UC Berkeley Fall 09

[ucnative]

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I just accepted the offer from Berk for the MPH in Health Policy and Management, so I thought I'd start a new forum just for the folks going to Berk.

Thoughts? Fears? Jubilation? Relief? FinAid?

Congrats and good luck, everyone...

 

[mpb318]

Congratz!! I got into the Health and Social behavior program. I'm still contemplating whether Berkeley is the right fit for me, I want to pursue research and eventually a PhD, I'm not sure if a professional degree will give me that.
Berkeley gave me a pretty sweet fellowship, hmmm.. I still have a few days to decide! =\

 

[ucnative]

Congratz!! I got into the Health and Social behavior program. I'm still contemplating whether Berkeley is the right fit for me, I want to pursue research and eventually a PhD, I'm not sure if a professional degree will give me that.
Berkeley gave me a pretty sweet fellowship, hmmm.. I still have a few days to decide! =\

If you haven't already done so, get in touch with a couple of profs with similar research interests as yours. I'm sure they're in full-sale mode right now, so they'll put you in touch with students who've had similar experiences for advice. You're not the first MPH student without a rock-solid vision of the next 6 years.

One thing I kept hearing from the students and profs I met is that the program is very flexible, and that advisors are generally lenient with regard to letting related classes fill degree requirements. No matter which direction you go at Berk, there's someone doing cutting edge research in a top program at a top school.

And the money doesn't hurt...

 

[mpb318]

If you haven't already done so, get in touch with a couple of profs with similar research interests as yours. I'm sure they're in full-sale mode right now, so they'll put you in touch with students who've had similar experiences for advice. You're not the first MPH student without a rock-solid vision of the next 6 years.

One thing I kept hearing from the students and profs I met is that the program is very flexible, and that advisors are generally lenient with regard to letting related classes fill degree requirements. No matter which direction you go at Berk, there's someone doing cutting edge research in a top program at a top school.

And the money doesn't hurt...

Thanks for the advice!! I think I should do that considering I was unable to go to the Visit Day last month. Berkeley. Did you happen to attend?

 

[ucnative]

I did go, and you should definitely get in touch with folks if you're not sure about the fit. I'm not in the HSB concentration, but here is a list of profs in the Community Health and Human Developement program:

http://chhd.berkeley.edu/HSB/faculty.html

William Jagust is apparently the chair, so I would try to get in touch with him. Also, talk to Denise Herd (who may be easier to reach, considering she presented at the visit day). Tell them where your interests lie and ask them whom else you should speak to.

 

[crabtastic]

I went to visit day and that really sold me--I wasn't sure how I felt about it before. The HPM students seem really outgoing and into a lot of different activities. The couple of staff members I've met seemed supportive.

I'm still deciding between here and UW, but if you have any questions, please let me know!

 

[ncbabyblue717]

Fellow HPMer here as well. I'm really excited about moving up to the Bay area! Though, I'm curious as to what percentage of the SPH students are originally from the area and how difficult it would be to find my own social niche in an area where I don't really know anyone (besides my sister, but she's a busy working professional who lives about 40 minutes away).

 

[224463]

Hi,
I'm going to be in the Health and Social Behavior program. I just wanted to see how people were doing with finances, and where people were looking for housing.
I live in D.C so I'm coming from literally across the country but I'm excited.

 

[ncbabyblue717]

Welcome, jonu3!

Finance-wise, I'll be taking out Direct Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) for tuition, fees, health insurance, and books. Financial aid letters are already up on BearFacts, if you haven't looked already. For rent/utilities/food/general living expenses, I will only be using my own savings, since I figured the pain of seeing my savings dwindling down every month would keep my spending in check.

It's a bit early to look for housing, but I've been told the that the northside of campus, Rockridge, and anywhere close to a BART stop (e.g. El Cerrito) are good places. As for me, I'm looking to live on the northside of campus, because I want to be within walking distance of where my classes would be.

What about you; how are you doing on those two fronts?

 

[224463]

Thanks for the welcome!

Well I'm still waiting on some financial aid stuff. It just seems the area is VERY expensive but I could just be looking to early and not getting a good picture.
I'm probably going to end up taking out loans. I thought tuition was covered in your tuition, are you getting supplemental or were you just listing it as part of the school costs?
I graduated from college a year ago so I don't really have any significant savings, so I'll have to find a job part time, hopefully get some scholarships.

