I know that Bowles Hall was recently renovated and that it is now a private residential college. Do any students here have any experience with Bowles or would like to talk about what it might be like for a Freshman to stay there vs. the dormitories?
As a class of 2020 parent, I can tell you that Bowles is an excellent choice for a freshman that wants a sense of community and small size on a very large Cal campus. Not for a rabid individualist though…
Pros:
- Location - close to the science part of campus, the Greek and the stadium, with great views including rooms that overlook the stadium and balconies overlooking the Greek.
- Academic support - live-in professsors and grad students who cousel residence on school and life
- Fairly spacious, especially compared to the Units - the max room capacity is a double, with many singles
- Beautiful remodeled physical plant with some great amenities (game room, living room with baby grand, study rooms)
- Camraderie - 183 coed cross section of undergrads of all four years (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors), living, eating, playing and governing Bowles, guided by the live-in staff and a long history of traditions. For my son, this included block seating fro all of Bowles on the 50 yard line for the first home game, plus a grand re-opening with hundreds of alums and campus dignitaries.
- Ability to stay in-house all 4 years - on a campus that pretty much pushes most students out of the dorms by sophomore or junior year.
Cons:
- Pricey - prices at the top end of Berkeley-associated housing, similar to Kerr-Clark (19K double), but you get additional benefits for those $$.
- Not integrated with the “deep freshman” experience - residents aren’t directly immersed in thousands of new " parental supervision free" freshmen in the dorms or dining halls. But there are probably enough freshmen in Bowles to give them a reasonable experience.
- Selective - Just after a graduating senior has gone through the whole Berkeley acceptance process, and committed, they need to go through a smaller scale version of the same process to get into Bowles - an online application with several essays, and a selective admission/waitlist system.
Here are some articles on the grand re-opening and the vibe of Bowles
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/UC-Berkeley-reopens-Bowles-Hall-as-residential-9188539.php
http://www.dailycal.org/2016/08/28/refurbished-bowles-hall-elevates-residential-experience-price/