<p>Does anyone have any advice on the co-ops? Any stories, know anyone living in them? I'm considering these because my housing offer (Single Reiber Vista) is just ridiculous. The price on these is definitely attractive, but there's that whole 'work-shifts' which don't sound that bad actually.</p>
<p>hey Im going for these too...as mentioned before...it sounds pretty cheap especially with meal-included...it will be a good chance to have friends etc. the work shifts are only 4 hours/week and are scheduled around school schedule and outside employment...sounds flexible. and I think it gives the whole community feeling....</p>
<p>bfired2, what's your major?</p>
<p>hmm.., i didn't know about this program before i submitted my housing contract, is anyone currently in this program?</p>
<p>I just got admission today....Im gonna send in my reservation payment soon...if you guys want to go PM me...maye we can be roomies...we get to pick our own roommates</p>
<p>Citan, are you giving up on the university apartments? Anyways, great news on the co-op! I may be joining you soon, I might be applying anyways because I am going out of the country soon and will be gone for nearly 2 months so I want to resolve this before I leave. My major is poli sci...I read somewhere that all first time residents get triples. At least you won't be paying 11,000 for a triple, I guess! I'm going on a tour tomorrow to check it out.</p>
<p>bfired2: can you please tell me what you saw and your impression of it...frankly I wouldn't mind a bit dirty living for the price difference and 19 meal per week....but it shouldn't be that bad....it started in 1935...and right next to UCLA</p>
<p>frankly, I don't think I can get University Apartments...I might try that the second year...it would just be a waste of 150 dollars</p>
<p>Sorry, I just called and checked tour times- they have ONE a week, Fridays at 5PM. Unfortunately, I work every Friday afternoon, so I might have to check it out after I get back from my trip, which is in mid-August. I guess it can't be that bad, and anyways, if I see abestos or rats, I'd only lose the $35 app fee.</p>
<p>wow that time sucks...o well...I did the express processing fee $55...they sent me the offer on the same day!!!</p>
<p>mid-august is kinda late though...from what I hear they fill up pretty fast...they also require a $450 fee for reserving a room. </p>
<p>I just found out that Jim Morrison (The Doors) used to live in the UCLA co-ops!!!!</p>
<p>Citan,</p>
<p>Don't lie. Jim Morrison lived on a completely different plane of existence.</p>
<p>UCLAri...maybe I will get the same room as him....the coops started in 1935 I think</p>
<p>for anyone looking for co-op information in the present, I have a little insight to offer:
I lived here for one quarter (then moved to an apartment, thank god). It’s not <em>that</em> bad but it’s pretty bad. There are two main problems: 1- the management doesn’t manage anything, and 2- it’s filthy. The management is the biggest problem in my opinion- there’s a really strict contract that dictates everything YOU have to do, but doesn’t say what they’ll give you in return. Supposedly residents who don’t clean before they move out are assessed a fee… but my room was absolutely, unliveably filthy when I moved in, and they were like… “oh, they’re usually like this. You can get cleaning supplies from Facilities.” No sign of that fee (if it was even assessed) being put to use. They were really lax in general (no wonder the place is such a mess); some of the office workers wouldn’t even come to the window when you had a question, they’d just sit in the back 20 feet away and sort of yell an answer at you.<br>
The place is really, really filthy. Everyone works 4 hours a week, but I guess a lot of people don’t do much during those hours because you’d think with so many people putting in time it would be pretty damn clean. Random puddles would be sitting in the main room where someone’s bathroom leaked. Cups and wrappers everywhere, crumbs, dirt. I vacuumed my room for 20 minutes when I moved in and the carpet was still gritty.<br>
You can live in 1 of 3 buildings: Essene (Where I lived), Robison (the party building) and HHH (the sketch-looking red and gray building you can see from the Hill). HHH has wireless; don’t expect internet to work in your room if you’re in the other buildings. Essene has some rooms with private bathrooms (mine did… I would have avoided that if I’d seen how filthy it was before I picked the room).<br>
The food ranges from “wow, this is actually really good!” to “what is this!?”. I’m vegetarian, so my selection was a little more limited, but I was always pretty impressed with the salad and raw vegetables, especially compared to the unripe tomatoes they always have in dining halls. The cooked food was hit or miss- vegetables tended to be good, other things not so much. Lots of variety though.<br>
Overall, you get what you pay for, and you’ll meet some cool people. I’d avoid though if just because of the management- they were very unwilling to deal with problems and typically just sent people off to find other people, who either couldn’t be found or didn’t know. If you have to live there, it’ll be an okay experience, if you can afford to pay 100 more a month, get an apartment!! You’ll be glad you did.</p>
<p>kgirl91: Thanks for the info! I have already reserved a spot in the co-op, just wondering when would they tell you which building we would be living in and how do we get to choose our own rooms?</p>
<p>Royaleggs- I really strongly recommend that you find another housing option. As I look back on it, I realize that with all the fees they charged, I ended up paying several hundred more dollars than I pay for apartment rent. I was charged a $150 membership fee, even though I only stayed for 6 weeks (that’s a fee good for the entire time you’re there). Because of inconvenient move in times (only during office hours, only during the week, only on the first day of summer quarter), I ended up paying their daily rate, and also being charged for that week’s chore shift, even though their online documentation says no chores are required when you’re paying the temp rate. They take a chunk out of your deposit if you fail to do a number of trivial things, like return cleaning supplies exactly by 9pm (the cleaning supply room is only open for 2 hours 3 times a week), notify them of a leave of absence within a certain period, and a whole host of other things.<br>
It’s also super filthy, as I mentioned. </p>
<p>Anyway, if you do end up living there, you’ll be placed in a temporary room, and then you’ll go through BUMP where you select a room based on your seniority. If you want to party, go to Robison (most older residents live there or in Essene); if you want a private bathroom, go to Essene (triples only), and for anything else, HHH. You’ll probably end up in a triple. Some people, like my roommate, are really mean at first because they’ve been living alone and don’t want someone moving into their room- co op always pretends they’re really full, but the truth is that there are a bunch of open spaces.<br>
Good luck.</p>