I recently was admitted as a scholarship finalist, and I was looking to go ahead and put my housing deposit in. Simply, when do housing applications open, or have they already opened? Am I supposed to wait for an email? Thanks!
Portal Login
After you are admitted to USC (and, if you are a graduate student, registered on our portal), you will receive an e-mail from USC Housing regarding your login information. You will not be able to apply for housing until you receive this e-mail. For students admitted prior to February 1, login information will be e-mailed late in January. For all other students, it will be e-mailed within a week of admission.
Housing opens February 1!
I would recommend that all the students who received the acceptance packet recently (scholarship candidates) to put down the housing deposit and apply for housing as early as possible. If you are seriously considering USC, $55 is worth the investment considering that you will likely get your top choice of dorm and the room type if you apply early (Feb). Once the online housing application go live, you will be asked to list your top 5 dorm choices (building and the type of room, e.g. Birnkrant-triple). Certain types of dorm and room size are limited and more popular than others, so your chance of getting your top choice will be better if you apply early (first come, first served basis). For example, my S submitted his application last Feb and listed Birnkrant triple as his first choice. Birnkrant was the scholarship dorm and triple was one of the most coveted room type since you get two rooms: one room for 3 beds and another room for 3 desks and two mini fridges, and extra space for neighbors and friends to hangout. But there are only limited number of triples on each floor. This year, the freshmen scholarship dorm will be in the new University Village. I am not sure what types of rooms are available in the new dorm, but you can be sure that those will be taken up fast by all the people who sign up early. Birnkrant has the reputation of 8 floors of open doors and my S confirmed that it is true. Most of the kids are very open and friendly and USC does a good job of organizing many activities to build camaraderie and dorm pride. I am certain that the new scholarship dorm will be very similar to Birnkrant. BTW, my S was a NMF Presidential scholar (which is not the Presidential scholarship that requires interview), but NMF Presidential scholars are eligible to apply to the scholarship dorms just like the Trustee and Presidential scholars. I am not sure about the Dean’s though.
Once you submit your application, you have until April or May (?) to search and select potential roommates. You will create your profile (your sleep pattern, music, ok with visitors or wanting more privacy, etc.), and the online roommate search tool will list those who have the most similar profile as you. Last year, there was also a Facebook page for the freshman roommate search. My S has spent the first semester in Birnkrant and what I saw from visiting and talking to him is that kids on the floor certainly do many things together (like eating dinner, going out to parties or exploring LA), but my S also found a group of friends at the beginning of school year who he became closer and does many more things with than his roommates or floor mates. So, congratulations to all the scholarship recipients and apply for housing in Feb if you can. My S will hopefully be living in the University Village too but for sophomores, it’s based on a lottery system.
Edit: You can also change your top 5 choices as many times as possible before April 1 (I think?). Your application submission date is what will keep you in line, while allowing you to change the dorm and the room type (and roommates) as needed until the final date.
@Anamgol thanks for the housing info – may I ask - my son is up for Presidential scholarship - not interviewing till March though. Housing app opens this Wed. I do not see on the USC housing website a way to request honors housing - is that something offered to the students who get the scholarships at a later date? For an engineering student do you or others have any particular housing suggestions - I think he’d do well with a single (maybe Birnkrant?) where there is good opportunity to mingle with others as well. Would love suggestions! thanks!
@CA1543 The new scholarship dorm will be in the University Village (McCarthy Residential College). Once the housing application go live online, you will see all the available dorm choices for freshmen on the drop down menu. What I remember from last year is that anyone (even the ones without scholarship) can list any available dorm, including the scholarship dorm, as your first choice. Of course, if one was not a scholarship recipient, he/she would not be assigned the scholarship dorm in May (?). So your S should be able to choose and likely get any dorm he likes if he applies this Wed. My S is a Bio major in Dornsife, and I don’t know if there is anything only for engineering students. However, Birnkrant has a good mix of many different majors. For example, my S’s roommates are music and chem (or biochem) major. And on his floor, there are kids from virtually all different schools living together.
