<p>I'm attending Berkeley this fall and I'm torn between the Bowles Hall or the Units for rooming.</p>
<p>I've read a lot of previous threads, but I can't seem to make a satisfying decision for which I want to reside in.</p>
<p>The Bowles Quad seems attractive because of it's spacious dorms, sick view out the window, traditions, and the exclusivity of living in a historical landmark of Berkeley.</p>
<p>However, I'm questioning whether I won't get a true college experience my first year, and that I will meet a lot less people because I won't be eating at Crossroads, and because I won't be living where a lot of other people are. </p>
<p>I know that both has it's drawbacks, but my main question is, which one will I regret more? Will I feel left out if I stay in Bowles? Or the other way around? </p>
<p>Another question is whether the traditions that used to be at Bowles are still there, wikipedia says that after it became an only freshmen dorm that the traditions sort of evaporated.</p>
<p>Some people really like Bowles. But I think they’re kind of in the minority. I know one guy who hated it so much he desperately tried for months to switch out and eventually got a spot in the Units. Some of the traditions are still there, like the serenading, but I don’t think all the guys who live there participate. From what I’ve heard, Bowles is what you make of it. And you’ll still make friends living there. But it’s not the most desirable place to be.</p>
<p>The Units are definitely the more social place to live, but you won’t be making your friends because you’re eating at Crossroads, haha. Typically you make close friends with some people on your floor and you may meet other friends through the rest of your building. But even a majority of people in your building you’ll never really see/talk to. </p>
<p>Maybe if you want the traditions and the male bonding Bowles potentially offers, but you want to live in a more social dorm, you could live in the Units and consider joining a fraternity?</p>
<p>Yeah…Nearly everyone in Bowles wishes they weren’t in Bowles and were randomly placed there. So that makes it even worse, because the people who would actually want to live in Bowles will be surrounded by unenthusiastic people who wish they were in the units. In other words, very few people at Bowles actually like it all that much.</p>
<p>That being said, you’ll make friends regardless of where you live. And heck, Bowles is only open to freshmen, so maybe it is a good idea to take advantage of that your freshman year if it really is something you want to do.</p>
<p>[opinion]I don’t really understand the appeal of a single-sex dorm. Why wouldn’t you want to meet and live with people of all genders?[/opinion]</p>
Bowles, Stern, and Foothill make up Unit 4, and eat at the Foothill DC. There are more people who live in Unit 4 than Unit 3 (I added it up once). You won’t be eating somewhere where no one is.</p>
<p>
I was one of those guys who kept trying to switch out, but after living there for two weeks I started to really like it.</p>
<p>
That is actually utter bull******. People like who think no want likes Bowles are just plain ignorant and probably don’t know too many people who live there.</p>
<p>I live in Bowles my freshman and junior years (stupidly decided to live in Foothill sophomore year, long story.). If you live in Bowles as a frosh you are allowed to go back again as a mentor. These days ~10% of Bowles residents each year are mentors (the hall houses less than 200 people). If no one actually likes is there it would not make much sense for so many people to choose to come back. I would have gone back this year if it weren’t for the dorm rates.</p>
<p>Some years more traditions are alive than others, it depends on the people on which ones actually get practiced each year. There are some new traditions that are attempting to be created (e.g. Black Light Party)</p>
<p>I recommend living in Bowles. I can’t (I fulfill neither of the requirements, sadly) but I can tell you that Bowles can be an incredibly social dorm at times. I suppose it all depends on your interests. There are a lot of science/engineering majors at Bowles, which is good, and/but we (they?) all tend to be rather nerdy. One good thing is that it’s generally considered pretty quiet, but I guess there’s a library for that. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind living uphill. </p>
<p>hiiiiii. looks like i’m deciding between bowles and foothill. I’m not sure if i dig the whole all male thing yet thus why foothill is option 2. Things i like about bowles is that it looks like a castle and the whole quad suite . Foothilll and bowles are also relatively close to the CoC buildings i think. Anyways can someone help me out? and im not sure i’d dig the units so much. seems way too congested and crowded. And is clark kerr worth it? seems a little far from campus.</p>