Info on UCF and the surrounding area (Tampa, Orlando: rent, crime)

[Obamanation]

I'm a college student living in Tampa, and I have recently taken a liking to Orlando. UCF is a school I am strongly thinking about attending. If anyone could tell me about crime, good/bad residences, and any other miscellaneous stuff about the UCF area, it would be appreciated.

[ktdid2000]

I'm in grad school at UCF and haven't had any problems with crime, but I would certainly stay away from the school-owned Apt complexes. When there is crime around the UCF area, that is where it tends to go down.

UCF is growing all the time, so there are tons of part-time jobs around if you need some extra income. I would try to get a job with the school, but there are also lots of shopping centers and places nearby where you can get a retail or resturaunt job if you wanna go that route.

Traffic around here is tough, but only at certain times of the day in certain areas. If you take later (or really early) classes it's not a problem. There are also a few back roads/shortcuts you can take.

As far as housing goes, you get what you pay for. I'd stay in the $800+ range if you want a good place with no problems. Sharing the rent with others is a good way to keep the cost low and still be able to be somewhere nice. There are tons of people around here who need roommates, ads run in the student newspaper all the time. Maybe the best way is just to get out and ride around and see the options. That's how I picked my place out, even though its more tiring. The Internet did nothing for me in that regard, I looked for months and didn't actually go with any on my list after seeing them in person.

Last but not least, UCF and me fought against each other for a good bit after I came down here (I went to Clemson University as an undergrad so I was used to the typical college town atmosphere). UCF is not your typical college. I'd say just give it a chance and take the opportunities that are given to you (and seek them out of course!). There are lots of things here that aren't immediately obvious that can help you out in the long run.