<p>My son will be submitting his application to UT this weekend. Will he still have a good chance to get a dorm for Fall 2010? We hear so many conflicting stories and are a little concerned that the options may be limited. Hopefully the stories we've heard were unusual circumstances or the people applied later.</p>
<p>He’s a freshman, right? Then based on last year’s experiences, if he applies for housing now or fairly soon, he will be able to get a room on campus.</p>
<p>Yes, he’ll be a freshman. Will it be too late for a decent dorm option? Thanks so much for your help!</p>
<p>I applied in January or February, and I still got my first choice pick of San Jac, but I turned it down to room with a friend of mine in Prather.</p>
<p>I would recommend Prather over any of the other regular-price (non Duren or San Jac) dorms. It has a location right near Jester/Gym/Library/Stadium. It has larger rooms since the bookshelves and dressers are recessed back into the walls. Plus the people and RA staff are so much more personal here, since there are only about 120 people living here. I’ve made tons of friends just hanging out in the TV lounge, or even people doing their laundry.</p>
<p>yea, he will definitely get a dorm. i applied on may 2nd and got offered a contract. i got jester, but it’s not actually that bad.</p>
<p>I think that all of the on campus dorms are okay. (Simkins has the least desirable location.)</p>
<p>Could you list in order of best to worst 5-7 dorm choices. We saw Duren when we visited and we were very impressed. Never heard about Prather before this thread. </p>
<p>Does UT have a system to pair up people of similar lifestyle…a form to fill out?</p>
<p>I think all of the dorms are okay. None of them are bad, to me at least.</p>
<p>I think the list that you want depends on what you’d do at UT and where your classes are. For me San Jac would be at the bottom because the location would be horrible for me and the cost is too much. But for someone else it could be awesome.</p>
<p>And they pair you up randomly unless you request a friend. No forms unfortunately.</p>
<p>Don’t know where son’s classes will be…he is applying to Turing Scholars Honors Computer Science and either Plan II honors or McCombs Honors. What are good locations in relation to those programs? I have read so much info over the past 9 months and I believe I remember reading that if you are accepted to an honors program you are offered a spot in Honors housing. Anyone want to comment on the honors housing experience?</p>
<p>Cost is not an issue…getting in a dorm is an issue…hopefully a well-maintained one in a good location. If he is accepted to UT, he will only be allowed to attend if he can live on campus first year. Honestly, I think Duren seemed great and the young man who showed us his room is an engineering student and he often did his studying somewhere in that dorm.</p>
<p>Duren is a bit distant from things like the main library and the gym (and the stadium), but it is close to a dining hall and Guadalupe St where lots of stores and fast-food places are.</p>
<p>None of the dorms are really close to all classes, but a walk from the two far corners of the campus to each other is about 20-25 minutes. Most classes are within a 10 minute distance from the dorm/each other. It’s not an issue. Plus there are free shuttles that run in a counterclockwise direction around campus at all times during the school days, so that can help if it is raining or really hot out.</p>
<p>Duren is $2000 more per year to live in, but you do get a private bathroom in your room.</p>
<p>You will get a dorm as long a you apply for housing by February. This is when I applied last year, and I still got my first choice dorm.</p>
<p>The one dorm I will suggest against is Simkins. It is not near any food serve places, and is completely separated from the other dorms. If you look at a map, you will see it is in the north east section of the campus, while all the other dorms are in the NorthWest extreme or SouthEast extreme direction. If anything, it’s bad because it’s not near any places to eat. Plus it’s all male.</p>
<p>I live in Littlefield, and while it’s not the same as Honors, it has the same location. The location of the honors quad is AMAZING. Everything you need is a block away: Kinsolving (where you would probably eat the most if you live on the north side of campus), the Drag, etc. Also, you’re on top of the hill, so it’s easier to get to class (assuming the class is east). XD But a pain to get back. Also, Littlefield Cafe is in the quad, so if you need a quick meal it’s there (I love the pizza). Almost every night, I see/hear people out in the quad playing frisbee and other games.</p>
