<p>Sophomore now in Cardinal Gardens. Under the impression most people there are soph and impossible to get in Junior Year. Where do most people room Junior year? At Parkside apts do you have to get the full meal plan? Engineering/CS student with no car</p>
<p>Want to be close for walking</p>
<p>I'm not absolutely sure about this but there was a Junior or soph who was supposed to be in my D's suite in A/H but who opted instead for Parkside apartments because a meal plan wasn't necessary there.</p>
<p>You could live off-campus. I've lived on 37th Place and am currently on 30th Street. Both are easily within walking distance.</p>
<p>Start looking at apartments on Ellendale (or somewhere similar)... housing fills up starting early spring semester (for the following year!).</p>
<p>I would first try to get university housing. That process starts in mid Jan usually. If you can't get university housing, then start looking off campus.</p>
<p>You can apply to Parkside Apartments as it's part of a special interest community, but it can be difficult to get into. Incidentally, Parkside Apts does have a mandatory meal plan but it is the smallest one.</p>
<p>Do you usually need to sign a twelve month lease for off campus apartments? So would you need to be in the apt over the summer?</p>
<p>My son is under the impression that you can get on-campus all 4 years if you put in the paper work right on time. However, I don't know if this is just something he heard at USC or if it is a fact.</p>
<p>Does your son have a good group of friends to share an off campus apartment? I am very uneasy about my son living off campus because I heard there is a lot of partying/drinking off campus plus a couple of the terrible incidents reported at the beginning of the school year.</p>
<p>My S is a current junior in EE at USC & lives just off campus, near the frats & across from the soccer field. His roommate is a game engineer & both of them are satisfied with their housing. It is NOT campus housing but nearly as close, on 30th. My D is looking into various campus & off campus housing options for her junior year next year with some friends (they will be sophomores next year). They also plan to live as close to campus as possible.</p>
<p>I've heard that the smaller private landlords are nicer than the large one that controls most of the non-University housing. My S ended up wtih the large landlord & has had some challenges with it but his apartment is pretty safe & gated. He has never mentioned feeling unsafe.</p>
<p>In most years at USC, if you submit your housing forms for USC housing on time, you will eventually get a room. You may not get the location you want, and you may have to wait on a wait list for a space to open up. However, many spaces open up about a month after housing, because RAs get assigned rooms and moved out of their previous positions, and people choose to live elsewhere. In years past, everyone on the wait list has gotten in. However, that isn't a guarantee for this year. (Nothing is ever guaranteed for this type of thing).</p>