<p>Can anyone give me the rundown on the off campus housing situation for next year? From what I understand on campus housing will be very limited next year due to dorm renovations. My son would like to live on campus but it sounds like there is a good chance he will not get it. I am trying to get a sense of the different options-- which are walking distance to campus, which complexes would you need a car, which ones should we stay away from? Is it hard to get one of the houses that I have seen on the streets around Capstone/Cola hall or the houses on the edges of campus?
I wish he could just have one more year on campus. Seems like moving off changes the whole vibe from being part of the community to being a commuter.</p>
<p>Appreciate any insight anyone can offer. We are from OOS and can't readily come help him look if he needs to find something.</p>
<p>i should clarify that housing will be limited for upperclassmen… freshman are guaranteed housing! Don’t want to worry potential freshman parents!!</p>
<p>My sophomore son lives at Aspyre, it is adjacent to the campus, and he frequently walks to class as it is no further from most of his classes than his dorm on the horseshoe was last year. It’s pricy, but is is a secure building with a secure parking deck.</p>
<p>He is considering moving a little further out for next year, possibly sharing a house with several other students.</p>
<p>Our daughter is in the exact same boat regarding housing for next year. She is in the Honor’s college…not sure if that helps with regard to odds for getting on campus housing or not? We are way up in Ohio so I don’t feel familiar with much off-campus housing AT ALL. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>^^I know it’s tougher this year, but last year most second year honors students got housing…most of the ones who didn’t wanted to room with non-honors roommates which moved took them out of honors lottery most of the time.</p>
<p>There’s Cornell Arms, Aspyre, Wilshire House, the Lofts, Senate Plaza, and some other off-campus apartments that are within walking distance of campus (or really on campus).</p>
<p>Other popular options that are further out and require a car/bus are Copper Beach, the Woodlands, Riverside, Garnet River Walk, etc.</p>
<p>The Daily Gamecock releases a Guide to Housing every year that’s available online that you can look at and there will also be an off-campus housing fair sometime this semester.</p>
<p>Also… I live on campus as a sophomore and a few of my friends also do. Most of us are kind of wishy-washy on our decision to stay on-campus, whereas all of my friends who moved off-campus really like it. Considering that most upperclassmen live off-campus, I don’t think moving off-campus has the negative context that it might at another university.</p>
<p>My son, a senior, lives in Stadium Suites. He tells me its ok and chose to live there for two years now. I like the setup there. The apartments are 3 or 4 bedrooms, and you lease only your room, meaning you are not responsible if a roomate drops out. Each bedroom has a deadbolt door, a full bathroom and a locking storage closet. The apartment is fully furnished. I think he pays $450/mo on a 12 month lease starting August 1. The complex has a pool and gym and provides a shuttle to campus that runs roughly on the hour to campus. The place seems safe, and its mostly USC students. And yes, you can walk to the stadium for games.</p>
<p>The Bad… The pool was closed alot. The shuttle isn’t really very reliable (this could be a story to cover numerous parking tickets), parking is sometimes hard to find if people are throwing too many parties. Internet access was troublesome, but I think they fixed it.
At this late date, you won’t have many options, so I’d get something lined up soon.
Good Luck.</p>
<p>My daughter transferred to Carolina this semester. Living in Bates West. Came from a small college in new england so the size change has been a challenge as well as the long walks to class. She’s looking forward to moving off campus for a couple reasons: looking for a private bedroom/bath, and wants to bring her dog with her (yorkie-poo). She had hoped for one of the quads this semester (east, west, etc) but i was grateful she was on campus for her introductory semester and in an apartment-style dorm. </p>
<p>Also from that site:
Off-Campus Housing Fair: On Monday, February 11, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Off-Campus Student Services will host its annual Off-Campus Housing Fair on Greene Street in front of the Russell House. The fair will showcase multiple off-campus housing options for students, including apartment complexes, property management companies, and realty companies. If interested in being a vendor at the fair, you can find more information here. In the case of rain, the event will be rescheduled to February 12.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking at all the information i can find and google on off-campus housing as well. Definitely looking for anything you all find as helpful! I’m debating between apartment complexes with individual leases (which i love the sound of) and shuttles (which seem to be somewhat unreliable) to houses. Not sure which gives the best sense of community and safety as on-campus life.</p>
<p>my som likes garnet however bus can be a bit unreliable at times in which case you have to walk to Riverwalk adjacent to Garnet…Not that big a deal but it is overall very good from what i hear…</p>
<p>S lived at pointe West for two years. Individual leases, furnished, with washer dryer. A bit further out but shuttle bus was reliable if you didnt want to drive. Lots of parking, no issues. A bit older than other complexes and no rep as a party complex which is why he lived there…party elsewhere, come home to someplace mellow. Seemed to be all college aged kids.They had 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms but they had all been best buddies since freshman dorm.Closets were big.</p>
<p>As a parent, I don’t love the student complexes, but Cathymee hit on some advantages students might find important. Individual leases are big if you don’t have a group to find housing together and prevent you for being on hook for rent if someone bails or goes abroad…just realize downside is that the complex can put someone you don’t know in your apartment. Student complexes usually have shuttles (check reliability before you decide you can do without car) and some include partial/full utilities and some have furnished units (bonus for OOS). </p>
<p>Non-student specific complexes and houses require a little more cooperation from all tenants as far as setting up way to pay utilities and how to handle if someone leaves. You are also on own for transport if not in walking distance. I will say that most in Columbia seem to allow subletting. Our other D is OOS for her school and lives in house where landlord doesn’t allow it and there is no summer school. The result is some of the girls who go abroad end up on the hook for months of rent when they’re not even there.</p>
<p>I think you have to look around and find your comfort level.</p>
<p>S had one roommate living at Pointe West w/o a car. He made do with the shuttle plus rides from friends. The lease included utilities with a monthly cap on the electric, if they went over they paid the difference, which happened in the warmer months but not too high.The rooms had ceiling fans which helped.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who will be transferring from Winthrop to USC in the Fall as a sophmore. She is going to look at apartments this weekend. Can anyone tell me which apartments have short term leases (i.e. 9 months)?</p>