University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

Pretty much the only lasting friends I've made have been from the dorms and University Chorus. I lived in Unit 3 for my first two years, and I had some really great floormates both years, several of whom I still keep in touch with. Note: leave your door open, and they will come. My roommate and I got a lot of visitors simply because we kept our door open all year. This could have been bad if our floormates sucked, but they didn't. I'm pretty sure I had the best RA in the history of RAs my freshman year, and we still get together to catch up from time to time. I also had the good fortune of being paired with an awesome roommate freshman year, and she's become one of my dearest friends. University Chorus was the only extra curricular I've really participated in at Cal, and it's been such a positive experience. Everyone is there because they love singing choral music, and it gave me a chance to meet like-minded people who share one of my passions. I regret that I never got the chance to sing in one of the a cappella groups on campus, because I LOVE them. I highly recommend that prospective students who like vocal music should look into groups like the UC Men's Octet, the Golden Overtones, and Artists in Resonance. Watching these groups sing at Sather Gate are one of my fondest memories of Cal. Language classes are another great place to meet people. Well, Japanese was, anyway. You spend five days a week with the same people, and are basically obligated to spend the class period talking. You have group skits, which allows you to get to know some of your classmates a little better. The senseis are super encouraging and adorable, which helps create an even more comfortable and social setting. As a freshman, you have to take advantage of free home games! I still don't get how to play football, but I remember having such a blast sitting in the student section and cheering on our team just the same. Even if you aren't into sports, you'll love the experience of the frenzy. The Cal Band is also pretty prolific, and they always put together an awesome halftime show. I hear Cal also has a good basketball team, and the ticket prices for those games are pretty resonable. Other sporting events, like gymnastic and swim meets are free, if I remember correctly. All good things to look into. If you're a fan of free or cheap entertainment, you'll love all shows put on by student groups and performing arts departments. There are theater groups like Theater Rice, Theater Charity, and BareStage that put on skits and plays and have fairly cheap ticket prices. The Dance department puts on a free show each semester in Hearst Gym. The Music department has free concerts at noon in Hertz Hall. On Fridays at Wheeler Auditorim, Superb has cheap showings of movies that are no longer running in regular theatres. There's stuff like that going on all the time; you just have to look into it. Again, if you're into SWAG, don't miss out on the vendors that fill the RSF for Caltopia. This event, held at the beginning of each fall term, is a great opportunity to stock up on free office supplies and snacks. Even though this event is generally for freshmen, I never miss it. It's the reason I haven't had to buy a single pen or pencil since coming to Cal. Every year during finals week a bunch of students go streaking through the library at midnight. Don't let it catch you unawares. I found out about this tradition when I got caught in the corridor between Moffitt and Doe libraries as this mass of sweaty, smelly, naked kids came running through.

-There are so many organizations and teams it is hard to say! I am just going to say Cal Band, Rally Comm, and the Asian American Business Association. Plus all athletic teams, of course. -Cal Band is amazing, but a big time commitment. I am so glad I did it. -I never lived in dorms -Athletic events like football, basketball and Rugby are very popular, the others have scarce attendance. More people come when we are playing Stanfurd. -I met my closest friends through band and through classes. -If I am awake at 2pm on a Tuesday I am either cramming for an exam (because I never stay up that late to do homework), or goofing off watching tv/hanging out with friends. -Too many to name! Big game week is a big deal though. -Partying? I think it happens more in the fall because of football. Hard to say, i don't party. -To me, Frats and sororities are not important at all, but for others they may be. -Last weekend I had some friends visit from my hometown. I showed them the campus (including the tree people and memorial stadium) and we also went to San Francisco for a day. -You can do a lot on a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking. Go get food, stay in with friends, go to SF...i wish more people would realize this. -Off campus: shopping, eating at any of Berkeley's awesome eateries, go to SF, hiking, swimming, exploring the city...so many things...

Berkeley is a school that never sleeps. From “chalking sidewalks” early in the morning to Taiko drum practices which run late at night, there are student groups ranging from the Freshman Sophomore Business Club to Danceworx holding meetings and events at every hour of the day. While most clubs and student organizations hold events on campus, there is the thriving night-life of fraternities and sororities off campus as well. A stroll down ‘frat-row’ on any weekend will turn-up more than a few themed frat-parties, planned to help fellow students distress or just to get the partying out of their systems. Thus, Greek life is a huge part of the academic and social life at Berkeley, with more than 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population at Berkeley involved with the Greek system. Although exclusive, benefits of the Greek system include guaranteed housing, a strong support system, and a great way to network and meet alumni. However, if social fraternities or sororities aren’t your thing, there are professional fraternities and sororities as well. Although professional fraternities and sororities do not offer housing for its members, many of the other benefits are included. Housing for students is generally dispersed through five residence halls. However unlike other college campuses, the Berkeley campus does not include on-campus housing sites. This is one aspect of Berkeley that I really enjoy, because it removes definitive campus boundaries, and instead, extends the Berkeley campus into the surrounding neighborhood. This unique characteristic of the Berkeley residence halls allows for greater interaction between students and the surrounding neighborhood, further incorporating the Berkeley community into the college campus. Although some students might find the neighborhood intimidating, as part of the Berkeley city community, learning to respect and interact with the diverse members of the surrounding neighborhood is a priceless experience. The residence halls are a wonderful way to meet people and a great transition between life at home and life on your own, and the wide range of residential options available to students takes into consideration academic vocations, studying habits, and social habits. While there are the residence halls infamous for residents big on partying, there are also residential options directed towards those who prefer studying on the weekends. For them, there are the options of the dormitories further detached from campus, which allow for quiet and privacy, or the entirely substance-free building in one of the residential units where any sort of alcohol or drug is prohibited. Now, if anyone knows anything about college students, it is their largely abnormal sleep cycle. Just as the Telegraph shops are closing up and the restaurants are cleaning up, the night life of the Berkeley students begins. Even at odd hours in the morning, you are bound to find people relaxing after a long night of studying in the main lounge, or crazed-midterm-crammers stressing out in their rooms. For those who develop midnight cravings, or were too busy to grab a bite to eat for dinner, late night meals are available at the dining commons until as late (or as early) as two o’clock in the morning. Many of the neighborhood diners are open twenty-four hours a day to cater to hungry college students as well.

