<p>My daughter is considering attending UC Berkeley this Fall. Recent graduates have told us that the housing situation is not the best. Is this true? </p>
<p>Dorms are small and expensive. Triples are an option to minimize cost.
Housing in dorms is only guaranteed for the first year (I believe).
Finding rental housing can be a stressful process, as the places close to campus are expensive, old and cramped.
Other options are co-ops and Greek housing.</p>
<p>Berkeley has built and renovated dorms, so perhaps the housing market has changed a bit.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. This is good to know!!! Would you be able to explain the co-op deal?</p>
<p>Housing is actually guaranteed 2 years for freshmen, one year for transfers. Dorms are expensive, which kinda sucks. The highrises (normal doubles/triples) I’ve heard are tiny. Mini-suites (two doubles w/ shared bathroom) have large bedrooms, but they cost more. The on-campus apartments are a better deal than the other dorms, but that’s just for upper div students.</p>
<p>The co-ops are student run I think, and it’s much cheaper. Residents there have to do weekly chores or something to help keep the cost down. They’ve got a reputation for being a very social and (depending on the house) party oriented environment.
More info: <a href=“https://www.bsc.coop/”>https://www.bsc.coop/</a></p>
<p>Off campus housing is also expensive (more than co-ops, usually cheaper than dorms) and finding good housing takes a lot of time and searching. But I think everyone manages to find somewhere in the end.</p>
<p>There are also some private dorms near campus (the berk or something?) but I’ve got no details on those.</p>