Applying to UC Berkeley? Check out Study Hall College Consulting at shcollegeconsulting.com! It’s a team of myself and other UC Berkeley students where we specialize in reviewing college application essays and consulting 1:1 with students and parents. We also have a blog on our website where we post weekly tips and tricks! 📚🌟
Hi, sorry what does this mean: "I consider myself an ally to transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, or gender non-conforming people, and would be comfortable living in a gender inclusive living environment where I may be assigned to housing with someone of a different gender than my own:" Like does it mean that you could be placed in a room with someone that is a different biological sex than you, I am probs not okay with???? or does it include someone who has already transitioned or in the process of transitioning (cool with)....
@@gingyrocka6039 I believe checking the box for that statement means you could get housing with students who are transgender, genderqueer, non binary, or gender non conforming. So for your question, you may get housing with students who are a different biological sex, but not identify as their given birth sex, or students who are transitioning.
Well Rachel, my daughter just committed to Berkeley! Thank you for all your assistance with these videos, as I've been able to help her & her friends navigate this housing process.
Blackwell and Unit 3 - closest and modern Unit 1 and 2 - close to ppl's park Foothill - concert near by and mostly female identifying students Clark Kerr - super far away from campus Transitional dorm, mini suit, apartment - Traditional dorm is the most social option cuz see everyone in bathroom Thank you for the breakdown Rachel!
Thank you so much for this video!! I’m using it to take notes on my different options- I just committed for class of 2025!! I thought there was no way I was getting into Cal but now that I have I’m scrambling to learn everything I can about the school. I’m excited to watch more of your videos (the meal plan one is next on my queue!) and learn about this really great school! Go bears!
Aw thank you so much for your comment, it really means a lot! Ahhh congratulations on committing, that’s so exciting!!! Best of luck to you and GO BEARS 🎉🐻🥰🥳🎊
I got a Berkeley engineering degree in 1991. Intellect is important, but hard work is equally as important. You gotta do your time. Hours in the library, daily. You can't quit. I knew incredibly bright people who didn't wanna do the work. They got bounced. Passion and intellect will get you to the graduation stage.
@@gollymane5419 Just saw your other question also! But I would say only a very small percentage of students have a car on campus. You really don't need a car because you can walk to everything on campus. Students who do have cars might have them because they live nearby and drive home often, they have a job that requires a car, or some who have it for travel/fun. Otherwise, car parking in Berkeley is super expensive. Hope this helps!
I’ll be a freshmen at Berkeley so this video is very helpful, thank you! I also saw you on a zoom student panel a few days ago. Are you a campus ambassador? I’m interested in eventually becoming one as well. Thanks.
Congrats on Berkeley! And yea lol I am a Campus Ambassador! It's a really cool job so I would highly recommend applying. The application is usually out in late fall semester and then interviews in early spring semester :))
Rachel ... great video. In my 5 years, I went from dorm (Unit 3) to apartment to frat, to apartment. I did a lot of walking. Just got used to walking everywhere. That was back in 1986, and I'm a guy. I can't speak to safety today. You give great observations and you're honest. I hope a lot of new students see your video.
You a trooper Rachel! You're on top of all the comments, your videos are sooooo helpful, and you have an awesome vibe. This video made it easy to know what I should put for my 5 options. Too bad I already submitted the application lol
Great video. My daughter starts as a freshman this fall at Berkeley. She’s in Clark Kerr I’m a quad suite. I was wondering if you know whether she needs to reserve the mini fridge/microwave from Berkeley prior to moving in. I’ve had so many different answers to this and figured you would be the right person to know. You’re definitely an expert! ♥️
Hi Courtney! Her room should come with a microwave/refrigerator where the dorm contract should have this pricing built in. More information can be found at this website: housing.berkeley.edu/living-on-campus/my-room/. Good luck to your daughter starting school soon!!
