u/AlternativeMonitor36

Incoming Freshman Housing

I got a Unit 3 Triple Standard for my housing offer as an incoming freshman.

I'd like to see if anyone from unit 1 or 2, would be willing to do a room swap with me.
I am willing to pay. DM me if interested and I'll clue you in.

reddit.com

Willing to roomswap (Incoming Freshman)

I got a Unit 3 Triple Standard for my housing offer as an incoming freshman.

I'd like to see if anyone from unit 1 or 2, would be willing to do a room swap with me.
I am willing to pay up to a certain amount. DM me if interested and I'll clue you in.

reddit.com

Incoming freshman housing

I was assigned a unit 3 triple.

Could anyone tell me about it?

I heard it was probably one of the worst dorms which kind of sucks to hear. Should I try to appeal? Id ideally want units 1 or 2

reddit.com

Advise an incoming student

In an incoming Data Science freshman at UC Berkeley. (Its to my understanding that data science isnt a very respected major, so i will be trying to transfer to cs or math)

I wish I had learned and competed in tournaments like AMC USAMO etc. . . But I found out too late in my high school years. I wish not to have the same regrets.

It is my intention to put much effort into my studies, and try to join this industry.

How shall I go about this? What do you advice I should do, both regarding curricula and extracurrcula?

What do you regret not doing at my age? Any advice for me? It is very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 4 days ago

Freshman Programs?

Hi, I'm an incoming freshman who will be attending UC Berkeley (which I assume is a target school hopefully) in the fall of 2026.

I missed application deadlines for 2025 summer opportunities for HS seniors, so I don't want to miss opportunities again for 2027 Summer

Does anyone know when First-year programs like JS FTTP and others alike open their applications? And when I should be looking out and applying?

Thank you in advance

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 6 days ago

Help an incoming freshman decide between UChicago or UC Berkeley

UChicago:
Major: Computational Applied Math
Cost: Full-pay, ~100k/yr (ouch!)

pros:

small intimate environment, more so than Berkeley.
easier class registration
I think people have said this is a exceptional major to get into quant.
To some, it's seen as very prestigious
probably the first ever person in my family to go to a very prestigious university
top notch rigor (hard classes, but could also be a con for grade deflation)
I heard has great recruiting for Quant firms (IDK if this is for only Chicago based firms or if this extends to NYC as well)
nice culture, i think i'll fit in
kinda want to go away from home, but big city
Easy to switch or double with CS or others
heard its great for if i want to do graduate school, which I think I probably will do masters
nicer dorms than Berkeley
good pizza

cons:

quarter system means a super fast brutal workload and exam season
dual enrollment credit won't transfer over
heard lots of depression and burnout
kinda a harder tech pivot/backup for if quant doesn't work out
no financial aid. Very expensive
Also heard there is loads of crime off campus.

UC Berkeley:
Major: Data Science @ College of Computing and Data Science
Cost: In state, ~40k/yr (nice)

pros:
Was gonna try and double in CS but its hard to transfer into it; however Applied Math or Statistics double + Data Science is strong for quant still hopefully?
Dual enrollment credits transfer generously. Like a LOT of credits. And some AP Exams, which may help me graduate early (idk if i want to graduate early in this job market tho lol)
Proximity to bay area helps land roles in tech, in case the quant prospects don't work out.
Is close to home
Semester system is better than quarter (my opinion)
Amazing reputation, especially in tech.
LOT cheaper than uchicago.

cons:
afraid of not getting the double major in CS. The DS major is pretty weak i've heard and isn't respected well, especially for quant. The shining jewel of Berkeley is CS and I'm not in it.
So many undergraduates!!!! This could be good for social scene, but terrible for competitiveness.
Might be too close to home.
the grading is also harsh, but not as bad as UChicago though.
Supposedly "weaker" quant pipeline than UChicago
I'm afraid that if I "settle" for a school like Berkeley, then I'll live forever thinking about "what if I went to chicago"
Still feels kinda like a second choice.
I know crime doesn't actually exist here that much but i feel obligated to write this here due to spillover from Oakland

Final Thoughts

I want to try my hand at breaking into quant finance. I know it's difficult. I understand that it's really only for geniuses. But I want to try regardless. I'm interested in mathematics and CS anyways so what harm is there in this? Though I feel slightly disheartened because I didn't compete in any Competitive Mathematics/Computing tournaments in High School.

In-State Tuition for Berkeley is hard to pass up. But if I go to Chicago I won't have debt so it's not the worst.

Chicago is a great place for quant firms and it's smaller size allows more people to get job offers.
On the contrary, Berkeley is a great place for startups, tech, and entrepreneurship. But I'm not sure how keen I feel on the "make a startup out of literally anything" culture.

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 8 days ago

Any UChicago waitlist movement yet?

Heard it was going to be this week. . .

Has anyone heard back? Got accepted? The waitlist tracker seems to pick up something but idk how accurate it is.

Please comment!

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 10 days ago

Uchicago. Waitlist. Already sent in my LOCI. Should i send another email? I don't want to bug them or make them have a negative view of myself obviously, but i want to reaffirm my interest yet again.

Is this a good idea?

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 18 days ago

Is there still waitlist movement going on? I hope so. im domestic btw
I've heard that it's actually harder to get off the uchicago waitlist AFTER May 1st. Any thoughts? getting a bit anxious as we come around towards May, since there were a relatively lot of people getting off the waitlist last few weeks

Is there anything I can do? I feel so anxious nowadays and I feel like I need to take action in my own hands but deep down I know I can't

what does anyone think of tineocollegeprep's video on instagram? I'll link it here

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 20 days ago

Hello,

I am an incoming freshman DS major (first choice was CS but got into my alternate).

I am looking to apply via Comprehensive Review into the Computer Science major in my first year at Berkeley.

I was looking at taking CS61A and CS70 in my first semester at berkeley, in order to do cs61B. in my second semester. However, I have seen that the enrollment is hard for non-cs majors, as you can only waitlist. I can always try to do CS61A first semester and then 61B & 70 in the second semester, but I want to have enrolled in 70 by my 2nd semester.

How probable am I able to get the CS70 course that I need to apply for Comprehensive Review in my first year at Berkeley?

Im looking at fall 2026 and it looks like cs70 is at about 75% capacity.

Also, I saw that DS majors can only waitlist for phase 1 + 2, then register after that. How will it work for freshman registration?

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 22 days ago

Is there still waitlist movement going on? I hope so.
I've heard that it's actually harder to get off the uchicago waitlist AFTER May 1st. Any thoughts? getting a bit anxious as we come around towards May, since there were a relatively lot of people getting off the waitlist last few weeks

Is there anything I can do? I feel so anxious nowadays and I feel like I need to take action in my own hands but deep down I know I can't

reddit.com
u/AlternativeMonitor36 — 22 days ago