<p>Okay. So I've been accepted to Berkeley and I was considering dorms as my #1 housing option because of the friendships that I'd be able to make and to avoid hassles of paying utilities and all. However, my impression of the dorm room hasn't been so great. The rooms are VERY small and you have to share bathrooms with too many people. There's little privacy and the chaotic environment might not be the best for my studies. I started looking on craigslist for a room for rent in/near Berkeley, but it turns out that most of them are very old, dirty and dull. Living in such an environment could be somewhat depressing. I plan to spend my college years living in an affordable new, clean luxury apartment with my own room. I've done some calculations to find out that some of us can team up to rent such an apartment and have our own rooms. That way, we don't lose the social aspect of college while retaining our privacy in a nice environment.</p>
<p>Berkeley is a very old city. Most houses look very ugly and uninviting out there. It turns out that Emeryville is the closest city to Berkeley and it has some really cool new apartments for lease. Some of them are almost brand new, with new appliances, swimming pool and fitness center. Covered parkings are also included. If 3 of us can find a 2Bedroom/2 Bath apartment for under $2000, we could probably split up the rent in three and live comfortably throughout our 2/3 years at Cal. The person getting the master bed and bath should probably pay around 800/month, the one in the second bedroom would pay 700/month and 500/month for the third person in the living room. The 2nd and 3rd people would have to share the 2nd bath. It turns out that on-campus housing is much much more expensive, more compact and lacks privacy and luxury. I'd be willing to be either person 1, 2 or 3...I don't care...To me, all 3 sound like good deals.</p>
<p>A little about me...I'm an eecs transfer student from Glendale Community College, located in the greater Los Angeles area. I'm 19 years old. I'd like to find friends in my roommates and I'd respect their opinions and privacy. If anyone's interested, please respond. Feel free to post apartments of your choice @ Berkeley or Emeryville (must be nice and clean). Any other suggestions about housing will also be highly appreciated. I'll start posting apartments once people respond.</p>
<p>Thanks much!!!!!</p>