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Hey TL;
I'm an undergrad student in Sydney, Australia, and I just got offered a place on exchange at UCB. This is, of course, amazing, but I have pretty much no idea about housing, as here in Australia pretty much no-one lives on campus.
So, question: are there any TLers at UCB who can recommend me some housing options? From what I've heard, the residential halls are full of high and noisy first years, the co-op is pretty much a drug network, and the international house is best. However there are no places left at the international house, so that option is out the window. Suggestions?
 
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Red halls aren't that bad 
Basically there's Unit 1/2/3, Bowles, Stern, Foothill, and Clark Kerr.
Here's something copypasted from a doc posted on a UCB Class facebook page from a former student. I'd definitely recommend a res hall. Even though you'll be with a lot of first-years, it shouldn't be that bad. In fact, you might meet a lot of really cool people. I'll give you that a lot of frosh are pretty annoying and/or little squirts, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as you think. It also depends on the dorm complex.
+ Show Spoiler +A number of you have been asking about housing options. Since I spent three years in the dorms and dabbled in a few other styles as well (subletting, renting, commuting), I will try to organize my thoughts on each choice. Current students, faculty, and staff, please feel free to add to this list.
Unit 1
Close to campus, close to downtown, close to FPF
Music practice rooms downstairs near the Academic Services Center (really bad ones, but better than nothing)
Louder than Stern and Foothill but manageable enough
Buildings are quite new, but rooms can be small, especially the triples which are the same size as doubles
Uses Crossroads as its main dining facility, which is close but can be a hassle if you live on the top floors. Crossroads has pretty decent food, in my opinion. The largest dining hall with the most diverse selection.
Unit 2
Completely IDENTICAL to Unit 1 except for the fact that it is two blocks farther from campus.
Very close (basically adjacent) to FPF classes
Uses Crossroads
Unit 3
Close to campus, close to downtown, close enough to FPF
Reputed to be rather party-friendly
Can be a bit loud at times
The dining hall is located within the Unit itself (VERY close)
Foothill
Located up the hill, across the campus from downtown
Close to the chemistry/math/engineering buildings
VERY far from FPF classes
More costly than the Units, partly because suites are the only option, and they are by default more expensive
Rooms are bigger than in the Units, and unlike the other dorms, triple rooms actually get more space than doubles
Quiet compared to the Units, some wildlife nearby
Close to Maxwell Field, Memorial Stadium, and the Greek Theatre
Food is reputedly better than Crossroads, albeit with fewer choices
The dining hall is located within Foothill itself (VERY close)
Stern
All-female dorm, and yes, male overnight guests are allowed
Located at the exact same spot as Foothill so I won't repeat the location advantages and disadvantages
Can hear outdoor concerts at the Greek Theatre from some rooms
Quiet compared to the Units, some wildlife nearby
Uses Foothill dining, which is right there
Bowles guys come up and serenade the Stern girls every Thursday
Annual Bowles-Stern set-up dance
Lots of history, culture, and a tight-knit community
Bowles
All-male dorm
Spacious rooms, but they are all quads so you'd have to share with more people
Not exactly known as the cleanest dorm
Lots of dorm history, culture, and a tight-knit community
Has been compared to Hogwarts
Uses Foothill dining, which is close enough but not right there
Right next to the stadium, and Cal Band stops by Bowles every game
Residents get to serenade the Stern girls every Thursday
Annual Bowles-Stern set-up dance
Clark Kerr
WAY too far for most people. I taught at their preschool a few times, and it took me a full 30 minutes to walk there from campus.
Some steep hills near the area
One of the most costly dorm options available
Food is reputedly the best, dorm rooms are quite large as well
Optimum location for student athletes (close to training facilities)
In addition, Units 1-3 are all tall buildings so you need to account for the time it takes getting downstairs when going to class, whereas the other dorms don't have this issue. All residence halls have an Academic Services Center (ASC) with free computing, relatively cheap (used to be cheaper) printing, free scanning, occasional events such as game nights, not to mention free tutoring for math, chemistry, physics, and writing. There are also Finding Your Way advisers (professional L&S college advisers) available at every dorm, as are ASC peer advisers. Some dorms have resident faculty such as Prof. Chang living there as well.
Some students who live within an hour of campus do decide to commute. I personally would not recommend it unless you really need the money. The reason being, it's so much harder to get involved when you're living so far away. I commuted for two summers from Fremont via BART, and it was fine for the summer. But I can't imagine commuting when trying to participate in clubs that required evening and weekend involvement. It's hard to immerse yourself in the environment and truly enjoy the experience when you're worried about catching the next train home and about having to endure the horrible smell of automobiles for an hour.
Congratulations, and hope to see you around ^^
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Talk about extremely broad (and inaccurate) generalizations.
