<p>well they cover a lot of the aid with scholarships/grants that don’t need to be paid back, but he’s right, about 20-30% of it at USC is in loans/jobs.</p>
<p>oh i dont think my rents would want to take out loans. theyd rather just pay it. but ill ask it there…thanx : ]</p>
<p>If you want a quick estimate, check out College Board website. They have a financial aid calculator that you can use to get estimates of what you can expect for public and for private universities. You can try different income and asset numbers to see what happens. The one for public should be relatively accurate for a FAFSA estimate. Private will depend on the actual schools. When my son applied last year, one private offered aid that matched FAFSA while USC required us to pay more.</p>
<p>back to the whole dorm topic. I’m a freshman at USC now… live in a triple in Birnkrant and highly recommend it. Birnkrant is amazing, my floor is amazing, my room is HUGE and the position is REALLY good, close to everything. Okay so yes we have two showers for 19 people but honestly I think I’ve had to wait once maybe twice when I wanted to have a shower, usually its not a problem</p>
<p>holy smokes…they dont have private bathrooms in the dorms? or is it just birnkrant? wen i went on a tour at NYU, they had one bathroom for 2 ppl. (inside their dorm) and same with claremont mckenna. but claremonts location is horrible lol in the middle of no where. the food is delicious tho. anyways…haha if i get disturbed easily, do u think i shud get a roommate? i really want to have someone to be friends with lol and dorms, i heard, are the place to make friends. however, i get migraines a lot. usually from: ppl talking and making noise before i wake up, light shining in, or the other person turning on the light while im sleeping. </p>
<p>i had a roommate when i went to a summer program at northwestern univ. and she was reeeeally nice. i always care about what ppl think and shes like “u shudnt. it doesnt matter!” lol she said it in a very polite tone tho. she was from chili and she looked like a model. also, she was always out till 1 or 2 in the morning visiting other dorms and when she came back, i never even heard a peep. so…thats what my sleeping style is like. any suggestions on getting roommates or not?</p>
<p>Birnkrant triples are really nice, my friend had one and I was extraordinarily jealous.</p>
<p>There are no private bathrooms except in Parkside, where it’s 2 bathrooms for 8 people, and Radisson, where it’s a bathroom for 2 people.</p>
<p>I don’t think there is an option for freshmen to not have a roommate or two. Just be aware that your schedules will sometimes conflict, so be considerate of your roommates when they have a midterm the next day and need to study, and ask them to do the same.</p>
<p>Parkside has some singles in the suites - a 5 person suite with three rooms (2 people in each of two rooms, 1 in the third) and a 7 person suite with four rooms (3 rooms w/2, 1 w/1) My daughter was in a 7 (but she had one of the doubles). There are only a few of the set ups with singles, and they are significantly more expensive. The bathrooms would still be shared with the others in the suite.</p>
<p>oh im considerate. but i live with ppl who arent and i know what it feels like to have ppl who are not considerate ruin ur sleep. lol my parents and usually my mom’s brother and sister are not considerate either. they turn on the lights and start talking loudly…but i hope kids arent like that in college.</p>
<p>Well make sure you talk to your roommate(s) about the issue. If you don’t say anything, they might not know that there’s even a problem.</p>
<p>okay thanx : ]</p>
<p>I will be attending usc in Fall 2010 and was wondering how Parkside was? I hear it is out of the way. Is that a big problem? I do intend on going premed so I will need some quiet study time which is why I’m leaning away from New North.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman living in Fluor Tower. Here’s my perspective on the housing possibilities:</p>
<p>New/North is the perennial party dorm but they’ve really cracked down this year…a girl accidentally flooded two floors a couple weeks ago and now 30 kids have to live elsewhere until the dorms are repaired. They’re older and not as nice as the other dorms, but they are very social. However, they aren’t as clean and you have to use communal bathrooms.</p>
<p>Birnkrant is the quieter, nicer alternative to New/North. It’s right next to it and is in a really great location. </p>
<p>Do not live in Trojan Hall. It is quiet, antisocial, and miserable.</p>
<p>Parkside is INCREDIBLY nice. It isn’t very social but if you’re an outgoing person you won’t have trouble making friends–some of my closest friends live in Parkside and they go out every night. Any of the Parksides are fantastic, but IRC is my personal favorite–the rooms are by far the nicest of any dorm, and the bathrooms are great. I would highly recommend living there. It’s somewhat out of the way, but everyone has a bike and biking anywhere on campus takes about 2 minutes no matter where you are. I’d say the luxury is worth it.</p>
<p>Fluor Tower is probably the second nicest, and it’s in the best location on campus. It’s next to the Lyon Center (the gym) and Cafe 84 (the second best place to eat, behind The Lot). It’s air-conditioned, the rooms are huge and very nice…it’s a really really nice place to live. </p>
<p>If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.</p>
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<p>There are premeds in every building. If you want quiet time, there are many places near and far to study. That shouldn’t be the main factor in your decision imo.</p>
<p>That being said, Parkside A&H and Parkside IRC are both very nice and both have quiet study rooms.</p>
<p>I’m torn between Birnkrant and Fluor. I want the AC of fluor but i feel i might miss out on the dorm experience freshman year. Any thoughts on the two?</p>
<p>^ Same dilemma here. I really like the amenities that suite styled living has (Fluor) but hate to miss out on the more typical dorm experience especially if it is easier to meet people (Birnkrant).</p>
<p>Pick Birnkrant. It’s easily the best dorm, in my opinion. Of course, whether or not you can get in to Birnkrant is a question, it’s very popular for good reason.</p>
<p>Birnkrant is the best, and I’m not just saying that because I live there! I was also torn between the normal dorms and the suite styled ones (Parkside, etc), but in the end, you’re going to live in apartments every year after your freshmen year, so why not get the full freshman experience by living in the traditional dorms? It’s super social, you get used to sharing the bathrooms (and they really aren’t that bad), and with BK especially, the floors each become a super close family. Not as loud as New/North, but it’s certainly not boring here, if you know what I mean ha. I’m going to miss walking out and having immediate access to 35 of your closet friends, and I honestly cannot recommend BK enough. PLUS, it’s co-ed. I would have gone crazy if I lived on a single sex floor, seriously. </p>
<p>Also, Birnkrant triples are the best kept secrets of USC housing. Basically two doubles for three people. It’s awesome. </p>
<p>Anyway, BK is the most popular dorm room for a reason, so fill out your housing application as soon as you can! The majority of BK is filled with scholarship kids because they obviously receive acceptances first, but as long as you don’t receive your acceptance in the last wave and you fill the app out right away, you’ll have a good shot at getting in. :)</p>
<p>Son is a freshman in a Birnkrant triple and he would say the same things as Hawkwings and wanderlusting. On move in day all the parents and other kids come into the triples and can’t believe how nice the set up is. Basically a sleeping room and a study/social room each the size of a standard double room. He has a great set of friends from his floor and they do some goofy stuff, but they are also an incredicbly talented and motivated set of kids. He says that when people ask where he lives and he tells them Birnkrant they will often say “That was my first choice”. He will then answer with a smart ass smile “Mine too”.</p>
<p>How is it though with no AC?</p>
<p>My S lived in Pardee & was very happy there. It has a built-in safe for each student as well as a laundry room on each floor. S was in the Great Outdoors floor that also went on outings sponsored by the dorm several times, including a camping trip, skiing and other events. It was a very convenient location. D lived in Webb as a sophomore transfer student & she LOVED it there! She had friends in Parkside who were happy there as well. Not sure where her other friends lived.</p>