It’s that time of year again: Housing selection has started to kick off and students are deciding where to live on campus. There is no BEST place to live on campus – every building has its own benefits. It all depends on what is best for you. For example, Papago is very close to Lopes Way, allowing students to be close to several dining options, which is always a plus. It’s also an apartment-style living area so students have their own room and the opportunity to cook homemade meals with their private kitchen. Not only that, but Papago is also very close to one of the campus gyms and a pool, so you are never lacking for things to do.

Chaparral Hall is also close to Lopes Way. But one of the coolest things about this building is it has a gym and Lopes Mart, a mini convenient store, right below the living area so students have easy access to both awesome amenities (and we all know being close to things comes in handy, especially when you are on a late-night ice cream run). In Chaparral Hall, students also share a room with one or two students, so it’s easy to connect with different people.

Diamondback and Agave are farther from the center of campus but both are set up in an apartment style so students have their own room and kitchen. A big bonus about these two buildings is they have desks built into the bedrooms – this saves money when going room shopping! They are also very close to the Colter parking lot and the 29^th Avenue parking garage.

Of course, there are the Grove buildings such as Acacia, Juniper, Ironwood and Willow, which are freshman housing. I lived in Acacia as a freshman and it was amazing. Having all of the freshmen in one area is great because it allows for them to connect with one another; they are all able to experience things together and be in the same boat as others, which is a blessing. There are so many great housing options on campus that it can be difficult to choose, but I hope my explanation of some of the buildings helps alleviate that difficulty. You can also go to the GCU website and check out residence life and housing operations to find more information!

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