Not all resident halls are noisy. Foothills is pretty quiet. Unit 2 has the Wada apartments, which consists of junior+ transfers. Martinez Commons are for sophomore+ and Channing Bowditch is another upper div housing unit owned by the school.
Not all co-ops do drugs.
You can also look for sublet options if you're not keen on living with lots of other people.
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Yup, pretty much that. Foothill esp is pretty quiet.
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Aerisky's summary is pretty spot on. If you don't care for res hall (getting the experience of living in a dorm, etc) then there are always people looking roommates. I recommend emailing some international student clubs at UCB such as ISAB and see if they have any resources regarding non-dorm living.
Worst comes to worst, craigslist is your friend! It's a great source of finding open apartments or people looking for roommates. That's how I lived after moving out of the dorms. Be warned though, many of the apartments aren't that great in terms of quality for price, and prices can differ from 1000USD per month for a 1 bedroom 1 bath to 1600USD for a studio. If you're really interested in apt hunting, send me a PM and I'll list some recommendations.
Good luck!
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I'm assuming you're a guy so Stern is out of the question (all girls). Bowles is all male and from what I've heard it's not such a great place to live (it's probably just a general stereotype though for an all-guys dorm). I lived in Foothill last year and it was nice.
What year and major are you? If you're a 1st or 2nd year then living in one of the Units will be closer to your classes. If you're 3rd/4th year and you're in the sciences (especially stuff like CS), Foothill will probably be closer to your classes.
The Units are nice for socializing (so I've heard) but I didn't live there so I can't say much. It's closer to most of the food on campus though. At Foothill all you have is Le Vals (pizza), Bongo Burger, and North Asian Ghetto. With the Units/Martinez you'll have a ton more choices. My friends live in the Martinez apartments and they are SUPER nice so if you're going to be a 2nd year definitely try to get in there. But yes, all the res-halls will be full of first years.  My floor in Foothill was pretty quiet though (as is the case with most of Foothill probably).
Good luck! Enjoy Berkeley
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On May 02 2013 14:08 MayorITC wrote:
Talk about extremely broad (and inaccurate) generalizations.
Not all resident halls are noisy. Foothills is pretty quiet. Unit 2 has the Wada apartments, which consists of junior+ transfers. Martinez Commons are for sophomore+ and Channing Bowditch is another upper div housing unit owned by the school.
Not all co-ops do drugs.
You can also look for sublet options if you're not keen on living with lots of other people.
Yeah, I figured they're more caricatures than accurate representations. I'm sure nothing is that bad with Berkeley's reputation.
@Aerisky: Thanks for the guide! Sounds like Foothill is probably my best option, though I wouldn't mind a walk from Clark Kerr if conditions are significantly better there.
@b3h47pte: I'm a chem/biochem major in my last year of undergrad.
I would be fine with living in a dorm (I'm a pretty tolerant person), but I would like to get the best marks for all my subjects. As long as a dorm doesn't negatively affect that then I'd be fine with it. Loud noises and people don't bother me much, but I do enjoy my peace and quiet. I would also like to have some space for music practise (cello and piano) if possible; but I'd assume that the Berkeley music department can let me practise in one of their rooms, possibly?
To me it looks like my best options are Clark Kerr and Foothill, depending on how much better the food is and how much more room I get at Clark. Money isn't really a problem either.
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Yes, Morrison Hall is pretty close to the Units and Foothill, and they have very nice practice rooms.
Here's a Berkeley housing page link http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/livingatcal/comparehalls.html
If you hover over "Housing Locations", there's some more info about the units. I know the Units have some (mediocre) practice rooms, not sure about the other places, but if you're going for hardcore practice, Morrison Hall is part of the music department.
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Congratulations man. Really happy for you. I applied for Harvard medical school. With all top grades and several extra curricular activities + 2 years of working charity. Still not good enough - LOL.
I wish you luck!
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As a chem/biochem major, majority of your classes will probably be on the east side of campus (Latimer, pimentel). Bio classes can be held in VLSB and north side in GPB. Unit 1 (where I stayed when I was freshmen) was very nice, doubles are spacious triples can be tight. You can practice cello in your dorm as long as roommate is okay, piano you'll have to go to morrison or the unit practice room (which did not have a reserve system when i was there). For Morrison practice rooms, you may not be able to use them at certain times http://music.berkeley.edu/about/facilities/practice.php.
I don't recommend Clark Kerr unless you have a bike or don't mind walking/riding the bus. Hell, I would recommend biking anyways regardless of where you end up staying, as sometimes classes are on the opposite side and you have 10minutes to get there. IMO Foothill or Unit 1 are the best location wise. Something people haven't mentioned yet is the proximity to the field and gym. The RSF (gym) is on southside, so Foothill will be far, but Foothill is right next to Maxwell (AND memorial stadium!!!!) so if you're into intramural sports, those facilities will be close by. Unit 1 and Unit 3 is by the newer Underhill field, which also hosts intramural games.
