Hello!
Which USC residence hall would be the best? I define best as social, fun, good views, etc…
Thanks so much!
Many people say that New/North area is the most social… but best is a very subjective term. Some do not mind dorm living. Others prefer suites. The dining hall near Parkside is the best of the three… but that area is likely quieter and more subdued than some of the pure dorms. Views will depend on the individual room assigned… which you cannot control.
most social: New/North, Bikrnkrant, Pardee
best views: Birnkrant, Fluor, Webb
most fun: I would personally go with any of the classic dorm styles so that would be Birnkrant, New/North, Pardee, Marks Tower, Marks Hall, and Trojan Hall just because you have more oppurtunities to meet people and you tend to be closer to the people on your entire floor rather than just those in your suite or apartment
I would personally stay away from Parkside IRC bc it’s very antisocial and many of the residents don’t speak english so there may be a language barrier + New/North bc it is dirty, loud, has a reputation for substances, and is predominately greek – even if this is what you want out of your freshman experience socially I promise you won’t want to constantly live in this atmosphere when you’re trying to study and sleep. I have a friend currently living there who parties wednesday night – saturday night and even she has described her floor as “a little much”. My advice is to room either in Birnkrant or one of the four dorms in South (Pardee, Marks, Trojan) bc the “dorm parties” in New/North aren’t what you want to spend your weekend doing anyways and will almost inevitably get you written up at some point in the year.
Everyone I know in Parkside A&H is happy there but it is more expensive than a dorm as well as being in a pretty isolated part of campus (Parkside is by the engineering & architecture schools) so I don’t really have any insight to offer about that building.
@WWWard and @katiaxo thank you for your thoughts and opinions! How much does housing cost on average per year?
@arishmari Pricing varies by building/room, it is on the USC housing webpages.
Does anyone know when room and board payments are due? More specifically, will I have to cough up 7,5k in August and January?
Everything is billed by USC per semester… usually within the 2-3 week before that semester begins. They will apply any scholarships, grants, loans, etc to the total bill first (inclusion of tuition, fees and room/board - if USC Housing). Whatever is left over needs to be paid before the term begins. But they also offer payment plans allowing for 5 monthly payments for each term as well… to lessen the sting of it all and spread out the cost over time.