What is someone’s thoughts on living in Mcbryde? I am surprised that my son got his fifth choice for housing when he applied in October before the early action deadline. Is it easy to move? Or would you stay put because of location. I am worried about the reputation of this dorm.
I’m hearing the same. Those that applied early not getting their first choice. We are on our way to orientation- my daughter got Columbia which she is happy about. My son will be a junior. Seems to be a lot of restructuring as far as dorm selection since his freshman year. The “learning communities” are new and made selecting a dorm challenging. I don’t think you can make a change until 2 weeks into the semester if your son is unhappy.
My son got McBryde as well. He is thrilled. That was his first choice actually.For one thing, it is over $2000 cheaper than the other dorms. It does have a reputation but it is not necessarily all bad. We spent some time there at admitted students weekend. There is a “brotherhood” if you will. We spent time talking to the R.A. and my son was sold after we left. The R.A. said they play basketball almost every day and they go to the intramural field every Saturday and play soccer (shirts against skins). They work out at Blatt rather than Strom Thurmond because it is more relaxed there and he said you can be there “with your hair down.” The hallway baths are pretty nice and they are cleaned DAILY by the custodial staff- which is a big plus for us. I think that being in an all male dorm like that would be a positive experience. Plus the location is the best. My son already has acknowledged that he will be distracted in the dorm and will have to go to the library, which is next door, to study. He has a scholarship and has to maintain a 3.0, so it is a big deal for him. It is going to be a part of the learning process. The R.A. stressed the “balance” that they have there.That day the boys were in a common room watching some game and hollering and having a good time. The rooms are quite large with lots of storage. So, I just thought I would give my spin on it. He is doing the random roommate thing because he hopes the others are there for the same reasons. So he may want to give it a chance.
Thank you for the information. Good to know. Does anyone that has had a child that lived in McBryde have any insight on what it was like? Pros and cons.
If any of you are on FaceBook, join the “University of South Carolina, Columbia, Parents (Grown and Flown)” group. It’s a great source of information!!! I’ve seen several conversations about McBryde and they been very positive. From what I gathered, it’s a great location. Older, but the boys like it.
I will be applying for the Fall of 2018! If I turn in my application soon, will my chances of getting my first choice dorm be greater?
Dorm priority, I believe, is based off of application date, so yes, applying sooner will help you.
My son lived in McBryde last year. The location is key and he really didn’t spend a ton of time in his dorm. He joined a fraternity his first semester so he spent time with his fraternity brothers and studied in the library. This was also his 5th choice and he applied early and was accepted and committed in the middle of October. It really was a non-issue once he moved in and he always commented on how he had the best location
@pbmcdoug As worthy17 said, applying early did not seem to help students this year (2017) but hopefully it will be different for next year’s incoming students. I applied before the early action deadline and received my 5th housing choice as well.