Hi Rachel, I just want to say that I binged watched all your videos recently, and as an international incoming freshman, I am so grateful you shared your experiences and tips, which have really alleviated my worries and fears coming to Berkeley! I would like to ask whether you have any thoughts on applying to themed communities? I was thinking of applying to GETH at Clark Kerr, but as an engineering student , am concerned if the residence may be slightly far from classes. Thanks so much in advance
Hi Dylan, thanks for watching! Theme programs can be a great way to have a community and meet others with a shared interest or identity as you! Hmm, yeah CKC is generally farther away, but the College of Engineering is on the upper edge of campus in line with CKC, so maybe a 20-30 min walk from CKC when I did it. Getting to other places from CKC would be longer because it would be diagonal to CKC, so even getting to Sproul Plaza area would be like 20 minutes. You could also buy a bike which would cut down on your commute time!
@@rachel_lin Thank you for your thoughts, Rachel. I think I will definitely look into getting some form of active mobility if I end up at CKC. Thank you so so much for replying to almost every single comment you receive :)))))))))
I am super impressed by this video! It was incredibly helpful and easy to understand! I was wondering, would you be able to request to live on the transfer-only floor in Martinez Commons? Is the transfer-only floor dorms or apartments, or both?
hufflepuffwannabe thank you!! I think you should be able to request it as the “transfer living and learning community” of Martinez Commons. If that is not an option, the transfer floors are usually the dorm side of MMC, so you could put “MMC Dorm side Double” as your top request. But also, all of the dorms do a lot of events that are hosted by the Resident Assistants, so going to those are a great way to meet new people in the buildings if the housing application offer is not something that you hoped for. Hope this helps!
Thanks! I have a handful of dorm/campus tour videos at this playlist where you can see different rooms and places on campus: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I7RhRk3IKBo.html. Also, the official Berkeley housing site is useful and they have some room videos/pictures to help see what they look like: housing.berkeley.edu/3d-room-views/. Hope this helps!
Yes, there are double rooms which would be 2 students living together. All of the dorms are a couple of blocks from campus. Clark Kerr would be the furthest one away from campus!
Hi, Rachel. Your videos are life saver. I finished 2 yrs city college n will transfer to Berkeley this fall major in chem eng 1:10 . I m trying to fill in my 5 housing options. This fall, there is priority for transfer students in Anchor n Martinez Common Residence Hall. For priority for upper-division students, am I consider to be this group of students?
Hi Rachel! First of, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the housing options available at Berkeley. With only ten days left for the housing application deadline, I am still a little unsure of what housing options to choose. On top of that, as a spring admit, I am EXTREMELY worry about not being able to make friends since by the time I will start classes at Berkeley almost everyone might have made friends throughout the fall semester. I am looking for a place that balances social and academic life, so I am considering apartment-style housing options such as Martinez Commons and Channing. What other options do you think I should consider?
Hi Kim! Are you a first-year or transfer student? I would say that the apartment-style living is less social than a traditional dorm setting. When I lived in suite and apartment-styles at Berkeley, most students kept to their rooms since they had everything they needed in the larger rooms. However for traditional dorm-style, students would hang out in the lounges and mingle since their rooms don't have the common space like suites/apartments. I would say living in the dorm-style would be easier to meet people and make friends, even though you are moving in during the spring! If you are a transfer student, choosing MMC dorm-style could be a good option to meet people. If you are a first-year, I would recommend Unit 1, 2, or 3 dorm-style. Usually the Units have a majority first-years, so if you are a transfer student, you could still select those, but you may be older than everyone else! Let me know if you had any other questions, good luck!
Hey I'm a Rachel too and incoming freshman this Fall! I decided to go with random roommates and I was wondering if they will tell me my roommates when I receive my housing offer, or will I have to wait until move-in day? Thank you so much for all the informative videos!
rachchelel hi Rachel!! Congrats on Berkeley! I think you get notified of who your roommates are when you get your housing offer. I remember i found out my roommates sometime in the summer and then found them on facebook to coordinate things. Hope this helps, thanks for watching!! 😀😀
Very helpful indeed. How often do you stay late in campus in freshman year? Calrk Kerr is far but if the 1st year doesn't demand much late stay. Shoukd I give it as a top choice.
