My Freshman Housing: New/North

Living on the second floor of New North definitely made my Freshman year a great experience. I met so many new people and was always in and out of everyone’s room. Our floor was co-ed, so I was always bumping into guys and girls from class. And whenever I needed something, I knew I could just walk down the hall and ask!

Because I didn’t know a single person when I came to USC, I wanted to be in the most social dorms I could find. New North matched this description perfectly! There was always something going on, either in the dining hall conveniently located on the first floor (EVK), in someone’s room on my hall, or off campus at an event organized by our awesome RA, Iris. Iris was like our mom away from home, and always kept her door open in case we needed something or had questions. She was super helpful with getting everyone accustomed to living in LA, and would even offer to drive us to Target if we needed something! We would take floor trips to Dodger’s game or cultural events downtown.

My best memories were from Greek rush week, when all the girls helped each other get ready and pick out outfits. This was a great bonding experience for all of us, and we stayed close throughout the year even though we all ended up in different houses. It was nice to have something in common with so many girls on my floor! Later on, it also made finding costumes for mixers super easy—everyone was willing to share.

My roommate and I had similar class schedules, so we were usually always both in the room or both out. We were both pretty studious, but our sleep schedules didn’t always match up. I would definitely recommend getting ear plugs and an eye mask, so you don’t have to worry about waking up when your roommate does! Learning how to live with someone you just met was a great learning experience and I definitely grew from it. My experience living in New North was full of surprises, and I had a great time!