Dorm life differs greatly from dorm to dorm. The dorms with private baths, though more private and nicer, are significantly less social than those with community restrooms. It must have something to do with the fact that people are simply out in the halls more often, but community bath dorms (especially the smaller dorms) are more social than San Jacinto or Duren (the two private bath dorms on campus). Jester is a very, very large dorm and always has a lot going on. It can sort of smell like pee sometimes though. When it comes to food, avoid J2 and eat at Jester City Limits instead (more expensive but the food is better).
The athletic events are very popular, football especially. Our sports teams are all very good, several ranking in the top 10 nation wide. Guest speakers are somewhat popular, especially when it is someone really interesting like the Dali Lama, Bill Clinton, or other influential heads of state.
The dating scene is pretty good. With such a large number of college-age people (there are several other smaller colleges and community colleges close to UT), dating is pretty easy. You just need to go where the type of person you want to meet would hang out. If you like the club-kid types, go to the clubs. If you’re into the nerds, try the library or honors organization. You get the point.
Meeting friends is also pretty easy. I met most of my friends from my classes. It is pretty easy to bond with a new friend when your both getting destroyed by the hardest test of either one of your lives. Organizations are also good places or simply through some of your other friends you already have.
People tend to stay up late here. I know I’m a little on the extreme side, but during the week I average around 4-5 hours of sleep (the weekends is all about catch-up). If I’m up at 2am on a Tuesday, I’m either studying for some killer exam or hanging out with some friends at someones apartment.
Traditions are common at UT. The Torchlight Parade (before the OU game) and the Hex Rally (before the A&M game) are two football traditions that we have for our two main rivals (Texas always does it bigger, who else had two huge rivals). There are also other things that happen yearly like ACL and South by Southwest (see above), Come to UT (for Freshmen mainly), and tons of other University sponsored events (there is ALWAYS something going on).
People do party here a lot (we don’t get ranked in the top 10 national for nothing). Most weekends, I end up party hopping with friends all around West Campus, a major student apartment/house area just west of campus (hence the name). My last weekend consisted of a surprise party for one of my friends on Friday followed by pre-drinking at a party and a rave at one of the co-ops (a kind of student housing) on Saturday night.
If you don’t want to drink on a Saturday night, simply go out and have fun with everyone else. You don’t really need to worry too much about MIPs or anything like that in West Campus. Police are pretty chill in West Campus and will simply give warning at the most (unless you do something to really make them mad). Your friends will always appreciate you if you’re the sober one because although we drink (a lot), we tend to be pretty safe about it and having a resident DD (designated driver) is a good thing in a group of friends (here’s a shout out to you Kyle). Just remember to ALWAYS drink/smoke/etc. responsibly!!!
Greek life if apparent on campus, but it is not a necessity. I am not a big fan and try to avoid the frat scene as much as possible. The only people who really think Greek life is a big deal are those people in the fraternities and sororities.
There is also a ton to do off campus. There is a lot of shopping. There are high-end stores in The Domain in North Austin while SoCo (South Congress) has some urban, local shops that have some chic and trendy clothes for those who are looking for something a little more unique. There is also a bunch of shopping on 2nd street, the Drag and the Arboretum. Bands come through Austin all the time, so catching a live show of one of your favorite known or relatively unknown bands is always a good weekend treat. There are also a bunch of local bands that play regularly that have developed a pretty good following. Music really is the heart of the city. Austin also has some pretty cool parks for the tree-hugging hippies like myself. Hiking up Mt. Bonnell is always fun and the view is great. There is canoeing/kayaking on Town Lake (now they call it Lady Bird Lake, but most students/Austinites go by Town Lake still). Zilker Park is a popular hangout of many nature goers also. Austin really is the gem of Texas as far as I’m concerned (sorry San Antonio), and I wouldn’t want to be any other place.