I've heard those are good areas as well...I need to come visit since I am not familiar with the area at all.

 

[Stories]

Congratz!! I got into the Health and Social behavior program. I'm still contemplating whether Berkeley is the right fit for me, I want to pursue research and eventually a PhD, I'm not sure if a professional degree will give me that.
Berkeley gave me a pretty sweet fellowship, hmmm.. I still have a few days to decide! =\

Don't worry, the MPH will help you get a PhD in your same field. Of course, if you want to get a PhD in.... Russian Literature, the MPH probably won't help 😛

 

[ncbabyblue717]

Jonu3:

You're absolutely right; tuition is included in the fees...so basically loans for education-related expenses, savings for everything else. I also requested work-study funds and am looking to be a GSI for the chemistry dept. in the spring. You get partial tuition/fee remission plus a stipend as a GSI, so maybe that's something you might want to look into.

I was also told to avoid living near Shattuck, as it's super-sketchy and homeless people line the streets, asking you for money. I've seen this for myself the times I visited. And yes, the Bay Area is very expensive, esp. compared w/ the Baltimore/DC area. I went to college in that area, and rent was several hundred dollars cheaper there than here in LA (which is about as expensive as the Bay Area).

 

[224463]

Jonu3:

You're absolutely right; tuition is included in the fees...so basically loans for education-related expenses, savings for everything else. I also requested work-study funds and am looking to be a GSI for the chemistry dept. in the spring. You get partial tuition/fee remission plus a stipend as a GSI, so maybe that's something you might want to look into.

I was also told to avoid living near Shattuck, as it's super-sketchy and homeless people line the streets, asking you for money. I've seen this for myself the times I visited. And yes, the Bay Area is very expensive, esp. compared w/ the Baltimore/DC area. I went to college in that area, and rent was several hundred dollars cheaper there than here in LA (which is about as expensive as the Bay Area).

Yeah I think I'm going to look into the GSI thing, and work study. I was expecting to have debt so I'm not really surprised but just looking at the numbers is a little daunting, but theres some time to find housing, roommates if necessary etc...

 

[crabtastic]

Jonu3:

You're absolutely right; tuition is included in the fees...so basically loans for education-related expenses, savings for everything else. I also requested work-study funds and am looking to be a GSI for the chemistry dept. in the spring. You get partial tuition/fee remission plus a stipend as a GSI, so maybe that's something you might want to look into.

I was also told to avoid living near Shattuck, as it's super-sketchy and homeless people line the streets, asking you for money. I've seen this for myself the times I visited. And yes, the Bay Area is very expensive, esp. compared w/ the Baltimore/DC area. I went to college in that area, and rent was several hundred dollars cheaper there than here in LA (which is about as expensive as the Bay Area).

Meh, Shattuck isn't that bad in my opinion (it's a pretty long street). It really changes every few blocks and if you're on a sketchy block, you get to know the people that hang out on the streets near you. I lived in Berkeley for years and never even had my car broken into.

Generally undergrads live south of campus and grad students tend to live north. Rents are a little more expensive north, but the neighborhoods are nicer.

 

[ucnative]

For finances, I'm taking out some loans and converting some to work study. I've lived in SF for about 8 years, so I'm going to keep my job writing grants for a free clinic, but I'll go part-time.

As far as transit/housing is concerned, I would say try to put yourself near a BART line, and you can see the map here:

http://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspx


"Downtown Berkeley" is the stop that's located two blocks from campus, so start there and work outward.

