<p>For the fall and spring semesters I'll be living in a triple room at Unit 2. I'm wondering if someone can give me an idea on how life is like there or really any of the other of the residence halls. You know, how it's like and if I should watch out for anything in terms of danger.</p>
<p>Anyone care to comment?</p>
<p>Well, I lived in Unit 1, which is basically the same as Unit 2 except a block closer to campus.</p>
<p>The Units are usually a very social atmosphere, depending on your floor. Since you’re in a triple your room is gonna be pretty small, but livable. Two closets, three beds, three desks. You’ll share the floor bathroom, consisting of 3 or 4 toilets and 3 showers, with 30 other people. You’ll either have a lounge or a laundry room on your floor. The dining commons nearest U2 is Crossroads, which has a bigger variety than any other dining hall, but the food isn’t that great… Not that the food at any of the places is really that good, haha. But you’ll live. It’s part of the freshman experience.</p>
<p>As far as ‘danger,’ don’t go chill in People’s Park, which is the notorious sketchy park pretty close to Unit 2… And, like any dorm, make sure your door is closed when you and your roommates are not in the room, or people can slip in and take things. A couple of my floormates last year had some sketchy friends that took like 200 dollars from another guy on my floor, and another guy’s hat, mouse, and other random crap. </p>
<p>Aaand let’s see, I guess that about covers it unless you have specific questions. I’d recommend using the search function to find out more general info.</p>
<p>Sharing 3 showers with 30 other people? That’s got to be hectic when it comes to get ready for class, regardless of time.</p>
<p>Nah, the showers are rarely occupied. Trust me, there will always be one available. </p>
<p>And People’s Park isn’t dangerous at all during the day, maybe at night, but it’s actually a great place during the day.</p>
<p>I lived in a triple in unit 2 as well.</p>
<p>The room will probably feel a little crowded, especially at first if you’re used to living in bigger spaces. Once I got used to it I didn’t think it was that bad, but I would recommend making a commitment to stay clean & organized as soon as you move in, because if there is a lot of mess in those rooms then they can get cramped feeling pretty fast. </p>
<p>As for the bathrooms, I wouldn’t say that’s much of an issue. I only had to wait to use the shower once (though generally take showers at night when there’s less time pressure). If you get desperate you can always use a shower on another floor. What ended up being more of a problem for me was when the bathroom was getting cleaned when I wanted to use it, but again you can always go to another floor and if you ask the cleaning people will usually let you come in early if you’re not in the way.</p>
<p>I think a lot of your dorm experience depends on who your neighbors are, but generally I’d say the halls can get a little noisy, especially on the weekends. Overall it’s not a bad environment though. I was kind of disappointed that not many people came to the building/unit events last year because I wanted to meet more people outside my building. There are also occasional mechanical errors, like washers/dryers breaking, the elevator not working, stuff like that.</p>
<p>Also, I heard people complain a lot last year that unit 2 is ‘sooooo far’ from campus. It’s really not. I never had to leave more than 15-20 minutes before the start time of my classes to get there on time.</p>
<p>^Totally seconding the irritation of cleaning schedules interfering with my ability/need to take a shower. That was one thing that made me so very happy I was moving into apartments for my sophomore year, haha. The cleaning crew for my floor was really nice, at least, but I was always a little miffed when I woke up and saw the ‘closed for cleaning’ sign out. The floor above me, for whatever reason, was filled with the messiest people on the planet, so their bathroom was always disgusting. I’d go to the floor below, and occasionally got lectured by the cleaning crew for that floor that I should ‘go up’ because I was from the upper half of the building that she was ‘not responsible for.’ I’d always politely nod and smile but still sneak down there, the RAs said she couldn’t keep me from using it as long as she wasn’t cleaning it when I walked in. ;)</p>
<p>Haha wow, that was an overly long rant about the cleaning of the bathrooms, but as you can tell, sometimes it really bugged me!</p>
<p>But showers were only an issue during cleaning, or if you and a few friends from your floor went to the gym… We’d race for the showers sometimes! But you just have to remember that the 30 people on your floor all have different schedules, most people don’t start at the same hour, and people are split between taking showers at night and in the morning. So it’s no big deal.</p>
<p>And, at least they replaced all the washers and dryers! The new ones are a lot better. But the elevators in the units may be the slowest elevators you’ll ever encounter! Haha.</p>
<p>Phew, that’s nice to know and it’d be great to have a laundry room on the floor I’m assigned to. Hopefully residence hall life won’t be tough on me since I’m a transfer student and I’d probably be older than a few the students by at least 2-3 years.</p>
<p>Is the showering like gym status? Is it a bunch of naked dudes in a large room? Not that I mind…</p>
<p>There were several transfers on my floor last year, and they adapted to res hall life as well as anyone else. 