Thank you!! Freshman year, if you join clubs, club meetings are usually like 7 PM or later on campus. I lived at CKC my sophomore and junior year and would stay on campus all day because it takes like 15-30 minutes to walk (or wait for the bus) back and forth from CKC to campus. The dining hall at CKC doesn’t serve lunch, so you would have to walk down to Crossroads to eat lunch if you didn’t have classes in the morning. So if you don’t mind walking to and from campus to CKC then go for it!
Hi Rachel, Thank you for this video! Very informative and helpful. My daughter is an international student. She withdrew last year and obtained approval for readmission this fall 2021 as freshmen - but after the deadline for application of hall residence. Is she considered a freshmen or continuing student? She would like to stay on campus. . What are her options ? Any advice on how she could get accepted for on campus dormitory.
Hi Grace, thank you for watching and congrats to your daughter! Since she withdrew, I would assume that she is still considered a freshman, because she has never taken any courses. You should try calling or emailing Berkeley Housing and explain your situation (housing.berkeley.edu/) how she was re-admitted after the housing deadline but would like to live in on-campus housing. It may be passed the deadline for incoming freshman, however, waitlisted and transfer students are still able to submit their on-campus housing applications. So give them a call and see if she would still be able to submit/ they may have to do something on their end to open the housing app on her portal. Hope this helps!
Hi Rachel. Thank you so much for your videos. They are so helpful. One question. For the mini suites in units one and two who cleans the shared bathroom?
@@Frank020 there’s some self guided tours information on this site- visit.berkeley.edu/campus-tours/self-guided-tours/. One self guided tour you can go to the buildings and call a number and then a voice recording tells you about the building!
Thank you for this super helpful video! I'll be a spring transfer for next year at UCB and I was wondering if you know how housing works (Like do they reserve dorms for spring admits or do we have a less chance of getting the rooms we want)? I was also wondering what are my chances of getting a single in any of the dorms?
Thank you!! Good question, I do not believe they hold rooms for spring admits, but students typically move out after fall semester to live in their fraternity or they just move out for other reasons. So I believe you would still get to choose preferences for housing, but ultimately, you would get a room wherever there is availability. A single in the dorms is probably very unlikely since those are reserved for ADA or student's with other accommodations. If you are looking for a single and are willing to pay more, there are singles in the apartments in Martinez Commons and Garden Village, so you should check those out! Hopefully this is helpful!
Hey Rachel, great video ! what dorm is closest to the CS classes ? what about bikes ? Is it convenient to use one to ride from dorm to class and from class to class ?
Hi Chafic, thank you! So Foothill would be closest to the College of Engineering cluster of buildings on campus. However, you will most likely have classes all over campus, not just in one centralized location based on your intended major. Yes, you could bring a bike to campus and there are bike lock areas around, so you can lock your bike up while you are in class. The dorms also have bike lock areas to store your bike. Biking would be the second most popular form of transportation besides walking on campus, so I would say it is convenient but you have to be careful about theft!
hey rachel! I'm a current senior going to Cal next year and I find all your videos super helpful! I actually make RU-vid videos myself too (@Shkyu)! Are there many other people who make video content (informative, skits, etc) at Berkeley?
woohoo congrats!! Thanks so much for watching! Yeah, there are some Film Fraternities on campus that make short films. Additionally, there are a bunch of smaller film clubs that you can learn about during the Club Fair that happens each semester. These are cool if you wanted to meet people with similar interests!
I wish I had the luxury of choice of choice but I chose Clark Kerr because of rates. I’m not too picky and at least it’s a possibility for me to join in GETH. I just wish I knew incoming freshmen to dorm with.
