Laura: What was that like going from a house full of girls to living with just one other person in an apartment?

Audrey: Something about the sorority house I always joke about is it’s really hard to find a place to cry. I’d have to, like, go out on the porch in the middle of the night and, like, silently cry. So, that was nice having my own room, being able to shut the door.

Laura: You can cry all you want.

They say college is the best four years of your life, and where you live, and who you live with, is a big part of what makes it so great. I’m Laura. I talk with students across the country about their college living experiences. The good, the bad, and the memorable. So you can learn from them and truly make these your best four.

This episode is brought to you by Rambler Austin. Rambler is a student apartment located in West campus, just blocks away from the University of Texas. Y’all, this place is stunning. The first time that I walked in, I was absolutely blown away. I want you to think Tulum meets Austin meets retro. Also the amenities are insane. 

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Today I’m here with Audrey. Hi, Audrey. Thank you for being here.

Audrey: I’m so excited to be here.

Laura: Yeah, so I know we know each other but for our listeners and people that don’t know you, can you tell me a little bit about yourself? And you’ve just recently graduated from UT.

Audrey: Yes. So, I am a UT Austin graduate, which is crazy to say. It still doesn’t feel real. So, I just graduated in May. I was a corporate communications major and a media and entertainment industries minor. Um, I was in a sorority. I had the best, like truly, I did have the best four years. And, um, I think a lot of people ask me like, how does it feel to be graduated?

And I think I had such a great experience that it was easier to say goodbye to that. There was nothing more I could have asked for in my college experience.

Laura: And you’re originally from California, right?

Audrey: Yes. So I grew up in Cal, I grew up in Houston and then I moved to California when I was in eighth grade, and, um, went to high school there and then decided to, I always knew I wanted to go out of state or just like kind of far from home. Um. And so that was part of my decision of going to UT was that.

Laura: Yeah. So, you’ve kind of talked a little bit about your decision already, but what was the process like of applying to UT and getting accepted and finding a place to live? 

Audrey: I look back on senior year of high school. I think it’s one of the hardest years of high school, just because there’s so much uncertainty. 

Um, and looking back, I don’t know why I applied to the schools that I did. I feel like I didn’t even apply to that many schools or the schools that I should have. Like UT, looking back, UT was really the only choice for me. But it’s kind of difficult to get an out of state and I wasn’t expecting it. Um, and so it wasn’t until I got in that I was really considering UT. 

And once I got in, I immediately came and toured. I had never been here before. Um, and it was right before COVID too. So I came here when it was still like normal.

Laura: And Moody, the Moody college was a big part of why you wanted to go to UT, right? Audrey: Yeah. So I, I knew I wanted to be a communications major because it was very broad and I had no idea what I wanted to do. 

And so I, um, applied to Moody because UT was one of the only schools that I was looking at that had a full on communications college. A lot of communications majors can be within the business schools. Um, but I, at that time, I have a YouTube channel, so at that time I was already doing YouTube videos, and I was interested in film as well, and that’s within the Moody College of Communication, so it just combined, like, creativity and communications. 

Laura: And then you got into UT. 

Audrey: Yes.

Laura: And then you decided to live at Duren your first year?

Audrey: Yes. So, when I got into UT, I didn’t know anyone. I I grew up in Texas, but I didn’t know anyone close to me that had gone to UT. Um, and so I decided to live on campus in an on campus dorm called Duren. And I was so set on living on campus. 

I think I just really wanted the freshman year dorm experience. And I didn’t realize that at UT you can get that experience off campus. And so that made it kind of difficult for me to find roommates too. Um, so I was looking for roommates and I was going through the Facebook groups and Instagram and no one wanted to live on campus.

And so it was difficult for me to find someone who wanted to live in Duren with me. I wanted to live in either Duren or San Jacinto because they both have private bathrooms. And so I talked to, I think, 17 girls before I found my roommate

Laura: And you were looking for somebody who also wanted to rush too, right? 

