



Melodramatic title aside, it really wasn't that bad living in the dorms. I lived in two different dorms during my freshman and sophomore years, and then moved out to an apartment. I also worked as a dorm security monitor for three years, so I got to see all of them. Why did I move out? I wanted to try something different, and that whole "grass is greener" syndrome is really powerful if you let it get inside your head. Plus, the thought of having your own place is a bit exciting. And, I'll admit that I was tired of the somewhat rampant immaturity that colors dorm life since the vast majority of the residents are underclassmen.



Layout:

Most dorms at Cal are coed. The two exceptions are Stern Hall (women only), and Bowles Hall (men only). Foothill and Clark Kerr are set up as suites (two or three bedrooms with a common study/lounge area), while all of the others are set up like a hotel floor. For the standard dorm floor, there is one or two large coed bathrooms with showers, stalls, and sinks. Each floor also typically has at least one lounge/study area. On the first floor of each dorm building, there is a large recreation room/meeting area. Many of them also contain vending machines, and pay phones.



The dorms are arranged into Units. For instance, Unit 3 had several buildings, Norton, Ida Sproul, Priestley, and Haste-Channing. For each Unit, there is a large shared cafeteria, study rooms, computer lab, and a laundry area.



Supervision:

To help keep things mostly civilized, each floor typically has a live-in Residential Advisor. These are students hired by Student Services, so the quality of your RA can vary dramatically. Some of them are just there for the free room and food, and really don't do anything. Others actually do what they're supposed to, and act as counselors, mentors, mediators, and also help to plan floor and building activities. For each building, there is a House Advisor who oversees the entire building, and a Security Chief. The Security Chief is a student position, but the House Advisor is a non-student employee of the university. Again, it's a mixed bag. Some of the security chiefs put on safety fairs, self-defense seminars, and pepper spray certifications. I never saw mine do anything…and I didn't even know who our House Advisor was.



One note: you really have to learn to how to take care of yourself, and how to get along with diverse personalities. Even though there are supposed to be people around to keep things under control and look out for you, you can't count on it. Dorm living requires patience, and the ability to compromise. If you absolutely need to have things your way, you'd be better off in an apartment.





Dorm Life:

This varies from dorm to dorm. Some are officially classified as "quiet" dorms, or "substance-free" dorms. Uh, yeah. Others are almost infamous as party spots. For the most part, it depends on the RA's and just the luck of the draw for who your neighbors are.



You learn to sleep through a lot of crazy things--especially during finals week. Someone always pulls the fire alarm at 3 a.m. at least once a semester. Friday and Saturday nights can be loud, but if you have a decent RA it never gets too wild. There are mandatory quiet hours after midnight, and people who violate them can get written up. It's rare, but repeated violations can result in restricted privileges, community service hours, or even eviction. My first year RA was great, but the next one was a real jerk. She was my next-door neighbor, and made more noise than any of the other residents. Not bitter here…Oh no…



One peculiarity of dorm life is the prevalence of an "open door" policy. Most people leave their doors open all of the time. It can be like a perpetual slumber party. People just wander around from floor to floor, or room to room to hang out. It's a lot of fun. You meet tons of people, and make a lot of friends. But, the danger lies in managing your time, and your sleep. Something is always going on…you just have to decide where your priorities are. Since I wanted to get to dental school, I learned how to hide from people so that I could get my studying done.



Organized activities really depend on the initiative of the house and residual advisors. There are funds given to each dorm from student services for activities each semester. When I look back, it seems like there was always something going on. The programs varied from IM sports to ballroom dancing lessons, self-defense seminars, academic seminar, socials, and so on. Finding things to do was never a problem.



Food:

Each dorm has a centralized shared cafeteria. Meals are typically purchased as part of a semester meal plan. For example, for a flat semester fee, you can purchase 10, 14, or 21 meals per week. You can pay a little extra for an on-campus option that lets you use your meal card at the on-campus restaurants. I always had the 14 meal plan with the on-campus option. Even though this divides out to just two meals a day, it was never really a problem.



For one thing, I rarely woke up with enough time to eat breakfast before class. For another, the cooking in the Cal dorms is done by students, so there's always at least one day per week where it just ain't healthy to be anywhere near that cafeteria. There is an endless offering of diverse restaurants and eateries in Berkeley, too, so one of my favorite activities was trying new places to eat with my friends.





The Dorms:

There are several dormitories at Cal, each with their unique location and personality perks. I lived at Haste-Channing (Unit 3) my first year, and Priestley Hall (Unit 3) during my second. But like I said, I've seen them all since I had friends scattered all over, and also through my job as a security monitor.



Unit 1: located between Durant/Channing and Bowditch/College

- renovated in the mid 90's for a nicer interior, and computer access

- close to campus

- considered an "okay" place to live



Unit 2: located between Channing/Haste and Bowditch/College

- really, really ugly earthquake retrofit bars

- a bit far from campus

- one of the older and more run down dorms -> renovation was pending when I graduated

- diplomacy aside, this place was pretty lousy



Unit 3: located between Channing/Durant and Dana/Telegraph

- close to campus

- one of the 'nice" dorms



Foothill: northside location near Hearst

- suite-style housing

- also a "nice" place to live



Stern Hall: northside location near Foothill and the Greek Theater

- women's only…in theory

- rooms are small and plain

- older facility

- no cafeteria -> residents have to walk over to Foothill



Bowles Hall: northside location near the Greek Theater and Kleeberger Field

- the armpit of the dorms

- men only equals chaotic, rundown, and very dirty

- older building, no elevator/handicapped access



Clark Kerr: extreme southside location

- farthest dorm from campus

- suite-style housing

- supposed to be "quiet" dorms, but friends who lived there said that was a lie

- nice rooms, but I don't think it's worth the twenty minute-plus walk



Summary:

It's been a few years, but that's what I remember. From what I hear, recent trends in dormitory housing tend towards overcrowding. There are a lot more triples than there used to be, and not all incoming freshmen have guaranteed housing. Even while I was there, it was common for there to be students living out of the study lounges for the first few weeks of each semester while things were sorted out.











Recommended:

Yes



