If you are concerned about crime, there is a crime map that is linked from the following page:
http://police.berkeley.edu/crimemap/
Note that the link goes to Berkeley, but you can move south to see Oakland.
Sororities apparently do not sublet space like the fraternities do-- according to my son. Downtown Berkeley BART is on Shattuck Ave., which is a good 15 minute walk from most of the frat houses. Better when going to work because it is downhill. Returning home you go uphill. Cannot get lost in Berkeley. Downtown is downhill from the campus. And you always have the Campanile as a point of reference. Or, you can take a bus…
My only reason for not recommendation Oakland is that many parts of it have become so much nicer and therefore too expensive, IMO! Also, less likely to have summer sublets than Berkeley. Areas of Oakland like Temescal, Rockridge, Uptown, Lake Merritt, etc. are all very nice, but have become more expensive than Berkeley in my experience.
@ucbalumnus thanks for the links
@katliamom it’s daughter
The recruiter is supposed to put her in touch with other interns but you know how we CC parents work… Not waitng for that
Regarding rooms in fraternities and sororities… most fraternities and sororities are near the southeast corner of campus. If you look on the BSC map linked in #19, there is a street called Piedmont. That street and the blocks to the east (where there are also several BSC co-op houses) have many of the fraternities and sororities.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I put out the "bat signal"to some friends, who called their friends. She will be renting a room in Oakland, the Piedmont Area, which seems to be really nice, for the low price of $600/mo. I couldnt be happier!
Piedmont is VERY nice! Almost as nice as that rent 
Your daughter should have a great experience. (Sigh. I’m envious.)
Piedmont is a beautiful area! I know people who live there.
Also agree with @jshain about Rockridge. I still miss the oil and vinegar shop and the coffee shops and bakeries in the Rockridge area that where near where DS used to live (before moving across the bay).
Congrats!
Piedmont is great. Cannot beat the monthly rental of $600, either! Did I hear someone say FENTON’S??? It’s an ice cream parlor. Oh, yeah!!!
Fenton’s 4226 Piedmont Ave. Oakland (Near her home)
Umami Burger 2200 Franklin St. Oakland (Near her work)
Zachary’s Pizza 5801 College Ave. Oakland (Rockridge)
Your daughter is all set! I’ve got others, if interested…
@jshain thank you for the suggestions!!! Actually I am flying out with her, and surprisingly, it will be my first trip to California. I need CCers to tell to me some things that I must see/do/eat in San Fran/Oakland area.
You should probably make a separate thread, but I really enjoyed all the walking tours I did last year in SF. (One food one, one self guided one, and one in Chinatown which is done through an organization that does free tours in several locations.)
I’m beginning to really appreciate that both tech companies DS1 worked for provided contacts to landlords in the area. Has she asked her supervisor if they have such a list?
A “first-timer”! That’s exciting!! How long will you be staying in the S.F. Bay Area? If only a few days:
San Francisco–
A city bus tour
Golden Gate Bridge
Ride the cable cars
Walk the Embarcadero
Alcatraz
Fisherman’s Wharf
Palace of Fine Arts
Golden Gate Park
Just scratched the surface…
Late to this, but yay for a place in Piedmont, which is beautiful, and a great price! My brother lives in Temescal-- it really is becoming quite posh (though we joke that a block away one can apparently still get crack at a great price lol). Many parts of Oakland are terrific; you just need to be alert (like in any big city). When we go to the Bay Area we don’t even go to SF anymore-- there are some great things to see, do and eat in the East Bay
OK, so you’ll get tons of advice about stuff to do in the Bay Area… really, countless amazing options, so I’ll just add one: take the ferry from SF to Marin County. It’s an inexpensive thrill, you’ll get magnificent views of the city, the East Bay, Golden Gate Bridge…
I’ll also say (and then shut up, 'cos it’s boring) that there’s a scene in the play Angels in America, where someone talks to a person who’s died, and asks what paradise is like… the angel says, “It’s beautiful… It’s… a lot like San Francisco”
My son goes to Berkeley and my aunt lives in Piedmont. We never make a trip up (from Southern California) without going to Fenton’s! I love, love, love the black and tan sundae. There is a really cute market in Piedmont (Mulberry’s) with great sandwiches and other thing. Other fun things we like to do: take the ferry from Oakland (Jack London Square) either to a Giants game or the San Francisco Ferry Building. Get an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista (Fisherman’s Wharf area). Take a brewery tour at Anchor Brewery.
@mathmom we found a place in Oakland (Piedmont area)
@jshain I will be there 3-4 days
Thank you everyone for the suggestions!!! I also plan to get a little shopping in, as well. Any suggestions?
Take the Daly City or SFO BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from Rockridge Oakland and get off at Powell Station. Union Square is a short walking distance away.
Here’s another recommendation of a fun, hip hangout for a beer and a bite:
Drake’s Dealership 2325 Broadway Oakland
The place is big and lively, with lots of outdoor seating that will fill to capacity on a warm summer evening.
Edit: You should really try to make time to walk the UC Berkeley campus and go visit the Botanical Garden, less than a mile up the hill from the Haas Business School on the east edge of campus. Parking can be a real problem up there so I would take the bus. Also make a reservation in advance.
second vote for Fentons.
If visiting Cal, make sure she finds Top Dog.