UT Tyler introduces Eagle's Landing

     Formerly known as Village at the U, The University of Texas at Tyler has purchased the building complex as a new on campus housing option for students! The new housing complex is now Eagle's Landing! The university is hosting a three day event creating an application drive for students to come check out the new housing available! The event is today, May 15, Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17!

Tips for Making the Most of Your Space!

So, it is finals week and between studying for exams, many people are packing up to go back home for the summer. While I am one of those people and I have been living on double shot espressos for about a week, I am already planning my decoration for my apartment for fall semester when I move back in. Why? Potentially a combination of lack of sleep, an over-abundance of creativity, and just wanting to have an entire summer to plan and organize where I want to keep things so I am not scrambling around midterms trying to find things that haven’t been moved for an entire half semester. What some call organized chaos is what others call a disaster area.

Are you going to be this guy?

When moving in to your new place, whether a dorm or an apartment, it is important to keep a few things in mind. It takes a lot longer to set your decorations up than it does to tear it all down at the end of the year when you have to move out (unless you are living there over the summer!) In honor of UT Tyler’s new housing option called Eagle’s Landing, I have made a list of helpful tips for redecorating your place while making the most of your space!

Living Off of Campus while at UT Tyler

After your freshman year, you will be faced with a very important choice; a choice that will affect the entirety of the rest of your college career.  The question? Should you continue to live on campus in dorms or should you move out on your own into an apartment or maybe even a house.  I hope that with this post I will be able to advise you a little bit and provide some firsthand experience with living on and off campus. 

 At the University of Texas at Tyler, all freshman are required to live on campus, so the only choice I had to make was whether or not I wanted to live at University Pines, Patriot Village, or in Ornelas Hall.  However, now that I am a sophomore, I no longer had to live on campus.  Thus, I decided to move out into the real world and I got myself an apartment.  

For those of you who will wish to follow in my footsteps, I warn you that there are many things that you may not think about while looking to live off campus.  For one, there are many things that will cost you a lot of money that you need to be prepared for.  For your benefit, here is a list of costs that you might have to pick up during your move:

1. Apartment Security Deposit - This can range from a small 50 dollar payment all the way to a whopping 400 dollar investment.  While you will definitely save money living off-campus, you will have to eat a couple more expensive payments in order to enjoy the full privilege of living off campus.

2. Electricity deposit - This is a similar principle as with the apartment security deposit.  Electricity companies want a way to know that you are good for a monthly payment.  This also will depend largely on what company you choose.  I had a friend who also happens to be a fellow blogger, Dallas, who had to pay 300 dollars just to get his electricity turned on.  However, it only cost me 150 dollars.  This will require much research, as you want to make sure you make the right decision. I know that this was definitely something that took me by surprise.

3. Electricity Bills - If you live at University Pines, then you will be somewhat used to paying for electricity each month.  Those who choose Patriot Village or Ornelas Hall, then you should begin budgeting money each month for electricity, as this will now eat up a lot of your monthly income.  These are also highly dependent upon which company you choose to use, but even more dependent upon your personal lifestyle.  If you are one to constantly leave lights on, then you will likely be paying more than someone who is careful to save every watt of electricity.

4. Water payments - This is the same as electricity.  No housing on campus makes you pay for water, so this will definitely be a new experience for anyone who moves from on-campus living to off-campus.  However, not all housing will charge you for water each month.  The apartment complex I live in does not force its residents to pay for water.  In the event that you do have to pay for water, the bill will also depend mostly on how you live.  If you leave the water running after you are through with it, then expect to have a high water bill.

5. Internet - If you lived at University Pines, then you will also be used to paying for your internet.  For those who lived at Patriot Village or Ornelas, then this will be a new experience for you as well.  Internet prices are largely dependent upon who you choose as your provider.  In Tyler, there aren’t a whole lot of options for internet.  I used Suddenlink, purchasing one of the higher levels of internet connectivity (30 mbps).  This alone cost 60 dollars a month.  In addition to this, I had to pay a $49.95 deposit just to turn the services on.  I almost had to pay another $49.95 installation fee, but I was fortunate to have someone point me in the direction of a coupon for free installation, so my first bill for internet only came out to about 120 dollars, as opposed to 169 dollars. 

