I could not have had a better experience living in the dorms freshman year. I still remember the first week I moved into New/North. Students would wander the halls anxious to meet one another, music blasting from neighboring rooms, and BBQ’s and games of Frisbee taking place in the courtyard. I think I met more people during welcome week freshman year than I have in any other span of a week in my entire life. I lived on the first floor in a quieter wing consisting of six different dorm rooms. All twelve of us girls became good friends quickly and always had our RA Lauren to confide in and ask for advice whenever we needed.
While it was fun to have our own community of girls in our little wing, our floor was co-ed and the dudes on the other end of the hallway definitely made for a fun and unique living experience. It was cool having both girl and guy friends to take on freshman year with and refreshing to get a guys opinion on certain things. We had a huge study area where I’d frequently meet up with other students in Viterbi who lived in the dorm to tackle physics and calculus homework or study for exams. Whenever I needed to get away, I felt the rooms were actually pretty big for dorms. My roommate and I each had our own desk and chest with lots of closet space!
While I knew a lot of engineering majors living in New/North, I liked that the dorm was made up of students of every discipline. Hanging out with IR, Business, Cinema, and theatre students really expanded my knowledge on different subjects and brought to life new interests and perspectives. I also had the opportunity to expand my knowledge of different cultures as I lived right next to a girl from South Africa and down the hall from two girls from Thailand and Puerto Rico. We had fun celebrating different holidays throughout the year and comparing popular cultural similarities and differences between the different countries.
Aside from the social and intellectual benefits of living in New/North, all of the amenities were great. The dorm was right next to EVK cafeteria which is actually pretty good! There is always a fresh salad, cereal, yogurt, and sand which bar and a hot food line. There are plenty of tables outside too where the “grill master” is usually flipping burgers, chicken, and grilled vegetables. This was my favorite line and eating outside is always fun. Inside the dorm there is also a set of four or five treadmills and ellipticals which was perfect for a quick workout. Whenever I wanted to use more machines, or weights, I literally just had to walk a block or two down campus to USC’s main gym, The Lyon’s Center.
I would definitely recommend New/North to any freshman looking for both a social and enriching dorm-experience. Some of my favorite memories of freshman year were made in those hallways as well as some of my best friends!!
