Cooperative Living Organization - Gainesville, Florida

Dennis McCormick

Well, it is very good to hear that C.L.O. is still living up to the standards that were there almost 30 years ago when I was a freshman at the University of Florida and needed an affordable place to live being up there on my own ticket. As a 17 yr old freshman, it was probably a benefit to have chores/duties to keep a bit of discipline in my suddenly very free life.
I'm especially glad there were no cell cameras back then. The blackmail material would be beyond comprehension. ?‍‍?
Keep up the good work!!

Hyunju Oh

CLO is the best place to stay as a UF/Santa Fe student. I highly recommend it as a resident who has lived here for 2 years and is still living here.

1. Price: CLO is likely the cheapest place you can stay in Gainesville. This year, the rent is $470 (which increases annually). However, the important thing is that the rent includes a chef's meal plan from Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, as well as all utility fees.

2. Meals: The chef offers meals on weekdays, so you don't need to worry about your meals at all! The food is nutritious and includes a salad bar and some juice.

3. Community: You can make many good friends here. I didn’t know anyone when I first arrived here. As an international student, I don’t think I could have made as many friends if I hadn’t lived at CLO. There are many social events throughout the semester where you can make great memories with others, including both informal and formal events.

4. Location: You can walk to Publix in 3 minutes and to Library West in 5 minutes. You can also reach most UF buildings within 20 minutes by bicycle. It’s possible to live without a car if you live at CLO.

Living at CLO is different from living in other student housing. You’ll need to share your room with a roommate, share the bathroom in the hallway (about 10 residents), and do details for the common areas, bathroom, and kitchen, which requires you to spend some time on community tasks. But as someone who randomly clicked on Google Maps and found this place, I highly recommend living here, as most of my best memories have been made since I started living at CLO.

Hunter Sharpe

Lived at CLO as a student at UF for about three years. Amazing place with amazing people. Very affordable at only around $420/month at the moment (meals included). For a lot of low-income students, CLO is the only way they are able to attend college and get an education. Also a great way to gain experience, especially if you are in leadership (CLO is student-run). Residents are responsible for keeping the place clean by doing chores or by holding different manager positions. Those in leadership, among other duties, help make rules and decisions, perform maintenance/renovations, aid in advertising and recruiting, and help manage the house. The community is also incredible. Made so many lifelong friends and so many unforgettable memories!

Irene Fong

The Cooperative Living Organization (CLO) is an amazing place to live. The benefits of living here allows you to study, make friends, and save money knowing that you have affordable housing, home-cooked meals and a safe place to stay. The location is a prime spot because its close proximity to campus and no other apartment will give you the same value as CLO for the same affordable price. Additionally, it is so unique that CLO is entirely a student run organization which gives us residents the opportunities to also grow as leaders.

If you are worried about your son or daughter not being able to have the same "college experience" that they would in a dorm or elsewhere, don't. After living in a UF dorm for an entire year, I can say that my experience here trumps that of living there and I have gained so much more at CLO than I could have ever imagined

I've lived here for almost a year now and I can say I truly love this place and have made a lifelong group of friends here. I will say that you do get what you put in. If you choose to stay in your room all day long then you might not have the same experience as me. I came into CLO as an extremely introverted person but this place has allowed me to come out of my shell and grow so much as a person. CLO has so many social events planned and the residents here are all welcoming and talk with you during meals and at events. The same goes for any organization that you ever plan on joining. If you don't give anything, don't expect anything. The opportunities here are served on a silver platter, will you be willing to seize them?

Jack McCarthy

I have lived at CLO on and off since Fall 2014. It has been a great part of my life. What I enjoy most is the community. I consider the people at CLO my family. It is very convenient, across the street from library west. It is like living in a dorm room, furniture and share a room, but it is a fraction of the cost of campus living. You pay $400 a month for a room, all utilities and we have food Monday through Friday (lunch and dinner). I would recommend CLO to anyone!

Savannah Woodall

CLO is a lovely space to build community among other students during the transition to college. While you do live more dorm style, the perks of having an in-house chef and a community of people to do life with are awesome. I've lived here for all of undergrad and grad school and can confirm its been one of the best decisions I've made. When I moved here, my parents told me wherever I lived needed to be: affordable, safe, and close to campus, and lucky for me CLO is all three!

Aurora A

i’ve only been here for a little bit, but i love it so far! it really makes college so much easier when you’re surrounded in an environment with cool people. the rent is only $400 and that’s SO worth the money because food is covered and you’re right on campus. it’s also all student run, which is awesome because you can work with the house manager on a rent payment plan, with other clo residents to change cleaning details, and be friends with everyone at the same time!

Natalie G Onofre

Amazing experience living here at the only co-op at UF. Other students are friendly and great to live with! Food is included in rent and we all work with together to maintain the living space. The student community is supportive and encouraging, and it is almost entirely student run.