berkeley has so many things going on at once.

Joining Theater for Charity was one of the better decisions I made toward the end of my stay at Berkeley. I did a lot of extracurricular stuff, a lot of writing clubs, etc., and they were great, they pretty much made me who I am. On the flip side, I am no where near as good at Tekken Tag Tournament as I could have been.

Cycling: Take a bike ride in the Berkeley hills or in the city. Berkeley is filled with bike paths that make it very easy to get around. COOPs: Check out the COOPs as a place to live after your freshman year (www.USCA.org). It is communal living with your fellow students. It's a great time. Berkeley has many other great things: Restaurants, Greek Theatre, Marina, Tilden Park, discovery, etc.

I'm in a Christian fellowship group, but I don't want to mention our name because I, unlike the rest of my fellow members, am a jerk. I don't want to give you an unfair representation of my group. My fellowship has its share of problems, but for the most part, we're dedicated to knowing God through our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yeah, most students seem to leave their doors open. (I didn't. Why? Because this one time, this drunk guy came into our room to ask if it's okay to put water on a laptop keyboard.) Football games are crazy. Sometimes, concerts at the Greek are crazy. (REM + The National + Modest Mouse this spring! YES!!) If I'm awake at 2 A.M. on a Tuesday, I'm probably cramming for a test on Wednesday. Wow, I can't believe I'm being asked this question: "What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn’t involve drinking?" People are pretty uncreative to have to resort to getting drunk to have fun. Meh. One man's opinion. Going to San Francisco is awesome. There's lots of stuff to see and do: Pier 39, Union Square, Chinatown, Yerba Buena Gardens, the Exploratorium, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, Haight and Ashbury, and lots of good food. The best part is the public transportation: you can pretty much get anywhere you want via BART and MUNI.

The Greek system and the Co ops are huge. The student government is popular. The frats and sororities are filled with nice people, contrary to the negative sentiment toward them from the rest of the community. Sure, both include some drunk rapists, as does every apartment and other living establishment. They are important in that they run the student govt and connect many people. I was a Co Op kid. I was a hippie and I ate vegan dinners and lived with a bunch of people that thought that they were unique. I made friends for life, and did not catch a single dangerous disease or STD. Do not fear the co ops. The football team is really popular, as is the rugby team. I do not like sports. The dating scene...I am a heterosexual male and was very satisfied with the hedonistic exploits that are possible here. In fact, there was just not enough time to ask everyone I wanted out, largely because I kept getting girlfriends I wanted to stick with. If you want a smart girlfriend, you will find one. A cute one, too, don't let these rumors of Berkeley goggles screw you up. The campus got cuter every day, and now that I am back in Socal I still find the girls I found cute in Berkeley attractive. Girls often complain about the lack of hot guys. They are probably right, but that's because our guys are smart. If you date a hot guy from SF, you will probably bitch about how dumb and pointless he is. Yes, I speak from experience. If you are gay, then you are envied for the sheer joy that is the gay life here. The rumors that SF is gay are usually understatements. I met my closest friends through extracurriculars, co ops, and dorms. My dearest friend I met on the first day of class, and I love her to this day. Never ever ever not talk to someone you find will listen to you, because the energy that unites human beings in friendship is beyond your understanding. If I am up at 2AM on a Tuesday, I either have a paper due at 9 am, or I am at a party. Often I am trying to get food at 1:30, and get out of the line as the last place closes at 2. If I fail to get real food, I am at kingpin. Probability of drunkenness- 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. What did I do last weekend? If I were at Cal, I probably worked in the morning, then did things I do not want to attach my name to the rest of the day. Or cuddled my girlfriend, who purred drunkenly in torn fishnets. Sunday night was party night, because no fool goes to Monday morning class after freshman year.

many student groups are popular but at varying levels of involvement. A student can be a member of one hundred student groups but what really matters is the activities which require a lot of time and commitment. which groups that a student is involved in largely constitutes their social circles for the most part. This is a partying town as much as it's a studying town. Parties occur on tuesdays, thursdays, fridays, saturdays, and sometimes sundays. studying occurs everyday except friday i would say. All last weekend I rehearsed with my dance company in san francisco.

Q. If you're awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what are you doing? A. browsing the internet. Q. What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking? A. go to san francisco and drink.