• I would say go no farther north than El Cerrito. I don't know El Cerrito well enough to recommend "...Plaza" or "...Del Norte," one over the other, but definitely steer clear of Richmond. Bad news, unfortunate place.
• Probably go no farther south than MacArthur or Rockridge. You'll have to transfer trains from Rockridge, but it entails nothing more than 20 steps across a platform. 19th St and Oakland City Center aren't that close to residentials, and walking there can be sketch at night.
• Westerly, stay away from West Oakland. Again, bad news. 🙁
• In SF, try to stay near the 16th or 24th St stations. BART takes about 30 mins from either of these stations to Berkeley. Rooms are a little competitive because all the hipsters want to live in these neighborhoods, but it makes it easy to find a room in a flat at a decent price. Neighborhoods west of the stations (and, thus, west of Mission St) tend to be better than those east of Mission.
• If you choose to live in SF, you will not find a good place on your own unless you are independently wealthy or are far from BART, so plan on roommates. Studios even in crappy neighborhoods close to BART start at $1,000+. Powell St station is an option because it is close to the Tenderloin (which has "affordable" studios), but it is not a good neighborhood. Don't be fooled by its proximity to Union Square and shopping. Two blocks makes a world of difference in SF.
• Continuing in SF, Glen Park BART is in a nice neighborhood, but more families live here, so it's harder to find an individual room.
• Buses are my preferred way to get around SF, but relying on SF Muni (name of the bus system) to get you to BART can add significant time and frustration to your commute.

I'm afraid I don't have any advice on buses in the East Bay, but you can view the map and schedules for Berkeley here:

http://www2.actransit.org/maps/index.php

Oh, and the Bay Area runs on Craigslist, so start any of your housing searches there...

 

[224463]

For finances, I'm taking out some loans and converting some to work study. I've lived in SF for about 8 years, so I'm going to keep my job writing grants for a free clinic, but I'll go part-time.

As far as transit/housing is concerned, I would say try to put yourself near a BART line, and you can see the map here:

http://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspx


"Downtown Berkeley" is the stop that's located two blocks from campus, so start there and work outward.

• I would say go no farther north than El Cerrito. I don't know El Cerrito well enough to recommend "...Plaza" or "...Del Norte," one over the other, but definitely steer clear of Richmond. Bad news, unfortunate place.
• Probably go no farther south than MacArthur or Rockridge. You'll have to transfer trains from Rockridge, but it entails nothing more than 20 steps across a platform. 19th St and Oakland City Center aren't that close to residentials, and walking there can be sketch at night.
• Westerly, stay away from West Oakland. Again, bad news. 🙁
• In SF, try to stay near the 16th or 24th St stations. BART takes about 30 mins from either of these stations to Berkeley. Rooms are a little competitive because all the hipsters want to live in these neighborhoods, but it makes it easy to find a room in a flat at a decent price. Neighborhoods west of the stations (and, thus, west of Mission St) tend to be better than those east of Mission.
• If you choose to live in SF, you will not find a good place on your own unless you are independently wealthy or are far from BART, so plan on roommates. Studios even in crappy neighborhoods close to BART start at $1,000+. Powell St station is an option because it is close to the Tenderloin (which has "affordable" studios), but it is not a good neighborhood. Don't be fooled by its proximity to Union Square and shopping. Two blocks makes a world of difference in SF.
• Continuing in SF, Glen Park BART is in a nice neighborhood, but more families live here, so it's harder to find an individual room.
• Buses are my preferred way to get around SF, but relying on SF Muni (name of the bus system) to get you to BART can add significant time and frustration to your commute.

I'm afraid I don't have any advice on buses in the East Bay, but you can view the map and schedules for Berkeley here:

http://www2.actransit.org/maps/index.php

Oh, and the Bay Area runs on Craigslist, so start any of your housing searches there...

Oh wow thanks for that. I'm kind of spoiled when it comes to public transportation in D.C you can get anywhere so I would like to live close to campus so that I can get there in about 15 minutes and take public transportation, but not too close since I imagine that where mostly undergrads would live.

 

[Waiguoren]

Hi! I'll also be at UC Berkeley this Fall in the Health and Social Behavior program. Luckily, I got a fellowship that will really help me with tuition, but I'll also be looking for a roommate to defray the high cost of living. I hope to live somewhere near(ish) the campus, preferably on the North side, as the South side is teeming with undergrads. Anyway, I'm excited about my choice! 🙂

 

[jbo0gie]

congrats on the acceptances you guys! I'm not applying this year but Berkeley is my first choice right now for the Health and Social behavior MPH program I think, though I definitely still need to do more research and actually visit more schools. I was wondering what kind of grades and GRE scores you guys had, and just how competitive the application process was? no interviews necessary for this right? any tips on "being a more attractive applicant" would help please! 🙂

and for those new to berkeley, its an awesome town. I live in san francisco right now and visit there once in awhile, its almost like a mini sf but without the sky scrapers and better weather 🙂 its definitely on the progressive side and very diverse.