You should be fine! </p>
<p>And no, the showers are three separate, walled off stalls with locking doors. Inside the stall there’s a shelf, two hooks, a shower curtain, and of course the shower.</p>
<p>I know I’m staying in a triple in Unit 2, but when will I know exactly where that triple will be? During move-in day?</p>
<p>You’ll find out your building at the beginning of August when you find out who your roommates are. You won’t know your exact room til move in day, though.</p>
<p>Housing tries to keep transfers somewhat together in U2, so that it’s easier for them to meet people and integrate into the community. It would be highly unlikely for you to be the only transfer on your floor.</p>
<p>If you’re in a triple (and assuming that you are in a high rise, not a mini-suite), you will either be in one of four corner rooms or a converted triple. As the corner rooms are marginally larger than the other rooms in the hall, they are the designated triple rooms. Unfortunately, the converted triples are what they sound like–double rooms with extra furniture. As Housing has experienced something of a surplus this past year, hopefully they will have cut back on the number of converted triples so that the odds of you receiving a corner triple are higher. :/</p>
<p>And as my boyfriend lived in a U2 corner triple his freshman year, I just have three pieces of advice for you: (1) Don’t bring what you don’t need–seriously, (2) Keep your windows open, (3) Buy an air freshener anyways.</p>
<p>Besides the stuff officially listed by Berkeley at this website ([Resource</a> Guide 2011-12](<a href=“http://resource.berkeley.edu/r_html/301housing.html]Resource”>http://resource.berkeley.edu/r_html/301housing.html)), does anyone know of stuff I should bring to the residence halls with me that’s not mentioned?</p>
<p>This is going to be a ridiculously comprehensive list (I should probably post it as its own thread, haha–can you tell that I’ve been procrastinating?). I work as a hall staff member and find it hilarious/irritating what students/parents decide to bring/not bring. One year I saw a family pull a FULL 6’ TALL, 3’ WIDE BOOKSHELF out of their truck and try to move it into a room. Lulz.</p>
<p>WHAT ELSE TO BRING:</p>
<ol>
<li>Pillow & blanket/comforter/duvet - They’re not provided.</li>
<li>Foam mattress topper - Helps somewhat with comfort (and any–ahem–noises the mattress might make, haha), but mainly thickens up the thinner-than-standard mattress so that your twin XL sheets fit better. (I hate wrinkly sheets…)</li>
<li>“Laptop” lock - People do steal things, unfortunately. Buy extras for any TVs, gaming consoles, and monitors, or find some way to weave one lock through all of them! (Most people loop the lock around a beam at the back/bottom of the desk, so you’ll want a lock with a longer cable.)</li>
<li>Minor cleaning supplies (Lysol wipes, Febreeze/air fresheners) - You’ll want to wipe EVERYTHING down before you move in–trust me. Vacuums are available for check-out in each building, but you might want to consider bringing your own if you’re particular about clean carpets. (They do steam-clean each room during the summer, but… yeah.)</li>
<li>A Leatherman/multipurpose tool - You’ll be everyone’s new best friend.
6… Office supplies you take for granted now (e.g. stapler, hole punch, PRINTER PAPER) - Admittedly, if you don’t have it, someone will (or you can go to the Academic Services Center), but it’s nice to have one for yourself.</li>
</ol>
<p>RECOMMENDED:</p>
<ol>
<li>Brita filter - If you’re particular about your water. Personally think Berkeley tap water tastes fantastic and that Brita filters aren’t really worth the effort/time, but it’s up to you.</li>
<li>Set of cutlery (4 settings) and bowls/plates/cups (2 each) - CAN WE STOP STEALING FROM CAL DINING? You officially lose your right to complain about rising costs if you do. They lose over $10k ANNUALLY in cutlery alone. For the dishware, I’d recommend Corelle or Pyrex. Melamine (the cheap plastic stuff you find at Target) generally cannot be microwaved. You can bring fewer settings/dishware if you don’t expect to eat with others and/or are good about washing your dishes, haha. (You can buy a sponge/soap with your mealpoints.)</li>
<li>Hot water kettle - Wouldn’t recommend an Asian-style “air pot” unless you’re a religious tea-drinker/ramen-eater. The water’ll just sit there forever and it’ll be a big waste of energy.</li>
<li>Full-length mirror - Most rooms offer only above-waist mirrors.</li>
<li>Waste bin - Each room comes with one, but it’s nice to have one close to your desk for recycling, allergy season, your puking roommate, etc.</li>
<li>Small electric fan/tower - ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE IN FOOTHILL/BOWLES (and maybe Stern), and maybe if you’re in a male triple and think it might get kind of rank. Being up on the hill makes it REALLY HOT on September afternoons, and there’s very little respite unless you go down to campus. (All rooms in all Units have heating, though!)</li>
