Berkeley Housing Forum
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Ba22
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:16 pm
Berkeley Housing
Hello all. I'm from the Northeast and will most likely not be able to make it out to Berkeley prior to orientation. I am looking for housing options but this is hard without being able to meet people/see the house in person. Are there any other 1Ls out there who are looking to split an apartment w/ another 1L?
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20160810
- Posts: 18121
- Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 1:18 pm
Re: Berkeley Housing
Before moving to Berkeley, I'd been told that finding housing there is a real pain in the ass. However, the good news is that I found that not to be the case at all. I never had any trouble finding a place to live in Berkeley, but a good tip is to start your apartment search before August, when most of the students come back and start looking to get into a new place.
The only resource I ever used was Craigslist. There are tons of postings, and it's relatively easy to search. Combine that with Google Maps, and you have a pretty good idea of how close a given apartment is to campus. Generally speaking, the areas just south of campus are where the undergrads and Greek System kids live, and just north of campus is quieter, a little nicer, and mainly populated by grad students. You don't want to live too far from campus, with two main exceptions: Anything down College Ave or University Ave is pretty accessible, if you don't mind waiting for the 51 bus, but it should be noted that the areas down University get pretty sketchy (and "pretty sketchy" by Berkeley standards is a substantial claim).
If worse absolutely comes to worst and you cannot find a place or cannot afford any of the places you find (I don't know what your financial situation is, but finding a place should not be a problem if you begin checking Craigslist in July), there are other alternatives. Typically, co-ops and fraternities do rent out rooms to boarders, and this includes law students. However, while this can be a cheap option (I've heard prices as low as $350/mo for some frat house rooms), you pay in other ways (namely seldom getting a good night's sleep, rat infestations, drugs, etc.).
Good luck, and enjoy Berkeley.
The only resource I ever used was Craigslist. There are tons of postings, and it's relatively easy to search. Combine that with Google Maps, and you have a pretty good idea of how close a given apartment is to campus. Generally speaking, the areas just south of campus are where the undergrads and Greek System kids live, and just north of campus is quieter, a little nicer, and mainly populated by grad students. You don't want to live too far from campus, with two main exceptions: Anything down College Ave or University Ave is pretty accessible, if you don't mind waiting for the 51 bus, but it should be noted that the areas down University get pretty sketchy (and "pretty sketchy" by Berkeley standards is a substantial claim).
If worse absolutely comes to worst and you cannot find a place or cannot afford any of the places you find (I don't know what your financial situation is, but finding a place should not be a problem if you begin checking Craigslist in July), there are other alternatives. Typically, co-ops and fraternities do rent out rooms to boarders, and this includes law students. However, while this can be a cheap option (I've heard prices as low as $350/mo for some frat house rooms), you pay in other ways (namely seldom getting a good night's sleep, rat infestations, drugs, etc.).
Good luck, and enjoy Berkeley.
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Ba22
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:16 pm
Re: Berkeley Housing
Thanks softboiled, your insight is definitely appreciated.
