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This thread was reset September 1st, 2025. It will again be replaced September 1st, 2026.

Yoyo! Hello Runners~ Recent senior here (hi 😉) sharing the ultimate UTSA survival guide! The campus has sooo many hidden gems, but all the info is scattered - or super outdated! So I figured I'd centralize everything in one place.

Main Campus ONLY for now - drop extra tips in the comments!

Overall Survival Tips

1. FIND (and use) whatever student success center you're a part of! As far as I'm aware, the main colleges on campus all have their own (COLFA, SOC SSC, etc). Super valuable resources - between the peer mentors available, the events that they host (lots of free things!!!), and the connection oppurtunites you can get by just sitting in there and working, it's a little insane.
   1. Also, most of them have free GradeScope sheets, which is nice because you don't have to print your own.
2. Sync your canvas assignments to your outlook calendar. OMG. only a few of my friends do this, but it's so helpful!!! Go to canvas, click calendar, calendar feed in the right column, copy that link. then go to your outlook calendar, click add calendar in left column, subscribe from web on the left side, paste the link and press import. BOOM. autosync of your email events and ur canvas tests/assignments/notifications.
   1. You can also sync in gmail calendar / other calendars. Got a specific event itinerary? sync it. Need to pull dates from your email? sync it.
3. READ THE SYLLABUS. GOD. it seems so stupid but dedicate the first-class period to really understanding the syllabus. Things to look for: instructor name/title, available student office hours, preferred communication method, grade dispution, drops, required materials, etc. also, there's a SCHEDULE OF GRADED ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES??? HELLO??? use it!!!!
   1. Also, use that schedule and updated the above calendar with it. This will save you so much stress. I promise.
4. READ YOUR EMAIL. again, seems really obvious - but it isn't!! Aside from all the direct communication, you can format it however you want. Have canvas send you a daily to-do list every morning! read the newsletters and find all the random events on campus! take the surveys that no one knows about and get much better chances of winning shit!
   1. Canvas announcements don't always come to your Outlook. Check both. Different teachers use different ones.
5. In terms of study habits - Learn, Read, Review, Rewrite. Learn the material the first time. Read through it after the fact. Review the material - practice questions, flashcards, whatever works. Rewrite the material into a study guide/cheat sheet. Do this for every chapter/topic/etc, and by the time the test rolls around, you're both well prepared AND you have well organized study guides for last minute prep.
   1. Alternatively, mind mapping was super helpful for me. Figuring out the relationships between concepts helps you learn them better, I promise. I like https://app3.mindmup.com/
6. Use the resources we offer!! Crisis hotlines, free mental health & wellness workshops, therapy sessions, advisor meetings, counseling services - there's so much stuff and I promise, i PROMISE, no one is going to judge you for using it. you PAY FOR IT with your tuition anyway!! don't let that be the reason you fall behind!
   1. https://www.hercampus.com/school/utsa/10-free-utsa-resources-you-need-take-advantage-asap/
   2. As someone with ADHD... look into PACC (Psychological Assessment & Consultation Center). They offter ADHD diagnosing (with a hellish waitlist, but better than nothing) alongside other assessment services, and their diagnosis can be used for accomodations as needed. They also have therapy services for living with ADHD/other disabilities.
7. PLEASE check your DegreeWorks. And cross-reference with whatever path you're going for. UTSA constantly changes the requirements for their majors, so don't let yourself be caught off-guard.