Audrey: So I knew I wanted to rush. Um, and that was kind of my only like qualification and, um, I ended up finding my roommate through Instagram. She was from Lubbock. So I liked that she was from Texas and I was coming in out of state. Um, and we met through Instagram and we lived in, she was the only person that wanted to live in Duren.

Um, but it worked out perfectly. Like I loved my freshman year roommate. Living at Duren, it was very quiet. But, um, I had a good experience. However, if I could go back, I would live somewhere else. Laura: So you said that you wouldn’t live at Duren again. So looking back, is there anything that you wish you would have known before coming to UT as an out of state student?

Audrey: Yeah, I think I wish I would have done a little more research of where people live. Um, I think I only did research through UT. And so they were just talking about the on campus dorms. And so I didn’t really know about the off campus dorms and that it’s still the same vibes of a freshman dorm that I was looking for, just off campus and where like all my friends lived in freshman year. 

I was one of the only people I knew that lived on campus. Um, and so I wish I would have done that especially because my freshman year was in 2020 and things weren’t very social. My dorm was very quiet and I think I would have met more people if I lived somewhere where other people were living that were like me. 

Laura: Yeah, and for people that don’t know about dorms at UT, like what are some of the other dorms besides Duren? And what are some of the big differences between them based on your experience? 

Audrey: Yeah, so a lot of my friends lived at Castillian or Callaway, which I feel like are two popular dorms amongst people who are rushing and greek life. Um, same with Hardin House. I, no one my age of my friends really lived there, but my little lived at Hardin.

Laura: It’s hard to get into Hardin, right? 

Audrey: Yes. I, and same with SRD. So there’s also the Scottish Rite Dormitory. And you need to have a referral or a recommendation or something. Um, and I actually had that for SRD, but again, I was just so set on living on campus. Um, but Duren is actually right across the street from SRD, so I got really close with the girls. Hardin and SRD are both all girls dorms. Um, so it’s a lot of sorority girls.

And, so I was over there, I was really over at other people’s dorms often, so it wasn’t the end of the world. And it was kind of nice to have a quiet space to go home to, but I think I would have met more people outside of my sorority if I lived in one of those dorms. Laura: Right. Yeah. And so you mentioned that, Castilian and what was the other? 

Audrey: Callaway.

Laura: Callaway and SRD are ones that girls who want to rush?

Audrey: Yes, and Castilian and Callaway are co-ed and then SRD’s all girls. But I do feel like it’s a lot of Greek life people. And when I was looking for a roommate, I did notice that. It was like, I’m rushing in the fall and I’m looking for a roommate in Castilian and I’m looking for a roommate in Callaway. And I just, I don’t know, looked past that and did not put two and two together.

Laura: Yeah, so looking back, you would probably have lived in SRD or one of those other dorms?

Audrey: I think I would have loved to live in SRD just because it is all girls. And when I was over there, I would go over there a lot for like pregames and seeing my friends and they have a pool to tan at. Um, and I just really liked that, like, all girl community. And I think I would have met a lot of girls outside of my sorority. 

Laura: Is Duren co ed? 

Audrey: Yes.  But Duren was just really quiet. And I think partially because of COVID, a lot of people didn’t live on campus. Um, because a lot of people just didn’t come to school that year. 

Um, so I met absolutely no one in my dorm. Like, it was just, it felt like it was just me and my roommate in that building.

Laura: Yeah, so how did you, like, make friends your freshman year? 

Audrey: Really, it was through my sorority. Like, I rushed, um, and there were a few times in that first couple weeks where me and my roommate would try to reach out to people we saw, like, walking around campus and asking them to go eat at the dining hall together. 

Um, but really the friends that stuck were the girls in my sorority. Laura: Yeah, and then your sophomore year you lived off campus, right? 

Audrey: Yes, I lived in my sorority house, um, which I also really loved because it was kind of a dorm. I was going from a dorm to a very similar dorm living style. So it’s a house of 50 girls.