<li>Bike and an INFALLIBLE BIKE LOCK - Only if you live at CKC and don’t have a raging passion for walking (you’ll develop one anyways). Don’t bring/buy a super-expensive bike unless you’re in Cal Cycling or Triathlon, and get it registered with UCPD ASAP.</li>
</ol>
<p>WHAT TO <em>NOT</em> BRING:</p>
<p>ANYTHING WITH AN OPEN HEATING ELEMENT AND STRING LIGHTING. The Fire Marshall prohibits it and you will get in trouble if it’s present. Includes: HALOGEN LIGHTING, Foreman grills, hot pot/gas ranges, TOASTERS, candles with a wick (but you can cut off the wick and keep it around for scent), rope or holiday/decorative string lights, lava lamps (why??), electric frying pans, etc.</p>
<p>ANYTHING THAT WOULD DAMAGE THE WALLS/FLOOR/DOORS/WINDOWS. You’ll get charged.</p>
<p>STUFF YOU DO NOT NEED. You do not need the aforementioned 6’ bookshelf (or any furniture, for that matter). You do not need custom interior decor. You do not need 5 packs of notecards, 14 stuffed animals, a drum set, or a giant bean bag chair (unless your roommate is cool with it). If you find out that you DO need something, you can always buy it at Ikea, Daiso (Google it if you don’t know what it is, which is HEAVEN.), or Target.</p>
<p>From the provided list:
- Iron - Unless you’re planning to rush a business frat (e.g. DSP, AKPsi) or spend a lot of time wearing dress shirts, you’ll seriously never use it.
- Laundry basket - Waste of space. Buy one of those pop-up hampers or use those big plastic Ikea bags to store dirty laundry and tote it to the laundry rooms (just wipe it down in-between with a Lysol wipe).
- Microwave/Mini-Fridge - Unless you REALLY WANT ONE to have forever and ever–Housing offers microwave/mini-fridge rentals for the year. Super convenient and saves tons of space in the car if you’re driving to Cal.
- Music Player/Stereo System - How old is this list??</p>
<p>Other:
- Over-the-door hooks/Iron Gym workout bar - UNLESS you live in U4 (Bowles/Stern, Foothill) and maybe CKC (unsure). In the Units, the doors fit too tightly into their jambs to accommodate the hooks–you might be charged for damaging the paint.
- Sleeping bag - Unless you’re a forestry or other major that goes on field trips and/or like camping.
- Curtains/Blinds - Uh, those’re provided.</p>
<p>Ew, that was long.</p>
<p>SUMMARY: If you can’t fit everything into a 4-door sedan (or maybe a minivan, if you’re bringing a larger fridge/bike), you’re bringing too much.</p>
<p>Pack TIGHT, pack SMART. Minimize boxes/bags in order to minimize TRIPS. In the Unit high-rises, each building has only ONE very SLOW (and very breakable) elevator to serve eight residential floors. If you’re in a Unit 1/2 minisuite, you’re luckier–there’re two fairly decent elevators. If you’re in Clark Kerr, you’re going to be walking around carrying (or hopefully rolling with the provided bins) a lot of stuff. And lucky you, Stern/Bowles/Foothill residents–you’ll be walking up/down hills AND stairs with a lot of stuff–bins’ll only help until you hit steps. The elevators there won’t be of much use unless you live in a few specific suites.</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK AT MOVE-IN! Kekekekeke. (P.S. Check-in really doesn’t begin until we say it does–10am, so don’t bother camping out at 8am looking to get in early. We’ll just sit and watch you for two hours.)</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the comprehensive list. I probably would’ve have thought for office supplies like a stapler until it was too late. And I’m in a standard triple for Unit 2 so I guess I won’t be getting a decent elevator.</p>
<p>So I finally got my room assignments but I’ve been considering requesting a room transfer ever since. Anybody knows how easy it is to get a transfer and when to apply for one? Especially if I wanted to transfer to the Wada Apartments?</p>
<p>Anybody know the answers to my room transfer question?</p>
<p>We’re quite overbooked at the moment–it seems like lounges will have to be converted into quads again in at least Unit 1. Unless you know of a specific person who would like to exchange rooms with you, the odds of you receiving a transfer (without special needs) are very low. If the former’s the case, just speak to your Resident Director upon move-in (or send them an email) in order to begin the transfer process.</p>
<p>Wada is especially difficult to transfer into, infinitely more so if you are not an upper-division or transfer student. If you are, your chances might be better, but I honestly don’t know how that would happen (again, without special needs). Housing’s a real clusterf*** right now–hall staff don’t even receive their resident rosters until literally the afternoon before move-in.</p>