Ask a current Cal student anything! - Page 5

Golden Bear · 03-26-2007, 02:39 AM

Wow, someone is thinking about picking Bowles!

punkdudeus · 03-26-2007, 03:29 AM

bowles is aright, great for partying in. It used to be cool, student run, and pretty legit, but the university clamped down on all the fun, and now it's all frosh, and the RA's are repressive SOB's.
that being said, it's not bad to live in, but the maintenance is really bad. it'll make you lose weight.
if i had a choice, i dunno where i'd rather live. The dorms are all kinda a rip off, but at least you get to meet alot of great people.

kmass · 03-27-2007, 01:33 AM

Wait, so would you say it's better at the coed dorms or is there no difference whether you go coed or single sex in terms of social opportunities? Keep in mind i would like to meet girls, lol

punkdudeus · 03-27-2007, 01:51 AM

dood, you'll meet girls as long as you're outgoing and not shy. It's the most childish generalization that bowles is some gay male orgy. It's not, people @ bowles get as much ass as anyone, hell one dood on our floor made so much noise the whole floor heard him, someone on this forum can attest to that, as they're in the same room.
i'd say it's basically the same. that being said, bowles is bad because it's not well maintained, and all the dorms are a rip off.
so yah, there's no difference for social opportunities, its what you make of it.

kmass · 03-27-2007, 02:14 AM

Sweet,

lol, still got questions if you don't mind though.

If you come in as a spring admit and go through fall extensions and all that, do you miss anything?

It seems like you're a Cal student, so i don't see why some people look down on it?

Smallz3141 · 03-27-2007, 02:44 AM

If you are a spring admit, you have the same opportunity to live in the dorms all the other students live in. I knew several spring admits, and no one knew they were unless they told them. It isn't a big deal at all, I don't think. I don't think anyone really looks down on a spring admit, seeing as it is fairly random who becomes one.

So, if you refer to missing socializing, I would say definitely not. however, I am pretty sure that as a spring admit (and in fall extension) they don't offer science/chem classes, so if you are, say, an MCB major, you cannot take your first chem class untill spring semester. So in that sense, you may be slightly behind, but it is no big deal.

CA2006 · 03-27-2007, 02:57 AM

I don't think Spring Admits are guaranteed housing... something you should check into if it's a big deal to you.

Smallz3141 · 03-27-2007, 03:02 AM

no, you're right. They are not guaranteed housing, but I haven't come across a spring admit who hasn't gotten housing.

punkdudeus · 03-27-2007, 01:36 PM

alot of freshman move out of the dorms from their first semester, and that opens up alot of housing for spring admits

royrules22 · 03-27-2007, 02:01 PM

Spring admits usually get housing it seems. But I don't think you are guarenteed housing.

Also something to keep in mind, since Berkeley is on a semester system you are going to have work during Spring Break while your friends from other UCs don't. I have two midterms to study for and a project to finish all for next week.

Also I cannot attest to other dorms, but I live in a Unit 1 Triple and I hate it. It's a double with an extra bed in it. You can see by the fact that everything is set up for two people not three. One person definatly gets screwed as I did because of a **** up with the people who were supposed to sign me in. Just a FYI.

Smallz3141 · 03-27-2007, 06:38 PM

Yea, triples are a pretty crummy deal. Though it is all male, Bowles is a pretty nice dorm when you think about it. It has a ton of closet space, has a two person bedroom and a larger common/study room, which makes it very roomy, especially compared to the 1 room units. It's pretty nice when your roomate and you are both in the suite, but are in different rooms (so one can study while the other watches tv/listens to music, etc).

So, if you stuck with bowles, it certianly isn't as bad as it seems. It does have very nice aspects.

punkdudeus · 03-27-2007, 06:51 PM

exactly, smalls is right. although it is a bit run down, seems like something breaks every day and doesn't get fixed. the lightbulb in the bathroom goes out once a week

lostincode · 03-28-2007, 02:56 AM

new question:
if you want to take >10 units over summer, do you HAVE to see an adviser or does telebears let you register w/o complaints?

Strykur · 03-28-2007, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Spring admits usually get housing it seems.

It's not that they necessarily get housing, it's that it's not too difficult to find housing if you're a spring admit. If you're a spring admit and want on-campus housing, your chances are decent but still around ~50%. Off-campus is pretty easy to find in the spring however, with Telegraph Commons a good option I heard for incoming spring admits.

Quote:

If you come in as a spring admit and go through fall extensions and all that, do you miss anything?

Not at all. In Fall Extension, all your classes (except English classes) are in a converted seminary building right next to Unit 2, and since most, if not all your classes will be very close to each other in the same building, your first semester is quite easy to manage, plus the "professors" I had were great at teaching the class material, despite the fact that only a few of them had a doctorate (interestingly my most enjoyable classes were taught by those with just masters degrees, and Ph.D candidates. Apparently the most intelligent people in Berkeley don't necessarily have doctorates). In the spring, you go straight to on-campus. As for housing, you can still get on-campus housing if you're a Fall Extension student, and I am in a Unit 3 corner triple (MUCH more spacious that a converted triple, which is a double room but with 3 beds). Plus, it's worth noting that Fall Extension students on average have higher first semester grades than a regular fall admits.

wecandothis · 03-29-2007, 03:44 AM

what is Fall Extension?