Freshman Housing: Parkside vs Dorms

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>Hello! As an entering freshman this fall, I am trying to decide where to live. When I visited campus, Parkside A&H seemed to be the best choice, as the dorms were the nicest, with private bathrooms & the best food (sorry EVK). However, Birkrant & the other halls seem like the better place to be as a freshman, as I would be around more people & able to make more friends. (Also, Birkrant is supposedly housing the trustee & pres scholars, which would be nice)</p>

<p>My question is this: Is living in Parkside as a freshman isolated/ harder to have a large friend base? I am afriad of being away in parkside while a lot of others are in the dorms having fun.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>it depends on how social you want to be - birnkrant and new north are definitely more social. I’m glad i picked birnkrant; small floors mean that you know everyone on your floor, and the location cant be beat.</p>

<p>The only reason i’d pick parkside is for the food and the a/c… that’s it.</p>

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<p>My son lived in Parkside A and H, and loved it. The food was definitely better, and he made great friends living there - both within and outside the dorm. There was no lack of socializing, though it was possible to get away from it when he wanted to. If it matters, he was a presidential scholar, and there seemed to be plenty of the ATPS kids in the dorm.</p>

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<p>Parkside is far away from everything and boring. Unless you don’t like to party, live elsewhere on campus. Birnkrant is probably your best bet.</p>

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<p>any other opinions?</p>

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<p>arts and hum itself hosts hundreds of students and so does the international residential college. If you can be friends with all of these students, then it would be more than enough. It’s not like theres only 8 people in the parkside suite and you won’t see anyone else at all.</p>

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<p>Is it possible to apply for housing at birnkrant if you’re NOT a trustee/presidential scholar?</p>

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<p>I don’t know why you’d want to. Crummy dorms – burnt down when I was a sophomore or junior! You share a bathroom with a ton of people. I don’t know why people are inclined to hamster housing in the “old” dorms when suite living with only 6-8 people sharing facilities (plus AC! and new buildings!) are available in the Parksides (IRC and A&H) or even Fluor!</p>

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<p>@Zelda - can you give me your opinion on Fluor? That’s what I have down as my first choice for housing.</p>

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<p>Why? because we decided that we wanted to be social. Despite your argument that people can go meet people, the demographics of parkside generally mean that others might not be as willing - who are you going to socialize with if no one is willing to come out and reciprocate?</p>

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<p>We went last month to look at the dorms. Parkside and irc were great. Clean and beautiful. The housekeepers were there. The AC was on. There were picnic tables outside to hang and only like a 3 minute bike ride to birnkrant/ new north. This is the dorm I would live in! My daughter gets home and fills out the dorm request for new/ north because apparently she thinks she is going to school to have a big party.</p>

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<p>Something else to think of is location. While D loved the Parkside suites and would love a newer dorm as well as AC, she thinks the location of Birkrant/New/North is much better.</p>

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<p>From what I experienced, A&H (which is technically a “Parkside”) are normal students, just like any other dorm on campus. The people are plenty social – and, let’s be real, most of your friends will not be from your dorms in the first place.</p>

<p>Just my opinion, as I’ve already been through the USC system and I’ve seen the opinions on dorms change throughout the years. I was in a high position in a USC student organization and thus, supervised (and was friends with) many younger students. The general consensus was that the “old” (social?) dorms are crappy compared to the renovated/new ones and that those in the 40-person-to-a-four-stall-bathroom weren’t happy with their choice. Just some observations, not forcing anyone to pick one or the other. (Also, if you’re at college to “party,” “rage,” whatever – why are you going to college at all? Yes, I did my fair share of partying – I have a “lost semester” or two in my college career – but party dorm vs. non-party dorm was NEVER my priority, nor should it have been. Again, my opinion…)</p>

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<p>Fluor – I loved it. I’m so glad I lived there. Now, I know it’s been remodeled (much needed) and it’s even better than it used to be! My good friend from HS has a younger sister who lived there last year and she loved it as well.</p>

<p>I mainly picked Fluor because of the suite living setup, the co-ed floor arrangements and the mini kitchen. </p>

<p>I’m the kind of girl who gets along with males and females equally and the thought of living on an all-female floor didn’t jive with me. Having an equal number of guys and girls on the floor in Fluor was AMAZING. I became good friends with a lot of those guys and everyone on the floor got along. The guys would have the girls over for pizza parties and movies and beer pong. (Should also mention the guys in one suite on my floor were the freshman water polo team, so yeah. Made for a lot of fun!) If this sounds appealing to you, I’d definitely go with Fluor.</p>

<p>I had quite a few potlucks courtesy of the mini kitchen – it’s a microwave, two stovetop burners and a sink. No oven, but we had a toaster and a toaster oven to supplement that. Common room/living room holds a lot of people and the bathroom situation is great.</p>

<p>Can’t beat the location, either. (Cafe 84 was revamped my junior/senior year and the food is MUCH better than when I was a freshman!)</p>

<p>Long story short – Fluor is halfway between an apartment and a dorm and is really nice for slightly more independent students who aren’t ready for a full-time “real” apartment.</p>