I share a room. Um, we have a chef, so it’s kind of like dining hall food. Like I don’t have access to a kitchen. Um, so I liked that aspect of it. When I was rushing, I did consider going. I asked sororities what year they lived in, and that was like a big decision-

Laura: Of what year they lived in the house? 

Audrey: Yes, of which house I chose.

Laura: And so sophomore, you rushed AKO, right? 

Audrey: Yes, so I rushed Alpha Chi, and they live in sophomore year. Um, which I loved the idea of. And also, in West Campus and at UT, people sign leases so early, like in the fall. So when you’re a freshman, a fall, a fall semester, you don’t really know who you want to live with, and, like, your friends. 

And so it was just easy to say, oh, I’m living in the sorority house and I’ll find a roommate that’s one of my sorority sisters and I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Laura: And so other houses have like a point system to live in the house. Is that how it works at Alpha Chi or is it different?

Audrey: Yes. Um, most everyone who wants to live in the house gets to live in the house and the point system is more for what kind of room you get. So me and my roommate, we were super involved so we had a lot of points, and we got like one of the rooms of the balcony, which is what we wanted.

Laura: And so when did you decide to live in the house? Like, or when did you sign?

Audrey: I always wanted to live in the sorority house. That was like a big reason why I rushed. Like I knew going into college, I wanted to live in my sorority house. And so when Alpha Chi, like said, sophomores usually live in, it was kind of just, I did not consider any other option. And fall of fall semester. I want to say probably like two or three months in. 

Laura: Okay, and that’s when they make the decision of who’s gonna live in the house? 

Audrey: Yeah, they make it pretty early, especially just because if you don’t get in the house, you have to get a lease at an apartment. And they know in West Campus, it like happens fast.

Laura: Do you know if that’s the same for other sororities too? They do it pretty early?   

Audrey: I’m guessing so, yeah. But I don’t know for sure.

Laura: Yeah, because it is pretty, like, competitive. You have to sign your lease really early in West Campus. And I also want to talk about going from on campus to West Campus. And what was your experience like?

Audrey: I, like, loved it. Um, Duren is on, it’s on Guad. So it’s very close to West Campus. It’s pretty much the closest you could get living on campus. 

Um, so it, um, I wasn’t in like, San Jac or Jester, which is by the stadium. So I already had a pretty short walk to West campus, but I really liked just being by people. 

Like I remember freshman year, I would always go over to my friend’s dorms who lived in West Campus, and I would have to walk home alone. And it was like a really far walk and just, like, it was just something I didn’t have to consider anymore living in West Campus and living near other people.

Laura: And those West Campus dorms were Castilian and? 

Audrey: Callaway. Yeah, and then SRD is like kind of in there.

Laura: You had a good experience living in the Alpha Chi house? Audrey: Yes, I did. I loved it. I think it’s such a unique experience living in a huge house with a bunch of girls. Um, and I always recommend it to anyone and I actually thought I was going to live in junior year because I was running for an exec position and the position I was running for you had to live in the house. 

And so I was all set to live in a second year. And some of my friends were running for exec positions too, so we were just going to live in together. And then I didn’t win my exact election. And so that was kind of super last minute in terms of West campus. I think it was in October. 

Um, and I lost my election and I was like, okay, I don’t need to live in the house, but also who am I going to live with because all my friends who weren’t going to live in the house already signed leases. So that was stressful. 

Laura: And you ended up at Waterloo? 

Audrey: Yes. So, um, I, I,  the process happened so quickly. Just again, I feel like signing leases in West campus. Um, so I had one friend, Leah, who hadn’t signed yet and she was thinking about living with five other girls. And I was like, would you want to just live with me in a two by two? Um, and I convinced her. And so we signed a two bedroom at Waterloo.

Laura: Why did you want to go from, like, living in a house with so many girls and being ready to do that again and then saying, like, no, I just want to live with one other person?

