Berkeley Class of 2012 Forum

[worldtraveler]

I'm living in the I-house next year. I just sent in the application. For anyone interested, I haven't heard anything but good things about it and it's across the street from Boalt.

If I were in the country, I might try and look for an apartment but it's too tough to do from abroad. I think I'm going to do things the easy way for the first year and then maybe move the next year.

[littleboyblue]

Hey my fellow future bears,

On the subject of housing, does anyone know much about the Ida Jackson house? I know I read earlier in this forum it's near the frats and can get really loud some nights, but I'm just wondering if that's mostly contained to weekends and if earplugs will solve the problem (no one responded when someone asked this a few months ago)? Thanks!

so you have decided on berkeley?

[unionorganizer02]

^ +1

[Rotor]

Ok people, where do you find info on how to apply for housing at Berkeley? I looked through the admitted student's site, and am about to call, but I thought someone else would really know....or maybe they haven't sent out this info yet...

Edit - The link is in the massive 43 page pdf on the admitted students site. RC fail on my part. Page 14, FYI.

LOL. Between when you made your original post and your edit, I was able to find the link...in the resource guide....in the para that begins on p14....

[TopCat]

I'm living in the I-house next year. I just sent in the application. For anyone interested, I haven't heard anything but good things about it and it's across the street from Boalt.

If I was going to be by myself, I would probably have gone with I-House too (if only for the first year). A regular single room with 19 meals/wk @ ~$13K (fall and spring) and the luxury of being next door to Boalt Hall is a great deal, I think. And this is only the money side of things. The potential rewards of living with Berkeley's grad students (from all over the world) is attractive enough (to me at least).

http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/l/index.html

[just emphasizing that I also think ihouse maybe a good option for some of us]

[heyyitskatie]

just a word of caution about I-House...

if the meal plan is a draw, word on the street is that the food is horrible. the cafe/restaurant has good meals, but apparently the food they feed actual residents is pretty sub-par.

That said, I think I-House would be an awesome place to live for pretty much every other reason listed (get to know international students, super close to Boalt, not outrageously expensive, etc.)

[Go_Cardinals]

In I-House, Are you required to get a meal plan? Any are the rooms any better if you do 3,4,5 roommateS? Or is 2 roommates the safest bet?

[TopCat]

heyyitskatie, I forgot how bad dorm meals can be. Yeah, that's a genuine concern. A week or two of such food and it makes you want to eat cardboard instead.

Go_Cardinals, the link I provided above basically provides all that you may want to know about ihouse. I think there's only singles and doubles. And I think you have to get a meal plan to be eligible. You may want to verify all this, though.

[worldtraveler]

heyyitskatie, I forgot how bad dorm meals can be. Yeah, that's a genuine concern. A week or two of such food and it makes you want to eat cardboard instead.

Go_Cardinals, the link I provided above basically provides all that you may want to know about ihouse. I think there's only singles and doubles. And I think you have to get a meal plan to be eligible. You may want to verify all this, though.

Yeah, I'm hoping the food doesn't suck. Based on the menu available online it sounds good, but that might not be reality.

You have to get a meal plan. The rate is all together. You also get a private room as a grad student. There are 3 different prices depending on size and view.

Even if the food is bad it still sounds like a good deal and it's a great location. I would really just rather not search for Berkeley housing without having a chance to check it out before I get there.

[iamlife1001]

I was considering this at first, but decided against it after learning that some private rooms are real puny

[IzziesGal]

Anyone else have an extremely difficult time getting in touch with financial aid???

[TheNerdProject]

Anyone else have an extremely difficult time getting in touch with financial aid???

They've been impossible to get a hold of for months. I've only tried calling; never tried e-mailing since other TLSers reported no luck.

[mycousinvinny]

For living on campus I looked it up once and there is a storage lot you can get for your car and during the week it sits there and you can ride a shuttle to get it on friday and your permit is good over the weekend, so during the week you ride the bus, shuttle, bicycle up tons of hills and then come friday you get your car and go grocery shopping.

