<p>Hey guys! I'm a high school senior and will very soon be applying for housing at UT. I'm hoping to get some opinions on which dorm is the best so it can help me decide which one to live in. So please let me know the following: </p>
<p>Which dorm you live in
Why you chose that dorm
What year you are in at UT
Your major (if known)
Gender</p>
<p>Thank you!!</p>
<p>-Jester East
-Honestly, this was my last choice because I applied for housing so late.
-Freshman
-Chemical Engineer
-Male</p>
<p>Opinions: Jester is not as bad as people make it out to be. I love it actually. The community in Jester is really great, I have made almost all of my friends here in Jester. It is very convenient if you are in McCombs. It is also really nice to have two of the dining halls in your dorm. The community bathroom is actually pretty nice because it is cleaned twice a day. I am in an un-renovated room (8th floor and above in East and all floors in West are un-renovated), and I actually like it because there is a lot more storage space in the rooms as compared to the renovated rooms, but the renovated rooms are nice because of the bankable beds and moveable furniture. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with Jester.</p>
<p>Checkout [College</a> Houses Cooperatives: Student Owned and Student Run](<a href=“http://www.collegehouses.org%5DCollege”>http://www.collegehouses.org) for an affordable housing option. My son lives in one of the co-ops directly across from campus an loves it. His room is huge and because it is so affordable, he does not have a room mate. He does have one suitemate who shares his bathroom.</p>
<p>Wow… my post would be pretty much identical to Highlander11’s, except I’m a sophomore. But seriously, all of the explanations about Jester East are spot-on!</p>
<p>3rd’ing the Jester praise.</p>
<p>I honestly loved it and would have stayed a 2nd year if I had the chance. Great location, great community. Everything happens down there and everything is close to there. Even if the rooms themselves were bad (which they’re not), it would be worth it just for the location and environment. I don’t know why the rumor of Jester being so terrible is still being propagated. Maybe we can stop it here?</p>
<p>Alright so looks like Jester is the best so far. When I visited UT over the summer, we went through one of the Jester buildings and I thought it was the coolest thing that everything was right there. What is the difference (if any) between Jester East and Jester West?</p>
<p>West is larger (14 floors compared to East’s 10 floors), and none of West is renovated. Floors 1-7 are renovated in East (pretty nice, but like I said, space is sacrificed).</p>
<p>More importantly, West is the one with a renovated lobby that is connected to both dining halls + Jesta Pizza which is surprisingly delicious. 3 food options=epic win. Jester East is still practically connected though</p>
<p>Bump…any other opinions?</p>
<p>Hi! I live in San Jacinto and I absolutely love it. </p>
<p>I don’t know your financial situation but if you can afford it, it’s definitely worth looking into.
-I have my own bathroom (that takes like 5 minutes to clean once every two weeks)
-My room is huge
-I have never run into an issue with storage
-It is really quiet so there is no need to ever have to go to the library and search for a place to study
-It has it’s own market and cafe that is really nice and quiet and you don’t have to wait in lines for anything
-I have never waited more than 1 minute for the elevator (compared to Jester where you would have to wait and then be stuck in an elevator with 5 other people who live in 5 different floors so it stops all the time)
-It is always clean
-It’s a two minute walk to Jester so you can enjoy the fun of Jester but come home to a nice and relaxing dorm room</p>
<p>Which dorm you live in? Jester
Why you chose that dorm? -applied late, but I love Jester because of: a) centralized location b) meet lots of people as a freshman c) it’s not nearly as bad as people make it be
What year you are in at UT? FR
Your major (if known)? Biology
Gender M</p>
<p>If given the choice to chose a dorm again, I would choose Jester (probably West though because its lobby is nicer 
)</p>
<p>Bump…come on, I know y’all have opinions!</p>
<p>San Jac
Freshman
Electrical Engineering
Freshman</p>
<p>Pretty much what Carrie said. San Jac is as nice as a hotel, which is why it’s more expensive. If you can afford it, there is no better choice, the bathroom alone is worth it. It’s worth noting that Duren is just as nice if not nicer. If your classes are further north, go with Duren. Otherwise, San Jac is close to Jester, so you’re not forced to live there but can visit. It’s also right next to the Rec center, which is arguably as nice as Gregory and MUCH less crowded.</p>