Audrey: I think it was just the people. Like, in my sorority, I knew all those girls versus my options to live with more girls. It was people I didn’t know. And so I wanted to live. I’d rather just live with one friend versus more people that I didn’t know.

Laura: Yeah, definitely. And what was that like going from a house full of girls to living with just one other person in an apartment?

Audrey: Yeah, it was really nice at first. I loved having a kitchen. I just loved the quiet space. Something about the sorority house I always joke about is it’s really hard to find a place to cry.

Laura: Would you go in a closet?

Audrey: Yeah. I’d have to like go out on the porch in the middle of the night and like silently cry. 

So that was nice having my own room, being able to shut the door. Um, but just also the kitchen and just having like silence, really, because in the house you didn’t. Yeah. Um, but now looking back at that year after I’ve had senior year of living with friends, it can get really lonely if you don’t put yourself out there and you don’t make plans to see other people. 

It’s very easily, I would see my roommate and sometimes those days she would be the only person I would see if I didn’t leave the house that day. So, I feel like it’s, has pros and cons.

Laura: Yeah, and did a lot of other Alpha Chi’s live at Waterloo or? Or was it?

Audrey: Um, yes. Yeah. So one of my best friends lived a couple floors down, um, and she had signed her lease in I think June or July, um, before sophomore year.

So she was one of the people that I was like, okay, she’s not running for exec. She’s living in a, she’s living with three other Alpha Chi’s. Um, and yeah, some other girls. I think we were, a lot of girls lived at, um, The Standard too. So it was kind of like, half and half I would say.

Laura: How did you hear about Waterloo?

Audrey: I was a brand ambassador for Waterloo. Um, so I

Laura: What was that experience like?

Audrey: I loved it. 

Laura: What did you do? 

Audrey: Um, as a brand ambassador, we, like, kind of posted content. And they had a lot of brand ambassador events for us. This beautiful leasing office that I could go get, free Daydreamer coffee every day. 

And that was just the best. And, um, I got so used to that all of sophomore year. And so being around it, um, as a brand ambassador, I had learned about all the great amenities. It was a brand new building. Um, the leasing office was gorgeous. I knew the building was going to be gorgeous. And, I, the only reason why I didn’t want to live there was because I wanted to be on exec for my sorority. 

And so when I didn’t have that, Waterloo was really the only other. It was either I was going to live, find a place in Waterloo, or I was going to live in the house.

Laura: Yeah. So you were a brand ambassador at Waterloo before you decided to live there?

Audrey: Yes, yeah. 

Laura: Okay. And is that pretty common in West campus at UT for there to

be brand ambassadors at buildings, or was this kind of like a new?

Audrey: I think it was definitely a new thing. Um, I think it was common for people to be leasing agents at apartments. And that’s kind of like, if you’re a leasing agent for an apartment, you can assume that person is going to live there. But, um, brand ambassadors was a really cool experience because it ended up being people who were signed to live there, who are still deciding, who, like two of my friends who ended up living in the house because they were on exec were Waterloo brand ambassadors. 

So it was a good mix and, um, I kind of got to meet other people who were going to live in the building and their friends and all of that. 

Laura: And then were you, did you keep in touch with the other brand ambassadors, like after you moved in or?

Audrey: Kind of. Like, I feel like I would see them in the lobby or see them on the pool deck or in the gym, and we had been at other events together, so we saw each other and knew who we were. 

Laura: And so you mentioned that, at first, Waterloo was great, and then it was a bit, like, isolating, you would say. But aside from that, what was your experience living in a new building? 

Audrey: It’s so nice. I also always talk to my best friend, Sam, about this because we both moved into Waterloo and then we both moved into Rambler.

So both of those were brand new apartments and we talk about how great it is to take a bath in a bathtub that you know that no one else has ever taken a bath in. Yeah. So just so clean and just everything, all the appliances are new. Everything’s new. Um, and I think there’s also just kind of that excitement of moving into a new building and like kind of all your friends who don’t live there want to come see it and you can kind of give them a tour of the amenities and all the gym equipment’s new.

