<p>My son will be applying for Fall 2014 transfer, from Hofstra, engineering, will be a junior. Any advice would be appreciated, mainly on campus housing options, he is OOS. Thanks. Udel seems to have a nice transfer program, housed in Ray street?</p>
<p>Hello, I am a freshman entering my Spring semester at UD. I feel as though I could help with housing options, for I am going through the process of searching for myself for my sophomore year. </p>
<p>From what I hear, the nicest dorms are (by far) located on North Campus. There you’ll find Independence, George Read, Christiana Towers, etc. The biggest downfall I hear about North Campus is that it’s not as close to the main campus as other residence halls. People say that residing there makes visiting friends in other locations a bit of a chore, even though it’s not incredibly far or anything of the sort. Also, getting up to go to classes on very cold or very hot days can be a challenge when you have to walk there. </p>
<p>Although people really stress the distance, there are definitely perks. The UD shuttle bus runs very frequently and can bus students from North Campus to various other campus locations for free (and the buses have wifi, by the way), so if you’re willing to wait for the bus, it’s a great option. Also, there’s a dining hall on North Campus (Pencader), and a convenience store, so you wouldn’t have to travel far for food. One of the buildings there also has a gym for use by students, but I can’t remember which one. </p>
<p>The Towers are a unique option on North Campus, because they’re apartment-styled and have a living room, kitchen, up to two bedrooms, and a bathroom in each of the rooms. Students can stay in the apartments during spring break and thanksgiving break, I believe, but they have to leave for summer, obviously. You can’t live in the apartments without at least one other person though.</p>
<p>Other options that are closer to campus are located on the Green. I hear that people absolutely hate it there in the dorms that aren’t air conditioned because they’re some of the oldest dorms at the school, and they’re also very, very small. Also, there aren’t any dining halls in the immediate location, so if you want a meal, it’s a bit of a walk, and may make you think twice about how badly you want it. There is Trabant nearby though, which has a food court. Be careful though, because it’s easy to blow your Points there that you can get with your meal plan.</p>
<p>Don’t even bother looking at West Campus, because the only dorms there are Rodney and Dickinson, and they’re only for freshmen. Even if other people could live there, I would not recommend it. I live in Rodney, and it’s a dump. Dickinson is worse because it has no air conditioning.</p>
<p>In regards to Ray Street, I don’t know many people who stay there, but I have heard that it’s not as great as it seems. They’re probably the residence halls on campus that I know the least about. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, the nicer the dorms, the pricier they get, and living in a single is more expensive than going in with a roommate. As an OOS student, I try to save as much money as I can, because coming from a state other than Delaware makes the cost of attendance RIDICULOUSLY expensive, and the university is not helpful at all in the finances department if you’re in a bad spot or simply need advice. </p>
<p>If you’re sure you’re going here, I can definitely say that I have had a great time so far, and I met excellent people–including my current boyfriend. The vibe is great because of all the school spirit, and people really have a lot of pride in their school here. </p>
<p>All-in-all, it’s a great place to be, if you can afford it. Good luck with your housing search!</p>
<p>Thank you LOTR, I don’t know if he is definitely going, because his application is not complete yet, and we won’t know for some time. Lots of good info from you, I really appreciate it! And good luck with your studies! I am gonna try and find out more about that Ray Street dorm, it seems nice for a transfer?</p>
<p>Hi, my D is a sophomore living in the Towers on North Campus. She has had several friends living in the Ray Street Complex. I myself have been in rooms there. They are neat, clean and well maintained and IMHO a bit larger than the freshman dorm rooms. My D also has two friends from her high school that transferred to UD start of sophomore year. They both really wanted to go initially but were rejected. They did a year at another college and then applied for transfer last spring. Needless to say they were thrilled and have been enjoying their time. </p>
<p>From what I understand Ray street takes these transferred kids and helps create a new little community since they are all coming in from other schools. My D’s friends made new friends easily there. </p>
<p>There is only one negative to me… Dining options. Ray Street is located between Main Campus and across the bridge from North Campus. It’s about a 5-7 minute walk to either Trabant food court or Pencader dining hall. That being said many kids live in the complex year after year and are happy. :)</p>
<p>Thank you Lefty. For me, I don’t mind the walk to the dining, he might have an objection though. My thing is that I know transferring is not always easy, and UDEL seems to have the only dorm set up for transfers, to make the adjustment easier. They must get a lot of transfers, to have a transfer housing program like this. I like it a lot. He was accepted as a freshman, and chose to stay home, and go to. Hofstra. So we already visited, then, and we liked it. He is an engineering major. Thanks again!</p>