What’s it like to live on campus in a residence hall at UC Berkeley?
Each undergraduate student at UC Berkeley has a unique experience with campus housing. It can be difficult to envision how your experience will be once you transition to college life and on-campus living, which is why it is helpful to hear from current students about their experience so you can see how it might look during your first year.
New first-year students are eligible for a two-year housing guarantee (one year for new transfer students) with UC Berkeley Housing, meaning more undergraduate students can now live in campus housing for more than just one year. In this article, two of my fellow UC Berkeley Life writers share their experience as first-years in campus housing.
First-year living perspectives
Shae Cogswell and Joseph Burney are both freshmen at UC Berkeley living in undergraduate campus housing. Shae lived in a Unit 1 residence hall triple, and Joseph lived in a Unit 1 mini-suite double. While they both lived in the same housing complex, their experiences were different.
(Top) Shae (second from left) with her floormates at Unit 1. (Bottom) Joseph (second from right) in the Durham Studio Theater in Dwinelle with his floormates.
What is the best part about living in campus housing?
Shae: “One really good thing about living in a residence hall is that I was able to make friends with some of the people on my floor. Whenever I come back here, all my closest friends are the next door down. I think that’s a really unique experience for living on campus, and I don’t know if that will ever happen again — living with your whole group of friends.”
Joseph: “I would say that being in the residence hall, you start to know everyone around you. I know pretty much everyone on my floor and the floor above. You can build that community pretty easily. To see all your friends, you just knock on their door and they’re right there.”
How is your experience with roommates?
Shae: “I live in a triple, so I have two roommates. My experience with roommates is kind of unique, because I know both of them from my high school. So, I wasn’t meeting new people and then living with them. There’s always going to be an adjustment period, just because living in a triple is a very small space — not just with three people, but with three people’s things. It requires a lot of communication, but I think we’ve figured it out. Every group of roommates will be different, and it just takes some time to figure out how your flow will work.”
Joseph: “I have one roommate in my room, and I have three other suitemates. My experience with roommates is pretty good. It was randomized, so I didn’t choose them, but we get along well. I think the tips from Housing and the roommate agreement (which is a form sent to students via email shortly after moving in to help roommates come to living agreements) definitely helped a lot with setting boundaries. I think a lot of disagreement comes from figuring out when to share and things like that. It gets a little bit more hectic with suitemates. We didn’t do a living agreement for the whole suite, and you don’t always see each other. If something isn’t working, you have to figure it out yourself or you can consider talking to an RA (Resident Assistant) for guidance. Overall, it’s a good experience, and I like the set up where, even though there’s my room and their room, there’s still a shared space.”
Units 1, 2, and 3 have similar room layouts, but the Unit 1 and 2 mini-suites have multiple rooms with a common space and shared bathroom, which is what Joseph mentions. Photo courtesy of Student Affairs Communications.
What are some helpful amenities in campus housing?
Shae: “I like our study lounge, the one that’s underneath Slottman Hall. It’s nice to have that study space that’s separate from your building, but also close by.”
Joseph: “Something I think is really beneficial is how packages are handled. When you get something in the mail it’s really secure here. When the delivery arrives, I get an email that it’s here. I know it will be safe.”
The residence halls have a variety of shared spaces and amenities — here are some common area lounges, a study space, and a mail room. Photos courtesy of Student Affairs Communications.
How have you found community through undergraduate housing?
Shae: “For me, my Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) group was the people that lived on my floor, mostly. So I would spend all day with them, and then we would come back. It was easy to keep the conversation going, because we would be living down the hall. I found a close group of friends with a couple of my floormates, and I’m living with some of them next year. It’s been really nice to be able to talk to them in that shared space. You can just go to their room and hang out, or go down to our communal floor lounge.”
Joseph: “I live in Afro Floor (the African American Theme Program), so it’s cool being here. The floor is a group of undergraduate students that you get to know well and participate in activities together. Also, by just hanging around the residence halls you get to know people. I know people from random parts of my residence hall from seeing them in the lobby or common space a lot.”
How have you overcome challenges while living in shared housing?
Shae: “When there’s always people where you live, it’s kind of hard to have a moment of privacy or winding down time. There are benefits and downsides, because obviously it’s really nice to go back and see your friends at the end of the day. But sometimes there’s moments where you’re never really alone when you live in the residence halls. It’s really hard to find a space where it’s just you. I always try to take time for myself to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the amount of people in my living space.”
Joseph: “Sharing housing is difficult at first because you have to consider not only your needs, but the needs and boundaries of your roommates. I would say overcoming these challenges starts with breaking down how to accommodate each other and taking advantage of the many resources the residence halls provide. I try to keep track of and consider the benefits I care about (like having a meal plan included versus shopping and cooking for yourself in off-campus apartments), and see how to make the best of my time living in Unit 1.”
What is some advice you can give incoming students related to housing?
Shae: “I would say that when you are packing, don’t bring as much stuff as you think you need, because you will acquire things here. You’re going to end up with too much stuff, especially if you’re living in a residence hall or with more people than you expected. I would say to keep space in mind, because that’ll be really helpful. Also, open communication is important, even with the people that aren’t your roommates, like people that live on your floor or your Resident Assistant (RA). It will save a lot of awkward or frustrating interactions.”
Joseph: “When you plan your schedule, make sure to account for the time it takes you to get to campus from where you live. I know that if I was living at Clark Kerr I would have to change my schedule to account for walking there. For your residence hall, I’d say put a good amount of thought into your decor. I just kind of came, and I thought my room was good, but I realized decorating my room made it feel more comfortable.”
Home is where the heart is
To prepare for campus housing and living with other people, it is important to know what you are getting yourself into. I hope these current undergraduate living perspectives offer insight into what your campus living situation might be like so you can make UC Berkeley campus housing feel like a home.
Ethan Teeguarden, Class of 2027, is majoring in English and minoring in journalism. Cover photo by Photo by Allan Recalde.
Want more?
- A guide to all things Berkeley housing for incoming students.
- See what you need to pack for your first year in the residence halls.
- How you can find your community through campus housing.