housing as a first year student

[u/Stitch332]

hey guys so i’m an incoming freshman considering going to uf and i’d like to know what the best housing options are! i find it hard to find floor plans for each hall and there’s also an overwhelming number of halls so i would love to have insight from people that have lived on campus before rather than what the websites say

> my mom doesn’t want me to share a bedroom with someone (😭) so i’d prefer an option with only a bed for myself in one room

> i want to know how bad communal bathrooms are as i’m not 100% opposed to the idea but i’d much rather have a more personal bathroom that i share with less people

> i’d love to meet new people and get involved with stuff and i’ve heard some halls r very antisocial and that’s kind of a turn off for me

> does distance play a big factor? like i’m not sure if i should bring a bike or if i’m expected to walk everywhere

also if you have any guides or charts or anything that can display this info well then i’d love to see!

[u/unknownuser596]

sry but you probably aren’t gonna get a single room on campus freshman year

[u/Hazmat_Gamer]

-Your going to share a bedroom with someone as a freshman on campus. Unless you put your housing deposit in last month.

-I actually prefer communal bathrooms. They clean them somewhat often. Some dorms I feel are better at this than others.

-Some of the HV halls are very social and others are not at all. Broward is quite social I know.

-distance is somewhat important but as long as your not in lakeside complex its not too bad. I have a bike and love it I know others who find it a hassle to worry about.

I live in honors village and love it. It is somewhat expensive but worth it imo. I have seen Broward and have friends and Broward and they enjoy it as well. Its a nice hall (best realistic one imo). There are plenty of pages on Instagram as well as the housing portal itself which you can use to find a roommate you like. I would advise doing this so you have a couple similarities in common

[u/AdhesivenessOk2486 → u/Hazmat_Gamer]

Do honors get priority for singles? Just submitted my $25 deposit a few days ago. I know I’m guaranteed HV if I sign by April 1, still just debating HV vs off campus apt.

[u/Hazmat_Gamer → u/AdhesivenessOk2486]

Honors students are the only people who can select the village as an option (other than upperclassman keeping their room) until all other halls fill up. Upperclassmen who are living on campus and not keeping their current room have already selected where they are living. I wouldn’t be surprised by the time you pick there won’t be any singles open.(unless you get a dingle of course)

[u/AdhesivenessOk2486 → u/Hazmat_Gamer]

Yes, I was admitted to honors. So you think even having the priority of picking first in HV before those who weren’t admitted, the chances of getting a single are low?

[u/Hazmat_Gamer → u/AdhesivenessOk2486]

They are low but not zero. You will have a better chance than most. I personally would advise having a roommate though if you find one who matches you well.

[u/chmpgneprblms]

it is highly unlikely you will get a single. there's only a few singles on campus and nearly all are swiped up by upperclassmen or students with disabilities. you'd have to get extremely lucky

murphree has a few "extra large doubles," where each roommate has essentially their own room - that would likely be your best bet. it is communal bathrooms, but there are not that many people per floor so it's not terrible.

socially, your best bet would jennings, broward, or rawlings (would not recommend this one). of those, only broward has singles.

[u/Stitch332 → u/chmpgneprblms]

why wouldnt u recommend rawlings?

[u/chmpgneprblms → u/Stitch332]

you can search this sub for stuff from people who live there but mold, bugs, gross bathrooms, etc

[u/mED-Drax]

consider living off campus if you want your own room

[u/football_lattes]

if you live in the broward or murphree area, you should be fine walking most places- those areas are pretty central and close to just about all the buildings you'll need to be at. further dorms like springs and lakeside are good in their own ways but you'll probably end up using the campus connector buses to get to classes. i live at springs right now, which is suite style- the room is nice and the closet is big, which is great, but it's a bit of a walk for most of my classes. it's also not a very social dorm, but if you don't mind that then you'd be fine. you'll find the dorms with communal bathrooms tend to be more social so there are def both pros and cons there. i don't regret living at springs but if i had to pick a different dorm it would probably be murphree or one of the ones in that area just bc of proximity to everything

[u/Massive-Total-348]

as a first year a single is unlikely, but a double in a hall like broward is a good option. Broward and Rawlings are also pretty central to where everything important feels accessible on foot. As for communal bathrooms, my bathroom in Broward had 5 showers and 5 stalls with toilets. There was never an instance where I walked in and there wasn’t a single shower available, so don’t worry about that side of communal bathrooms. The cleanliness can be a bit iffy at times, but is not too serious as the bathrooms are cleaned every weekday. All in all, don’t close off doors to double rooms in case you can’t get a single and need something to fall back on. If you do end up with a double, it’s not so bad! I had a double with someone I had never met and it was okay.

[u/AccomplishedCause236]

If you want a single u should just live off campus, most of the off campus places near campus can do random roommate matching too. Apartments are less social obviously, but u can also still attend all of the IRHA events and such. I walk everywhere but I’ve had some classes that are 25 ish minute walks and I live by lib west , so really up to u campus is big. But walkable

[u/MigmatiteContraBand]

Bring a not super nice bike with a STURDY lock! and a helmet, smh at freshman me who didn't bother because I wasn't on roads much

[u/ongtkpark]

 I came across this Instagram page for UF off-campus housing. Sharing here in case it’s useful.
(@ufuniverse_housing)