My son just received his acceptance to UT-Austin this month and he is excited. We have visited the campus several times, but have not taken an official tour. We have looked at the outside of many of the dorms. Even though Jester seems like “the place”, I don’t want him to be lost in a large group of students. I have heard good and bad about the place and have seen several videos of some of the halls. I know Jester has just completed renovations. Now focusing on dorms. 1.) When will we be getting the residence contract? 2.) He prefers to have a new roommate than someone he knows, so will he get to fill out a roommate profile when he receives the contract? 3.) We are lower-middle income so we will be looking at halls with community bathrooms. Any thoughts, good or bad, about BRP or Moore-Hill?
Congratulations! Has your son applied for housing yet?
If your son did not apply for housing yet, he should do so asap. The housing contracts are released in the order the housing apps are received. Same for hall and room selection. The earlier you apply, the earlier you will get to select.
This whole process is new to me. We did pay the $50 deposit months ago. I guess the next step is that we will be either receiving an email notice or a link to a housing contract? Not sure when. In this lull time, it just seems like I should be doing something more.
@UT2024 It’s good that you have already filled out the housing application. UT uses the housing application date for assigning hall/room selection. After your future LH accepts admission to the university and pays the enrollment deposit, he will be eligible for a housing contract. You will have 10 days to sign it and submit the $300 prepayment. I think all fees are refundable until May 1. (Read policies carefully as they may have changed.)
Please note that Orientation registration opens on March 4. Your student must have accepted admission to the university to register for orientation. Orientation dates fill up quickly and you’ll want to be ready to register on March 4.
You can read about the housing process here:
https://housing.utexas.edu/future/housing-process
Hook 'em!
Thanks for the input. We have already accepted. I guess now is the wait for the housing contract. Do you know when that may come as went sent this in back in October? We will try to register for orientation quickly as we will be out of the country during the first 2 weeks of July . I will check early that 3/4. Thanks again.
My son has lived in Whitis Court for two years. It consists of 6 separate buildings, so each is kind of a small community and has it’s own kitchen and laundry facilities. It’s right across from Kinsolving dining hall. It has community bath and the closets are bigger than in most dorms. I recommend it.
I really want a social dorm where I can meet as many people as possible. So my two most viable options would be San Jacinto and Jester, right?
How are the honors dorms (Andrews, Blanton, Carothers, Littlefield)? I’m looking for a little quieter (not as social as Jester) but still want to get to know those in my dorm, meet up for activities, etc.
Jester for sure. San Jacinto is a bit more pricey.
@hurricane314 My understanding from what my son has learned is that they are very social - he’s friends with someone currently living there and he noted that he preferred to the honors dorms route so he wouldn’t be so distracted by invitations to party. The current honors dorm resident (I think he lives in Carrothers - that might be the name) replied " No, you will just have to ignore the invitations to go play Super Smash Brothers!"
@Jennibc My son would definitely disagree with this. He lived in Carothers last year as a freshman and absolutely hated it. The rooms are tiny, walls paper thin (constant loud music all year came through, noise cancelling headphones were his best friend!) and it was also unfortunately completely isolating. From day one doors were closed and there was no socializing on his floor. He went random on roommate selection and was with a sophomore who wasn’t interested in making new friends. By the time he realized he wasn’t with another freshman most of the honors room spots had been taken (they fill up v quickly). I think also because the Honors quad doesn’t have dining facilities it misses out on this aspect of easier social interaction too (Littlefield cafe has limited options and the hours aren’t as flexible as the other dining halls). Andrews seemed a little better but we know kids who were still very isolated there, and Blanton was the most social, although the rooms are even smaller with no sinks and beds are bunked. The Blanton common areas were also the most used (by Blanton kids). His sibling will have the option of honors housing this Fall and his older brother has unequivocally recommended that he go somewhere else. If you look on reddit threads there are many students who had the same experience in the quad. It’s really a case of just lucking out with the people you live with and around in whichever dorm you choose on campus, social or non-social, noisy or quiet.
