<p>In response to your question about on campus jobs, you don’t have to be eligible for work-study, but the jobs are not guaranteed nor federally funded, so there is no limit on the amount you can work them.</p>
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<li><p>I recommend living in the dorms for the first year. For sophomore year, most students move out of the dorms to nearby apartments, fraternity houses, Co-op, etc. If you can get an apartment and share rent with roomates, it can be cheaper. It all depends on location, size, etc. The apartment will likely be cheaper because you aren’t paying for food up front. Use the first year in the dorms to get acquainted with some friends that you may like to room with…get used to some of the cheaper, good eats around campus…get used to the campus and surrounding area. Later in your spring semester, start looking into housing options for next term…Cal held some housing options workshops then at the dorms.</p></li>
<li><p>Some Co-op housing is pretty rundown and dirty…some houses are a little better…I think you may have to spend your first year at the Co-op in a not so ideal place…you build up seniority in the system and you can then get access to the better places later…check out the Co-op housing website and office for more info.</p></li>
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<p>I’m not sure about your other questions.</p>
<p>Here’s my advice though:</p>
<p>Don’t fret too much about expenses and future living arrangements, especially your first semester…it will distract you from your studies and acclimation. Things have a way of working out.</p>
<p>1) Apartments are cheaper, but the difference in cost varies. You can rent a pretty bad place for as little as $500/mo or a decent place for $700-750/mo. That’s just rent so you’ll have to factor in utility costs, food costs (which are rising), and furnishing the apartment. In the long-run most students tend to save more money by living in an apt vs. dorm.</p>
<p>5) LOL Some coops are dirty… there may be some decent ones I think? Coop housing is really cheap, but some people don’t like the drug problems and dirtiness… so it really depends on your personality.</p>
Once I’m there, I definitely won’t be bothered about the financial bit. That’s why I’m trying to be clear about all the options I have right now. :)</p>
<p>^ The problem is you won’t know the answers until next year when you apply for housing, etc. Apartment hunting in Berkeley can be a very stressful time.</p>
<p>If you can find a fraternity you like, it will relieve a lot of uncertainty about housing - early on, too - which is a benefit. I’m unsure though about the average fraternity costs compared to an average apartment.</p>
<p>I do not know for sure, but i have always heard you must be a citizen to get any federal iad (grants/stafford loans) You probably could apply for merit aid, for example the Alumni award requires people to apply every year</p>
<p>there has never been an instance when i have ever been able to use the word “all” when talking about college life (in this case, housing) and drugs. there is just simply no way that ALL the ppl living in a certain co-op(s) can have drug problems. at berkeley. or at stanford. or in any space where ppl live together. there is only one (one) place like that, that i can think of. and it’s called rehab.</p>
<p>During CalSo I stayed with a friend who lived in a really cool Co-op-- Wolf House to be exact. She’s going on her fourth semester living at the same co-op so she’s definitely built her seniority. She mentioned that there are a lot of dirty, drug-infested co-ops so where you get placed depends on your luck and place on the waiting list.
I guess there was this one co-op at Berkeley that had a party and made like three batches of “special” brownies and served them to everyone. One girl claimed she had been drugged and took it to the authorities. And I guess the Co-op association has to deal with all of this BS. That particular co-op really lives up to the dirty hippy drug scene stereotype co-ops tend to have.
Basically, Co-ops could be a great experience (like my friend’s) or a horrible one. It all depends which co-op you’re placed in. Since you’re an international student, have you thought of applying to I-House?</p>
<p>The IHouse is cool and the food is amazing but the rooms are ridiculous. The rooms are seriously even smaller than the ones in the Units. They’re unbearable.</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant the I-House cafe, not the actual food offered through living there. I’ve never eaten the regular meals served there, but based on Wikipedia, one major criticism of the house is the food quality. So…I-house cafe is great. Apparently I-house dining is not.</p>
<p>And also, to give you an idea of just how small the room is, it’s 9ft x 13ft.</p>