<p>How long does this take by BART? What about by Bus?</p>
<p>Dude, that sh1t is far. You will have to take BOTH Bart and ACTransit. I could see this taking you half an hour each way easily. It's also not cheap, since Bart doesn't provide monthly unlimited rides outside of SF. You also wouldn't be able to get a commutercheck for some savings unless you work during the schoolyr and your employer provides it. </p>
<p>Don't even consider this unless you really can't find housing closer to campus, and I'm sure you can (at reasonable rates as well). Jack London Square is a nice area but it's not practical at all.</p>
<p>no. no. no. bad idea. thats all i have to say.</p>
<p>no way dood, that is hella far.</p>
<p>It is totally doable. I live in Walnut Creek and take the BART to campus every day. If you can find an apartment that is substantially cheaper than in Berkeley, i.e. about $150 less, that will cover the cost side of the issue. If you buy your BART tickets at the campus transportation office (slightly discounted), get your semester AC transit pass at the ID card office, and don't mind a commute of about 35 minutes total, it is worth considerable. After all, the commute is relatively stress free. It's not like your sitting in traffic.</p>
<p>Is the OP a freshmen or new student?</p>
<p>And wow, $150 rent!</p>
<p>
[quote]
$150 less
[/quote]
:)</p>
<p>I also commute and its not too bad, it saves a bunch of money.You just have to be able to manage your free time well and schedule things accordingly.</p>
<p>now, does $150 and less mean a single or shared room?</p>
<p>while it may be cheaper for a freshmen to live this far away and save money, being a commuter makes involvement on campus much more difficult-something to consider.</p>
<p>$150 less out of your pocket.</p>
<p>Hmm, I can see how you would want to live there, but save the great locales for after you graduate, because while that half hour commute may be tolerable enough those first few days of school, as a freshman coming in to university, you might not yet know how exhausted you will be after a full day's worth of classes, plus commute! Plus you will be preventing yourself from participating in after school hours activities, exam reviews, campus events, club meetings, decals, etc. You shouldn't have to deal with this when you're just starting out. There are plenty of great rates on room shares in Berkeley if cost is your concern. I guess we don't really know your situation there though; if you are already set on living there, or if you have housing already taken care of there like a parent or friend, it wouldn't be so bad. I have a few friends who do make a similar commute but they have had to make some sacrifices as far as their schedules go. Just realize that once you're in the thick of the semester, things get pretty hectic. It's up to you really though. Personally I'm not a big BART fan; I only take it when I must. But that's just me.</p>
<p>I, too, don't recommend commuting unless you have to -- you'll just miss too much of college life which occurs outside of classrooms. That being said, depending on where you live in JLSquare, you might be able to walk to AC Transit stop and skip Bart entirely. Bus #51 goes thru downtown Oakland (from Alameda) and takes about 30 minutes to arrive at Sather Gate from 14th and Broadway.</p>