. So, it is a trade-off.

What I have observed so far this year on a facebook group of freshman parents, is that the kids all want their own rooms with as much privacy as they can get and don’t want to share bathrooms. ie, they want what they have grown up with. Then they get to one of the dorms you mentioned (excluding Hume) and they and their parents complain that they are far away from their classes, their meal plan is worthless because they don’t want to walk 20 minutes or bike 5-10 minutes to get to the closest dining facility two or three times a day.
I have also heard that some in the suite style dorms have less interaction with other students and some have had difficulties connecting with others. Now, there may be other factors involved as well…

So, I would say that you need to decide what is most important to you and what you are most willing to give up. Look at the campus map and figure out the distance to center of campus, dining facilities and sorority/frat rows.

@fl1234 pretty much covered everything. Out of those, though, Cypress is going to be your best bet to have that suite-style experience near classes. It’s very difficult to get as a freshman, but it’s extremely close to Broward Dining (one of the dining halls) and very close to classes. Infinity is very nice but extremely far away. I know someone in Infinity now who has to walk 20 mins to get to classes although she is happy in the dorm. Hume and Springs are very nice, but expect to take the bus frequently in those. Hume is convenient to get to the Reitz, but classes are quite a walk away.

@fl1234 Thank you for helpful info. The problem is having to choose before or without being able to see the dorms so it’s based off the recommendations of others. You’re absolutely right that no matter where I choose there seems to be a pretty big trade-off.

Have you checked youtube and the UF housing website for reviews and videos? There are some out there that might help with visuals. Reddit also has reviews from students.
I am guessing that you are a HS senior, right? Have you been admitted already? Also, Hume is the Honors Dorm, are you sure that is an option for you?

@FutureGator55 That helps as well thank you. They each have their own positives and negatives so there is no perfect dorm per say lol.

Any information about UF luxury dorms?

@fl1234 Correct I’m a HS senior. I have indeed looked at many reviews and watched the videos you stated. That’s basically how I’ve come to narrow it down to those 4 as my final choice. Yes to the final 2 questions. Thanks for the help.

I was a UF student long ago. Many don’t get their first choice in dorms. Hume is now honors, but back in my day it was an old dorm and it is what I got stuck with. I was in the last pick group because I waited to put my deposit until I was sure I was going there. You can plan, but be prepared to not get first pick. UF has so many old style dorms still…I was surprised how much hasn’t changed since I was a student there!

The luxury dorms, I believe, are not really dorms. They are run by a management company and not truly campus housing. It’s interesting how they are being marketed.

UF is a consideration for my ds who is a senior.

Hume is nice and pretty decent location. If you get into the Honors program you can choose that dorm. Personally I think I’d be more inclined to choose the more social dorms with the community bathrooms and great campus locations ahead of the luxury dorms as a freshman. Then sophomore year you’ll be able to have the private bedroom/private bath off campus.

Hi everyone. I have a dorm question. Daughter got admitted to UF last night with an invitation to Honors College. So she will most likely end up at Hume. We paid the $25 housing fee on 12-18-2018 so I am hoping that she is close to the top of the list. I can see that Hume offers single rooms (most are doubles though) and my daughter would really like a single. She wants to experience dorm life but also wants a chance to retreat if she feels the need. She is a complete neat freak and the idea of living with someone messy is unappealing to her. My question is this: can a freshman get a single at Hume?

We did not realize until after our daughter was admitted that the dorms at UF fill up very fast. We submitted her application just yesterday. Is there any chance she will NOT get a dorm room since we just applied, or will her choices simply be very limited? The private dorms look like they are already mostly full, and I’m getting increasingly concerned she may not have a decent housing option. Any insight into what has occurred in previous years would be very much appreciated.

@atlJaybird - The “private dorms” are apartments close to campus. They are run by a private company. Personally, I think their marketing tactic is deceptive. UF has plenty of dorms ON campus. I should think that you got your housing deposit in early enough so that she’ll be able to live on campus, if she wants to. Have her join the class of 2023 Facebook page. There’s lots of kids on there already posting that they are looking for roommates.

@LakeAlto - Thank you so much! That’s very helpful.

We did the housing application back in October, but I am wondering if there’s anything he will miss out on if he waits to officially enroll at UF. Does all the housing choice stuff happen after May 1? I am almost certain he will pick UF, but there are a couple more schools he applied to that won’t release decisions until late March. (I think he’d still pick UF over those, but I don’t want to send in an enrollment deposit and make it official until I am certain this is his choice).

Anyway, my question is–Will he miss out on anything important as far as housing, orientation, etc. if he doesn’t confirm his attendance until April? Thanks!

Oh, and @LakeAlto do you know the name of the Facebook group? He searched and found a couple that say UF Class of 2023 but wasn’t sure which one to join.

@SE1619, I was told that housing contracts go out next week. So long as you have your deposit in (you said you sent it in already), I think you are fine waiting for your son to decide.

@SE1619 - Im not sure which Facebook group is the correct one. I was not aware there was more than one. My daughter joined one and says there’s people posting several times per hour about themselves and looking for roommates. I think it’s already a pretty big group. You should have your son look and join the largest group and I would bet that’s the correct one.

@SE1619 - I had the same question. I see two, one named “UF Class of 2023 (Official)” and another named “UF Class of 2023 - Official”. The first one looks likes it’s affiliated with the university and is very active (84 posts already today). The second one looks like it is not affiliated with the university and is not very active (0 posts today). I’m going to ask my daughter to join the first one.

Thanks, @LakeAlto and @AtlJaybird I’ll tell him to join the more active one.