Foodwise, they are all good. People always say "Cafe 3 is better than X roads!" or "Foothill/Clark Kerr is awesome!" but in the end they all serve roughly the same foods at the same quality. Clark Kerr dining hall is definitely nicer, more Harry Potter-like, but again, same food.
And don't worry about the noise, quiet hours are always enforced, and during the day you have the option of booking study rooms in the res halls or going old-school at the library (which also has rooms you can book). During finals, these rooms, as well as empty classrooms in Wheeler, Latimer, VLSB, and Dwinelle (places that I've hit up, other buildings are available as well) can be used for study groups. There's also study rooms on every other floor in the units, so you shouldn't worry too much about it. Use the dorms as a way to meet new people and socialize. Studying is important, but making connections is as well too.
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Thanks for all the detailed responses; you guys have been a great help for someone who's never had to live on campus before. I guess I'll try to get a place at Foothill, by the sounds of it it's the best location for me. How tight is demand there? Should I extensively research into independent backup options? Haven't got a CalID yet so still can't apply...
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I'll be seeing you in Berkeley soon I guess! Welcome ^_^
Foothill is decent, known to be a little bit nerdier than the other dorms (lots of engineers, technical majors). I lived in Bowles and usually ate at Foothill, they have the best late night (steak plates). I personally wanted Unit 1 but Foothill is quite nice as well. In terms of demand you will almost certainly get in I think, mostly the Units are the difficult ones to get into.
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Slight hiccup, just got my CalID, and looking at the housing application page it says that they only offer academic year and spring contracts. Is there a way I can only get special considerations to stay for the fall semester only? I don't mind paying an extra mid-year cancellation fee or something of that sort, and I'd rather stay on campus and experience dorm life in America (it was promised on the brochure for exchange, after all  )
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On May 03 2013 13:05 sushiko wrote:As a chem/biochem major, majority of your classes will probably be on the east side of campus (Latimer, pimentel). Bio classes can be held in VLSB and north side in GPB. Unit 1 (where I stayed when I was freshmen) was very nice, doubles are spacious triples can be tight. You can practice cello in your dorm as long as roommate is okay, piano you'll have to go to morrison or the unit practice room (which did not have a reserve system when i was there). For Morrison practice rooms, you may not be able to use them at certain times http://music.berkeley.edu/about/facilities/practice.php. I don't recommend Clark Kerr unless you have a bike or don't mind walking/riding the bus. Hell, I would recommend biking anyways regardless of where you end up staying, as sometimes classes are on the opposite side and you have 10minutes to get there. IMO Foothill or Unit 1 are the best location wise. Something people haven't mentioned yet is the proximity to the field and gym. The RSF (gym) is on southside, so Foothill will be far, but Foothill is right next to Maxwell (AND memorial stadium!!!!) so if you're into intramural sports, those facilities will be close by. Unit 1 and Unit 3 is by the newer Underhill field, which also hosts intramural games. Foodwise, they are all good. People always say "Cafe 3 is better than X roads!" or "Foothill/Clark Kerr is awesome!" but in the end they all serve roughly the same foods at the same quality. Clark Kerr dining hall is definitely nicer, more Harry Potter-like, but again, same food. And don't worry about the noise, quiet hours are always enforced, and during the day you have the option of booking study rooms in the res halls or going old-school at the library (which also has rooms you can book). During finals, these rooms, as well as empty classrooms in Wheeler, Latimer, VLSB, and Dwinelle (places that I've hit up, other buildings are available as well) can be used for study groups. There's also study rooms on every other floor in the units, so you shouldn't worry too much about it. Use the dorms as a way to meet new people and socialize. Studying is important, but making connections is as well too.
Foothill late night is by far the best though ^^
And you should probably email them about any housing specifics for exchange students...I'm not sure if any of us will be able to give you a solid answer on that.
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I'm going to Berkeley this year for uni, so I've done some researched and talked to some people going to Berkeley. Generally, if you want a good social scene @ the dorms, I hear Unit 3 is the place to be. If you want a really nice place to stay, choose Clark Kerr. Clark Kerr probably has the best facilities out of all the dorms (it was made for student athletes I hear). The only drawback is that it's pretty far. Personally, I first pref'd Unit 3 followed by 1, 2 and Clark Kerr. I put the other units over Clark Kerr because my roommate and I want to be as close to our classes as possible (though I guess it depends where you take your classes too).
Haven't been to the school yet though (I'm moving in August still living in the Philippines as of now lol), so I can't really say from personal experience. Thus, take this with a HUGE grain of salt.
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EPT
