<p>I found out i'm gonna be staying at Bowles dorm. Kinda a bummer because it wasn't one of my choices and i would like to have a little more social interaction than with just guys. But i've decided to live with it, and i have realized some good aspects about it.</p>
<p>Anyway, what do you guys know about it? Is it usually full of jocks or party-filled. I like quiet places, and just hope it is alright. I hear they have pool tables, which is what i need :)</p>
<p>So yea, thanks</p>
<p>I lived in Bowles this past year, so I have can answer any specific question you've got. </p>
<p>I talked about late night food here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=194097&page=2%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=194097&page=2</a></p>
<p>I talked about pool tables in your thread here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=196544%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=196544</a></p>
<p>There are no "jocks" so to speak, but you'll find that Berkeley and Bowles has a lot of active guys who keep in shape. This is great if you ever play any sports- or pool- because there's always a guy willing to match up against you. In terms of quietness, that can be expected when living at Bowles. Although there are a fair amount of partiers and frat pledgers, they usually take care of their business elsewhere and then return to Bowles drunk and looking for sleep early Friday and Saturday mornings (girls somewhere else, so no point in drinking alone at Bowles). During a recent fire alarm at 4am, when students are actually forced to be outside and congregated with one another, I realized that I didn't know over half the people there. It's depressing, since I go out a lot and always hang out in the recreational room and hallway.</p>
<p>In terms of the uniqueness of Bowles, we do have a library where some Bowlesmen like to study. Here, along with the recreational room and a second gathering room, you will have access to the only wireless internet in the building. The library smells like apples, which I don't particularly like, and it holds a decent collection of books and other things, including one ancient computer (for no apparent reason) and the Bowles Ledger, which every student since 1966 dorming at Bowles has signed upon move-in. There is one elevator on one wing of the building, it's a scary little thing pot-smokers use at night and keeping in mind that the building was constructed in the late 1920s, the elevator understandably belongs to that era. The main lobby is tiles while the rec rooms are carpeted, the main staircase is wood, the rooms have linoleum carpet, and the the hallways and all other stairs are concrete. Bathrooms are a little weird, some have toilets only, one has a washer in it and another has a dryer. The Bowles laundry room is small, having only three sets of washer/dryer, but a recent decision was made to install more washing machines in the former sauna room; due to uncontrollable circumstances, the installation of these machines have been put on hold indefinitely. For the incoming Hall Association officers, you will not have much money to work with. As a result of the former year's inability to manage finances, this year's officers had to work around a debt to begin the year. They were able to do fairly well by ways of fundraising and we managed to hold several dances at Bowles this year, inviting Stern along and, on one occasion, a Unit 4 dance (Bowles, Stern and Foothills). Occasionally Bowles had barbeques with Stern on Thursdays and though many students asked for this to be a weekly event, the BBQs were suspended and occurred only once or twice second semester; a student cannot use the grill in the back without the permission of the Resident Director. Other notable rooms in the building includes The Dungeon, which has been recently turned into a gym for Bowles residents, the Attic and Tower, which are both closed to residents (though, if you become a member of Hall Association during the course of the year, you will be able to enjoy one night up there at year's end). The building itself is situated on a fairly high slope against the eastern foothills overlooking Maxwell Field and the Haas Business School. Maxwell Field, home of Lacrosse games and intramural sports, is a great place to play sports. The lights on the field go on at different times at different points of the year- sometimes it has been turned on as early as 5am and sometimes it has been kept on as late as 2am. On this field, there a Subway GameZone gathering place for visitors on days with Football Games. Memorial Stadium, home of YOUR Golden Bears, is located only 150 yards from our dorm. As such, Bowles has a wonderful tradition of singing to the Cal Band upon their leaving the stadium and marching down the street. We sing the "Bowles Drinking Song" and "Bowles Hall Association Song" to the band's playing. A lot of alumni walk past the hill while attending the games and they'll raise