As a student at the University of Florida, I understand the stress of looking for the right student housing option. The location that you live in impacts your college experience greatly, so it’s extremely important to consider your location options before making a final decision.
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Among other reasons to live close to campus, it just makes your college experience much more accessible. Being steps away from your desired destination makes everything easier, and you save so much money on transportation costs.
To make it simple, we’ve compiled a list of the top five benefits of living close to the UF campus.
5 Benefits of Living Near the University of Florida
1. You can walk everywhere.
Walkability is so important at UF because access to parking is extremely limited. Being able to walk to class, the library, restaurants and bars is so convenient, and it enables you to be out-and-about much more.
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Students spend a lot of time on campus, working on assignments and going to class.
Luckily, the UF campus is pretty condensed, and if you live near the heart of campus, you should be able to walk to all of your classes, aside from a few exceptions including higher level courses and graduate program classes.
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2. If you can’t walk, you can probably get there for free.
If you can’t walk to your classes, you’ll have to take an RTS bus, drive or bike to campus, which can sometimes take more time than walking because of traffic.
But, the good news is the RTS bus system is free for UF students. Just make sure to bring your UF ID as your ticket onto the bus!
For more information about the RTS bus system and routes that are offered, you can visit the City of Gainesville Transportation website.
Another free transportation option at UF is the SNAP buses. SNAP, which stands for Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, is a free, nighttime bus service provided through the university that takes students through campus and surrounding areas.
SNAP works similarly to Uber and uses an app to call drivers and make stops. SNAP is only available from 6:30pm-3am, but it’s a great option for students living on campus who do not want to walk at night.
For more information on SNAP services, visit the UF Transportation and Parking Services website.
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3. Most housing is catered towards students.
One major pro of living near campus is that most apartments near campus are built for students. This means they tend to offer more amenities geared toward students, like rooftop pools, and they offer individual leases rather than traditional leases.
Sweetwater offers a state-of-the-art fitness space full of natural light and perfectly equipped for weight training or a cardio day.
Another plus of living at student housing apartments is that leases align with the school year. Most leases begin in August and end in July, so move-in is right before the beginning of the Fall semester.
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4. You’re more likely to be involved.
When you live near campus, you’re able to spend less time figuring out transportation and more time on campus. This means you can be more involved on campus and join more campus organizations.
At UF, involvement is heavily encouraged, and most students are involved in at least one club/organization. Additionally, many students try to TA for classes or work on campus. Both of these things are much easier to do when you live close enough to walk to campus.
5. You’re right at the center of it all.
Students at UF tend to spend a lot of time on campus, whether that’s spent studying at the library, eating at Chick-fil-A or going to class.
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Students love hanging out in the football stadium.
When you live near campus, you also live near all of the restaurants, bars and coffee shops that surround the campus. Some popular places near campus include Concord Coffee, Chipotle and Nekter Juice Bar.
At UF, there’s always something going on around campus, like speaker events sponsored by the student government or sporting events. Living near campus makes it much easier to attend these events, even if you sleep in and you’re running late.
As a top five public university, UF has so much to offer and living near all of the action makes it so much better.
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We hope that this article helped you better understand why living near campus is so desirable.
If you have any questions about living near campus or would like to know more about what else is located near campus, please contact the leasing staff at Sweetwater, who would be happy to help answer all of your questions.