Laura: So would you have a lot of friends over to Waterloo? 

Audrey: Yes. At first, like, everyone is coming to the pool. I would work out with a lot of my friends, especially my friends who still lived at the house. Waterloo was super close to the Alpha Chi house, so they would come out and work out with me in the morning and come to the pool and stuff.

Um, and so that was really fun. And I think that helped with like seeing other people. But then once the charm of the new building and everyone gets so busy with schedules. Wen you’re not living with someone, I think it’s hard to put the time and effort into seeing someone if you’re super busy and like kind of, don’t go out of your way in general to do that. Laura: So looking back, obviously you wanted to get on exec.

Audrey: Yes. 

Laura: But if that weren’t the case, like, would you recommend signing early?

Audrey: Yes. I, like, think about how, like, such a blessing it was that I didn’t get exec. It was something I wanted so bad, but it worked out so much better that I didn’t live in the house and that I wasn’t on exec. 

Just one, I didn’t have time. I don’t know what I was thinking. Like, I’m still doing YouTube at this point, and so, my social media work like takes a lot of time, plus schoolwork.

Laura: Plus being a brand ambassador. 

Audrey: Yeah, plus being a Waterloo brand ambassador. I just, being a Rambler brand ambassador, I just don’t have, I just didn’t have the time to be on exec. 

Um, and so I think that I wish I would have just kind of made that decision earlier. I wouldn’t have known, but, um, just so I could probably live with my best friend, Sam, before she signed her lease with other girls and just kind of plan a little bit more. 

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And then, going into your senior year, you did plan and you had a whole different experience.

Audrey: Yeah, senior year, we really, I was like, okay, I am living with the people I want to live with. Um, and we’re gonna figure it out. So, um, I ended up living with four of my best friends. So it was a total of five of us and it wasn’t always like a perfect five match. 

We were kind of debating what groups and like what different, um, pairings, I guess. 

Laura: Like of lifestyles, maybe?

Audrey: No, or just the different, um, combinations of roommates we could have gone. Um, and other girls who like didn’t have anyone to live with, like, okay, are we going to live in a six by six? Are we going to keep it to five? 

Are we going to split off and do two four by fours? It’s just kind of like taking all the people into consideration. And, um, two of my roommates lived in the house that year. Sam lived in Waterloo. And then one of my friends lived at The Signature, which was a further, um, apartment from kind of the house. It was still in West campus, but it’s just more closer to MLK.

Laura: Okay. How did she end up there? Just out of curiosity.

Audrey: I don’t know. Um, and she like talks about how she wishes she wouldn’t have. And her boyfriend lived at Waterloo so she was like always at Waterloo anyways. Um, but yeah, so she was like, I want to live with y’all and I don’t want to be far from y’all. 

Because that was like one of the examples of someone I didn’t really see that often because she was living so far. And so it was hard just to kind of like casually bump into each other or see each other just like, spontaneously.

Laura: So you recommend, like, living with your best friends in college? Or at least living close to one another or else you’re maybe not gonna? You might drift apart a little bit?

Audrey: Yeah. Or like, I think it’s easy to drift apart if you, but it’s also possible that you don’t drift apart as long as you make the effort. But it’s so much easier and less effort when they’re down the hall from you or in the room next door. Um, and I think that’s when a lot more spontaneous moments happen, which are kind of like the best memories. Um, so we all wanted that experience. So we decided to live in a five by five at Rambler.

Laura: Which is, was also another new dev. And so, I feel like there is this culture in West Campus, maybe more so in the Greek community, to hop to like the cool, hot, new place and just kind of bop around because there are new deliveries every year. Would you agree that that is the culture? 

Audrey: Yeah. And I think that me and Sam, having lived in a new apartment of Waterloo, we’ve thought it was great and wanted to live there. There’s a new building down the street, why wouldn’t we move into the new building? Um, and also, our rent increased, like, if we wanted to stay. And, also, going from living with just one other person to living with four, my rent decreased anyway.

