If you live on campus in UCF Housing there are a couple of things you know to be undeniably true:
1) Your roommates can be your best friends or your worst enemies
2) The cleaning people that come once a week are a god-sent
3) Doing your laundry is the definition of “the struggle”
4) Maintenance will always come at the worst possible time (usually when you are in your pajamas)
5) And going to your RA’s programs is only worth it if there is free pizza
Something you may not have considered, however, is that each different community has its own individual trials and tribulations. For instance, the Lake Claire Community does not have elevators so coming home after a late night out is always a perilous adventure up to the third floor while Towers is so far away from the rest of campus you might as well live in China. Each development has their own quirks but that is what makes them unique to the people who live there. To better understand each housing area I have decided to categorize each as a different high school stereotype in order to show the true character of all of the communities.
Apollo Community: Nerds
Apollo is the housing area that everyone seems to forget about. Nestled in between Ferrell Commons and the Mathematical Sciences building, Apollo is just kind of there. Not hurting anyone or making a big impact, Apollo residents mind it their own business. With only four buildings each two stories tall, the community gives off an “I’m just trying to make it through freshmen year un-detected” vibe. Its central location on campus makes it easy to quickly get from class to class before anyone has the chance to make fun of your oversized back pack or freshman lanyard. Plus, it is right next to the library so doing some extra studying on the weekends does not seem like a hassle! Because of its suite style layout, living in Apollo means having at least three other people who would back you up if someone ever tried to shove you in a locker and its outdoor corridors make for perfect acoustics when you need to practice your scales on the trombone.
Hercules and Nike: Football Players and Cheerleaders
Hercules and Nike would absolutely be the jocks of the high school scene, I mean, just look at their name! These communities are right next to the gym and intramural fields so it is easy for them to keep that pesky freshmen 15 off (unless they need to make some #gains) and continue conditioning for the next four years. With resident hall and apartment style floor plans, Nike and Hercules do not judge upperclassmen if they need to take the “long way around” and stay on campus as a 5th year senior since their GPA is probably lower than their carb intake. Residents here still like to have fun though, and you can always catch these guys chilling at the leisure pool or pounding brewskis with their roommates trying to relive the high school glory days.
Lake Claire Community: Hipsters
Lake Claire is the non conformist, art loving, yoga practicing community that is ideal for the hipster life. Positioned in the middle of all the different art colleges, you will more than likely see a Lake Claire resident walking around with a large camera or sketch pad while simultaneously reblogging gifs of cats on their Tumblr. This community is far away from both of the on-campus dining halls, but that is fine since Lake Claire residents would much rather eat their kale chips at home. The convenience to the Lake Claire Recreation Center means that they are never lacking in Instagram pictures on paddle boards that have been filtered to perfection, followed by a series of sunshine emojis or a song lyric you have never heard before. These are of course intentionally ironic since the hipsters that live here rarely see the light of day as their actual buildings are reminiscent of jail cells.
Libra Community: Stoners
The Libra Community, or as I call them “the Libros”, are the typical druggie pot-heads on campus. The courtyard in the middle of the community is perfect for riding around on your long board with all of your cargo-short-wearing friends or breaking out a hacky sack and just chilling. The typical Libro has at least one Bob Marley poster in their room as well as a hookah stashed somewhere the RA cannot find it. When walking in the parking lot next to this community, one can always smell a faint but oddly potent smell wafting out of car windows that tends to linger even inside the buildings. Lucky for these guys, they are right next to 63 South so when the munchies hit they are just a quick barefoot walk over to horrible pizza heaven.
Neptune Community: Try Hards
Neptune is the Gretchen Weiners of the high school cliques. Sure, your dad might be the inventor of Toaster Strudel but try as you might, you will never be a Queen Bee like Regina George. The suite style layout is perfect because Neptune residents need the safety blanket of having their friends around them at all times since they are secretly insecure, however, they have individual rooms because no way would they be caught dead sharing a living space like some mouth-breathing peasant. As the “try hard best friend” types, Neptune residents are always down to go out and have a good time, which usually means plenty of pre-gaming with the roomies followed by poor decisions like bringing someone they barely know home. This tends to get a little awkward however when a sloppy Neptune resident forgets their student ID or pass code to get into their dorm and are left having to get a tipsy lock out from their RA. It’s so fetch.
Towers: Preppy Rich Kids
Towers is the elitist popular kid community that is overflowing with future CEO’s and trust fund babies. The coolest of the cool live here when they are not spending the weekend on their yacht in the Bahamas or in their mountain house in Colorado. Residents have it made with their ~luxurious~ full-sized beds and dishwashers, they basically live like royalty. Located far away from the rest of the on-campus plebeians, Towers is its own kingdom so distant from central campus you would think they were scared of catching the plague from us. Each room has loads of closet space to hold all of their awards, trophies, ribbons, sashes, crowns, and anything else they have saved from their life of perfection. Towers is the envy of all, they basically have Jimmy Johns at the snap of a finger! But it is ok, having to share a bathroom keeps the residents humble #startedfromthetop #stillthere.
Of course there are exceptions to all of these stereotypes (just like real high school) but in all of my experience with UCF Housing, these hold pretty true. So before you decide to renew your housing for next year, make sure you are sticking to the status quo ;)