<p>Among other schools, D is interested in Berkeley, and since we are in-state she may have a chance to go. Sorry if there is already a thread on this topic - I'm not good at searching for old threads. Since UCB only guarantees housing for freshman, what do the rest of the students do? How easy is it for students to secure housing for the rest of their years at Berkeley, and what are some of the issues of the non-dorm housing experience in Berkeley. E.g. cost, what kinds of housing are available, how many roommates, landlord issues, dining, safety, proximity to campus, etc. Any/all info is appreciated - Thx, Ms. L</p>
<p>I transferred as a junior and I was guaranteed housing. Maybe it’s first come, first served? I’m not sure. Other housing options include Telegraph Commons, which is a private dorm, Berkeley Co-op houses, sorority housing, etc. These are all close to campus and cost less than campus housing. Even a modest apartment in the area seems cheap in comparison.</p>
<p>Hi! </p>
<p>Freshmen are guaranteed two years housing, not one. If your student enjoys the dorm life and wants to continue in that environment, she gets first choice of housing second year. Alternatively, she might be interested in applying for an RA job where 2nd year she assists the residents and gets her own room, rent free.</p>
<p>If your daughter still wants housing after the 2nd year, although not guaranteed, she can apply for upper division housing in Wada or Channing Bowditch, both of which are apartments or apartment style dorms (i.e with kitchens).</p>
<p>Following first year, a student generally ends up in one of 4 categories re: housing: (1) stays in a dorm; (2) becomes an RA; (3) joins a sorority and moves into it; or (4) moves off campus, usually with roommates.</p>
<p>Off campus housing is plentiful, but expensive. To some, the belief is that off campus housing is much cheaper than the dorms, especially if the student is in a double or triple. Many run the numbers (mostly students) and they believe that off campus housing is cheaper than the “rip off” dorms. Maybe, but run the numbers, all of the numbers – room, utilities, roommates (and issues), cable, internet, food, appliances, furniture, kitchenware, bedding, and on and on.</p>
<p>Weigh all this stuff and you end up figuring it out.</p>
<p>Oh, and good luck to your daughter! Cal is an amazing place!</p>
<p>Regents’ Scholars are guaranteed housing for all four years. Those without it who still wish to live in the dorms sophomore year and beyond almost always get housing offers anyways (I have not heard of a single case of someone not getting an offer… it’s just that sometimes it’s a triple vs. the requested double or something).</p>
<p>Most people live in dorms their freshman year and move to off campus housing their sophomore year and beyond. It’s cheaper and you aren’t tied down by a meal plan. It takes a little bit of work to find a place, but it’s not a huge deal. Just a few weekends and you should be able to find a decent place if you start early. The quality depends on your luck, what you want (e.g. how many people you’re living with, how close/far, how new the place is), and what your budget is.</p>
<p>You can definitely get a very nice place very close to campus for less than 800 a month. You can get a nice place close to campus if you double for 650ish a month. There are some extreme situations where you can get a good place for less (there was a house of people who all knew each other beforehand that was renting out a single room for 900 total… and they allowed a double for 450 each. it was a very nice house and very close to campus). </p>
<p>Most people would highly recommend living in the dorms the first year (it’s a great experience to be surrounded by your peers and have automatically have a group of friends), and then living off campus the rest of the time. It’s a good chance to become more independent and stop eating bad tasting food.</p>
<p>Dorm housing is a once (or four times) in a lifetime opportunity, so most people will recommend she lives in the overpriced dorms for her first year. Afterward though, I would definitely recommend she try out Telegraph Commons (close to campus near Unit 3 and cheap) and other Berkeley-affiliated housing, an apartment (she could share with a few of her friends and dormmates), or other places like sororities. I have not researched this, but I think RA’s get discounted rooms.</p>
<p>My friend never lived in the dorms—she had an upperclassman friend and they shared an apartment. She probably spent around $450 ($900 rent) a month plus her share of utilities on that apartment. She didn’t have any trouble finding one. She got an apartment around the Foothills area, which is close to campus if your daughter is interested in math/science since the classes are on that side of campus.</p>
<p>Most students (I’d guess three quarters or more) move out of the dorms after their first year, mostly into apartments with friends. These apartments are usually a couple blocks further from campus than the dorms, though many are actually closer than the dorms. Cost and quality of apartment vary widely from manager to manager. Safety in apartments does not differ dramatically from safety in the dorms. (Dorms and apartments are often right next to each other, and most danger comes from being alone outside late at night.)</p>
<p>Aside from those options mentioned by other posters, another post-dorm option is living in the co-ops ([Welcome</a> to the Berkeley Student Cooperative](<a href=“http://www.bsc.coop%5DWelcome”>http://www.bsc.coop)), which offer low rates in exchange for 5 hours of chores each week. I really enjoyed my time in the co-ops, and I wish I had moved into them earlier than I did. There is a bit of a stigma (think 60s-70s Berkeley counterculture) associated with them, but the degree to which this is accurate varies widely from co-op to co-op and student to student. </p>
<p>Other miscellany:
RAs are housed for free, usually in singles
Dorms are undoubtedly more expensive than any other housing option
Dorm food tastes pretty good at the start of the year, but becomes monotonous with time
The official cost estimates, including for housing & food, on the campus web site are pretty accurate</p>
<p>They get housing for two years. I’ve been told the apartments are cheaper than the dorms.</p>
<p>apartments are cheaper than dorms, and as long as you search relatively early (around april/may) your daughter should find available housing easily.</p>