<p>I'm a spring 07 transfer student and I'm considering applying for co-op housing (<a href="http://www.usca.org/)%5B/url%5D">http://www.usca.org/)</a>. Can anyone give me some inside info on the co-ops? I've been getting a mixed bag of info on them, mainly from second hand sources. From what I gather, they are fun but dirty. Anything else you guys can tell me?</p>
<p>Which co-ops are the "best" & for what reasons? Thanks!</p>
<p>There is no best co-op. The "best" one is the one you choose after you made visits. Visits are important. It was pretty shocking in regards to the level of dirtiness in the co-op that I lived in, and never again will I apply for some sort of housing without a visit... ever.</p>
<p>I agree with unlimitedx, the coops warrant a visit or two before applying. You can visit them at any time; no appointment needed.</p>
<p>Things to consider:
Size: Do you want to live with 20 people or 120 people?
Location: South side (in the heart of CAL and Telegraph) or North side (a bit quieter)
Dirtiness: They definitely range. I'd be concerned with the public areas. In my S's coop, the kitchen and bathrooms are clean.
Social life: Each is different. Some have themes - Vegetarian or LGBT.</p>
<p>One attribute is that the people in the coops range from freshmen to graduate students. Again, depending on your viewpoint this is a positive or negative</p>
<p>good luck</p>
<p>Haha, you should visit Cloyne first.</p>
<p>i heard cloyne is wild. i wanted to visit some coop parties this summer but didnt hear of any.... well, except for one at oscar wilde. </p>
<p>the whole area was pretty mellow.. maybe ill check them out this fall...?</p>
<p>No way. We had a party twice a week or so here this entire summer. Cops showed up every single time to shut us down.</p>
<p>i guess im just not in the know... </p>
<p>whats up next weekend? i might be coming up to berkeley. it'd be cool to check out a co-op or two and have some fun in the process.</p>
<p>Dranakin,</p>
<p>Were the parties at Cloyne? Also, was it the campus police or the city police that shut them down?</p>
<p>from what i've seen, there are two types of people. people who absolutely love the co-ops and people who could never see themselves living in a place like that. and most people can tell right away just by visiting one...atmosphere is the biggest thing to most people, and they worry about the details later. so ya, just make sure you know what you're getting into.</p>