Laura: Yeah, that’s a tip. If you want to pay less, live with more people.

Audrey: And something about the West Campus apartments is most of them,  you have your own bathroom anyways. And so really the only shared spaces are the kitchen and the living room.

And usually the bigger, the more people you live with, the bigger those spaces are. And so it was great. Yeah. 

Laura: So you guys decided to live together at Rambler. 

Audrey: Yes. In a five by five. 

Laura: How early did you guys sign for that? 

Audrey: Pretty early. Honestly, we went into a panic mode. Like, it sometimes happens so quickly and I was also a Rambler brand ambassador. Um, and all of a sudden I was just hearing like this amount of leases got signed today. Like there’s only one four by four left. There’s only like a certain amount of five by fives left. And I remember frantically texting like, guys, we have to make a decision. We have to sign like tomorrow. Um, and that’s exactly what we did.

We went out to ice cream that night, made a full decision about what five by five floor plan we wanted. And went in to Rambler the next day and signed our lease. Um, stressful but so worth it to secure the one we wanted.

Laura: Absolutely. So, you moved from Waterloo to Rambler. When did you move out of Waterloo and when did you move in to Rambler? What was that timeline like?

Audrey: Yes, so, I loved living in two different buildings, but I always dream about not having to pack up my stuff and move every year.

Laura: I know. You hate moving. Audrey: I do not like moving.

Laura: I feel like I’ve seen so many moving sagas on your Instagram. 

Audrey: And the move in vlogs. I love all the move in content.

Laura: The move out?

Audrey: Move out is some of my worst moments that I’ve ever filmed myself. But I had a summer internship. Um, so I stayed in Austin last summer and my lease ended on July 31st. And then there was kind of like a week or two. There was a period in between, right before my rambler lease started. Laura: Yeah, cuz it was like August. Like mid August, I think? 

Audrey: Yeah, and that’s usually how West Campus apartments go because they need to turn them over and paint them. And so I packed all my stuff into my car and parked it at my friend’s house. And, just, I went home to California for a couple weeks and then came back for rush stuff and stayed at my friend’s house, um, while my stuff was just in my car. 

Laura: And where did you park your car? Like, not in West campus? 

Audrey: No, in my friend’s driveway who lives like in suburbs of Austin. Yeah. And, um, yeah, it was funny though, cause in the Texas heat, a lot of my stuff like almost shrunk. Like all my shoes shrunk. Especially all the rubber ones. I think because of like the heat temperature changing and I couldn’t pack any of my candles because I knew those would melt. Yeah, I had to think like Texas. All my stuff will be in a car.

Laura: What do other people do? Do a lot of people put their stuff in their car or?

Audrey: I know that a lot of out of state people, at least that I’ve talked to, get storage units. Um, and I did a storage service from my sophomore year to my junior year because the sorority house ends on the last day of finals. 

Laura: Okay, so even longer. 

Audrey: Um, yeah, it’s a longer period because we can’t keep our stuff there over the summer.

Laura: Yeah, why do they do that? Why do they close the houses down over the summer?

Audrey: Um, I think it’s liability and stuff. Like the house mom doesn’t need to be there. It’s just easier to close it all, especially because a lot of people end up leaving for summer anyways. 

Laura: Is it like that with the dorms too? 

Audrey: Yes. So also, my freshman year, um, I got a service that packed all my stuff in boxes and they took the boxes and stored it for me and then would take it to my new place, which was really nice.

Laura: Do you know how, do you remember how much that was? 

Audrey: It was expensive. But at that time, I didn’t have a car so I couldn’t have really drove my stuff to a storage unit.

Laura: Yeah, you didn’t really have an option. Yeah.