Katherine A-Z I really liked CKC when I lived there! If you’re looking for a roommate, a lot of people find other freshman on the Berkeley “class of 24” Facebook page. I went in with random roommates and it turned out fine!
Hi i loved your video! I was wondering, is there any information about what the enclave apartments look like inside? Also, would you recommend them for transfer students? how hard would it be to get a single room? thank u so much!!!
Rosebuds & Coffee thanks for watching! Since Enclave is/was still being built and furnished, nobody has actually ever been inside the building before. The only information would be from cal’s housing website (housing.berkeley.edu/enclave), but I see that they don’t show any photos of the rooms, so it is not very helpful. Maybe keep checking back at the website to see if they post photos, because the rooms probably aren’t finished yet. Since 2020-2021 would be the first year it opens, we can’t really guess how difficult getting a room here would be since we wouldn’t know how popular it is typically. But if you’re looking for the older-student vibe, then definitely I would recommend Enclave because it’s only available for continuing students and grad students! Hope this helps!
Hi! I am going to be in a mobility program on fall term next year. Do you think is posible to get a bedroom in Martinez Commons? I am not sure if mobility program (for phd investigation and teaching) is the same as transfer (that I understand is for students and you need to be enrroll in Berkeley). Thank you so much! Your videos are really really helpfull!
Hi Maria! So if you’re a graduate student, then I do not believe you can live in Martinez, since that is for undergrads only. However, if you want to live in university housing, grad students can live in the following apartments: Ida Jackson, Manville, Garden Village, Shattuck Studios, and Panoramic Berkeley. More info can be found here: housing.Berkeley.edu/graduate. Hope this helps!
Kayla Chalabi for cars on campus you would have to buy a separate parking pass. Some students buy the university housing parking pass, where there’s a parking garage nearby to park in, but a lot of students go on Facebook Berkeley Free and For Sale and buy a cheaper parking pass for a random parking spot that another student is selling. A lot of students do not bring their car to campus because you can walk everywhere on campus and we get a free bus pass to take the busses into SF or Oakland. Hope this helps!
Yeah, just don't complete the housing application or if the housing application is required, there should be an option to say you aren't living in on-campus housing on the form! Good luck!
Fang Liu hello! I lived in MMC last year, and the difference between the dorm side and apartment side would be that the dorm side has all double rooms (2 people share) and a communal bathroom for the hall to share. Versus the apartment style rooms are all single rooms (1 room per person) in an apartment, and then 4-5 people share a private bathroom and kitchen. Hope this helps!
Thank you🤗❤️🥳- are the bathrooms segregated by sex (not “identity”) in the dorms? Can first yr transfer students be an RA? Are men allowed to “identify “ into dorm rooms with women? So women think they may be staying with a female, but they are not? Thank you ❤️❤️
Thank you for watching! Most dorm bathrooms are gender inclusive - so any student can use them. There are also some women-only and private single-stall bathrooms in the dorms. You can request Gender Inclusive housing on the housing application. I think you can apply to RA as a first-year transfer, the only required qualifications are GPA and full-time academic status. Preferred qualifications include minimum of one year residence in a college residence hall. More information here - reslife.berkeley.edu/opportunities/student-employment-opportunities/resident-assistant/
@@rachel_lin ok, got it. Thank you! I don’t wish for women and girls to have to share the spaces we were forced to build for ourselves, so that helps so much🤗❤️thank you and I wish you well in your future❣️🥳
hello! To become an RA at Berkeley, you have to apply during the fall for the following academic year. As compensation for the job, we get housing and a meal plan. I have a video about my experience, here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-867X-e7rrAg.html. You can find the exact job description and other student employment opportunities in the dorms, here: reslife.berkeley.edu/opportunities/student-employment. Hope this helps!