Transportation

There's a bunch of transport options that UTSA offers!

https://www.utsa.edu/campusservices/runner/via.html

1. Bird scooters - NOT FREE. paid scooters. (but there's always some to be found nearby)
2. VIA Bus – Free for UTSA students! Get the verification sticker on your physical ID or activate it via the app. Routes run all over San Antonio.
3. VIA Link - Also free for UTSA students! Think Uber, but only to specific parts of San Antonio.
4. ScooterLab (NPB) – Research Lab; if you get accepted, you get a personal scooter for a few weeks (helmet, lock, charger included).
5. Shuttle - Downtown to SouthWest to Main; Between Main and nearby student housing (Edge, UOaks, etc)
   1. https://therunner.utsa.edu/

Food

1. Roadrunner Pantry - located in the SU near the loop, right past the post office. Free essentials! Open daily except Fridays. Includes: Food & drinks, School supplies (parscore, pens, notebooks), Hygiene products (tampons, pads, shoes, etc.).
2. Across Campus
   1. JPL
      1. Dragon Bowlz
      2. Freshens
      3. Starbucks
      4. Chick-Fil-A
      5. Sushic
      6. Subway
      7. RowdyMart
   2. Student Union
      1. Panda Express
      2. Union Perk
      3. Freebirds
      4. RowdyMart
      5. Smoothie King
      6. Choolaah Indian BBQ (coming soon!!!)
      7. The Den (Denny's)
   3. Misc.
      1. RoadRunner Cafe (RRC)
      2. Java City (Guadalupe Hall)
      3. reFUEL
      4. Pizza Hut (Business Building)
      5. Bestea Cafe (SEB)
      6. Einstein Bros (BioSciences Building)
3. Places I'd Recommend
   1. Dragon Bowlz – solid amount of food for cheap.
   2. Subway – best portion-to-price ratio.
   3. Einstein Bros – great bagels, friendly staff.

Housing

For now, I'm only covering the ones on campus, as they're the ones I know best. Feel free to add below about off-campus living.

1. Apartment Style Living
   1. Laurel - Love it. IMO the best spot to live on campus. 4x2 and 2x1 bedrooms with apartment style living, including living room and kitchenette. Larger than Chap.
      1. Comes fully furnished (for newbies, this does not include things like bedding/pillows/etc. Just straight furniture.)
      2. Close to the SU and relatively easy road access.
      3. Has neighborhood centers with full kitchen, pool tables, laundry, TVs, etc.
      4. Popular for upperclassmen, as alcohol is allowed freely in dorm when over 21.
   2. Chap - Pretty good. 4x2 and 2x1. Also has doubles aka 8x2 (4x2 with 2 beds per room).
      1. Fully furnished.
      2. Next to RRC.
      3. Private outdoor pool, basketball courts, etc
   3. UOaks - Don't do this to yourself. I only hear bad things about this place. 4x2 and 2x1 bedrooms with apartment style living, including living room and full kitchen.
      1. Not managed by UTSA. This is IMPORTANT - managed by third party = horrible maintence times, bad room quality, etc.
      2. UTSA even put a disclaimer that they assume no liability or responsibility for their lease agreements. That's not a great sign.
      3. I keep hearing about roaches, mold, break-ins, broken AC, etc. If you have no other option, you have no other option.
2. Dorm Style Living
   1. Alvarez - suite style rooms, 2x1 (shared). Most incoming students live here, I believe.
      1. Has special interest housing groups - students who share academic or personal interests live on the same floor
      2. Decent setup - study lounges, multipurpose rooms, laundry facilities and a community kitchen
   2. Chisholm - one of the most affordable options. Has 2x1 and 3x1 (shared), iirc. Largest in this series.
      1. Next to RRC
      2. Home of University Bold Scholars
      3. large activity center with a mixture of study workspaces and comfortable lounge furniture, outdoor volleyball court, and heated indoor swimming pool
   3. Guad - home of first year students in Honors college. 16x1 (each wing has 16-17 residents who split bathroom, which has one fully private bathroom, 3 private shower stalls, 3 private toilet stalls, 3 sinks)
      1. 4 story building.
      2. study lounges, community lounges, community kitchens, laundry rooms, group study areas, and a multipurpose seminar room
      3. Has Java City Coffee.... really haven't heard much about this, to be honest.
   4. Blanco - newest addition. 600 students across 4 floors. 2x1 or 4x1 (shared)
      1. access to study lounges, multipurpose rooms, laundry facilities and a community kitchen
      2. The promo video looks cool, but the people I've talked to said it was small. Plan accordingly.
3. Things to Know
   1. If you live on campus (exception UOaks), meal plan is required. Default is Roadrunner Gold [Unlimited meals, $200 dining dollars per semester, 5 meal trades]
   2. Rent/Meal Plans gets folded into tuition. This is nice because financial aid/scholarships can help a lot with this.
   3. Check the restricted list. Obvious things like extension cords and candles, but also things not so obvious like routers.
   4. Roommate matching is pretty decent. There's other ways to find roommates. Don't limit yourself to it.
4. Meal Information
   1. Meal Trades are basically credit for a meal reaching up to $8, instead of meal at RRC. Can be used at campus restaurants. Once per meal period. Pay difference with dining dollars/credit card.
   2. Meal Swipes are access to RRC, which is buffet style. Once per meal period.
   3. Dining Dollars... basically debit card. Can be redeemed anywhere. If used at RRC, you get a 40% discount when paying for family/friends, which is nice.
5. Meal Periods
   1. Weekdays - Breakfast (7:00 - 11:30), Lunch (11:30-3:30pm), Dinner (3:30pm-8:30pm), Late Night (8:30pm-2:00)
   2. Weekends - Brunch (7:00-3:30pm), Dinner (3:30pm-8:30pm), Late Night (8:30pm-2:00)

