I’m attending Berkeley in the fall, and I was considering requesting Foothill as a dorm, but I’ve heard that it’s less social and lively on the north side of campus. However, I’ve also heard that the food is better in Foothill compared to the units. I would like to stay engaged in the social life on campus, but I’ve also heard that Foothill is nicer than the units. Would anyone be willing to share their experience living in either one? Any advice is appreciated!
I currently live in Unit 2, but I eat at Foothill once a week and I can honestly say that there is no major difference between the food at any of the dining halls. They all serve the same stuff, just on different days, anyone who says otherwise is basing it on how the food was the particular days they went there. Foothill is the farthest from all of the restaurants and stuff, and it does tend to be full of STEM majors who are more focused on their work rather than socializing. However, I do have very social friends who live in Foothill so it is not homogeneous. I’d say if you want to get close to a floor, it would likely be easier to do so in the Units than in places like Foothill or Clark Kerr. However, there is a chance that you will not click with the people on your floor, so in that case it is better to make friends in clubs and other stuff, and the Units by far have the easiest walk to places like Dwinelle (Building where most clubs meet) and Sproul Plaza.
I lived in Foothill in my first year and absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to incoming students.
Here’s the main pros and cons that I’d consider:
Pros:
- Rooms seem to be bigger than the units, in general. Still probably not as big as Clark Kerr.
- Smaller group of people in your suite (7-16) can mean better bonding than a large floor. As a third-year, I’m still in contact with most of my suitemates, and see about half of them at least once a month.
- You won’t be sharing a bathroom with a ton of other people.
- If you’re an engineer or science major, then you’ll likely live with people you can collaborate with on problem sets.
- You might be in a single-gender suite, which you might consider a positive.
- You’re closer to most co-ops, if you want to go to co-op parties (or join one).
- You’re much closer to engineering and science buildings.
Cons:
- It’s further from all the Southside restaurants that are popular with students. But Gourmet Ghetto restaurants are better than Southside IMO.
- A single-gender suite could also be a negative. Meeting people of the other gender isn’t that hard, though, they’re in all your neighboring suites.
- If you’re not an engineer or science major, you’re less likely to meet people of your major.
- You’re further from frats / sororities, if you’re into that. Still not that far, though.
- You’re further from some campus buildings/locations, in particular Dwinelle and Sproul Plaza.