Hey guys, I have a housing question. I'm moving up to Berkeley on July 28, but I'm worried that will be too late to find a good apartment. I've been searching online and such, but I haven't committed to anything since I can't see it in person. Y'all have any suggestions? Am I safe just arranging apartments to look at when I go up or would I be better off landing a place before then? Thanks!

Last year I showed up like August 3rd or something and apartment-searched for three days during OCI and found one. I think you'll be fine as long as you have a place to stay while you look or money to stay in a hotel.

That's what I am hoping to do this year. Kronk, am I right in guesstimating that you are in interviews an average of like 1.5 hours a day? I was thinking there would be plenty of time to apt hunt those days as well, but then I supposed you may get screwed and get one interview every hour to hour and a half and can't really go anywhere in between then it ends up taking up your whole day? Also, sort of related, if we are supposed to target getting 20 interviews, and it all depends on when the particular firms are interviewing, I should probably expect that I might have like 7 on one day, 1-2 on a couple others, etc.? Like how awkward was your schedule that week and did you just hang out in the hotel lobby/bar between interviews?

Thanks!

So what are some good areas to live in around Berkeley? The area around the college is too expensive and I have a car so I'm looking to cut costs and ok with being a bit farther away (but not more than 10 miles, because screw traffic hah).

Rockridge is nice and a bit further. There are certain areas of Oakland that are nice. North Berkeley is going to be cheap and further away, too.

Eh, there were only 1-2 days that I felt I could actually get away during interviews, although I did a lot of going over to Kinkos to fax the lease or sign stuff and etc. during those days. It might only be 1.5hrs interviewing, but it feels like a lot more. I had 25 screeners. And I just hung out in the hotel lobby and bar between them. I had a beer one or two days. Probably not prudent, but lots of fun and some good beer if it's still at the Hotel Shattuck.

I usually went to see places either the days immediately before OCI or before / after my OCI ended. I visited I think 4-5 places and settled on one soon after.

tl;dr not really enough time to do stuff in between usually, but it will depend on your schedule, just go to look at places after you're done, which may be early if you get lucky. Might be some days you only have one in the early morning one late afternoon, in which case you have the whole day, who knows.

Anyone have an idea on what the max parental income can be to get need based money?

Hi Kronk, I am arriving in Cal on 7/28 too and will take 3-4 days to find an apartment. But what is the connection with OCI? I am a 0L and I thought OCI was done as a rising 2L!

OCI is for rising 2Ls or 3Ls. I think he was just saying he was at OCI to explain why he was looking during that week.

Ah, you mean Kronk was a 2L and looking for new apartments that week after having lived at Cal a year? Then that explains it.

0L here. Just wanted to thank all the Boalties ITT who've been incredibly helpful over the past years in answering questions about Berkeley! I look forward to starting this fall!

+1

deleted

Yeah my point was that if I could find an apt in a couple days during the busyness of OCI people will be fine getting there in late July.

Kronk, you rock! Thanks for all the advice.

Re questions about ideal places to live and shop in Berkeley: My view is that Berkeley is not a city within its own right but rather a borough in the Bay Metropolitan Area and while in terms of culture, food, and great weather the Bay Met Area is tops it is also uniformly congested, inconvenient, and expensive thus sadly there is no ideal place to live or shop no matter where in the Bay Met Area you go. So I would just say don't sweat too much over these things.

Where can I get a good haircut in Berk? Just got hustled by a barber on Shattuck.

Not looking for anything crazy, but six minutes with a set of clippers just won't do.

Amplify on Durant just above Telegraph is where I go. But if you don't want a quick clip, don't go there on Friday when Elias (from Lebanon) works. I think he does a great job, but it is FAST. Garret (Asian/Pacific Islander/Native American-looking) is more methodical and has his cosmetician's license so he can clean up the back of your neck with a straight razor if you like. Alan, the owner, is also super, but he tends to bounce between shops in Walnut Creek. He recently bought the one in the basement in the alley between Ned's and Wells Fargo on Bancroft and it is now MUCH less scary than that place used to be. (Elias works there Thursday). I think prices just went up to $21.

Edit: Good reviews on Yelp--http://www.yelp.com/biz/amplify-barber-shop-berkeley

Hi guys,
I saw on the website that we take three required courses during the first semester and two during the second. Do we get assigned the required courses we take (depending on which mod we're assigned) or do we get to choose? Also, do we find out about modules/professors during orientation, or beforehand? Because Dean Tom seemed to indicate that we would be getting more information via email sometime soon, which definitely hasn't happened. Compared to some of the other schools I got into, Berkeley definitely doesn't spam us with mail.

You get assigned your courses, and yeah, I believe you get them at orientation IIRC.

Hey guys -
Reminder about the first big Boalt party of the year - The Launch Party, Sat. Aug. 18 at 8pm-midnight.***DJ, catering, Open Bar*** $40. 400+ Boalt students, significant others welcome. Did we mention open bar? Open bar.

Note: this is student led, not an official orientation event, supporting Advocates for Youth Justice student clinics.
Details about the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/330003790408191/

See you there and welcome to Boalt!

Thanks, Gymboree. I moved to CA this week and moved into an apartment at San Pablo and Gilman. Is this a good location? Looked OK to me but I do not have in-depth knowledge of the area.

Secondly, what is the best bank to open an account at in Berkeley?

I have the next week free so I am wondering if there is anything 2Ls can suggest I do to better prepare for classes, that I may not have thought of. In the way of buying books, supplies, anything...

Neighborhood - I don't know that neighborhood. If it's near a bus line that drops you close to Boalt, fantastic.

Best bank - the Berkeley student credit union is great. It has a nice % kick on savings, so when your loan money plunks down in there, it's making a little something. If you want a major bank, there are Wells Fargo ATMs on Bancroft, so that's handy (and they're all over the city, too).

Best way to prepare? I'm thinking sleep. Go outside. Hike the fire trails. Firm up your exercise routine (or get one). Remember to continue doing these things when school starts.

Hey 3Ls and older - what is your experience with wait lists? it sounds like it is a eye-roll worthy process everyone goes through, but that you pretty much always get the class you waitlisted for? I mean, I've heard that from like 2 people I think (who heard it from others, etc). This whole thing just seems so ridiculous. I'm #16 on a wait list for a class that only accepts 20, and 15 are enrolled. I just don't see how that math could work for me, but I really don't want to have to attend other classes I really don't want just in case. I mean, I guess I'll have to do that no matter what to be safe. But is this really the best the registrar/curriculum committee can do? Offering a bunch of classes that are half or less enrolled, and then a bunch that are 200% or more? I know I am by far not the only one having to do this, nor is this new this year, but going to a bunch of extra classes, when you really have a hard time making it to the most basic ones because of interviews is a stressful way to start off 2L.

I don't know. I wouldn't stay on that far backed up. The thing is they keep a bunch of spots open for the LLMs who register like a couple days before class or something like that, so a lot of times as long as you are in the top 10-20 you are pretty much in, but that's for bigger classes. Aside from that quirk it's just like any other waitlist would be in UG or otherwise--see if the numbers seem worthwhile, if not you can either drop it or email the professor and ask.