their arms and yell, "Hello Bowles Hall!" which, in turn, you are obligated to reply (even when children are near) "Hello *******!" There has been attempts to form a Bowles Hall Alumni Association, but relations broke throughout the course of the year as many alumni have turned against the First-Year Experiences Program. Bowles Hall, itself, is subject to being turned into a residence hall for the Business School or a research laboratory as it is situated on a major fault line as part of the Eastside Renovation projects involving the Business & Law Schools, as well as the football stadium. On the right side (facing the building) of Bowles is half-court basketball hoop, which hosts Floor vs. Floor basketball tournaments on the once-per-semester Bowles Hall Game Day. You can play it anytime and the lights for the hoop is on until 2am. To the left of Bowles is the Greek Theatre, site of a majority of commencement ceremonies, the Big Game Rally (which EVERYONE should go to), and occasional late-summer concerts: last year, the Black Crows, that one dude who sings "Margueritaville," and Kelly Clarkson played here and as Bowles residents, all you have to do is open your window and you will hear their playing (the stage is approximately 100 yards from the dorm). In between the property line of the Theatre and the dorm is the Bowles Hall parking lot, which is only interesting because of the animals that frequent there at night, including deer, raccoons, squirrels, wild turkey, and foxes. There is a backroad used by Bowlesmen behind the theatre to reach Foothill, where we go to use the dining common, the computer center, and the mailroom to pick up packages (letters are received in the lobby of the Bowles, itself). The front road around the Theatre is used Thursdays, when Bowlesmen walk in unison over to Stern to sing a few tunes for the ladies. Early in the year, there will be a lot of "exchanges" where the Sternies invite the Bowlesmen into their dorm to mingle and have some free food. As the semester progresses and classes pick up, exchanges are less frequent though singing continues every Thursday, all year long. As an all-males, all-freshmen dorm, you do have to deal with a lot of things. First, Berkeley does have a lot of homosexuals and there are a fair amount of them living at Bowles. For my floor, about a quarter of the men either openly announced their homosexuality or they were strongly suspected of it. Second, as it is all freshmen, there is a degree of puffing one's image, an element of "Man, I'm MANlier than you because I drink (stop, gulps a can) more than you." It can get really annoying. Thirdly, you have to deal with the inevitable question upon your announcing you live at Bowles, "Bowles?! That's so far." This is by far the question that irked me the most, because Bowles is theoretically the closest to campus. The Unit people tend to think they are the center of the universe, so Bowles would seem far to them. Bowles is actually right across the street from the main campus, while Unit 1 is one block away, Unit 2 is three blocks away, and Clark Kerr is 5 blocks away. Bowles is located geographically on the center line of campus, you can walk in a straight line all the way down to the Campanile in about 6 minutes time. Early morning walks to class is always nice, because it is all downhill. It takes me about 8 minutes to walk at a good pace from the 7th floor at Bowles to Dwinelle, and about 14-18 minutes to the opposite end of campus. It is not bad at all. If you like to study at libraries, the Haas library is open to undergraduates on weekdays and a favorite of mine, the Environmental Design Library in Wurster Hall, is located on the far side of the Business School. For off campus food, you have your option of Northside (which is suprisingly pleasant) or going down to Durant and Telegraph for a nice bite to eat.</p>
<p>I'm tired. If I think of anything else, I'll post later.
TTG</p>
<p>wow, thanks a lot. One quick question though: i plan to bring a bike, and when i visited Bowles i just saw a lot of stairs (i never went around back though) so i'm wondering, is their a path for bikes or am I screwed?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Upon move-in day, you will be using the elevator to move your belongings up to your room (if you live in the upper floors). You will access the elevator from a door on the left wing side of Bowles, facing the Greek Theater. You will drive up the parking lot into a little roundabout which leads to the side door. Inside the side door is a place where everyone keeps their bikes on a rack. You won't be riding your bike up the last leg of your journey, as this room is located on the third floor. You may walk your bike up the parking lot- which has a ridiculously steep slope- and safely secure your bike in the mentioned area. While that climb sucks, biking Bowlesmen love the freefall on the way back down that sick hill.</p>
<p>Remember to wear a helmet,
TTG</p>