As a disclaimer, remember that this is not everything that you need to be looking out for as you move out on your own, but this list is a good start.  I thoroughly enjoy living off campus.  For one, I feel more independent.  It is kind of cool to come home to my own apartment.  Additionally, I no longer have to purchase things like a meal plan that I was required to buy while living on campus. 

However, there certainly are a couple of things that I will miss.  First of all, I will definitely miss the close proximity to campus.  I had a bad habit of sleeping until 2 or 3 minutes before my first class, but that was ok because my buildings were literally 2 or 3 minutes away from where I lived.

In addition to that, I will also kind of miss the dining dollars that I was required to purchase at the beginning of the year, as I will no longer have an easy way to buy things from the on-campus dining facilities, but that is the least of my worries. 

All things considered, I don’t regret moving off campus, in fact, I love the community that I moved into.  However, I definitely still have some adjusting to do.  My advice to anyone considering a move into an off-campus apartment, consider heavily costs that you will incur during and even after you finish up moving, and if finances are a problem, then you might consider waiting a little bit before you make a decision.

For any additional advice, check this out.

Also, if you want some tips on how to stay cool during the summer check out one of our previous blogs by Patrick Saikin!

So Your New UT Tyler College Room-mate has a Pet?

(Also, you have a pet.)

Last week our communications team-mate, Carver, offered great advice on the responsibilities behind owning a pet while going to college. This month I have endured a similar yet very different experience- introducing an existing pet with a new, younger pet.

*Please note that if you want to own a pet, you must be living in one of the campus apartments. No mammals, reptilians, crustaceans or ichthyoids are allowed in the dorms. Sorry, fish enthusiasts.

No Ichthyoids allowed

This story began last month. As soon as summer hit, I had an insatiable desire to get a kitten. And how does one quench the urge to adopt an adorable kitten? Well, for me it was simply to adopt a kitten. I’m not particularly patient, so naturally, there were a couple issues upon bringing my new bundle of fluff home that I hadn’t really given much thought. Namely, I hadn’t thought about the more established canine member of my and my girlfriend’s apartment: her miniature dachshund, Diesel.

Burnadette: fluffiness and cat-stealth

Deisel: spirited lap dog, barks a lot

  VS

Needless to say, having two pets (of different species, what!) was definitely awkward at times. Deisel didn't like having a new animal absorbing love in the apartment, and because he got really excited around the kitten, we had to separate them for several weeks, which wasn't fun for anyone. Knowing now what I should have known then, I can offer the following advice: ie, you have to keep reading to get the advice. *wink

Having a Pet at the University of Texas at Tyler

A pretty common question people begin to ask themselves as they begin to move into their own living quarters, like an apartment, is whether or not they want to invest in a pet.  I happen to be one of those individuals, and after much deliberation on the subject, I am proud to announce that I am a new proud owner of an 8 week old Miniature Dachshund puppy named Oliver.  

Fortunately for me, my family always had a thing for animals, and we often had up to 3 dogs at any given time, so I was pretty well versed in all of the basics of puppy care.  However, as I have quickly found out, there were many things that my parents did for me in terms of caring for the dog....

Apartment Hunting!

I’m FINALLY at that stage when I’m all ready to get my big girl apartment J    I have been looking forward to this since last year! I have been living at Patriot Village her on campus since Freshman year but I am definitely ready to get more responsibility and more freedom (maybe get a  puppy  ) that comes with an off campus apartment.

Courtney's College Vlog: Off-Campus Housing

This is a tour of my off campus apartment near The University of Texas at Tyler. On-Campus housing is not the only way! Off Campus housing is what I have found to be the best fit for me and I encourage everyone to give a try towards the later part of their college career. There are perks to living both on and off campus, but for me living off campus has allowed me to gain more independence, live by my own schedule, and have the ability to make my apartment my home! Let me know what you think!

My Vlog About My College Apartment

If you come to the University of Texas at Tyler as a freshman, you are required to live on campus, but as a sophomore, junior, or senior you have many housing options to choose from. This is a vlog about where my roommates and I live!