As for what will become of Birnkrant for next year, I really do not know. But I would imagine the open door legacy might live on, at least for another year or two. The new scholarship dorm, McCarthy, will probably be very similar to Birnkrant and the New/North is known as the social/party dorm.
@Anamgol – one more follow-up question, if you are still willing…
You said:
“Once the online housing application go live, you will be asked to list your top 5 dorm choices (building and the type of room, e.g. Birnkrant-triple)”
Should one list dorms other than McCarthy Residential College or list five room styles within McCarthy?
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@CT1417 I am not sure what room types are available in the new McCarthy dorm, but I can’t imagine that there will be more than 3 different room types available (at most) in McCarthy. To give you an idea, last year my S chose Birnkrant-triple and Birnkrant-double as his top two choices. Then he chose other dorms, such as New/North-double, Parkside, etc.
Chances are, if your student apply for housing this week, he/she will get likely get one of the top two choices, so you won’t have to worry too much.
@Anamgol --thanks! Didn’t know if we should be drilling down on all dorms and entering other choices. The website shows room layouts. Boy, are they expensive!
I know the dorm prices seem high but it’s actually comparable to the local private universities where I live. Unfortunately, all freshmen are required to live on campus, but your child will have an option during the sophomore year to move out of the dorm, but I would choose the location very carefully as some neighboring parts of USC can be unsafe. Most USC juniors and seniors live off campus in nearby apartments, but with the new University Village, more juniors will now have an option to live on campus.
@Anamgol — much better idea to have them all on campus together. It is what it is; I shouldn’t even have said anything.
@Anamgol wrote, “Unfortunately, all freshmen are required to live on campus…”
This is incorrect. USC does not, and has never, required freshmen to live on campus or in USC-owned housing. Most do, but this is not required. Also, I would be surprised if you were to see a lot of juniors in USC Village. The current plan is that the vast majority of spaces will go to freshmen and sophomores. Maybe that will change in the future.
@someusckid95 - Partially correct. USC has never required freshman to live on campus - that is true. Plenty commute in from socal or live outside of campus.
However - in terms of freshman at USC Village - for now it is only open to the scholarship kids coming in next fall, and they are calling that section “McCarthy Honors College.” Otherwise it is for upperclassmen. I was really surprised by this. But it makes sense since the issue at USC has always been having limited options of either really expensive or really dumpy in icky neighborhoods once you move beyond freshman year. Many colleges provide on campus housing for 4 years, USC has never ever been close to offering this. Hard enough to house fresh and sophomores. I think USCV will address a lot of problems, and they are keeping “the other” freshman within the USC gates this way. Many parents that have to get use to the idea of USC and the surrounding area will like this.
http://housing.usc.edu/index.php/publication/usc-village-information/
Yes, you are correct, the only fall 2017 freshmen who will be able to live in USC Village will be honors admits.
However, what the pub you referenced doesn’t say, is that the priority for the remaining USCV housing slots is going to current freshman scholarship students (those kids living in Birnkrant this year). Those students are all being encouraged to put USCV as their first-choice because as it currently stands, the university wants the majority of undergrads living in the Village to be honors students. Even with this, I am certain that there will be spaces for other students (upperclassmen, like you pointed out) in the Village. More will become clear as the housing application process gets into full swing.
(everything above came directly from info I received from Auxiliary Services, the USC division that oversees housing)
Is anyone having success logging into the housing portal? It is supposed to be open now. We get either “Your details were not found” if try to login or “password could not be sent” if click Forgot Password. If we use “Register” and enter info, it says that student is already in the database.
It took awhile but they did email the password.
@someusckid95 I think we are saying the same thing. Point I was trying to get out is that in terms of freshman, it is only open to scholarship freshman. The rest will be upperclassman. At least that the plan for now. There are some juniors that will be happy not to have to find housing in the neighborhood and deal with the leases there. Pain city.
Do upperclassmen have precedent over incoming Freshmen for McCarthy Honors College?