<p>I am an international student from Singapore and will be enrolling in Cal this fall. Due to financial issues, I am seriously considering living in coops from the first semester. I would like to ask about my chances in getting into any of the coop houses if I apply now, and which houses would be easier for me to get into as a new freshman this fall. Also, do you think it is worth it to spend ~6-7k more on the dorms as compared to the coops?</p>
<p>Because I have no chance in hell of visiting any of the co-ops in the next few months (the pacific ocean being one of the main reasons), it would be really helpful if someone with experience can kindly advise me on which of the 17 houses will be more suitable for me.</p>
<p>Some info on myself: I would like a very conducive place to study, so it would be good if it is usually quiet and not a triple/quad room. I tend to stay away from loud parties (or parties in general) and prefer instead "milder" activities like movie/show watching or chatting within a smaller group. Dislike drinking and do not and will never intend to do drugs. Cleanliness is not much of an issue to me, some dust and clutter are fine, as long as theres nothing rotting in some obscure corner or mold growing in the toilets, I'm good. I am also okay with working a few hours a week to maintain the place. As for location considerations, I'm 99.9% sure of majoring in computer science (L&S) with a second major in either applied math or finance. Lastly, I'm a girl. </p>
<p>From what I've read, my ideal choices should be smaller houses up north, is that correct? I would like to hear some first hand experiences of living in the individual houses though, since the website description doesn't say much.. Sorry for the long post and many questions >< A million thanks to anyone who can enlighten me on this troubling topic! :D</p>
<p>Generally, the smaller Berkeley Student Co-op houses are cleaner, quieter, nicer, and less party / drug prone. Unfortunately, they tend to fill up first, so that new members may have a hard time getting into them. You may want to ask the co-op system what your chances are of getting into the desired houses, or getting in at all, if you apply now.</p>
<p>Room choice within the houses is typically done on a seniority point system, so new members are likely to get the last choice of rooms.</p>
<p>Ha, you personality is very similar to mine :p! Regarding your visit, do you need like the visual of the dorm rooms? I was browsing their website last night and found out that they had a virtual tour for every dorm unit within the campus :p!</p>
<p>MisterB7K thats good to know ^^ Btw are you talking about the school dorms or the coops? I’ve been trying to find some internal pictures of the different coop houses but the coop website isn’t very comprehensive in this aspect :(</p>
<p>Anyone know which of the smaller houses would be more comfortable to live in?</p>
<p>The north side houses are in a quieter neighborhood, and a bit closer to math, science, and engineering buildings. The ones southeast of campus are in the noisier “fraternity row” area. Because men tend to be rowdier than women, Sherman Hall (all women) may be quieter (although the [url=<a href=“Affordable Student Housing | Berkeley Student Cooperative”>Affordable Student Housing | Berkeley Student Cooperative]profile[/url</a>] tries to counter that notion), despite its location in the “fraternity row” area. The two for graduate students should also be quieter, but obviously you need to be a graduate student to get into them.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! I’ve read through all the profiles on that website, but more than a ‘good fit’, I would rather increase my chances of getting a coop room in the first semester since I don’t want to spend so much more on the dorms. Any idea which houses do freshman usually end up in? I liked the description of Euclid Hall but I don’t think I stand a chance because of the small size. Hoyt sounds pretty good too imo…</p>
<p>Oh about drugs, I like to think of myself as having quite some self-discipline so as long as they don’t sneak it into my food or pressurize me into something I don’t want, I think I would be able to handle it. I’ve heard some scary stories about giving drugged brownies to unaware coopers (not sure whether its true or not)…</p>
<p>I’ve submitted my application earlier today. Was in a rush and unsure about which houses to choose so I indicated that I’ll complete the housing preferences later on. Now I can’t even access the housing choices page when I log in to my account, all it gives me is the application summary page -_-‘’ Well waiting for their reply to my email now~ </p>
