Berkely is cool. Shattuck ave & telegraph is cool. A lot of erykah badu type chicks around UC Berkeley. A lot of laid back lounges and bars around there. But if u are actually a student at UC Berkeley u should beUC Berkely has some fine bytches. Hit up all the AKA parties forsure. Oakland isn't as bad as people make it out be (just stay away from the turfs) like Sobrante,Brookfield, Seminary,Ghostown, Acorns, etc
Jack London Square is cool and parts of downtown are cool too. Lake Merrit, Montclair, Rockridge and Peidmont are the nice parts of Oakland.
Use bart as much as u can it will save u gas, money & time
Salute for telling the truth about the town uptown and temescal are also nice spots in oakland. The rest of your post is good too the bart is a commuter train but i guess if youre a college student its a good alternative to a car.