<p>I live in San Jac now right now, and I love it. It has a great location- it’s right next to Jester where there are tons of food options as well as a market, they have a really good restaurant downstairs in San Jac called Cypress Bend that’s super convenient, right next to the biggest/most popular library on campus, gym, stadium, and also the UTC where a lot of freshmen classes are. It’s also not a far walk from the Union and the FAC. Also, San Jac has 2 study rooms per floor, and it’s not a very noisy dorm. I think the honors dorms do have a pretty good location, because it’s righ tnext to Guadalupe and Kinsolving where there’s also a big dining hall; however, it’s further of a walk from the library, gym, stadium, Jester, UTC. As long as he applies like by the end of this month-mid November, I am sure he is guaranteed his first choice. I know people who applied in December and January and still got their number choice. Every freshman pretty much gets on-campus housing no matter what, so don’t worry about getting a spot on campus, just worry about where on campus you want to rank for your 5 choices!</p>
<p>texas2013, in recent years every freshman who WANTED on campus housing and applied reasonably early was able to get it, but many freshmen live at home, in apartments, or in private dorms - there is not room on campus for all of the freshmen.</p>
<p>foolforitaly,
I’m sure he’ll get a room on campus but even if for some reason he doesn’t, the private dorms are fine, too. </p>
<p>(I personally think the honors quad/Kinsolving/Whitis area is great and wouldn’t pay more for Duren/San Jac, but to each his own. If you aren’t in honors and want a close knit dorm experience, the residential FIGs in Whitis are a nice option.)</p>
<p>Thank you for MidWestMom, Texas 2013, Maerth and WhyTwoKay for your insights. Posts like this are chipping away at the overwhelmed feeling I get when I think of my son attending UT. It seems like a great choice in so many ways but I can’t get a peace about him being one of 40,000. </p>
<p>Hearing that housing isn’t out of the question at this point is encouraging. Now he can spend a little more time crafting his essays!</p>
<p>Honestly, I put down my 50 dollar deposit for housing the day it was due, and I still got my 2nd choice (1st choice = honors housing, which i am, so if you’re in honors, put down your deposit soon I guess). Granted, I got my 4th (Kinsolving) but placed myself on the waitlist afterwards. You will definitely get housing if I did :). Btw, I live in Littlefield, and it really is amazing. We have access to some parts of the Quad dorms which is nice (like the Q), and the Cafe and Kinsolving is really convient. The only thing is that the gym is really far away, so working out at night is hard.</p>
<p>Don’t be worried about “being stuck with” Jester. My son lives there and loves it! It is the center of campus activity -close to the Gregory gym, PCL library and stadium…several dining halls and lots of fast food within the dorm…Engineering advising and computer labs. He even has a class in Jester. He chose community bath too -he never has to wait for a shower or clean after messy suite-mates. He has friends that live in other dorms, but they all tend to congregate at Jester because EVERYTHING is there. He plans to live in Jester again next year.
I don’t know if everyone would be as happy there though. My daughter loves to soak in the tub with a good book -not a choice with community baths. My son is very social, but his roommate needs more quiet time -he plans to move into an apartment next year for privacy.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned that you just get pot luck for your roommate and there are no forms to fill out to request a roommate with like lifestyles. I don’t think this is true. I’m certain my friend’s daughter filled out a roommate matching profile. I don’t think UT actually assigns you to your match; what I believe happens is that it gives you those people who match your likes/dislikes and then you get together via email, phone, etc. to decide if you would like to room together. Then you both request each other when you submit your dorm choice/roommate.</p>
<p>On a sidenote, my friend’s daughter, who was very smart, shy, quiet, and reserved in high school was matched with a like soul. However, once she got to UT, she came out of her shell and decided she liked to party and stay out a bit later, much to her new roommate’s chagrin:)</p>
<p>Our daughter is in Whitis in a resfig. She seems to like the smallness of it, and that she really does get to know people. That is not the case, she says, with her friends in Duren and Kinsolving.</p>
<p>Given the choice, though, she says she would have picked the honors dorm where it has the same small feel, but where the residents are more studious.</p>
<p>You can find your own roommate with the UT roommate matcher or on Facebook. If you don’t, UT Housing will try to place you with another freshman, from your same type of major (liberal arts kids together, natural science people together, etc.) if possible. (UT Housing does not access the roommate matcher to try to put quiet people together or night owls together.)</p>