Hey guys. I am most likely going to UT in the fall as a nursing major and I have to turn in my housing contract tomorrow. What are some good dorms to put down as preferences?
Here are mine: 1) Duren 2) Moore-Hill 3) Jester East 4) Jester West
Thoughts on this?
@Lilac008 To accept your housing contract, you have to pay the deposit. You have until July 1 to indicate or change your housing preferences, so don’t stress about what you choose today.
Thoughts on dorms:
Duren - nice, newest residence hall on campus, also one of the most expensive because it private/shared bathrooms (no community bath), located in the far NW corner of campus, quiet, less interaction between residents because there’s no shared bathroom
Moore-Hill - older, it’s the biggest “small” dorm on campus, great location near Gregory Gym, DKR Stadium, Jester, etc. Residents are very active and involved. Unless the process has changed since 2013, you can’t actually request Moore-Hill; you can only request the group of residence halls in that area (Waller Creek).
Jester East and West - these are large, high-rise style residence halls, there are many mixed reviews, it’s like a city in itself with lots of activity which some residents love and others don’t.
There’s a lot of information about each living community and residence hall here.
http://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/index.php?site=1&scode=4&is_main=1
Like everything in life, I’m sure you can make it a great experience no matter where you live. Good luck!
My son is currently in Duren and is returning to Duren next year. He likes Duren not only for the private bath but because you control your own thermostat. He stayed at Jester during freshman orientation and he was extremely hot the entire time. You don’t get to control your thermostat at Jester. We keep our home tstat at 70 degrees so unless you are used to a hot environment, I would suggest picking a newer dorm where you can control your tstat. The only good thing that I hear about Jester is Wendys, coffee shop and J2. You will have fun and friends at any dorm. Hope this helps.
Jester can be a crazy, party atmosphere depending where you are. There is a lot going on, even some classes there. What about San Jacinto? Everything Duren has but a different location (which you make like better or worse).
To echo what @FloMoMom said: Moore-Hill has a great location & community. Duren is only a few years old, so it’s nice, but it is kind of a hike from most of the rest of campus and is harder to get to know people unless you make an effort.
I don’t know anyone who actually requested Jester & wouldn’t recommend it. You get enough of the crowd scene just getting through the day at a school the size of UT without having to try to sleep in it, too.
My son lived in Moore-Hill the first year. Older dorms with community bath. It has a good location close to food courts (at Jester and San Jacinto), library, gym, freshman classes and tutoring sessions at Jester. They also did a lot of activities together.
The second year he stayed at Duren as it’s close to the engineering building. Newer, nicer and more expensive rooms with a private bath (that you have to clean). Food court at (Kinsolving) and lots of places to eat at nearby Guadalupe Street (The Drag).