may be trekking to Berkley

[ironchef]

lo there,

me and the soon-to-be-misses are contemplating Cali so she can attend Berkley for law. turns out their law program is just what she's looking for.

i know some of you folks are from there, so i was curious as to what you thuoght about it?

me, i'm going to have to figure out how to pay for all of this. anybody have good job openings for web geeks? :)

[jujubees]

Throw us a bone here, ironchef. :D What do you want to know about Berzerkeley, Economics? Student life? Atmosphere?

Does Berkeley provide housing for graduate students? If it doesn't, you're in for a REAL treat! Unlike the other UC's, which had the insight to build student housing for *gasp* students, UCB barely has enough dorm rooms to house its undergrads for their first year.

How far does the soon-to-be-missus want to live from campus? There are some nice parts of Berk, but be prepared to pay a pretty penny ... and I do mean $1000+ for a studio or tiny 1-bedroom apartment.

[Ice-9]

Hmm, I love the town and the proximity to SF, but the housing situation, as jujubees mentioned, is horrendous. You can get a decent place a few miles from campus for only twice as much as its worth (instead of 3x - 5x), but then you'll have to deal with the parking, which is much like the housing - scarce and expensive.

Good school, though, especially for grad students who get actual personal attention. Us undergrads get good profs, I suppose, but 20-person lines at office hours, so it's tough to get heard.

Student life varies with what you're into. There's a lot to do, but a lot of Berkeley students just sit around and study. I go to raves, my roommates go to frat parties, there are always events happening of one sort or another, it's just a matter of finding what you like. And having a car.

If you've got specific questions, I'm happy to ramble on further.

[ArkiStan]

maybe I could be of some assistance :D

Yeah there are so many pros and cons about this place. For some people it's a nightmare and for others such as me it's a dream come true.

Housing is surely a pain, but the most important thing is to spend a year (at least a semester) in the dorms when you first arrive. It'll determine how many friends you'll have for the rest of your college career. If you want a good social life, the dorm experience is a must. Then you can move out to apartments with your dorm friends, but they'll be pricey like prominx mentioned. Usually if you share an apertment with some friends, you can have your own room (without parking) and get by with paying less than $600-700/month. It just takes some running around at the end of the semester to look for the right house. Personally, the house searching crusade was equally as stressful as finals when I look back. Parking is hell (mostly inefficient street parking), but if you manage to find connections like I did with Ice-9, you can even get them to rent you their usused parking spaces.

The atmosphere is not Beverley Hills. Rather it's almost like New york with all the trash, bums, punks(good natured though), police men, hemp product table merchants and street artists. Just add a lot of students and imagine a lot less crime (It's almost safe enough to walk around at night). But nevertheless it's colorful and full of culture. The whole atmosphere is open minded. It'll change the way you think in a very positively radical way.

The proximity to SF is great. There's just such an abundance of culture, style and romance in the whole SF Bay Area. I just have so much fun visiting the beautiful beaches along highway 1. There are so many great restaurants in the city, and if you're a fan of movies, there are plenty of independent movie showings and movie festivals.

Let's just say that now I want to spend the rest of my life here.

[Ice-9]

Speaking of parking, stan, what do you think is a fair rate for the space rental next semester? You can come by and see what I'm talking about whenever you want - 2631 College Ave. My roommates don't want to let it be used without getting paid for it, but I'm open to suggestions as to the rate.

[ArkiStan]

I'll absolutely pay for the spot. Wanting a parking space for free in berkeley? now that would be wishing for a little toooo much. Well, I'm just gonna throw some suggestions out there. Earlier this semester I was looking around asking for $50 a month without much luck. How's $50/month sound for a good ol' Gotapex bud? :naughty: That would be a good free grocery run every month. Feel free to negotiate.

could you tell me what kind of spot it is? open or covered? along the street or in an alley? I'll try to take a look at it the next time I drive by.

[Ice-9]

Cool, $50 will be fine. Negotiations unnecessary, I just have to hold off giving you the final okay until our new roommates move in, okay?

The space is in front of our house, next to the sidewalk, but seperated by some low hedge. There are three spaces, two of them facing our next-door neighbors' fence and one facing our steps. You could get either of the ones facing the fence. Come by and check it out.

[ArkiStan]

great! I'll come by and look at them sometime. As long as there's no huge problem with them, let's assume I'll take it. How would you like the payment? I can pay you monthly, but since I have so many other payments to deal with already, I would prefer to pay all at once. I could pay you before sumer break or after. Up to you...I'll let you know once I look at it and finally decide. Thanks in advance!!!

[Ice-9]

Sure, whichever. As soon as you check out the space and I check with the new roommates, you can just write me a check. I'll take it whenever you've got enough money in your account to cover it. :)

[att]

my old lady and i decided to leave berkeley for the suburbs, and it is great. we have a huge apartment, 2 car garage, our own private laundry room, we dont share any walls, and we're on a quiet street. if you spend a lot of time at home with the family/spouse, or studying, or working, you cant beat the suburbs. if you want to party all the time, well you are screwed. we are only 20 minutes away from the campus and our friends around berkely, and we are more centrally located to other parts of the bay area. i am also that much closer to the snow! i would say come on up here, get a place in our area, and dont worry about finding a job, they are everywhere if you are a quality employee. my company is hiring, i can help you out if you are interested. if you both share one car, no big deal, bart reaches everything worth going to these days, and you save yourself the hassle of parking. feel free to email me!