Looking for a place to stay in Irvine

The first few years of the PhD program require taking classes, and many of them are in-person and on-campus. After living in Austin for 20 years, we're going to be half-moving to Irvine, and so I'm starting to look for places to stay.

The PhD program offers free on-campus housing for students, which is a nice perk, particularly given the cost of living in southern California. The options aren't great, though. There's not a great deal of information online about what to expect, but most of the units look like exactly what they are: student housing.

We're looking for something that's more conducive to creative work: natural light, a larger space, and something cozier. So I've been exploring locations in the area, and I'll be visiting apartments next week. Our first preference would be a small house, but it seems like that's not a common option in the college area. We're also looking to limit the commute to campus to under fifteen minutes. So, I'm honing in on these choices:

Various choices by the Irvine Company Apartments

This company seems to have a near-monopoly on apartments. I'll be looking at Turtle Rock Canyons, Colony at Fashion Island, Rancho San Joaquin, Town Center Apartment Homes, Newport North Apartment Homes, and Bourdeaux Apartments; I'm not sure I can hit all of these in one day, but we'll see how it goes.

The Carlyle

This seems more upscale, and the pictures seem to show more natural light.

Skyloft

I'm not sure about this, given that the reviews are mixed, but it seems like a nice in-proximity choice.

The Residences at Pacific City

These look very nice, and are a little more expensive, but seem closer to the beach. Not sure about the commute, though.

Hunting begins next Friday, when I'll be on campus for an introduction to the graduate program.