It is on this page under storage lot

http://pt.berkeley.edu/pay/permit/student

[TopCat]

How are the studios in Manville? Any thoughts?

Also notice they say "parking is extremely limited" on the application. If you live there, what do you do with your car if you don't get parking?

Edit - I just sent in my form to accept berkeley. And got confirmation they received it. Yay!

I want to do this too. I want to start on my F-1 transfer stuff right away, among other things. But just that my partner got into a grad program at Northeastern and the HLS wait list has me, well, waiting...(She is willing to turn down the offer and move with me to CA - and change career paths - if no HLS decision by late May. So the least I can do is stay on a couple of waitlists a bit)

[TopCat]

I want to do this too. I want to start on my F-1 transfer stuff right away, among other things. But just that my partner got into a grad program at Northeastern and the HLS wait list has me, well, waiting...(She is willing to turn down the offer and move with me to CA - and change career paths - if no HLS decision by late May. So the least I can do is stay on a couple of waitlists a bit)

Yeah, I can understand your frustration. All the other deadlines are May 1, so I had to make a decisions anyways.

My partner cannot find a job (except in Denver), and unlike yours, is not willing to move to California unless he finds a "comparable" job, and as he sets the bar impossibly high, this won't happen. I tried to bribe him with an Aston Martin (dead serious, said I would buy him one <5 years after graduation if he stays in cali), but was unsuccessful in that endeavor. *shrug*

I think I'll be in Berkeley "alone" next year - but not completely alone because I will have all my wonderful TLS and other 1Ls to keep me company so I don't go insane studying.

True that. I do hope, though, that your partner will get a job in the area and that you guys will be together.

[TheNerdProject]

True that. I do hope, though, that your partner will get a job in the area and that you guys will be together.

Thanks, me too. I dunno what else I can do if a ~100k car can't do the trick. I even threw in a fountain in the driveway of our future home (he wants this monstrosity) and was willing to sacrifice a swimming pool (he fears drowning). Still conjuring up other things ......but I feel like I went all in!

If anyone ever hears from fin aid, tell them Amy said to drop her a line.

Your partner went to Berkeley for ug right? I'm guessing this should help him get a job in the area? What kind of job is he looking for? Maybe Berks career services office can give him a hand.

[Rotor]

True that. I do hope, though, that your partner will get a job in the area and that you guys will be together.

Thanks, me too. I dunno what else I can do if a ~100k car can't do the trick. I even threw in a fountain in the driveway of our future home (he wants this monstrosity) and was willing to sacrifice a swimming pool (he fears drowning). Still conjuring up other things ......but I feel like I went all in!

If anyone ever hears from fin aid, tell them Amy said to drop her a line.

Heck, for a $100k car I'll move back to Cali....oh wait, I already am.

[mycousinvinny]

True that. I do hope, though, that your partner will get a job in the area and that you guys will be together.

Thanks, me too. I dunno what else I can do if a ~100k car can't do the trick. I even threw in a fountain in the driveway of our future home (he wants this monstrosity) and was willing to sacrifice a swimming pool (he fears drowning). Still conjuring up other things ......but I feel like I went all in!

If anyone ever hears from fin aid, tell them Amy said to drop her a line.

Like seriously that sucks. But you are awesome and uh well the princess of Berkeley so why wouldnt he want to be around you. Lame. And good luck with the parking situation. Ask Cicero if he has any intell that guy can find stuff out I think.

[IzziesGal]

How are the studios in Manville? Any thoughts?

Also notice they say "parking is extremely limited" on the application. If you live there, what do you do with your car if you don't get parking?

Edit - I just sent in my form to accept berkeley. And got confirmation they received it. Yay!

