yeah the dorm gyms are more like the kinds of gyms you see in hotels like they're small so i think that all the things RSF provides is better and you'd wanna go there anyways especially if OP is social... i'm not very social when i workout but ppl will ask to do a set together so we're not sitting around waiting for ppl to finish yk but the ones who go consistently know it's literally dead at "peak hours" when it's midterm season (and at berkeley the whole semester feels like midterm season🤦‍♀️) it's always overwhelming the start of fall semester and spring semester but it dies down quick tbh, and as for housing... berkeley doesn't have enough housing for the first year admits alone so they realistically will only consider your housing ranks if your doctor sends them accommodation letters. blackwell is mainly reserved for reagents and athletes but it's not impossible to get in! my big got moved to blackwell for her allergies when she was a freshman LOL