Natalie Walzer Yeah, the theme housing is specific by unit. So like if you were interested in the UNITY theme program or CASA theme program, those are located in unit 3. Versus if you were interested in WISE, that is located in Foothill. Each unit has a specific theme program, so if you were interested in a certain one, you’d have to live in the unit in which the program was located in!
Hi Rachel, My understanding is that Berkeley doesn't have enough dorms/apts for everyone so generally if you're not a first-year student, you need to find housing yourself (not through the school)? Is that correct?
Hi! Yes, typically students move out of the university on-campus dorms after their freshman year into off-campus apartments. You could still live on-campus through the university-apartments or dorms again by filling out the housing application. When I was applying to become a Resident Assistant, I applied for university housing my sophomore year and was offered something. If you're looking for tips on finding an on-campus apartment at Berkeley, check out this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v5NvSj5JWa4.html. Hope this helps!
The Berkeley housing application includes all dorm + apartment options, correct? If my app was chosen, then that’s when I’ll be able to choose for example, Martinez or Channing? (I’m a transfer student btw). Thank you!
Congrats on transferring! When you fill out your housing application, that is when you indicate your top 4 housing choices, with your 5th option as any room, any location. You do not wait until the lottery system gets to your housing application to choose your preferences. You are right, the housing application includes all dorms/apartment options. Some dorms/apartments have priority for older students, so if you were a freshman, it would not make sense to use your housing application preferences to choose those options since you are unlikely to get them. (Does not really apply to you, but in case others are reading your question and my response!). For example, on the housing website for Martinez Commons, it says "Priority for Martinez Commons Apartments residence hall spaces is given to sophomores; both sophomores and upper division students have priority for apartments." Hope this helps!
Hi Rachel, My son is a freshman at Cal but he is home due to distant learning. Now he'll be back on campus this fall as a sophomore. Thing is, he couldn't get housing because he is not an incoming freshman who gets priority. We are scrambling for housing options, what do you recommend for incoming sophomores who wasn't able to get housing as a freshman due to the pandemic? Is 2400 Telegraph apt good? Appreciate your input.
Hi Joy! Yeah, if your son was not offered on-campus housing, then finding an apartment off-campus would be a good option! I am not sure of what the 2400 Telegraph apartments look like on the inside, but for location, this is only about 2 blocks away from campus. So it would be super close to campus and it's located like right behind Unit 3. With this location, at night-time on the weekends, it may get loud from people walking on the street to and from the bars nearby. Other options, I had friends live in the Berkeley Met (www.berkeleymet.com/) which is a few blocks down from Unit 3, so still pretty close to campus also. The Berk on College is also a popular apartment complex because it is really close to campus (www.theberkoncollege.com/). Hope this helps!
I would say the dorms are typically more expensive than living off-campus in an apartment, which is one reason why students move off-campus after their freshman year! For tips on how to find an apartment near Berkeley, check out this video I did with Sarah - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v5NvSj5JWa4.html. Hope this helps!
@@rachel_lin tks a lot. I am from Brazil and I was accepted to be a PhD visiting student at UC Berkeley from July 2023 to Jan 2024. So I need a room off campus of approx. 700 USD per month.
@@ivanferraz8914 Congrats on the PhD program!! In addition to that video, check out Free & For Sale Berkeley - it is a Facebook page. Sometimes people might post sublease/rent apartments on there. For $700 a month near Berkeley you will probably need to live with roommates!
@@rachel_lin Thank you very much Rachel. Actually I am a little bit scared, because I am moving to another country, can you understand? But, I believe that there's no problem in sharing a room with 1, 2 or even 3 more people to pay approx. 700.
