<p>I'm wondering how close the freshman housing and Parkside Apartments are to the main academic/class buildings (particularly the College of Letters/A/S). The housing booklet that came with the acceptance packet lists walking times like 3 or 4 minutes, but the housing website says most freshman housing has a 10 minute walk!</p>
<p>How close is the freshman housing to majority of class buildings?</p>
<p>Also, how close are the Parkside Apartments, and does anyone have any tips for getting a studio apartment at Parkside?</p>
<p>The main buildings are all within 10 minutes walking depending on how fast you walk. VKC/THH/WPH/SOS are all around ~7-10 min and GFS/SGM/KAP are ~4-7 min.</p>
<p>Parkside apartments is really a mix of everyone and you will find that you mainly have freshman/sophomores and even some juniors and seniors. There are better options for housing, especially as a freshman. I personally wouldn't recommend it but to each his own.</p>
<p>D is living at Parkside IRC. She has classes all over campus and the distance is no problem at all. Mind you she has a bike,...USC is flat and the majority of students, it seems, have bikes.</p>
<p>I would recommend against apartments or singles for Freshman. Having a roommate is part of the college experience, and is usually a pretty good part of it! It is difficult to get into a single anyway, as USC has very few of them. Also, the apartment community is usually not as strong as the residential hall community or the suite community. Both of those are designed for freshman, and have more facilities to help freshman succeed.</p>
<p>Ok first off, all freshman housing units at USC, regardless of whether it's New/North, Marks Tower, Parkside, and Fluor are all ON-CAMPUS housing. Even Century (which a few freshmen might get) and the Radisson are just across the street. Proximity to classes is the last thing you should be worrying about.</p>
<p>What you should be concerned with are things like layout (suite? dorm? apartment? studio?), features (AC? kitchen? private bathroom?), and cost (Fluor, PIRC and PAHRC cost more than your typical dorms).</p>
<p>Also, I second what Nikara says. I would not recommend getting an apartment or a single for a 1st year student for two main reasons. First, the atmosphere is not cohesive to floor bonding. I lived in apartments my sophomore year, and I never met my next door neighbors. And second, freshmen dorms have RAs that are going to put on a LOT of fun, exciting, and oftentimes informative programs that are geared towards freshmen. You will not have that sort of experience in a majority soph/jr/sr style of housing, as most of the programs are more laid-back, and oftentimes are career-oriented (resume workshops and the like).</p>
<p>I also have to agree with what's being said. Do NOT try to get parkside apartments as your first choice for housing, especially a single. Live in the dorms, have a roommate, enjoy the college experience :)</p>
<p>The choice to go for an apartment has nothing to do with experience or roommates, or anything of the sort, but rather insanely strict diet restrictions and immune system disorders that require me to have my own kitchen/ability to make/cook food.</p>
<p>Hey, what are you allergic to? I am allergic to wheat and also have to live in an apartment. It doesn’t seem that USC will provide us food to eat in the cafeterias.</p>
<p>If you are allergic to things, and worried about eating, explain your situation in this link. USC has a nutritionist available to students, and she is an awesome person! She can answer any questions you might have about food, so that you can figure out what will work best for you.</p>