I want to do this too. I want to start on my F-1 transfer stuff right away, among other things. But just that my partner got into a grad program at Northeastern and the HLS wait list has me, well, waiting...(She is willing to turn down the offer and move with me to CA - and change career paths - if no HLS decision by late May. So the least I can do is stay on a couple of waitlists a bit)

Yeah, I can understand your frustration. All the other deadlines are May 1, so I had to make a decisions anyways.

My partner cannot find a job (except in Denver), and unlike yours, is not willing to move to California unless he finds a "comparable" job, and as he sets the bar impossibly high, this won't happen. I tried to bribe him with an Aston Martin (dead serious, said I would buy him one <5 years after graduation if he stays in cali), but was unsuccessful in that endeavor. *shrug*

I think I'll be in Berkeley "alone" next year - but not completely alone because I will have all my wonderful TLS and other 1Ls to keep me company so I don't go insane studying.

Me, too. Until my hubby comes out in December, assuming everything goes okay with him finishing his degree out here. Ugh.

[IzziesGal]

Anyone else have an extremely difficult time getting in touch with financial aid???

They've been impossible to get a hold of for months. I've only tried calling; never tried e-mailing since other TLSers reported no luck.

How about we all post questions we have for finaid, and one lucky TLSer in the Bay Area takes the list and brings it into the finaid office in person??? That person would be elevated to a level right below OperaSoprano for the rankings stunt...

[worldtraveler]

Financial aid replied to my e-mails. I had a more involved question though, so maybe they are just waiting for stuff like gradplus. It's only May guys. We have a few months to relax

[alleycat3]

I may be joining Izzie and Amy... my SO is going to accept a 2-year post doc if he gets it, far far away from Berkeley. I swear I do want him to get it because it's an awesome job and it will make things easier in the long run, but I had just gotten excited about him coming to Berkeley with me and cooking me dinner (oh, and turning the dissertation into a book! That too!). So I may or not be lonely next year as well. I mean, come on, it's not like we're asking them to move to some horrible locale

[tobey2]

I may be joining Izzie and Amy... my SO is going to accept a 2-year post doc if he gets it, far far away from Berkeley. I swear I do want him to get it because it's an awesome job and it will make things easier in the long run, but I had just gotten excited about him coming to Berkeley with me and cooking me dinner (oh, and turning the dissertation into a book! That too!). So I may or not be lonely next year as well. I mean, come on, it's not like we're asking them to move to some horrible locale

I'm jumping on this bandwagon, but from the opposite side -- my SO will be headed to berkeley in the fall, where i am currently waitlisted. so as of right now, i'll be by myself in the frigid midwest and he will be joining all of you... i'm going to fight like hell to get off that waitlist though! keep your fingers crossed for me and hopefully one day i'll be able to write in this thread legitimately as a member of the 2012 class

[alleycat3]

Aw, good luck Tobey! I'm rooting for you!

Now I think I should share a story about a married couple I met while I was visiting a non-to-be-named frigid midwest school. They had both gotten into Boalt and two frigid midwest schools (impressive!) and had eliminated B from their list immediately after visiting. I, slightly insulted, asked why-- perhaps they had seen something I had missed. They replied that they were smokers, that smoking was outlawed in the town of Berkeley, and that they didn't want to go somewhere where they would be excluded for their lifestyle.

Hopefully someone else finds that amusing. I did!

[heyyitskatie]

Aw, good luck Tobey! I'm rooting for you!

Now I think I should share a story about a married couple I met while I was visiting a non-to-be-named frigid midwest school. They had both gotten into Boalt and two frigid midwest schools (impressive!) and had eliminated B from their list immediately after visiting. I, slightly insulted, asked why-- perhaps they had seen something I had missed. They replied that they were smokers, that smoking was outlawed in the town of Berkeley, and that they didn't want to go somewhere where they would be excluded for their lifestyle.

Hopefully someone else finds that amusing. I did!

Smoking, as in smoking cigarettes? I have no idea where they got that from, but unless it's some law that absolutely nobody has enforced ever, smoking is not illegal here.