Campus Landmarks & Abbreviations

• Housing
  • Chap - Chaparral Village
  • Guad - Guadalupe Hall
  • Alvarez - Alvarez Hall
  • Laurel - Laurel Village
  • Chisholm - Chisholm Hall
  • Blanco - Blanco Hall
  • UOaks - University Oaks
• Academics
  • MH - McKinney Humanities
  • MS - Multidisciplinary Studies
  • HSU - HEB Student Union
  • SU - Student Union
  • FLN - Flawn Sciences
  • BSB - Biosciences Building
  • EB - Engineering Building
  • BSE - Biotechnology Sciences and Engineering
  • SEB - Science and Engineering Building
  • AET - Applied Engineering and Technology Building
  • BB - Business Building
  • JPL - John Peace Library
  • MB - Main Building
  • NPB - North Paseo Building
• Others
  • Rec - Recreation Wellness Center
  • CC - Convocation Center
  • RRC / Roadrunner - Roadrunner Cafe
  • Sombrilla - Sombrilla Plaza/Fountain, right outside JPL
  • Rowdy - Rowdy the Roadrunner Statue, in front of MS
  • Stairs - Between MS/MH and SU
  • VizLab - to the left of the stairs, coming up from the bottom

Best Study Spots & Hangouts

• The Roost (as someone with ADHD, love to study here! music playing, constantly people talking, etc)
• Sombrilla Fountain - the seating allows for both the fountain or rowdy as the backsplash, and the water is hella soothing imo)
• Rooftops/outdoor seating (MHB, FLN, MS, etc)
• Student Success Centers—great for networking and free events

Clubs/Organizations

• I promise, if you can think of it, there's a club for it
• . All clubs will either have RowdyLink (if they're official) or some sort of social media (Discord, Youtube, Insta, etc)
• Top Clubs IMO
  • Gaming - The Rooster (gaming reviews, free game requests), RGA (competitive gaming), GDSA (Game Developers Student Alliance)
  • Professional (Further Schooling) - Pre-law, medicine, dentistry; women in medicine, Hispanic STEM groups, etc
  • Cultural/Religious - again, sooo many for almost every culture there! for example, as an indian speaking, we've got SAIV, ISCA, Komal, Shor, and a couple of other ones. There's christian orgs, muslim ones, polytheistic ones, literally everything.
  • Free Stuff - SSA (Secular Student Alliance) always has free condoms, lube, narcan, julie, plan B, etc. YoungLife always has AirHeads, Cheezits, and Celcius. There's a coffee org (I wanna say every tues/thurs) with hot coffee.

EDIT [6.2.26]: Updated for formatting, housing, links, etc.