<p>I didn’t see a single dorm before I came to orientation and I’m happy the way things turned out. If you do decide to go with San Jac (or Duren) make sure you put in your housing deposit asap. By December for sure.</p>
<p>Just throwing in a possibly taboo but true observation of mine… </p>
<p>The upped price of Duren and San Jac obviously entitle you to a nicer room but there are ulterior, indirect effects of it. Living in Jester, I became accustomed to the lively, motley crowd of neighbors and dismissed it as a part of the natural diversity of UT’s student body. However, when I later wandered through San Jac, I quickly felt as though I’d walked into middle/upper-class suburbia. It was just so much quieter, so much more kempt. It’s a different atmosphere in the two dorms and it’s not the buildings that are causing it.</p>
<p>frever is right.</p>
<p>one time my best friend and i went splunking into duren to run around and see it and noticed that we forgot our top hats and monocles. </p>
<p>xD</p>
<p>My daughter is at SRD (private, but directly across the street from Duren and a block of Kingsolving) She loves it, as does everyone I have ever talked to about it. It is all girls, so if you are guy, sorry, and if you are a girl who wants co-ed living then it is not the place for you. There are plenty of guys around as they staff of dining hall in SRD is mainly male co-eds. The rooms are small, but the public areas are amazing and the study loft is crazy. It is a great transition from home to college, but if you want that party like a rock-star, I am free from parents life, Jester is where it’s at.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, do not stay in Creekside unless you’re an Engineer or Arts major, and you’re certain you will be taking Arts/Engineering classes in your first year.</p>
<p>I’m here right now, and I can say it kinda sucks apart from the clean bathroom. Room’s old and not renovated. The only thing we have that Jester doesn’t is an AC that we can control ourselves. If you want to eat you have to go to Kinsolving or Jester - none of which are particularly close. I’m here cause my roommate got assigned here as a sophomore, and he simply told me to match it up. He’s rather antisocial so he doesn’t mind the fact that no one who lives here chooses to do so.</p>
<p>We also do not have our own front desk, so if you get a package delivered to you you have to wait at least another day - usually two or three - after delivery before it arrives in the Creekside mail room.</p>
<p>The only good thing I can say about this place is that it’s peaceful outside, and I happen to have really nice RAs.</p>
<p>In my first semester I’m not taking any classes in the engineering or math areas of the campus, so nothing is nearby. I’m a mechanical engineering freshman.</p>
<p>If you’re a girl, choose Kinsolving. You won’t regret it, there’s a bus stop right across the street and the dining hall inside the building. You’re also pretty close to Guadalupe Street if you want to eat out.</p>
<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>
<p>Blanton
Honors Quad
Freshman
Chemical Engineering</p>
<p>If you can get in, the Honors Quad is a good place to live. We are a really close-knit community. We have Quad-wide events (BBQ, dances, game/movie nights), and there are good places to study in groups (in Andrews/Carothers/Blanton lobbies, Blanton attic). For quiet study, there’s the Carothers Reading Room. But generally, it’s very social here/very easy to meet people. Only thing is a lot of my friends are at Jester, so it’s a bit of a walk to get down there.
As far as food, we are really close to the Drag (one block away from Guadalupe) and Kinsolving Dining Hall. In addition, if you are an engineer, the Quad is very close to all the engineering classrooms. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I live in San Jacinto, and it’s pretty nice. As far as living conditions, cleanliness, etc. go I’d say it’s the best. I heard Duren is nice as well, but I like the location of San Jacinto a lot better. </p>
<p>The only con is it’s not a very social dorm. People pretty much keep to themselves (other than the occasional nod in the hallway, etc.). Everyone is nice, it’s just if you want to be in Jester for the parties you won’t like San Jac. </p>
<p>I would say if you can make friends outside your dorm, San Jacinto is a great choice.</p>