Tour School of Art & Visual Studies Instantly with a Student-led Tour of University of Kentucky

My second major is Digital Media and Design, so for all of those classes I head on over to the School of Art and Visual Studies, or "SAVS" as the kids call it. I love this building and it has a lot of resources such as a place where you can rent a ton of cameras, lenses, tripods, etc for FREEE. This is helpful for your classes because we're all balling on a budget, but SAVS doesn't limit your passion because you're a broke college kid. I'd say I'm an amateur video editer, so the classes here have been helpful so far, but from my friends who are amazing at video, I've heard the classes here haven't been the most helpful. Take it as you want.

The Johnson Center is the main workout facility on UK's campus which includes an array of machines ranging from free weights to classrooms with stationary bikes. We have a rock wall that anyone can use, a natatorium, tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, and plenty of locker rooms as well as a free muscle massage chair! Our other recreation facility is located within the student center, but the Johnson center is the main workout facility on campus.

Part 1: UK does not necessarily have quads, but we do have certain areas that always have a heavy flow of students (like the 'bowl paths' in front of the library in this video). Usually students can be seen walking here to get from one side of the campus to the other, and since so many students come to the library it is a central spot for walking paths and nice hang-out areas when the weather is great!

(Part 2) This is a view of one of our most recent additions to campus - the walking street! This street used to be part of Rose St. but they have recently blocked it off, painted certain parts, added seating and relax spots and they have made it into one of the busiest streets for students on campus. This street essentially connects central campus to north campus and also has a multitude of important buildings (Thomas Hunt Morgan, Jacobs Science Building, Chemistry-Physics Building, etc.) that line it on both sides. If you bike, skateboard, scooter or any other means of transportation, this road is the place for you! And if the weather is nice and you need a break before your next class, feel free to sit on any of the colorful chairs that line the road and relax!

UK hockey games are one of the most underrated activities that UK has to offer (in my opinion). Although they are late at night and go into the early hours of the morning, they are SO exciting and filled with energy! A lot more people attend them than one might think, and it is a great place to get to know more people and combine groups if you go in a small group of people. No other school has as much spirit as UK, and hockey games prove that we go all out for every and any sports event we have!

(Part 1) The first building I show is the International Studies Building, which is where students visit if they have interest in study abroad programs. This building is open all the time for anyone with that interest, and has personally impacted my student career in so many positive ways in terms of providing me LOTS of information about programs, as well as snacks at abroad fairs that they have occasionally :) The second building I mention is the White Hall Classroom Building (White Hall for short) which is where the majority of classes, whether it be lectures or recitations, are held for all subjects. I have had spanish lecture, chemistry and biology exams, chemistry recitation and math recitation classes held in this building, which goes to show how diverse and multi-purposeful it is.

(Part 2) The first building I introduce is the Gatton College of Business Building which is where the majority of business or economics majors will hold classes and meetings. Some engineering majors will have classes or meetings here as well, and in the middle of the building there is a very open (almost library-like) space where any student can walk in and use the tables. Students can also reserve high-tech, state of the art study rooms at any time. Many information meetings are also held in this building for different clubs. The second building I introduce is POT (Patterson Office Tower) which is where almost all professors have their own, personalized offices where students can attend "office hours" for one-on-one interactions for any needs they may have. This building also has classrooms for smaller, higher level classes, such as the spanish class I am currently in which is conversation based and relatively small (14 students). It is right next to the student center, and is easily viewed from any point on campus as a good reference point (and you can even see it from downtown when driving).

The JSB is one of the most popular buildings on campus (my personal favorite besides the library) and if you are a science major like me, you will have lots of classes in here! It is a very open space with lots of light, so if you are in here all day you can have nice study areas, complete with high tech equipment and natural light, and if you get hungry the JSB has a Wildcat Pantry (for snacks) on the second floor, as well as a Freshii restaurant (more of a grab-and-go meal place) on the first floor for some healthier options. This building has lecture halls, personalized study rooms, laboratories, small scale classrooms for recitations and smaller classes, and open study spaces. This is all around my favorite building and has a multitude of purposes for all students, even if they don't have a science-related major. Later in the video, I discuss workload and what classes are like (excuse me if I sounded weird; I had a pretty bad cold). Being pre-med, the workload is pretty heavy but it is not too heavy that I have no free time or room for any activities, it is exactly the opposite (lots of activities and time) when you find a happy balance between maintaining grades and putting studying first, and also letting yourself have a good time in college as well.

"The 90" by the Fresh Food Company is the main dining hall on central campus right across from the library. This dining hall has endless options that are frequently rotated not only each week, but between each meal (breakfast until 10, lunch until 4, and dinner until 10 with breaks in-between that still have food set out - just not full meals). I feel as though the 90 does a good job with rotating different foods, and I have a severe peanut allergy that is carefully taken care of thanks to the "worry-free" section. If any students have any allergies, they can go to this section of the dining hall and get a meal or a to-go snack that has had no cross contamination and that is individually made specific to different allergies (nuts, gluten, milk, etc.). There is another campus dining hall called "Champions Kitchen" located in the brand new Gatton Student Center, and it has the exact same layout except they have a burrito station and the 90 has a stir fry / grill station. (I prefer Champions over the 90 although it is a longer walk from my dorm) Later in the video, I mention how meal swipes work. Meal plans are selected through a prospective student's myUK housing portal and they can select from many different meal plans, ranging from unlimited to 'weekly 10'. UK also has flex dollars and a plus account where money can be loaded onto these accounts and synched to your ID so that the money can be used at restaurants on or near campus (ex. Chick-fil-a, Panda Express, Subway...) and the plus account can be used at restaurants and also nearby shops (ex. Bluetique Boutique). Your ID is not only your way ('key') to getting into your dorm and other buildings, but it also serves as your meal card and will be swiped at the entrance of each dining hall.

In the first portion of the video, I introduce a few food alternatives on campus that are right when you walk out of the 90 in central campus. These are all great alternatives, and the Wildcat Pantry has everything you need from school supplies to late night snacks (we all eat raw cookie dough when we get really stressed and snag some chips or a pint of ice cream if necessary). This is the central Wildcat Pantry, and we have three others (one in JSB, one in a nearby neighborhood that is stationed more like a store for living off-campus, and one in Holmes dorm on north campus). Lastly, Cook Out restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants not only in Lexington, but to all students at UK. They are open until 4:30am, and so whether you are really craving one of their famous milkshakes (I recommend classic Oreo or strawberry cheesecake - trust me), or if you or a friend have just gotten back from a night out partying and need some food (southern hushpuppies and their fries are great), this is the place! It is a great gathering spot, and has high quality food for very reasonable broke-college-student prices that we are all extremely grateful for.