The Berk

Started a doctoral program last month and wanted to be close to campus so I checked out the Berk and they stated they were full for the next two semesters. A month later I saw an ad on Craigslist posting pictures from the Berk with a price of $ 1000 per month. Awesome! But what is the four beds? Do four people actually live in one room and pay a total of $ 4,000? Can’t be.
So I called, emailed, etc and sure enough, it is! Can you believe this? How can this be legal? One small room with no kitchen and people are charged $ 4k? How is this different than a studio? One can rent a studio for $ 1500 (or less!) and split this among four people with two bunk beds. The cost would be $ 375.
How can the Berk justify this price??? The person on the phone started talking about location, location, location as if there were no other apartment units. In fact, just two buildings down, you can get your own room for the same price!!!
Was told by a couple landlords that they think this breaks Berkeley housing laws but in any case, we all agreed it is highly unethical.

Great place to live as it is cheaper and relatively more relaxed compared to the dorms. Rooms are more spacious than university dorms and they have individual bathrooms, something most dorms do not. The location is very convenient, just a block from campus. It also comes with a laundry room in the basement, a rooftop with a nice view, as well as a community kitchen/​lounge and a library, which becomes very useful for those looking for a quiet place to study.

The Berk is a great place to live for someone who doesn’t necessarily want to live in a residence hall or perhaps someone who seeks the dorm style experience but cannot get university housing. The rooms are spacious and have their own bathrooms which is a huge bonus. Also, if you like to cook there’s a community kitchen on the first floor. If you don’t like to cook The Berk is conveniently located right across from campus next to Bancroft, Durant, and Telegraph streets which house some pretty awesome restaurants. There is coin-​op laundry in the basement so you don’t have to go a couple blocks to wash your clothes. The roof is accessible and has a great view of the bay. There’s also a library downstairs but sometimes can get a little noisy as a restaurant is across the patio.
The people in the leasing office are super nice and friendly and always willing to help you with whatever you want. The Berk also using the RA program which you can choose to go to or not. Overall I’ve really enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend it!

Review for South House:
Great place to live if you’re a spring admit to UC Berkeley or are looking for a cleaner, cheaper alternative to the dorms. The roommate assigning process is detailed and takes quite a while, but the wait is definitely worth it! Almost everyone I have talked to has been really happy with the assignments. As for food, the community kitchen is awesome for those who don’t have a meal plan (though utensils and cooking supplies tend to disappear if you leave them in the drawers). I recommend keeping all nice kitchen utensils in your room! Residents also get 15% off at Freehouse (the restaurant sharing the lot). There are plenty of optional events to go to if you want to meet other residents or explore restaurants around Berkeley (I recommend going to these if you want to be able to make connections).
The fact that each room has its own bathroom is a huge upside, and they even vacuum the carpets twice a month! Everything is usually very clean, though the kitchen tends to gradually get messier and messier as residents pile their dishes in the sink instead of washing them. For laundry purposes, residents have access to a coin-​operated washer and dryer in the basement.
There are plenty of places to study (library, multi-​purpose room, rooftop tables even) but it does occasionally get very noisy if there is a sports game down on TV at Freehouse or if the frats surrounding the building are having parties. This is usually only a problem every once in a while during big events.
Overall, The Berk has been a great place to stay as a spring admit, though the experience is really what you make of it. Those who stay in their rooms won’t meet people, but it is easy to get involved with your floormates if you make an effort.