<p>I am an incoming transfer student this year. For housing, I chose 1/2) Wada Double/Triple at Unit 2, 2) Channing Bowditch, 3/4) Unit 2 Double/Triple, and 5) the any housing/any location option.</p>
<p>I got into Clark Kerr, which is about 6 blocks from campus is a nearly a 20 minute walk (this is where the transfer reception was, at the Mission-styled building). To add insult to injury, they put me in a triple, @ $14K total. This is a dorm room. </p>
<p>Needless to say, I am not exactly enthusiastic about this "placement". I called Cal Housing and the rude skunk on the phone tried telling me I was SOL and that nobody in their right minds who gets a Wada placement is going to decline it. She said that if I should pay the $300 fee to accept my contract, I am most likely going to be stuck up in that disastrous Clark Kerr tripple with no chance of any sort of transfer, and if I wanted to back out, I would have to find somebody to replace me. Look, I know this is understandable on their part, but this puts me in a nearly impossible situation and I really have no idea what to do.</p>
<p>So my question is, how true is this? I would love to accept the contract and put myself up to transfer into Wada, or at least a friggen' suite in one of the Units, but from the way this moron on the phone talked down to me, I am delusional and should get that idea out of my head. The only reason I am holding out hope is this post from about a year ago:</p>
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[quote]
Don't worry too much if you don't get into Wada right away. Many many people here got in by appealing after they got their housing offers. Since a lot of students apply for campus housing as a backup in case they don't secure an apartment, many spaces will open up after housing offers are released. Every one of my roommates got in through appeal. You just need to speak to the right person to be put on the waiting list.
[/quote]
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<p>Needless to say, I am worrying a lot. Any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>yeah mine is over 15K. I just spoke to the lade at the Cal housing office and it sounds like you risk and accept the offer appealing to transfer the dorms right away, but then end up with what you accepted due to the limited space you will be left with fulfilling the contract. I asked what happens if you really can’t afford it and you want to cancel. She said there is no such an option. If you don’t keep paying they will block your registration and you won’t be able to add any classes. Isn’t it crazy how they manipulate us? Not only I didn’t get any one the two roommates I wanted but also I got none of the first 4 choices of dorms! However, the thing is I know it’d be so much fun to live in the dorms . Next year will be my last year at Cal since I’m a transfer student. I wanna experience dorms :(( but I don’t think it’s gonna happen…</p>
<p>vw_dsg: How do you know who is the right person at the Cal office that talking to will make a difference? I’m not even in the US This is so messed up. Ehhh I know a triple for 14K and so far from campus sucks.</p>
<p>Look into private housing! I’m living at Telegraph commons next year. They’re refurbishing half of it over the summer so I’m going to be the first person to live in my room. Plus, their biggest, most brand new single is cheaper than a UNIT double! And there’s a plethora of other benefits: it’s close to campus, right next to Unit 3 which has the best cafeteria, every room comes with a mini fridge, and every floor has a kitchen (which the campus dorms definitely don’t have). I don’t remember the prices off the top of my head but if you were to get an existing (as opposed to refurbished) double or triple you could save a buttload of money relative to campus housing. Plus to live there you have to have a student ID # so you know it’s all Berkeley students.</p>
<p>Oh one more thing at telegraph commons you pay by the semester which is bad because you have to pay all at once, but it gives you more freedom because you can move out after first semester without breaking any contracts (a good idea if you’re thinking about rushing/living in a fraternity second semester).</p>
<p>Clark Kerr is nice. The rooms are big, it’s near the Greek life, their dining hall is orders of magnitude better than anything else you can get from Cal Dining. Is it a rip-off? yeah. Is any Cal Housing a rip-off? Yeah. Is it a bigger rip-off? Yeah.</p>
<p>There’s still private housing available. (I just looked at craigslist for a second, and there’s a one-bedroom place five blocks from campus in a nice southside area with a living room for $1200. Two people can live there and that’s only $7200 for a year.) I don’t know if as a transfer, you want to be hanging around kids generally two-three years younger than you, anyway, so some of the social aspect of on-campus housing is questionable.</p>
This is so messed up. Ehhh I know a triple for 14K and so far from campus sucks.</p>