For me, Rolling Hills would be a very attractive choice for a 1st year student. I could not live there, as I have 2 large dogs, but I know of many others that did. To begin with, the FIRST choice you should make is whether or not you would like to live alone or with a roommate. If you would like to live alone, Rolling Hills or nearby Cameron Cove (not school run, but a huge complex of about the most inexpensive 1 bedrooms in the area) are a good option. With this said, living in the dorm will provide you with a lot of classmates that live in very close proximity. From either Rolling Hills or Cameron Cove, you can take the very short shuttle to school or even walk.
BUT, if you are willing to live with a roommate, both of these places provide very poor value for the money. A one-bedroom at Sundance or Sunforest (these are adjacent complexes, both of which you walk to school from) will run you about $1100, but of course additional bedrooms cost very little over this. For my money, Sunforest is much better than Sundance, as the latter is a collection of independently owned apartments, and this makes quality extremely variable, and public use problems can go untended. (I.E. bugs, mold, the utterly decrepit basketball and tennis courts) Sunforest is expensive, but is well run and has great immenities. I lived there for 2 years.
After your first year, you may not feel the need quite as much to be so close to school. In the area there are places like Jacaranda or Los Prados that provide REALLY nice places, a 5-10 min drive to school, all for the same as either Sundance or Sunforest.
Once 3rd year comes, many people have spread out a little, as your time on campus becomes more concentrated, and more time is spent at secondary clinics. I am originally from a very rural area, so I now live in a house near South Bay, close to Lake Okeechobee, and drive about an hour each way when I go to nova. With this said, I have a 3 bedroom on 4 acres for $1000 a month....so it is all dependent on how you live. Decide what you want in the place, then start the search. hope this helps. Good luck and see you in August.
