I mean companies will be seeking a Berkeley CS graduate regardless of what the market is. CS at Berkeley is at the same level of Stanford, CMU, and MIT.
I can address these, based on our experience–my daughter is finishing her first year at Cal:
1. Housing: This, from what we can tell one year in, is not a problem if you can afford dorm housing. My daughter had an amazing room in Christian Hall in Unit #2. She applied for housing for next year and preferred an apt. She and her roommate were offered a dorm again (not an apt), so we opted to sign a lease in a nearby apt. There are MANY fully furnished options for the same price as the dorm. It will be less for us, because we are not purchasing a dining hall meal plan. There are definitely nearby apt buildings that are MORE expensive than the dorms, with some fabulous amenities. There are also rooms in houses and older non-furnished buildings that are less expensive. An affordable option is to join a co-op where costs run about $1,000 a month, including food. You can learn more about this on the Berkeley co-op website. If you’re interested, you need to join the waiting list about a year ahead–which would work for your second year. There are also many fraternities and sororities–their housing costs are less than the forms. Many buildings are currently offering incentives to lease for next year–even this late into the spring semester. So–if you can afford dorm housing and the meal plan, you can afford to live in Berkeley.
- Getting Classes My daughter and her friends have gotten almost all the classes they wanted. She didn’t get her preferred Physics time/instructor, so Is opting to take it next fall instead, otherwise it hasn’t been an issue. Berkeley is pretty generous with AP credit, so it’s worthwhile checking out where you stand w/ credits coming in. Getting the classes you need is definitely an issue in the CSU system, but UC seems to be better. They set aside seats in classes that are required for majors to stay on track for graduation.
3. Safety When we’ve been up to visit, we’ve been one unhoused person on campus each time. There are definitely more once you get off of campus. The most common crime in Berkeley is bicycle theft. FWIW, we are from Long Beach, CA–which is a diverse part-urban/suburban community with its share of big city issues. She feels comfortable at Cal, walking on campus and in the city at all times of the day and evening. In fact–more people are generally out walking from school/“downtown” area at 11:00-late than early in the evening.
I would say the campus is extremely safe, however your tolerance for unhoused people in Berkeley, off of the campus may impact how safe you feel. The city cleared People’s Park (location of a HUGE unhoused population) awhile ago. The whole park is surrounded by TEUs (shipping containers) and is guarded 24/7 so it doesn’t become reoccupied. The city and university are beginning a major redevelopment project of this area. There’s an absolute construction boom going on in Berkeley–both is university structures and housing.
If you have any more specific questions please let me know! We found the admitted students event in our town to be absolutely fantastic. When you visit for Cal Day check out the restaurants in the Elmwood neighborhood for a “quieter” alternative to Telegraph Ave/University/Bancroft/Shattuck area.
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I was not referring to Berkeley but to anecdotal examples of boom times where you could get an internship or cs job going to any school. The market is saturated now and going to a good school like berkeley or michigan is an advantage.
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Actually–she lives in Unit #1 Christian Hall…
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