<p>I’m thinking of putting Hoyt Hall, Stebbins Hall and Kingman Hall for my top 3 options (in that order). Do you think thats a good strategy for a freshman dying to get into coops this fall? Should I even consider giving Euclid a shot since its so small? Thanks for all the feedback so far!</p>
<p>If you can put an unlimited number of choices, you may as well list all of the ones you are willing to live in, even though Euclid and Kidd may be long shots. Ridge is also probably worth listing, as are probably all of the smaller houses that don’t emphasize parties in their profile.</p>
<p>Wow I thought there were restrictions on the number of choices, noted </p>
<p>I’m wondering if someone can list some specific things/events I could be missing out on if I were to go to the coops instead of the regular dorms as a freshman.</p>
<p>Hate to tell you this, but it’s going to be almost impossible to get a spot in a coop for this fall this late in the game. I applied March 2009 and didn’t end up getting a contract until Fall 2010 (more than a year later). It’s definitely easier to move in spring semester than fall. To increase your odds, make sure you rank all of the houses (putting easier houses at the top has no impact whatsoever; as long as they are on your list you will be be in the waiting for them). If you hate the one you’re in, you can try to transfer into a different one a couple of weeks into the semester when others move out. This happens fairly frequently.</p>
<p>And if you do get a spot, it will be in CZ, or, more likely, Cloyne. Guaranteed. </p>
<p>One last thing. Especially if you do end up living in CZ or Cloyne, they will be very overwhelming. It’s a lot of people, quite dirty, and generally chaotic. Dorms are filled with fellow freshmen (there are almost none in the coops) and are designed to help you get comfortable at Cal. I would highly recommend you start there and work your way up. </p>
<p>Hi katalinacmnacha8, thanks for the insight. Just to clarify, are you saying that even if I put smaller houses such as Euclid and Ridge at the top of my list, I still have an equal chance of getting into CZ and Cloyne with say, someone else who placed them at the top of their list?</p>
<p>I won’t mind bearing those bigger houses for a semester or two, my goal is to get a coop apartment sometime later on since I’ve heard they are the cheapest accommodation around. I would also love to mix with fellow freshman in the dorms but my financial situation discourages me from that That said, I also see myself fitting in more in the smaller, cozier and calmer atmosphere of some the coop houses.</p>
<p>Currently, I am looking into attending Freshman Edge during summer and boarding in the coops during those 6 weeks. I think that will give me a little more priority come fall but I’m not sure if that will be enough. You mentioned that freshman usually get into CZ or Cloyne, what about Hoyt?</p>
<p>According to the BSC web site, seniority points are given as follows:</p>
<p>fall or spring semester = 1 point
summer = 0.75 point
boarding (food) only = 0.25 or 0.5 point</p>
<p>So living in or boarding at a BSC co-op during the summer should give you priority over new-to-BSC applicants for the fall or spring semester, since seniority points are the first method of sorting the application list.</p>
<p>Lucidwolfe: You might be able to get into Hoyt or Sherman, I forgot to mention those. They are definitely going to be cleaner and smaller, but easier to get into because they are all women. </p>
<p>And yes, where you put each house on your rankings has no bearing whatsoever on your likelihood to get in there. Houses are assigned by the points system, which means that when they arrive at you (no points, probably), all of the smaller houses will likely be filled up and they will just go down to the bottom of your rankings and give you Cloyne (for example). </p>
<p>I’m not sure how boarding in the summer works, as I’ve never heard of someone doing that. You’d have to ask the BSC to see if that’s even possible, and if they award seniority points for it. If they did, t would definitely give you an advantage. </p>
<p>Looks like there is no mention of boarding (food) only for the summer on the BSC web site. Most houses are room only during the summer, but three of them (Hoyt, Lothlorien, and Kingman) are room and board during the summer.</p>
Should I even consider giving Euclid a shot since its so small? Thanks for all the feedback so far!</p>
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That said, I also see myself fitting in more in the smaller, cozier and calmer atmosphere of some the coop houses.</p>