Stern Reviews

I stayed in a double, and it was much larger than I expected. Some of the bathrooms can be kind of dirty, but the one near my room was super clean since it was at the end of the hallway. Being close to Foothill Dining is probably one of the best parts of Stern Hall, and Stern is definitely on the safer side of campus. Also, the hill isn't as bad as people make it sound. You get used to it after a week or so. In addition, you get access to the gym at Foothill, which is smaller but rarely crowded.

Stern is a very old building. Most bathroom haven't been renovated and heating comes and goes. There is no set standard from dorm to dorm, so some dorms have doorbells, others have more furniture. It's located on top of a hill and honestly it's annoying to keep walk up everyday. We are pretty isolated from the Units so campus traditions tend to not happen here. For example, the Cal Band doesn't come and play for us and the midnight screams during dead week don't happen. We are also away from the 'night life' of Berkeley. Which is great since it tends to be quiet and a safer place to be, but it does become annoying planning your way back from a night out, or if you are hungry you can't just walk to a store. However, Stern does have beautif... See more

Building is old and worn down, but I enjoyed living there. I wish there were more study spaces with outlets. I also wish the showers were renovated and updated. Otherwise, the location is amazing. I enjoyed the nature and the closeness to campus.

Honestly was super worried to live in Stern after I'd heard a bunch of horror stories about it from the year before. I'd never been there before move in, but ended up liking it a lot once I'd moved in! There was a lot of common space and areas to do homework, the room was big compared to the units, it had a big kitchen, a grand piano, and really beautiful views of the whole bay. The other people who lived there were really quiet, but that was fine once I made friends and ended up being more of a pro than a con because there was always a good atmosphere for getting work done. The hike to get up to the building also wasn't as bad as the one to get to the rest of foothill, and being really close to campus made leaving for early classes more co... See more

It seems like an almost haunted building. The only way you can actually get to your dorm is by taking Bear Transit at night or walking up an extremely steep hill. Also, we had a rodent problem which the university did not solve for various months and it wasn’t until we were able to get featured on different media platforms that they finally decided to do something (move infected residents out)

I feel like in Stern you either get really lucky or really unlucky. I didn’t choose to be in stern, but had a really great experience and would choose it again if I could. There’s a newer wing that feels cleaner/bigger/nicer and I just happened to get a room on that side. The room was huge, had amazing views, and I felt like I had the bathroom to myself on most days. However, rooms in the older wing/on lower floors looked completely different from mine, so it’s kind of a crapshoot. It was really nice to have study lounges on every floor, and the walk up to stern was rough but at least you get a workout in? And it’s very quiet and safe compared to where some other dorms are located. I’m a very social person, and stern wasn’t anti-social, but... See more

I'm not sure what everyone is talking about. I had a pretty great time at Stern. For reference, I had a double on the fourth floor. I was also scared because I heard so much about how terrible it is but damn it was fun. It depends on your own needs though. Yes, it was antisocial especially at first but I eventually found such a wonderful friend group after the first few weeks. I'm also pretty introverted so that played a big part in how I felt. I was thankful that it was quiet so I could do homework without having to leave my dorm (not often the case in other units). The views are also honestly breathtaking. The view from my window showed the campanile and the golden gate bridge. Also, yes, if you are a slob or your roommate doesn't have a ... See more

I don’t know where to start, living in Stern was a terrible experience. The building is by far the oldest dorm on campus and desperately needs to be renovated. I had many issues with the hot water in the bathroom and had many cold showers. The toilets and showers were constantly out of order and many of the bathroom stall walls were broken. Doing laundry was also rough because there is only 4-5 washer and dryers and most of the time half were broken. I ended up walking to the foothill laundry room every week instead of bothering with Stern’s. Last year, a fire hydrant erupted and flooded the first two floors of foothill and stern hall and even though the carpets were replaced the building smelt like mold for the rest of the time I lived the... See more

I honestly had a fairly good experience at Stern! The triple room was huge with more than enough closet and storage space as well! We had no problem with bugs or flies and I think keeping your room clean is really the most important. We even stored a lot of food in our dorm but never ran into problems with ants. The area is really safe and it’s super cool to be able to hear concerts from the Theatre nearby and have such a beautiful view! Some of the downsides for me was that our heat didn’t work, and the bathrooms at times seemed to be dirty. I also thought overall the dorm was less social compared to some others but that’s not necessary a negative for everyone. Beware that coming back to the dorm from campus is a full uphill walk that usua... See more

Overall it was a lovely experience. Before I moved in, I read about some rooms having rats/rodents which worried me a lot, but I didn’t experience it luckily. The rooms are really spacious compared to the units, and I lived in a triple! It can get hot sometimes but we just pop open the windows. The building is pretty old but it’s in a safer area! The restrooms are pretty old as well. There’s no A/C but there is a heater we used a bit! The dining hall (foothill) is right next to stern as well! The RAs did hold events, but other than those, people don’t really talk to each other much. The social scene isn’t as active in Stern, but I would say that’s because the rooms are more far apart to each other and the hallways are bigger too. If you rea... See more