Audrey: And it also is kind of difficult to coordinate with like the dates and stuff. I didn’t know exactly like when I would be moving in and stuff. Um, but I know a lot of people get storage units. And then a lot of people also are from Texas at UT, and so they’ll just drive their stuff. 

Their parents will come help them pack up and they’ll drive their stuff back to their house. Laura: So if you would have renewed at Waterloo? 

Audrey: I could have just kept all my stuff. 

Laura: So that is kind of like one of the cons of bopping around from new dev to new dev? Or like moving every single year is you do have to deal with your stuff for at least minimum two weeks or so? 

Audrey: Right. Yeah, totally. And I think it’s just, I would have felt so much more settled and just like at home instead of doing a full move in. Um, but I wouldn’t go back and stay in Waterloo if I could because I had such a great experience at Rambler. Laura: Yeah. Tell me about that. Like, going from two people in an apartment to it was five, right, including yourself? 

Audrey: Yes. Yeah, a five by five. So the first noticeable difference is it was huge compared to my two by two, just because our two by two was perfect for two people. But it was a small living room, smaller kitchen. And the five by five had so much space and the floor plan that we chose. I love my room.

I think it’s going to be my favorite room that I’ve ever lived in. Um, floor to ceiling windows, and just huge. So much floor space. Laura: And you really put a lot of effort into decorating that room.

Audrey: Yes. Yeah. I loved it. I spent a lot of time decorating my room because, also, I just believe that your space can change so much.  And so I love spending time. And really it’s my mom too. Um, and I post on YouTube all my move in vlogs and you can see her. She’s like so into it. 

Um, so yeah, I spent a lot of time and just loved my room. And then just living with my best friends is so nice. And I was close with my junior year roommate. I would consider her a best friend too, but something about a group of people and just always having someone to talk to. Um, and like if someone, if you’re bored, there’s always something to do and someone to do it with. So fun.

Laura: And you guys made like a senior bucket list, right? 

Audrey: Yes. Yeah. So it was our senior year. We did it our spring semester, um, and fall semester. I think it’s easy going into senior year and saying like, we’re going to do all this stuff.

Like, and then spring semester, we realized, okay, like there’s still a lot on our list. So we put up a big piece of paper with sticky notes of all the things we wanted to do on spring semester. Laura: What were some of those things?

Audrey: We put like all the sports games and matches. Like we wanted to go to every sport, which we didn’t end up doing. But we did do some, which was fine.

Um, we had like the classic UT senior things, like jumping in the fountain. We had a lot of restaurants and happy hours we wanted to try. Um, and we had one, also, I wanted to take my friends who lived on off campus dorms to the on campus dining hall. Um, so we did that, and I took them, and I was like, guys, I went here every single day. I ate food here. Um, so that was fun to show them, too, because they hadn’t lived on campus.

Laura: Also, just kind of just like a full circle moment. 

Audrey: Yes, totally. And I had actually, they both lived at Castilian and I would always go over there and eat at their dining hall. So I had experienced what they ate freshman year and so I just wanted them to see. 

Laura: What would you say was the better food? 

Audrey: Um, I think Castilian was good, but Duren had more options. Um, but I think if you’re going somewhere, I think anywhere, that was new to me, I would have liked, you know. Like I think freshman year you get so tired of your dorm food. And same with living in the sorority house. 

Laura: What options did they have in Duren? 

Audrey: They really have, like, they always have kind of a fast food, like pizza line. And then every night, they’ll kind of do a different kind of cuisine. Um, and they’ll have maybe like two different cuisine options with a bunch of different, like, things. And they always have like breakfast out. Like you can make a waffle every night for dinner if you wanted to. 

Laura: Yeah, yeah, so bucket list. Dining hall.

Any other, like, ones that really stand out? Like what was your favorite memory? It doesn’t have to be about the bucket list, but like your whole senior year living in an apartment with your best friends. 

Audrey: I think one of my favorite moments was, um, right before winter break. We kind of had like a Christmas party and just for ourselves, it was honestly very rare that all five of us were in the apartment together. And we always joked about that. Like, everyone’s just so busy and I think that’s why I loved living with my best friend so much. 

