After taking some time to destroy my finals (and vice-versa), I sit back at my computer, relaxed and ready to make some noise on the web (and the Millennium Lab) again. Summer shines its face upon Austin again, whether you’re driving along Mopac watching the green leaves of the trees waving at you as a smooth summer breeze floats by or watching the sun smile upon the lake as you stroll along the Congress Avenue Bridge.  As such, my next several entries will be shorter so that I can go outside.

This next series, as promised, will address some questions I sometimes hear from incoming students. Because a mixed audience may be reading this (1^st years, 3^rd years, and 5^th years), I will try to avoid over-generalizing and be more specific on my thoughts on each of my outlooks.

First, though, a couple of tidbits from the past couple of weeks:

Dallas Mavericks

I admit: I was a doubter of the Mavs and have been for the past five years or so, especially after that debacle against Miami in the finals. After praising the Lakers since the off-season—the 1980 off-season—Mavs fans have my full attention. Please don’t ask me to root against Kevin Durant though…

Kutcher to Replace Sheen

Warner Brothers announced that Ashton Kutcher will replace the estranged Charlie Sheen on the CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men.” Kutcher is best known for his parts in “That 70s Show” and “Punk’d.” Kutcher will have to undergo a blood test before he is officially signed on as part of a new policy initiated by the Warner Brothers legal counsel to check for abnormally high levels of tiger blood. (#kidding)

Vocabulary Boost?

Merriam Webster published a list of words to add pizzazz to your everyday vocab. These words are supposed to add an extra kick of sophistication and spice to your conversation skills.

Anyway, on to topic…

Where do I live?

I get this question from incoming Longhorns pretty frequently. Honestly, it’s a matter of taste. Some people like quiet, some people like proximity, some people like partying, some people like price. Here are my thoughts on the subject…

On-Campus

If you’re a freshman, I would 100% recommend living on campus. (Actually, that goes for transfers too.) Aside from studies showing that GPAs are higher when you live on campus, there are a lot of other living adjustments that you will be taking the time to make that you don’t really want to deal with during this adjustment period.

The best part of living on campus is the proximity. No matter where you live, you are no more than a fifteen minute walk away from anywhere on the 40 Acres. Other benefits include a meal plan. This fact is frequently overlooked. While University Housing’s prices may seem like a lot, they do include food, making the affordability a lot more conceivable. Aside from the price of food though, there are two additional considerations: convenience of food and balanced diet. While I admit there is no gourmet dining on-campus, I can guarantee that meals will be ready for you and that you will be providing your body the nutrition it needs in order to perform well in the rigor of classes. So don’t think that living in an apartment will necessarily yield better food, because once you realize that time it takes to actually pick up groceries and cook the food, you may see your food choices take a hit during stressful stretches.

As a former resident of Jester, there was nothing better than having the library across the street to my left, the business school diagonally, the gym right in front of me, and the stadium just down the block. Guadalupe St. (“The Drag”) was only a seven minute walk away, and several of the downtown bus routes flow there, which you can ride free with your UT ID Card.

West Campus

I personally am not a West Campus person. The folklore of West Campus is unquestionable though. That’s were all the action is, and it offers similar proximity to campus, being on just the other side of Guadalupe St. Thus, you capture a lot of the same pros as living in the residence halls.

The downfall of West Campus is that it is prime real estate, so expect to pay a small premium for living there. The area also has a reputation for being high-party, so it may or may not present a hindrance for intense studying. However, with Plucker’s and Cain & Abel’s food and drink establishments just a few blocks away, that risk may be worth it.

North Campus

Yeah, this is my neighborhood. I would say that North Campus is almost broken up into two sides: North Campus and Hyde Park. Pricing can get kind of interesting because of this distinction, Hyde Park considered “historic.” Thus, you might see a small house or apartment, and it might have a super price on it because of its history. Furthermore, as you go further North into the Hyde Park area, the need for a car increases (as opposed to the option of having a car in, say, West Campus). Nevertheless, there are areas of North Campus that are walkable, as it only takes me fifteen minutes to walk to McCombs from my place, and buses flow through Red River, Duval, and Speedway, so public transit is still an option. The last pro is the H-E-B in North Campus, which is where you would probably end up buying groceries no matter which of the campus areas you chose to live (unless you went to the Whole Foods downtown, which is probably an equal length trip).

Riverside

Riverside offers a plethora of living options. The catch is that is several miles south of downtown. Because of this added distance, however, prices tend to be a lot friendlier. Being its own neighborhood too, there are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores nearby. If the distance does not bother you, this is a pretty good option, especially if you have a car. (I personally tend to spend huge amounts of time at McCombs, so walking distance appeals to me.)

How did you come up with these neighborhoods?

The UT Shuttle Service offers routes. I do not know about all of them in detail, but if you do not have a car, then this shuttle becomes very important. The routes are: (1) West Campus, (2) Red River, (3) Cameron Rd., (4) Intramural Fields, (5) Crossing Place, (6) Wickersham Ln., (7) North Riverside,(8) Lakeshore, (9), Lake Austin, (10) Enfield Rd., (11) East Campus, and (12) Far West. (#5-#8 are Riverside Routes.) The UT Shuttle route descriptions are here, and Capital Metro’s other routes may also influence this decision. I just hit the areas that I was more knowledgeable about and in a position to recommend.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a freshman, live on campus. It’s not luxurious, but you’re not here on vacation.

Know what responsibilities moving to an apartment actually entails before moving into one. You can only assess what your workload will be once you have a year or two under your belt. (And yes, the E-Bus that goes downtown drops off right by the residence halls too, so don’t feel that living on campus will impair your partying potential.)

When deciding what you want in an apartment, think about what you want during Finals Week. For example, nothing seems bad to me right now—I just finished exams and whatnot; however, during finals or case competitions, I can be at school for twenty straight hours, so the concept of How much would I pay to be close to school? becomes important. Be in a place that matches you. If you’re an incoming 5^th year, do you want to be in a party atmosphere or a quiet place, will you have a car, or how much can you sacrifice for just one year? Either way, no matter where you live, remember that you can enjoy Austin from any neighborhood because most of the time you spend probably won’t be inside your place.

Anyways, the blue skies are smiling at me. If you have a follow-up question, feel free to leave a comment below: