<p>This is not really a residential college. Many students commute or live off campus. There is almost NO activity on the weekends. The dormitories are deserted and completely quiet on the weekends. All dorm rooms are singles which limits interaction even more among those who do stay on campus.</p>
<p>The surrounding area is completely unsafe for walking and there is no decent shopping or nightlife. All students have to go to Berkeley or into San Francisco to socialize. (I am not a partier, so I am not talking about finding parties--just something to do with other people.)</p>
<p>Academics are excellent, although the caliber of students is uneven.</p>
<p>This is a great school if you can go home on the weekends or if you already have an established life in the Bay Area. It is NOT a good choice for students from outside the Bay Area, unless that student is extremely mature, independent, and self-reliant.</p>
<p>Warning--before you decide to attend Mills, spend a weekend there.</p>
<p>Agreed. I was about to put all of my effort into Mills (and handle all the other UC apps lightly) until I visited. It wasn't very aesthetically pleasing and seemed super disconnected with Oakland. Also, it is very hard to get around without a car. And I didn't get the best impression with the applicant pool on 'visitors day' (all rich, white, homeschooled girls whose mothers asked ALL the questions for them)</p>
<p>Regardless of who was visiting the college, Mills is committed to a diverse student body. Among the undergraduates, there are an amazing variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds represented. Many students are from public high schools. Diversity is one of the school's strong points.
There is a free shuttle bus that runs back & forth to UCB. It passes a BART station on the way. Also, bus service is good. Still, the service ends early on the weekends and it requires planning to get off campus.
I think the lack of energy on campus at night and on weekends is unsuitable for undergraduates and makes the transition to college more difficult for freshmen. As a result, there is far more drug & alcohol abuse among the student body than I had expected.</p>
<p>My d recently got admitted early and with some merit money, but it's not sounding so good. Anyone else? she is just 18, URM from a small christian school about an hour away.</p>
<p>Remember that any school is what you make it. There are bound to be negatives at any school, large or small. NO school is perfect.
Because of it's size, Mills certainly has fewer social options that UCB. Yet Mills provides a smaller, more intimate education that is perfect for those who need more attention from their professors and don't do well in the larger, 350 person seminar classes.
The other thing to remember is that the social strata changes from year to year. Depending on the student body, some years the campus is a thriving, hotbed of social activities, other years - I'm guessing this one - it seems dead.
To the student who says that only locals should consider Mills, perhaps next year the social mix will change, or perhaps it's time to consider a transfer.
To the parent who is worried that their accepted student will have troubles with the social life, I say don't buy someone else's trouble.
I do agree that a visit is in order. Most visitor find the campus beautiful and inspiring.</p>
<p>For the record, I am not in any way or shape affiliated with the school. I live near UCB but know several young women (both local and from the East Coast) who love it there currently, and/or have had very successful four-year experiences there.</p>
<p>Since this hasn’t been updated in 5 1/2 years I’m curious to see what students who have gone to (or currently go to) Mills have to say. Has anything changed? More lively? Same? What has been your experience?</p>
<p>As a current first-year student, Mills has been an experience for me–a GREAT one at that. I’ve met people I know I’m going to be friends with for the rest of my life.
While the party scene definitely is not the same as at a UC, the social scene really is nice. Just yesterday, my last hall meeting of the semester took place; my hallmates and I spent around 2-3 hours just hanging out together and having fun. We wrote appreciation pages to give to everyone, we played around a bit.
In general there is always something going on at Mills: club meetings, concerts (from both undergrad and grad classes), special events. Its hard to find a day when NOTHING is going on. With finals starting next week, there is de-strees event happening next week which is sure to be fun!
Nightlife is really whatever you make it; in my hall there are girls that like to party (who do go out and party) then there are girls that like to stay in and watch movies with friends. Downtown Oakland is tons of fun, and every First-Friday of the month there is an Art Murmur that all my friends love going to.
Mills has it’s faults, but everything really is just what you make it. You can hate Mills; you can love Mills. It’s up to you.</p>
In regards to social life, it’s just about as good as it gets. Granted the campus is in Oakland, which used to be known as a troubled area. However, as the SF tech bubble expands, more companies and startups are expanding to Berk and Oakland. There remain small troubled areas in Oakland, but most students spend time in downtown Lakeshore, Lake Merritt, Rockridge, or attending games/concerts at the Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Arena - both within 10 minutes of the campus. There is a free AC transit (bus) pass you can use anywhere in the Bay and a free shuttle that runs every hour to the BART (transport to get to anywhere in the Bay Area), downtown, and the UC Berkeley campus. Mills girl frequent UC Berkeley (where students can cross register - similar to Wellesley/MIT) to meet people, try new restaurants, and some attend frat parties. Otherwise, many students take a quick bart down to San Francisco, where the possibilities for a night out are endless. Honestly, your time at mills will depend on the friends you make and the kind of person you are. Let me know if you have any questions!