Like in those little moments, I could see them every day throughout our busy schedules versus when we weren’t living together. There were days and weeks where I wouldn’t be able to see them because we just didn’t have time. Um, and so we planned this like holiday party and It was just five of us. We had matching PJs on. We made like Christmas espresso martinis and we all each got each other gifts and we just like sat in a circle and like unwrapped our gifts together and just talked all night and it was so fun.

Laura: That’s so fun. Yeah. So it sounds like you had a good senior year. Like a good end to your college living experience. 

Audrey: Totally, yeah. I would totally do it over again. And we talk about how we wish we would have lived together other years.

Laura: That was kind of like my next saying, is like looking back, you’ve graduated now. What’s one thing that you might have done differently in terms of like where you lived?

Audrey: Yeah, I think all the places I’ve lived, I mean, besides freshman year, but still, Duren wasn’t even that bad. Um, I would still sign leases at the same apartments in the same places. Um, just because Waterloo was so great. 

And then Rambler, I loved moving into also. And Rambler just had more space from the floor plan I lived in. Um, and I would have loved to live with the same people I did senior year, but it just wouldn’t have worked out junior year. So I’m glad we got together  and figured it out senior year.

Laura: Yeah. And what is one piece of advice you would give an incoming UT student? 

Audrey: I would say to, when you’re looking at your roommates, see if someone looks very similar to you that you would like to be their roommate, look to see where they’re living. Because I would find so many girls where I’d be like, oh, I would love to be this girl’s friend and I think we’d be great roommates, but she’s not living where I want to live.

And I think I just wish I would have been a little more open minded about that. Um, and kind of choosing where I lived based on the people.

Laura: Yeah. Yeah. And would you say that college was the best for years of your life? Audrey: I totally would. I know that like, I’m going to have better years and I’m so excited for that. But like, I would say that college is such a unique experience and UT has a little bit of everything and that’s why I loved it so much. And I just met my forever best friends and got to make so many memories that I’ll cherish the four years forever for sure.

Laura: Yeah. And you are moving to New York City? 

Audrey: I am. So another apartment experience, crazy apartment experience. Um, yes, I just signed my lease. I did a whole, like, toured like 12 apartments. It’s way easier to find a West Campus apartment than it is a New York City apartment. But I’ll be doing move in content and move out content of Rambler. Laura: Yeah, amazing. And you’re living with somebody, like, from UT, right?

Audrey: Yes. Yeah, and she was in a different sorority and we were always like kind of. We were always friends throughout college, um, but never super close. And so I’m excited to live with her. Yeah.  

Laura: And what are you going to be doing? 

Audrey: I am going to be doing social media full time. So, my YouTube channel.

Laura: Yeah, go ahead and plug your YouTube channel.

Audrey: Um, it’s just my name, Audrey Atienza. But I do lifestyle content, lots of college stuff too, um, but now it’ll be transitioning to post grad and just coming along with me in New York. And then also, I’m on Tik Tok and social media and then I have a sorority rush consultant business. It’s kind of also something I work on too. It’s called the sorority sister. Um, so I’m going to be working on that in New York and just.

Laura: And that’s for people that are interested in rushing and just resources for them?

Audrey: It’s, I made a course, so a lot of my YouTube content was, um, kind of sorority stuff and giving rush tips. And so I compiled all my tips and tricks into an online course. 

So girls going through rush can kind of get the best advice and tips all in one place and resources and stuff. And I also post on Instagram and Tik Tok a bunch of rush advice. I’m still like one foot into the college experience. Still not fully leaving it behind. Laura: Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your experience. Hopefully somebody can, you know, learn a little bit about living at UT.

Audrey: Yeah, it’s definitely crazy out there. Sign your leases early, too. That’s my next advice. Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you so much and we will see you guys next time. Bye. Thank you so much for listening, y’all.

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