As for where students search for housing, there are a few neighborhoods/areas as well as complexes that are consistently popular choices for students. In the surrounding area around UGA's campus, the Five Points neighborhood is a frequented place for students to find housing.

Within the Five Points neighborhood, students typically search for off-campus housing options on Milledge Ave and Lumpkin Street, as both are near campus and run through main areas of campus. In Five Points, students can find a variety of eateries such as Barberitos, The Royal Peasant, and J Christopher's, as well as grocery stores like Earth Fare. In addition, students often look for off-campus housing in what is commonly referred to as “the East Side,” which is simply east of the main campus.

On the East Side, students seek off-campus housing options off Barnett Shoals and Gaines School Roads. On the East Side, which is considered more of a residential area, students can find a variety of food options, like Taco Bell, Papa John's, Chick-fil-A, and Wendy's, as well as grocery stores like Kroger and Publix.

Lastly, North Avenue just slightly northeast of downtown is a favored place for off-campus housing, as options are affordable and still close to campus. Around North Avenue, there are apartment complexes such as the Lodge and stores like Piggly Wiggly, CVS, and Family Dollar.

Outside of specific neighborhoods, students rent through a variety of off-campus apartments, including The Summit, The Flats, The Reserve, Cambridge Apartments, Abbey West, Whistleburry, and Bridgewater.

Dining/Bars

In downtown Athens, where the main University of Georgia campus is located, there is a huge variety of eateries to choose from. When looking for a bite to eat, you can choose from delicious (and popular) Italian restaurants like Amici, for when you want a nice sit-down dinner, or Little Italy, for a hot slice of pizza on a Friday night. On the East Side of Athens, you can go to local favorites Choo Choo or Inoko Express for plentiful, yet inexpensive Asian-style food. Other great restaurants or eateries in the area frequented by students include Mellow Mushroom, Ahi Hibachi and Poke, Blind Pig, Crazy Canes, and of course, Waffle House for after those late nights out with friends.

Sports culture is incredibly important to the student body of UGA. For a nostalgic experience, students love Wonderbar, which has arcade-style games, craft beers, and yummy bar food. Other favorite bars students like to go to include: Blue Sky (for a more relaxed, chill atmosphere), Cutters Pub, Nowhere Bar, World Famous, and the Georgia Theater Rooftop.

Transportation

Since UGA is home to nearly 40,000 students (plus staff and faculty), providing adequate transportation to and from the school for all is an immense priority. Thousands of UGA students, staff, and faculty commute to campus every day, with the primary ways of travel being bus, biking, and walking.

By bus: Traveling using the bus is the primary way that students get to campus, as parking on campus is limited. The UGA Campus Transit has 11 different bus routes that serve UGA students, faculty, and staff across various areas of campus. Bus fare is free with a valid UGA ID card and students can track service updates, times, and more by following the Transit Twitter Account or visiting the UGA Transportation Services website.

By Bike: To accommodate students, faculty, and staff that prefer to bike around campus, UGA recently implemented a new bike-sharing service called Bulldog Bike Share. The GPS-enabled electric pedal-assist bikes are in 22 different locations across campus, and students can download the Gotcha Mobility app to register, locate, and unlock bikes. The cost of renting is $2 to unlock and $.10 per minute of ride time.

Parking

Due to the large number of students, faculty, and staff the school must accommodate, UGA's parking is limited. For students, a permit is necessary to park on campus. For freshmen students, cars are allowed but must be registered and be assigned a permit. At UGA, parking is based on the priority system, which separates applicants into nine different groups: senior administration, faculty, administration, staff, graduate assistants, graduate commuters, graduate residents, undergraduate residents, undergraduate commuters.

Safety

University of Georgia takes the safety of students, faculty, and staff very seriously. The university has its own police department to handle any incidence of crime that occurs on campus.

To help students with any safety needs, UGA created a mobile safety app called LiveSafe. LiveSafe gives students a quick and easy way to communicate with UGA safety officials, and through the app, students can report tips, message, or call the police for emergency situations, and access SafeWalk, a virtual escort service.

Shopping

At UGA, students have no problem finding places to shop. In downtown Athens, there are several different stores and boutiques to shop at, including Tailgate Athens, Dynamite Clothing, Indigo Child, Fringe, Atomic, Urban Outfitters, and much more.

Outside of Downtown, there are several other shopping centers that students can take advantage of. Southwest of campus and only approximately six miles away is Epps Bridge Shopping Centre, which has a huge variety of stores, including Best Buy, Old Navy, Ross, Dick's Sporting Goods, Five Below, Ulta, Bed Bath and Beyond. Additionally, nearby there is a Trader Joe's, Walmart, and numerous eateries.