I will also add - as I ran out of editing time - I think it makes a difference too if you have a good RA. The one my son had made minimal effort to get the kids together on his floor in Carothers. Because dorm doors can’t be left open it can be very isolating, especially in those first few days. Some RA’s (I know of at least one in Andrews) had more contact with kids, and there were group texts, follow ups, and social events organized, with reminders also of what was going on in the quad as a whole. Carothers in particular has more non-freshman residents and perhaps this was another reason my son had the experience he had.
@suzely15 I am sharing another student’s experience. I also have a friend with a daughter in the honors dorms this year and she has made a ton of friends. I think everyone’s mileage will vary depending on numerous factors.
@Jennibc “everyone’s mileage will vary depending on numerous factors”
I couldn’t agree more. I was sharing my son’s experience, and including the experiences of many friends he has.
We had a very similar experience with Carothers and would not recommend the honors housing for these among many reasons. Roommate selection does make a big difference wherever you live and the quad would for sure benefit from having a dining hall.
My son is leaning towards Jester (connecting bath) but is also considering the Honors quad. Decades ago my sister lived at Blanton and there are no sinks in the room there so the residents (then all women) left all their toiletries in a cubbyhole in the bathroom. People had to go to the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their hands so there was more interaction. Back then she described a homey atmosphere where people left their doors unlocked and all many of the residents on the floor socialized. Blanton had its own cafeteria when she lived there but it no longer does. A few years after my sister left Blanton, I moved into Jester West Community bath. I never saw anyone in the bathroom. Ever. I knew my roommate from my high school. We met one other resident near our room. We participated in the required dorm hall meetings and a few of the social events like door decorating and a secret Santa type of exchange. My experience at Jester was fine but I think the dorm experience can be what you make it. My older son lived at Jester Community Bath for a year a few years ago and he also says he never saw anyone in the bathroom. He knew his roommate and he made a lot of new friends in college but not necessarily through living at Jester. He told his younger brother to live at Jester Community bath but his brother is going to make his own choice. Older son is an engineering major but because his freshman classes were all over, the location of Jester wasn’t good or bad for his major.
@parentof3kids I think you hit the nail on the head when you write ‘the dorm experience can be what you make it’ So many young people have difficulty reaching out to their peers these days and I wonder if it is because of the rise of social media. . I frequently go on walks in the morning and pass the neighborhood bus stop where the kids waiting for the bus to local high school are all quietly scrolling on their phones. I am going to sound old, but back in my day (the 80s) the bus stop was a big social scene with lots of chatting and activity. I wonder if that’s why the dorms of your sister’s time are different than today.
The woman I know whose daughter is there this year and seems to have so many new friends was homeschooled. Many homeschooled kids tend to be really good at making new friends because they weren’t sitting in a classroom for 12 years surrounded by peers daily. If homeschooled kids want fiendships they have to proactively reach out and foster them as they don’t necessarily have that daily proximity. I am willing to bet that’s what she’s done. I know that runs against the popular misconception of homeschoolers being socially awkward, but that’s the reality.
My daughter lives in Blanton. She loves it. The rooms themselves are meh but she is having the best social experience. Not partying, but meeting tons of like minded friends. We live in Austin so I’ve met lots of them (we sometimes host a group of them coming over to the house for pizza and board games). She made many friends within the first month. Now, granted, she’s an extrovert and she really put herself out there. But it was just really easy and seamless for her.
Two more thoughts…
Early move in may also have helped with the quad social life. Those first few days, there were so few kids that the ones who were there hung out a lot. There are so many first-week activities and she said the kids all traded instagrams and coordinated meeting up for them, going out for ice cream, etc.
One other thing I like about the quad is that there is a communal kitchen. My daughter likes to bake biscuits - it’s like the one thing she had mastered, they’re amazing - and she made biscuits like 3 times the first month. People were lining up to get one and she was dubbed “BiscuitBae” lol. So that’s random, but it was a great way to break the ice. So that kitchen could come in handy for social opportunities. What college student turns down free food?