I was wondering if anyone had a general idea of the types of environments at each of the residential colleges. I’m thinking about applying for housing at McCarthy and Birnkrant .
Residential colleges don’t mean much there at all, it’s really just a window dressing. All dorms have activies and themes, so I wouldn’t prioritize on the residential college idea. As a scholarship student, McCarthy is great if you like the suite set up and it’s at the Village which is super nice, they are new shiny and have AC. Birnkrant was the scholarship dorm before McCarthy, and it would be a top choice if you don’t want the more “closed door” style of McCarthy. Some feel McCarthy is too closed off and not social, while others think it is great and love being at the Village (watch your budget living there with Target and all those food places right there)! Birkrant is known as “8 floors of open doors” because it is social, but still draws the honors crowd. Never met a student that didn’t love Birnkrant. Not fancy and an older, traditional dorm set up, but its academic/social balance remains strong. It is in the freshman quad so when you walk out in that area you are surrounded by Freshman all around, so the chance to meet people is fantastic. Students are in and out of each other’s dorms there (Pardee/Marks/Birnkrant) - it really feels like a neighborhood of all freshman over there.
You can’t go wrong. Those are two great choices, frankly, all the housing at USC has something to offer.
My daughter lived in McCarthy last year. Her room was huge! A/C and a bathroom that was cleaned twice a week. She went random and got along well with her roommate and suite mates. She loved living in the village and having target and all the restaurants right there. I agree with cadreamin in that she would agree it wasn’t as social since it was suite style. That said, she studied a lot in the lounges and met people that way. She spent a lot of time in her friend’s room in birnkrant and liked the social aspect of the dorm. But she said she would choose McCarthy again.
@Marcie123 what room configuration did you daughter have? If she had to do it again, would she choose the same configuration or another?
@lkg4answers she was in the double double. Two double rooms with two bathrooms. Yes she would choose the same room again. I think she listed 3 room types in McCarthy and 2 in Birnkrant. She got her first choice. The loft rooms are very small.
Did all of USC sign up for housing today? The servers were really slow and then wouldn’t allow log in for a while. I can’t imagine they would be that overloaded with just the scholarship recipients.
I applied, I deferred my admission from last year. There were about 70 of us
My kid is in a McCarthy Loft this year. Next year, they’re looking to get a bigger room (having a kitchen without a dining table is the drawback). But in terms of economy, the loft is a great option on the food plan. The kids all scramble into one room to watch movies or play games. They really appreciate the many study rooms on each floor. The cleaning crews are incredibly friendly. Every time I’ve helped lug stuff back or take things with, they make a point to meet the parents and say hi and bye to my kid.
If you are a scholarship kid, and eligible for McCarthy, it’s really nice–heated and air-conditioned. McCarthy is great, too, with the Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays, the Amazon and FedEx depots downstairs in the Village, and that Target has been a lifeline for a multitude of reasons. Trader Joe’s for meals has been helpful when the veggie options at the dining hall get redundant.
Next year, for Ilium (sophomore honors) they are opting for a larger 2 bedroom 4 person suite because they want the bigger kitchen (all cook) along with a bit more space with a living room and dining table. Also, the freshman loft with 1 sink and four people has proven to be a bit more of a challenge, so the larger room will be welcome.