My daughter is a rising junior at USC who was wait-listed for USC Housing, which is surprising since they added many new spaces at USC Village. I actually suspected that those extra spaces would make it so almost all junior and seniors could be accommodated with USC Housing. But I guess not. USC Housing apparently became full on the morning of the very first day that sophomores and juniors were supposed to get to select. Since my daughter’s lottery time was last, she did not stand a chance. Apparently, many are left to the wait-list process. My daughter and a friend of hers though have secured the first option on what seems like an amazing apt space next to Troy, but to make it work, they need to locate two other females looking for an apt near USC. I do not want to post the details here publicly, but if you are interested or know of anyone, please feel free to DM through CC. Thanks…
Oh… and thankfully a few hundred per month cheaper… if it works out. Are there potential roommate matching websites for USC students, other than what USC Housing offers internally? Or is it mainly just a “word of mouth” undertaking among friends… and friends of friends?
Also a rising junior here, your D could try some of the USC Facebook groups. I know there’s a roommate search group for the class of 2019, but I’ve seen people post on the Free & For Sale page as well. Other than that, there isn’t much really. Your D could perhaps ask her RA if they know anyone looking for Housing on the floor/in the building. They’re a really good resource at connecting people, and as an RA myself, I have a lot of residents who are in the same boat & are waitlisted.
In terms of the Village, there was a rumor going around that it would guarantee housing for juniors, but the whole transition to the Village housing was very poorly planned. In reality, what they wanted to do was create more spaces for graduate housing, so they took away Troy and all the other off campus options apart from Century, CarGar, Cardinal ‘n’ Gold and La Sorbonne (but that’s mostly for the freshman football team).
Also, and this is not specific to your D, for those people who can’t find housing, a lot of RAs will be looking for roommates in April. Just thought I’d put that out there.
Thanks, @LayraSparks
We certainly also had the impression that USC Village was going to alleviate the housing shortage or at least make it better. My daughter has been in Century for the last two years and would have been very content to simply be there again as a senior. She did not necessarily care about getting to be in the Village itself, but we at least both assumed that Century would be open/available and an option… instead, she never even got a chance. It actually filled up quicker this year it seems than last year. So the appearance is that there is now less available housing options for juniors and seniors… not more. And still, Housing charged her $55 just for applying and then being assigned a lottery time that never happened. In 3 yrs, this is the first encounter that actually upsets me about USC. That charge is small but seems unfair… given the circumstances.
If you do hear of anyone who can’t find housing, maybe let us know. Her back-up plan is currently Gateway… but this other option is just like it in terms of layout and appearance - only much cheaper. Thanks…
I think that USC Village was filled mostly by the rising sophomores who had priority over rising juniors and seniors. McCarthy was reserved for the incoming scholarship freshman class. My S had a lottery slot for the second day and he couldn’t get in. What I am surprised to hear is that some of the rising juniors were not able to get housing on campus.
@Anamgol Yes… I think that many are surprised that USC Housing supposedly “added” housing for 2700 and yet USC Housing as a whole reached capacity sooner in the lottery phase when future juniors and seniors were signing-up for housing… versus when it did last year.
As @LayraSparks suggested, it seems that there was sort of a potential “bait and switch” at play though… as they added new housing into the mix for undergrads with the USC Village while taking away other undergrad housing options for reassignment to grad students. The unfortunate net result seems to be less not more undergrad housing spaces available overall.
Personally, I feel that undergrads should receive preference in USC Housing vs grad students. No junior or senior should be denied a space in favor of a graduate student. I know that technically that is not what occurred… but when you reassign housing, taking it away from undergrads, the net result remains the same.
@WWWard – thank you for sharing that info here. I sat through the Student Life/Housing presentation during a recent Trustee weekend and found the housing responses somewhat muddled. I came away not understanding exactly where sophomores would live, and was surprised that they did not have their response down pat.
Sorry for your daughter’s situation and hope she can find two more apt-mates.
You’re welcome. Ironically, when I emailed them and asked USC Housing the same general question a year or so ago, their answer implied pretty much the opposite… that the addition of USC Housing would all but assure enough space for even the juniors and seniors. Now… to be fair and to their credit, the wait-list email still implies that there may be enough room somewhere eventually through attrition, etc. But, with the wait-list process, you lose the ability to have any options or choices… i.e. - if there is room, they will simply offer you one space on a take it or leave it basis – once. And they still do it in the lottery order… which means my daughter would be last again. With so much variety among the various apartment buildings and with some spaces having communal bathrooms and many without A/C, etc, - that was not what we were searching for. We prefer options and a choice.
Thanks… we hope so too. In our case, my daughter will either locate two new female roommates and save around $3K/yr in the process, or I will simply place her in Gateway and pay the extra $3K/yr. At least both of those options offer the exact layout and amenities that she is seeking. I cannot see compelling her to take a large step backwards for her senior year vs how she lived as a freshman thru her junior year.
Housing for juniors and seniors has been or will ever be a priority at USC. I get that us parents want easier housing options, but many kids want to get out on their own and be independent. It’s a culture there it seems, I would guess the urban environment has something to do with that. The USC kids I know would be horrified to spend four years in USC housing.
Both my kids just had USC housing for their initial 1.5 to 2 years at USC. After that, they were happy to move to nearby apartments that gave them more space at cheaper prices. It would be nice if everyone who wanted university housing could be guaranteed it, but that was never a promise made when my kids attended.
Well… my older daughter had located two roommates for that private apt near Troy… but now they just backed out when it came time to sign the lease. Ugh. My younger daughter, who just got in to USC, is now considering it… Again, it is a private 2BR/2BA apt near Troy. So, it is 1 and 1/2 blocks from campus and really nice/fully furnished… set up for four to share the 2 bedrooms. She is thinking about it for two reasons… one - it is an apt and much bigger and nicer than the freshmen suites and two - it is much cheaper. She had wanted to be at Webb like her older sister was, but USC Housing has taken away all apt options for freshmen. Basically, I have estimated it to be a savings of around $3500 for the year in terms of my younger daughter (vs renting at like Parkside) and even more for my older daughter versus renting an Apt from one of the main communities near campus.
Anyhow… if anyone can think of anyone, new freshmen through rising junior… The good news is that we now just need to find one.
Thanks
@WWWard my D had a similar experience in housing this year. Both her and her roommate got terrible lottery numbers and there was nothing left the day before their scheduled times. I hadn’t even considered the fact that they weren’t reimbursed the housing fee. I do not understand why they converted troy and troy east to grad housing. Trying to keep a good attitude but USCs usual finesse is completely lacking in the way this whole issue was handled.
They ended up with a very small 2 bedroom apt near the village. They were also looking for a third person so they could get a bigger place but had no luck in such a very short time frame.
@jmek15 Yes… the creation of USC Village was supposed to add some 1200 or so spaces. What they did not really advertise was the converting of other undergrad housing to grad. The net result was that they ran out of housing faster this year than last. Big mistake favoring grads over undergrads in my opinion. USC Housing should be undergrad centric.