To All Cal Students...

<p>How are the dorms? Are they clean and livable? Some people at my school complain about UCB's terrible dorms, and personally i've never visited so anyone have any input about this?</p>

<p>I've been to rooms in Units I & II and Foothill, and I've found them to be quite good; definitely clean, v. livable.</p>

<p>I live in Unit 1 right now, and I can say that the mini-suite dorms are really clean and nice. That being said, the normal high-rise buildings in Unit 1 (Cheney, Deutsch, Freeborn, and Putnam) are much better for social interaction. I don't know why people complain that UCB has terrible dorms. Honestly, they're no worse than your typical dorm at any other college.</p>

<p>I'm a Freshman in Unit 2 at the moment. It's okay, but I'd say it's definitely over-priced. Rooms are really small (I remembering being shocked at the size of the rooms in Foothills), rooms themselves have dirty/cracked ceilings, my roommate said the room was a little dirty when he got there (and I found some nasty wet & hairy thing stuck to the underside of my bookshelf thing). The bathroom is also kind of dirty. Considering it costs something like $1200 a month, it's not exactly the best deal. But I really wanted the "dorm experience," so I went with it. You get used to it fast, though, and it becomes homely in its own way.</p>

<p>It may be relevant that I'm on an all guys floor.</p>

<p>They might have been talking about unit 3 when complaining about the quality of dorms. It has its good points(slightly better cafeteria, proximity to RSF) but it's definitely not nearly as "nice" as units 1 and 2.</p>

<p>Cafe 3 may be more convenient for residents in Unit 3, but in no way is the food better than that of Crossroads. Crossroads (the main dining hall for Unit 1 and Unit 2) has a much larger selection.</p>

<p>i second def's comment. cafe 3 is inferior to crossroads in every way.</p>

<p>Wow, are you guys serious? I agree that Crossroads has a much larger variety of food, but myself and many others feel that Cafe 3 has MUCH better tasting food. If I could, I'd trade Crossroads for Cafe 3 in a heartbeat.</p>

<p>i dont consider myself a picky eater, but the only thing at cafe 3 i remember being okay was the pizza. i'll acknowledge that i only went once and never went back, but that one time i tried literally every food plate they offered that night because i couldn't bring myself to eat any of them.</p>

<p>Ok, I'll admit it's a tough call. To me though, Cafe 3 seems to be a nicer place to be in and has the pho bar (very nice) and a very nice selection. Granted, crossroads does a great job and they usually have a better selection. To me, Cafe 3 wins a bit but it is actually a point of some contention among us students.</p>

<p>Oh, and the pizza is exactly the same at both and it's ALWAYS a safe (albeit a little mediocre) bet for lunch or dinner.</p>

<p>My
$0.02</p>

<p>clark kerr has some nice rooms and great grass area in the courtyard where everyone goes when the sun comes out. The units aren't so bad... better than a lot of other dorms I have seen.</p>

<p>Yeah, the pizza is identical at both Crossroads and Cafe 3. I actually don't think it tastes so great, so I stay away from it :)</p>

<p>Unit 3 is so lucky to have Cafe 3 AND Bear Market the RIGHT THERE (Crossroads isn't very near Unit 2, but it's a different story when your DC is right there in the courtyard, not to mention the added bonus of having Bear Market right there as well; ultimate convenience when you just want to quickly get something).</p>

<p>bowles sucks.</p>

<p>I'm in a double in Foothill and I love it. The room is big and my suitemates are great. It remains as clean as I keep it, lol. I know a lot of people complain that it's too quiet, but I can study in my room and meet people all over campus. PLUS, because of the hill, I have actually LOST weight instead of gaining the Freshman 15. It is also convenient to the stadium and you can hear the music from the Greek when there's a concert.</p>

<p>I visited a lot of dorms on college tours and I think the only dorms I liked better than these were at UC Merced.</p>

<p>If you want maximal room, and you're a guy, apply for Bowles. The pros of Bowles exist, but I won't go into them. The cons to Bowles include the fact that it is all male and that it is far from everything (except for campus, its the closest dorm to campus)</p>

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The cons to Bowles include the fact that it is all male and that it is far from everything (except for campus, its the closest dorm to campus)
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<p>it's also the closest to the stadium, field hockey field, etc., as well as Greek Theatre, and isn't too bad of a walk from strawberry canyon. It's def a more traditional dorm, but i was surprised noril hated it that much, most everyone i've talked to there has had a great experience (there's much more camaraderie w/in the dorm than other units). anywho, jst my 2 cents worth ;)</p>

<p>I also live in a Foothill La Loma double suite. There are definitely some pros and cons. Pros being that the dorms are clean and a little bit but not too spacious (like Clark Kerr). It's nice that you can study in a quiet environment. Also, like another poster said, the exercise that you get from the hill is helpful to maintaining your physique. However, since it's a bit of a walk to get to Telegraph or downtown, it makes me less likely to venture to those places. Cons are that it's too quiet. You really have to be proactive in being social. Most of the time, Foothill is dead silent, and you'll barely see people walking around outside. Also, the DC sucks, but I guess I'm used to being disappointed by the food. Late night is good, however.</p>

<p>This is all great info. Anyone else's input or opinion?</p>