Hi Rachel! On the housing application, there's an option to have "substance-free" dorms versus "regular?" dorms. Does this mean that if I'm in a regular dorm people will be like smoking in the hallways or something? I'm scared lol
Hi Jackie! So in all dorms, smoking is not allowed, but people still do it and then the resident assistant will document the situation if they are found smoking. However, for regular dorms if you are older than 21, you can have alcohol in your room as long as everyone in your room is 21+. So for substance free, you can’t have alcohol in the dorm no matter your age (and no smoking, same as regular dorms). Hope this helps!
haha! By older students I would definitely say anyone age 20+. My RA friend had a few transfer students age 25+ on their traditional dorm-style floor and these students did not like their experience. Just because of the age difference and the different stages in life that 18 year olds are at versus 20+ year olds are at. Plus, if you are 21+ and your roommates are not, you can not have alcohol in the room etc. If you are looking for the traditional dorm experience, definitely apply for or look into Martinez Commons. This dorm has both traditional dorm style and apartment-style. Like I mentioned in the video, there are also transfer student-specific floors in this building, if you are interested in that community and meeting new people with similar experiences. This kind of living style may be more preferable because the people are older (a lot of the students who I worked with in MMC were like 22+) versus rooming with 18 year olds. But it really depends on what you want, I hope this is helpful!
@@rachel_lin meal plan suks though for apartments! Plus, foothill is closer to Engineering and offers better pricing. I think I will be okay with younger floors and roommates. IDK anymore
Hi Anna, good luck with your college applications! I would recommend doing some research about Berkeley's Computer Science versus EECS programs (eecs.berkeley.edu/academics/undergraduate/eecs-cs-comparison-chart). They are similar in some ways and different in other ways, but a big thing if you applied to CS over EECS would be that you would be applying to Berkeley under the College of Letters and Science versus College of Engineering. If you were more interested in EECS, you could apply to Berkeley under that program instead. Additionally, you should spend a lot of time on your essays and start early! Have friends, family, or outside services review your essays and don't be afraid to scrap your essay and make many edits. Finally, a big "buzz" in the college application world right now is starting Passion Projects. These are extra-curricular activities that are unique, real-world projects that you participate in outside of the classroom. Since it is only January, you could potentially reflect on what you are interested in and start a Passion Project this year before college application deadlines. For more information and advice, you should check out our Study Hall College Consulting blog (www.shcollegeconsulting.com/our-advice-blog) and our Instagram @ shcollegeconsulting because we post new tips and advice on there which might be helpful! Hope this is helpful :)
If I live off campus but want to eat at any of the dorm dining halls, can I just show up and pay cash/credit per meal or only students with meal plans can eat there?
Yeah, you could use a credit card to pay to get into the dining halls or get food from the cafes. There are also meal plan options for students who live off-campus, which you can check out at this site: caldining.berkeley.edu/meal-plans/21-22/living-off-campus/. These are like "smaller" meal packages aimed if you didn't really want to cook for yourself every day.
I didn't mention pricing in this video, only location and room style, because they change the prices every year and it's different based on what room style and what location you're in. So like a double in the Units would actually be cheaper than a double in Blackwell, so it makes it more complicated to talk about on camera. But if you want, I can try to make a video about it! The Berkeley housing pricing website is here: housing.berkeley.edu/rates
@@rachel_lin Omg yes thank you please make a video about it.I am an international student and would definitively like to know more please 😊.Thank you for being oh so kind.
Usually students don't bring cars to Berkeley's campus, as it is very walkable or they use public transportation/uber to get places! If you wanted to bring a car, then you would have to buy a parking pass either through the school or through other means (like subletting a parking space from someone's apartment complex etc). Hope this helps!
Do you mean the Berkeley Naked Run? There is a tradition where students will run “naked” through the libraries during the week right before final exams each semester!
Fona Ou the application process for Berkeley usually launches in the fall semester and then interviews happen in the spring. If you’re interested, check out my other video where I talk about the ra application process: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-867X-e7rrAg.html
Yes definitely! As an RA we get free housing and a meal plan as compensation. I have a video on why you should be an RA, here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-867X-e7rrAg.html. I loved being an RA because you get to meet a lot of people, plan events, and make friends!
