<p>I'm visiting UT this weekend and I was wondering if anyone had any things that I should do/places to visit etc. etc. for a possible incoming freshman.</p>
<p>I'm most def gonna check out housing... any other ideas??</p>
<p>Please come back and post your thoughts/impressions. We may be considering this school next year . Thanks!</p>
<p>For housing: Check out the on-campus dorms, especially San Jacinto and possibly the ABC dorms (Andrews-Blanton-Carouthers) if your student might be in an honors program. You should check out other on-campus dorms if it is for next year because they fill up early. Our family members have always lived in off-campus housing, but I hear Jester is not the favorite dorm for most students. Your student will stay there for orientation if he/she decides to attend UT, so everyone gets to experience Jester at some point.</p>
<p>There are good off-campus dorms, too: Hardin House (girls only) and University Towers, Castilian and Dobie come to mind. They are all within walking distance of campus. Some students prefer apartments or condos. There are hundreds all over Austin that are linked to the campus with a shuttle system, but I think freshmen are better off in a dorm for their first year. It's easier to meet people and better if they don't have to handle all their living needs in their first year away from home. Some students live in apartments or condos in the Riverside area, but I think it's better for freshmen to avoid that area until they have acclimated and gained maturity.</p>
<p>UT offers several tours and orientation services. Check out <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/tours/%5B/url%5D">http://www.utexas.edu/tours/</a> for more information. You can easily spend a day walking around campus (be sure to bring good walking shoes) so the organized tours are helpful. This time of year it's a little cool by Texas standards so the daytime tours would probably be better. Night tours are great in warmer weather. Either way, tours are a good way to see UT's vibrant and welcoming campus. And if you like sports, don't miss the football stadium, basketball arena, and surrounding facilities - they are all on campus or nearby. Also nearby is a freshman admissions center, and that would be a good place to go first when you get to Austin. You can find the website here: <a href="http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/meetus/locations/fac/%5B/url%5D">http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/meetus/locations/fac/</a>.</p>
<p>If possible and you have time, try to see some of Austin, especially the areas around campus that your student might be spending time at if he/she goes to UT. I tend to be interested in the everyday things my kid will be doing - where are the available grocery stores, fast food, etc., and what are they like? What are the important civic areas? What about entertainment and nicer eating establishments for those all-important family visits? My purely personal preferences in Austin are:</p>
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<li><p>We like barbeque so don't miss the Salt Lick or County Line restaurants. We also like Ruths' Chris Steak House and the Brick Oven Italian restaurant on 12th ST - it's pretty close to campus. There are so many good Mexican food and other places to eat I won't even start naming them.</p></li>
<li><p>Check out HEB's Central Market at Lamar and 40th ST. It's a grocery store and restaurant, and a great place to get healthy food that isn't too expensive. If your student won't have a car, this would be a good time to explore the shuttle system and see how it works. Most students find it easy to get around on and use it regularly.</p></li>
<li><p>Visit the Blanton Museum of Texas History on Martin Luther King BLVD just South of the campus between the Texas Capitol and the campus. Even if your student doesn't go to UT, I think you will be glad you went. Ditto for the Harry Ransom Center on campus, especially if the Gutenberg Bible is on display. (Website here: <a href="http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/)%5B/url%5D">http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/)</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Drive from the campus South through the Texas Capitol complex (it's visible from the campus and only 8 blocks away) and then continue South on Congress AVE to the Town Lake bridge. You may want to watch the bats fly out from under the bridge at dusk, admire the many walking and bike trails that run along Town Lake, and enjoy the downtown Austin skyline. There are lots of fun restaurants that extend out from Town Lake South on Barton Springs. It would be a good place to have lunch, and then go back to the North to campus on Lamar BLVD (it runs parallel to Congress AVE). You might want to stop at the Whole Foods Market complex. You don't have to be a health food enthusiast to appreciate how this little market has flourished into a big-time business. (Here's a link: <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/lamar/%5B/url%5D">http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/lamar/</a>)</p></li>
<li><p>There's too much entertainment in Austin to name but much of it is music-related. Music, bars, and food on 6th ST, music festivals, Austin City Limits (the PBS show) is filmed here, and much more. Under-age students should avoid the bars and events that involve drinking, but there are many entertainment events on campus sponsored by the school or the student Union. Pick up a Daily Texan newspaper on campus and see what's happening while you visit.</p></li>
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<p>Finally, let me be the first to say: Welcome to Texas and we hope you have a good time.</p>