I don’t think it’s an issue but I was merely pointing out that Foothill can feel a bit cut off from the rest of the dorms, and there are a lot of STEM kids. None of this is a problem if your kid wants a quieter social life.
Anyone know the easiest way to contact admissions? i submitted a contact form on their website around 2 weeks ago and still no response
Undergraduate Admissions
110 Sproul Hall #5800
[(510) 642-3175](tel:(510) 642-3175)
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Calling is the best way - try first thing in the morning.
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So this info( dorm name) comes with the housing offer in late May?
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Happy Cal Day, everyone! We’ll be heading out around 8:30 then spending most of our day at various CNR events. Enjoy the beautiful spring weather it looks like we’ll be getting - it should be a lovely day!
We’ll be there!
WOW. Cal Day is massive this year. Easily 2x the amount of people than last year. Sproul is packed. This is awesome
My son was cleaning up the glade yesterday after the 04/20 festivities. Hope Cal puts on a good show today. Looks like a gorgeous day out.
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Cal Day was fantastic - and it was quite a crowd. I’m sure glad I brought along sunscreen, though 
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She would get priority at Blackwell if she’s Regents, which I think she is?
Nope, no priority for housing - only guaranteed to get housing for all four years if she chooses. Which is a great perk for out of town/state/country students who really need such a guarantee.
Oh not sure then, but I heard someone saying that Blackwell is mostly made up of Regents students.
Not sure about that, but there is definitely no housing advantage with Regents - we had heard mixed things about that in the rumor mill, but actually asked Cal Housing today and they confirmed it’s just a lottery and there’s no priority/advantage.
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Cal day was amazing! They put on quite the show. They had me in tears at the welcome event and my kid was so inspired by the faculty and student speakers in his department.
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Bravo to Cal today, and to all the Cal faculty, students, and staff that just threw one heck of a block party called ‘Cal Day.’ The Chancellor’s Morning Welcome in the football stadium was excellent, with great speeches from both the Dean of Admissions and the Chancellor. The crowd stretched from endzone to endzone down one whole side of the stadium, there had to have been 10-12K in there. I think I got a sunburn by 8:45 am in the morning – the sun rose quickly and warmly above the forested eastern hills today. From there, the college-specific introductions and major-specific events were well done. Student panelists came off as genuine and likable and, yes, hard working. There was so much to see and do, so we didn’t even get to take in the view from the top of the Campanile.
Around 1:30 pm, we wandered down through Sather Gate, and the absolutely massive crowd of humanity on Sproul Plaza was vibrant, energetic, and hot – it was warm out there! We went to Bruin Day last weekend and it was absolutely fantastic. But Cal Day was next level – my kid commented on the level of energy at Cal today and used that exact term, “next level.”
Very impressed by the whole day. One thing that really stood out to my kid and to me was how different the UCLA and UC Berkeley campuses are. UCLA was beautiful, and very nicely manicured, with the area around Royce Hall and Powell Library and the giant set of steps looking so picturesque. But at Cal, there seemed to be more natural areas sprinkled throughout the campus – a glade here, a stand of redwoods there, quiet bridges spanning the little creek throughout campus, and a rather expansive grove of eucalyptus trees. From the steps next to the Campanile, the view west was of the sun burning off the fog around the Golden Gate Bridge – really pretty. Just amazed me how different the campuses of the 2 schools are. Both lovely in their own ways, both regarded as the two best schools in the UC system, but so very different in architecture and layout.
Great job Cal. Not exactly sure what I was expecting, but UC Berkeley outperformed my hazily-defined expectations for an admitted student day.
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Had a great experience exploring the campus on Cal Day
Daughter is torn between Cal and UCLA! Both are excellent top tier schools!! She knows the housing guarantee and food options are no comparison to UCLA but she wants to make her decision on which school has the best program for her major - MCB at Cal and Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology at UCLA, she’s on the premed track
Can anyone provide any info on comparing the two programs ?
Thanks so much
I’m also trying to decide between the two, plus another private university. Really you can’t go wrong with either Cal or UCLA. The programs at both will be excellent. If she were interested in getting a PhD and doing research I think Cal would have the edge, but for premed I might give it to UCLA as I’ve heard students can be a little less competitive and it might be easier to maintain a higher GOA. The campus culture, campus, and surrounding area are different at each though, so I would probably focus on the fit of that to determine the decision if you are having a hard time. Good luck! I thought this would be an easier decision for me, but I will likely be weighing options until close to the deadline (I’ve given myself until 4/28.)
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I don’t know anything about UCLA. My experience is limited to taking classes at Cal which happen to have a lot of premed MCB majors in them, and participating in study groups with those students.
Cal is an amazing school which offers a lot of opportunities. MCB at Cal is a numerically large major (one of the larger ones). When I’ve been in study groups with Cal biology students, I haven’t gotten the impression of cutthroat competition between students. I’ve only encountered hard working and friendly students who earnestly work together. I haven’t heard complaints about competition per se, but some students have complained to me that it is easy to fall through the cracks, that they have trouble getting attention from professors and feel like just a number… maybe mostly because it’s a large program. Other students enjoy the program and feel that they are able to take advantage of the opportunities available.
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Although haven’t totally decided between Cal and UCLA, we are looking into housing/dining plans for both. It looks like the standard meal plan at Cal is “12 meal swipes per week”. That could mean 2 meals a day for 6 days. What do students do with breakfast on weekdays or any meals on Sunday?