Students weigh several factors in deciding where to live during the school year — nearby options including Campus Edge, University Courtyard, Palazzo, and both Bulldog and University Village.
Destiny Parchment, a junior from Los Angeles who is majoring in food science, chose to live in University Village after spending her freshman year in the dormitories. Parchment decided on University Village, located on East Barstow Avenue and commonly known as “the UV’s” by students, due to its “easy access to campus and because it’s right behind Bulldog Stadium.”
“My friends and I can walk to games instead of searching for parking,” Parchment said.
Parchment, along with her three roommates, all have their own rooms and bathrooms. They pay $479 per month in rent with most utilities included.
Quentin Smith, a junior from Stockton majoring in business, has lived at Palazzo student housing for two years after spending his freshman year in the dorms. He believes despite the cost (rent for one room, one bathroom and a monthly parking pass costs about $600 a month, he said), it will be worthwhile once the long-awaited Campus Pointe project is completed next year.
“I decided to live at the Palazzo because it’s still close to school and the (Student) Recreation Center,” said Smith, who rooms with three other students. “the shopping center is merely a bonus.”
Javier Garcia, a junior from Live Oak who is majoring in enology, touted the comfy confines of on-campus living.
“I like the dorms because everything I need is accessible,” Garcia said. “I can walk to class, the library, the bookstore, and also to my department all within five minutes. And better yet, I can disregard the horrible traffic commute many of my friends face every morning while arriving to school.”
Garcia, who lives in a suite-style dormitory, pays $550 per month (meals and utilities are included) to share a room with two other students and a bathroom with three additional roommates who live in a separate room.
Jalen Watson, a junior from Visalia majoring in business, chose to live at Bulldog Village because of its proximity to campus, Bulldog Stadium and fast food establishments.
“While most students have to drive to find something to eat, I can step out of my apartment and head right next door to either Taco Bell or Popeyes which the majority of students can’t say that.”
