I can say wholeheartedly that Moore-Hill is one of the best dorms on campus. Since it's a small dorm (4 floors), everyone gets to know each other. I've made a ton of friends just by being in here, and my core group of friends (7 of us) are all living in our same rooms next year. The TAs are pretty cool, the janitorial staff is good, and the location is fantastic. Of course, your brother needs to assert himself to make friends. There's always the few doors that have people nested inside of them and they walk the halls silently, talking to no one. Honestly, it must be hard for them to see everyone talking to everyone else in the halls, in the study lounge, or in the TV room without being able to jump in. Also, regarding food, it's tough to make it without adding a few hundred extra depending on the kind of person you are. There's a buffet for $4.70 at Jester on the second floor called J2, and that's where a lot of people who are penny pinching or have a big appetite go. $1400 didn't last for me, I've had to add $200 extra, but then again, I have friends with $500 left, but they usually eat a few meals in their room (cereal, oatmeal, pbj).
I can attest to Dobie being a pretty good place to live, but that heavily depends on the room you get. A couple of my friends live in one of the 2 person rooms, and it's cramped beyond belief. The room is super narrow and not very long, but at least they have a bathroom. But some of the 4 person suites are amazing. They are huge and have living rooms.
As others have said, it is pretty late to get his choice of dorms. However, he should keep trying. I didn't get into my choice of dorms until the week before the semester started. They just randomly call you and tell you a room opened up, and if you want it or not. Also, within like the first couple weeks, they allow you to switch rooms if you are unhappy in your situation. It all depends on if people move out or dislike their living situations. Just keep trying to get your choice and you might get lucky.
Back when I was in school, Dobie was the preferred dorm for upper middle-class Indians. We used to call it Delhi Tower. And Nikki's Pizza down there in Dobie mall is pretty damn strong - 2 slices of cheese and a Pepsi for $4.50. The Chinese place Hoa Hoa has been going strong for many years as well. Of course, there's always the egg roll cart on 21st in front of the fountain. Fried rice, egg roll, and coke for like $3.50. I used to also frequent the Chik Fil A in the Union as well.
If it's too late to get in the dorms, they could live off-campus. I think you can find something reasonable. Part of the reason for attending school at UT / in Austin is living in Hyde Park, no?
Not if you eat 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. I looked up the meal prices and breakfast is $3.40, lunch is around $4 and dinner is around $4.50. I'm going off memory but the daily cost for all three was around $12. If you are trying to eat all week $50 gets you around $7 a day. Since you always had $$ left, did you eat less than 3 meals a day? Yes. $300 of that is Bevo bucks.
Aren't students able to bring containers into the cafeteria and save food for later in the day? By the way, if you live off-campus, I think you can also get meal plans in the dorms.
You're technically allowed one item to take out of the cafeteria, but they don't really enforce the rule.
Most undergrads who aren't on campus tend to live in West Campus, North Campus, or the Riverside area.
A word of advice: as appealing as the rents may be on Riverside, try to stay the hell away from there. I know a lot has changed since I lived over there as an undergrad and I did have a decent experience in my 2+ years living off Riverside, but it's still a hell hole imo. Plus, there's been a lot of rezoning that has taken place in west campus, so there should be more housing opportunities over there than what was available a decade ago...
No, I only ate twice a day, and sometimes I would cook my own food. There are kitchens available to students. I agree with you that if you eat 3 meals a day, you won't have enough. If you get $1400 dine-in dollars (when I went there, it was $1200 dine-in and $300 Bevo Bucks), over 18 weeks, that's roughly $75 a week. At $12 a day, it should last you about that long. But keep in mind that the average student will eat at the cafeteria twice a day, leaving you with plenty more than you need. He most likely will get a dorm, but probably not his first choice. You can get the meal plans if you live off-campus, but the meals cost more than if you were a dorm resident.
Don't live in dorms anymore but I like to swing by Jester. There's always cute freshmen girls to pickup.
Northwest Hills. Its a good distance away but prices are better, neighborhood is quieter, and sq. footage is awesome.
You are missing out. Definitely stay on campus even jester. You just have so many more people to hangout with.
