Incoming college students are often told that the answer to any specific question is just to Google. But what if there’s no Reddit post or YouTube video with your specific query? In my freshman year, I compiled a list of my questions so my future self could respond. And here I am as a sophomore, providing answers to both arbitrary and serious asks from the past.
First up, we have the dorms: I lived on a single-gender floor in Unit 1 my first year.
1. Can we bring a hair dryer? Can we bring a kettle?
Yes, you can bring a hair dryer and kettle! Both were useful my freshman year. Every morning, I boiled water for my thermos so I would have warm water throughout the day.
2. What room decorations are allowed if not string lights?
To be honest, I think even the rule about string lights can be flexible because I’ve seen several people put them up without repercussions. However, there’s a lot of alternatives. I had various succulents and plants along my windowsill. There’s also post-its, photos, posters, and drawings.
3. Are there chairs provided or do we have to bring them?
Chairs are provided. Each on-campus dorm has the same number of chairs as people living there (so two in a double, three in a triple, etc.).
4. How many cabinet things are there in the closets/tables?
It depends on your room, but there’s a good number of cabinets. Everyone will have at least a dresser drawer (for clothes) and a desk drawer with cabinets.
5. Can we change in the bathrooms or do we have to go back to dorms?
You can change wherever you’re comfortable. It depends on your roommates as well.
6. Is it better to live in single gender or coed dorms?
I think that’s up to personal preference, but I liked living in single-gender dorms. I was told that they were cleaner than co-ed dorms, although that may not always be the case.
7. When is garbage day?
There is no specified garbage day, but each room will get their own trash can. You take your trash down to the trash room whenever it’s getting full. Sometimes, people like to do this with their roommates or schedule a specific trash day each week.
8. Do you have to watch your laundry clothes while the machine is going?
You don’t necessarily have to watch your laundry clothes. The way laundry works at the dorms is that you download an app and pay for the machine digitally. The machine door will lock, and then the cycle will last around 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once the time is up, you should come back to retrieve your clothes so more people can use the machine. There are some cases where other people will take out your clothes, but that’s usually only if you haven’t come to pick up your clothes for a long time. I don’t have a phone notification for my laundry; I just check the time and remembered approximately when I have to go back to the laundry room. However, you could set an alarm if that helps you.
Next, we have campus and academic life. These are questions I had when I was deciding whether or not to attend Berkeley. (Thank you to all the Berkeley students who let me bug them with these questions in 2022 :’))
9. What is transportation like?
I usually walk to most of my classes. The farthest ones are about 20 minutes away from where I live. It’s not too bad; I think most people get used to it over time. Depending on where the classes are, you can also take the campus shuttles (free with your student ID) or the AC Transit bus (free with your student Clipper bus card). I live in the Bay Area, so I can take the BART home. I’ve also taken the BART to San Francisco. Aside from that, I mainly take the AC Transit bus around to go grocery shopping or exploring.
10. What are classes like? Workload?
Classes and workload largely depend on the classes you take, as well as your major. I would say that compared to high school, you take less classes overall; I take about 4 classes a semester (Berkeley runs on the semester system). You also get to choose which classes you want to take, and the classes will list the times, so you won’t be confined to the typical 6 period a day high school structure. You may have a class at 8AM and then another one that starts at 1PM, leaving you with time for lunch in between. Or you might choose to have all your classes in the afternoon so you can wake up super late in the morning. As for workload, I would say there’s generally less consistent weekly homework and more focus on essays/exams. Some classes might have no weekly homework, so your entire grade is based on your midterm and final. Other classes might have weekly assignments that are due a certain day each week. The majority of my classes have readings due each class.
11. What is a typical day for you?
My days vary wildly depending on the day of the week. Because of my current schedule, I only have one class on Wednesday and Friday. Yet on Friday, I also have work and one or two meetings. I also often hang out with my friends in the evening. If I had to take the average of all my days, a typical structure might look like this: I wake up for my first class, and then I go to the library and study for a bit. I have lunch anywhere between 12 and 3PM. Then, I go to my next class. I might go back to my apartment for a bit to study or sleep, and then I’ll head to my last class. In the evening, I might have a club meeting around 8PM, so I’ll have dinner before that. Then, I do whatever I want until around 1 or 2AM, which is when I go to sleep.