UCF Towers VS. Off-campus?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Central Florida
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I will be attending UCF this fall as a freshman and am torn between the Towers dorms and off-campus apartments.</p>

<p>I still haven't seen the Towers in person but I've heard many great things about it. As for apartments, the housing receptionist at UCF recommended Arden Villas, The Edge, Northgate, or Boardwalk. I don't mind living by myself in a small apartment.</p>

<p>MAIN QUESTIONS:
-Are the Towers dorms loud with parties and drunk college kids?
-Today is the last day for "preferences." Does this mean I won't be able to have a place in the Towers if I apply after today? I really want the 4/4 ones.
-Have any of you lived/seen/heard about the apartments listed above? I'm only seen one so far and it was pretty good (Arden).</p>

<p>Any other helpful info/advice is GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>From what I’ve heard, it’s louder in apartments than dorms, because apartments have less rules.</p>

3

<p>my D has lived in tower for three years and she says that towers are very quite actually. A little anti social but she met all her friends through outside activities and classes anyway…even when there is an event in the arena, you really can’t tell from inside…she does not remember about the preferences but it is highly unlikely that you will get a 4/4 as a freshman as there are only three per floor and the returning residents have most likely already picked them…she knows people that have lived in all of those places and they seem to not like the edge too much…arden is gorgeous…and if you havnt thought about science you should cause with the back roads it really has the best access to campus and around town…</p>

<p>something to keep in mind is convenience…my D says that towers is not very homey but that it is worth the convenience…she wakes up 20 min before class and is ready in 10 and can leave her room in towers and be on time to any class as long as there are 10 min left for walking…driving on campus is horrible and there is never any parking…if you live off campus be sure to arrive no less that 30 min before class starts because it will take a while to find parking and then you still have to walk from the garage…either that or memorize the shuttle schedule which is pretty good but still adds to planing and comute time.</p>

4

<p>I transferred to UCF last summer as a junior and lived in the towers my first year.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! if it wasn’t so expensive I would stay in there for my last year at UCF. I am warning you, do not live in the edge. The carpet is crap brown, rooms are small, and the smell is terrible.Not to mention the lack of safety in the edge. </p>

<p>I was a lucky one and went into a 4/4 not knowing anyone, but came out with 3 best friends. I do recommend living on campus your first year, so you get to know the area, friends, and the school. I love waking up 30mins before class and just walking. Not having to take the shuttle across town to get there. </p>

<p>One downside of the towers is the rent. But you get what you pay for. I live in tower 4, athletic tower, 3 is honors tower, 1 and 2 is just regular i suppose. There is always something to do in the towers, and on every floor. Also, the tower parking pass is about 600 dollars a year, which gets you a personal parking stop in the garages, but you can go with the regular green sticker that other students have and park across the street in the lot and i believe its around 60 for the year. My roommates and I calculated a rough estimate monthly rent we were paying in the towers and it came to be 880 dollars a month. But if you think about the gas you save by walking to classes, as well as the time, its not that big of a deal. And you pay per semester ($3500, this past year) so its not like $880 dollars is coming out of your bank account every month.</p>

<p>I have a friend that lives in boardwalk and the rooms are huge! BUT, if you want a quite setting, dont go there. There are parties every night of the week, in every section of boardwalk.</p>

<p>As for Northgate, my roommate and I were going to lease there. We actually stopped a few people walking to their apartment and asked about the level of quiteness etc. Its very quite, great office staff etc. </p>

<p>I am moving into Sterling in the fall. Its convenient located right across the street from campus and absolutely beautiful. The rent is less than the towers of course, but more pricey compared to the other complexes, since it is brand new!</p>

<p>Hope i helped:)</p>

5

<p>also, my roommates and i decorated our apartment in the towers and it made it a lot more homey:) you just have to have the time and funds to do so.</p>

6

<p>My UCF portal got a bill for $6490 due by August 5th, for the Towers. Does anyone know why it would come for the full amount and how they come up with this figure and is that for the whole year? My Mom thought it was due by the semester.</p>

7

<p>Housing payment was supposedly due by the beginning of the semester, as well as offering a 2-week deferment on the due date if your incoming financial aid is estimated to be enough to completely cover the housing costs. Unfortunately, UCF documentation is rife with errors and conflicts. For example, a hand-out that I received at orientation states that an annual parking pass for the Towers garage is $140.</p>

<p>I’m e-mailing the housing department now to inquire about this $6,490 charge (I was billed exactly as you were.) The due payment is split into what seems to be two semesters worth of fees, but both are labeled Fall 2011. If housing is to be paid for in full, it makes no sense to exclude the Summer portion.</p>

8

<p>I was having the same problem (except in Lake Claire). Got billed for the full amount of both semesters but both are labeled only for Fall 2011 and not for both semesters. I emailed them a few hours ago, but of course probably won’t get an answer until tomorrow because they aren’t in office.
EDIT: Also, don’t the two semesters have different payment deadlines? Like you pay for the first semester by August whatever and the second semester by December whatever?</p>

9

<p>I’ve yet to receive a reply from the housing department about the double charge, but I just checked myUCF and it appears to have been corrected. Please check myUCF!</p>

10

<p>I received one this morning and they said it was just an error in their system and they are in the process of reversing it. Mine has been fixed! (:</p>