<p>Would this be possible to do on the BART every day???? Instead of living at Berkeley, can live in DUblin? My intended major is MCB...I don't know if I would become too busy to do this. I am also premed.</p>
<p>You can do this, but are you doing this to live at home. If you live at home you will miss out on one of the most important things about going to college, and it will be much harder to make friends.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t do it. It’d be a lot better to go to any of the other UCs and live on campus than to turn your experience at Berkeley into a commuter school experience.</p>
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<p>I couldn’t disagree with this more. There are lots and lots of students who commute to Berkeley. There are plenty of ways to become part of the campus community without living in the dorm.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Good, glad you disagreed, Lenf1234. </p>
<p>OP: Now you have two completely opposite opinions. You should investigate for yourself. I am so against the notion of making Berkeley a commuter experience, I am about to jump through the internet and scream at kenf1234 in person…:)</p>
<p>Wow BedHead! It made me think that I should back you up.</p>
<p>You’re talking almost an hour on BART each way, plus the time it takes to get there, wait for your trains, and transfer. Is it possible? Yes. Would it be a good idea? BedHead and I don’t think so.</p>
<p>I’m not disagreeing with the fact that it’s fun and exciting for most people to live in the dorms freshman year (it was for me long ago).</p>
<p>Commuting on BART from Dublin would take a while, but it wouldn’t be THAT unpleasant. Many many high school students in Tokyo endure much worse commutes every day…</p>
<p>Many students in Tokyo endure worse situations, just like kids in Africa are starving, but that doesn’t change anything. You have an opportunity, and you should take it.</p>
<p>Pro living on Dorms: 3
Against living on Dorms: Lonely little 1.</p>
<p>It’s very possible, and maybe even quite easy, but highly not recommended.</p>
<p>Living in the dorms will give you a much better experience.</p>
<p>what if you commute your second year?</p>
<p>Second year sounds reasonable. Though, it’s still a hassle.</p>
<p>The dorm experience provides the most benefit the first year, but they still benefit you if you can fit in.</p>
<p>Is the experience the main reason people are against this idea?h</p>
<p>Yep, it’s mainly experience, though here’s a few things you have to think about:</p>
<p>1.) Courses can get tough sometimes, and successful people usually don’t try to get through difficult things all by themselves. How will you seek help when needed? Dorms provide an environment where you have many roommates to form study groups, etc.</p>
<p>2.) How will you handle the process of growing up? You’ve lived with your parents for almost two decades. Wouldn’t it be better to ease into the process of adult life by living away by yourself first?</p>
<p>3.) Consider your social life. The more often you hang out with people, the more often you’re likely to be friends with them. College is a time of important bonding and connections that will last a lifetime. You will be at a significant disadvantage compare to those who do stay at dorms.</p>
<p>It’s an exposure to the real world. The money saved is usually not worth it.</p>
<p>that commute is way too far. add in 20 minutes from bart station to edge of campus, and it should be a “hells no”</p>
<p>All of you anti-commuters, are you going to pay the $14,000 dorm fee for the OP?</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I lived in a dorm as a freshman. I liked it a lot. But it’s not possible/the best solution for everyone. You can still have a complete, full, satisfying college experience without living in a dorm.</p>
<p>you can have a good commuter experience, but hes just too far. if he can afford it, a dorm would be good. a cheap apartment may be even better if money is an issue</p>
<p>I’m a junior transfer so this was my first year at Berkeley. I live in Castro Valley which is a little closer than Dublin. I decided to drive to school every day, yes I know I’m crazy with parking and gas prices but I like being in control and not relying on BART. The drive isn’t bad at all, tops in the morning is 30 minutes. I found a great parking spot on craigslist but boy is it costing serious $$$$. As for the not getting the dorm experience. I went to Arizona State out of high school and lived in the dorms for a semester, I hated it and ended up coming home and going to a JC. I couldn’t be happier with my decision and now I’m going to a much better school. I haven’t met a ton of people at Berkeley mainly for it being a commuter school for me. I kind of regret this but I have a lot of close friends near my house so it all works out. I don’t know if this helped at all, probably not, but just saying that commuting is possible and I absolutely love going to Berkeley!</p>
<p>Agree 100 percent with kenf. </p>
<p>He is not denying that living in the dorms can be a great experience. He is just saying that its okay to commute an hour a day. You save $, you can read your textbook on the BART, and you become more independent IMO.</p>
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<p>Let’s say you have a nice family that you like. A quiet place to study in your house. Someone who is happy to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for you. Do you really think that you are going to better off finding a cramped a apartment you share with other people, preparing your own food or eating out every day? </p>
<p>There are social benefits to living in a dorm. For many people they are huge benefits. For me, they were huge benefits.</p>
<p>However, renting an apartment near campus isn’t really easier than sitting on BART two hours a day, if your lifestyle is very comfortable otherwise. Not to mention weekends. Renting an apartment to live there 4 nights a week is also a waste of money if you ask me.</p>
<p>The “freshman dorm experience” is great for many people, but it is NOT a necessity for a happy life or a fulfilling college experience.</p>
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<p>What a silly standard: not a necessity for a happy life or a fulfilling college experience. Of course not. Neither is having a sex change operation. But some things are advisable – and others aren’t.</p>
<p>College is for many people a social rite of passage that carries them from being at home and more dependent to developing a group of friends in the context of determining their own schedules without having to answer to other people/parents on a constant basis.</p>
<p>If one goes to Cal without at least living in the dorms the first year, one will miss out on an experience to make friends there and that opportunity will essentially be missed forever.</p>
<p>As I said, these are two viewpoints. I am not saying one or the other is a necessity or not. But I think the OP should be VERY aware of what he/she might be giving up. If my parents had wanted me to live at home when attending college, I would have chosen a different college.</p>
<p>Kenf1234: You lived in the dorm didn’t you? I do think, given that you didn’t practice what you preach, it would be advisable for you to get a sex change.</p>