BK4 - My Freshman Year Dorm (Birnkrant)

This blog might be kind of scattered. I tried to just spread out the pictures and write random great things I loved about freshman year.

My freshman year dorm, Birnkrant, was awesome, unforgettable, and truly legendary. I say that with total confidence for multiple reasons, and a few of the other VSAs who lived in Birnkrant, but sadly on different floors, (Will, Georg, Leah) would have to agree that we were pretty legit. Our building motto was 8 floors of open doors, which was true! The whole building kinda knew each other, but at the same time, my floor was the best 😛

Playing cards in the common room on the very first night of freshman year!

I think this lady gaga tribute video we made should pretty much explain why we were the best:

Edited by yours truly, I might add 😀

It also gives some good views of the actual living space we had – so it’s practical too!

We also did a sweet scavenger hunt that we ogranized which took us all over the campus!

Also we got floor sweat pants and had a floor blog that reached over 170 posts! I’d say that all amounts to a pretty friendly group of people!

That’s not even mentioning all the great things our RA planned for us (dinner, paintballing, hollywood sign hike, disneyland, beach trips, and more!)

Most of our floor at a beach

Dinner at the downtown CPK!

One other unique thing about BK in general is that it has a resident faculty master – a USC faculty member who lives on site and plans awesome ADDITIONAL social, academic, and cultural activities for the residents. As if there wasn’t already enough awesome to go around!!

Look at how majestic it is! Those weird cement awnings provide shade really well!

First a little bit of background: as you can see in my bio, I am from Wisconsin, so coming to a school where I didn’t know anybody and was 2000+ miles from home was a little daunting. Much to my mother’s dismay – I actually found my freshman year dorm to be so much of a home away from home that I didn’t get homesick at all freshman year. Honestly I did get homesick sophomore year, so I’m no stranger to the feeling, but freshman year I was more homesick for school when I was at home than the other way around.

Who has time to be homesick? There are rock band parties to be had in the conference room on the first floor!

Birnkrant is a pretty traditional dorm. Co-ed floors, with guys on one side of the elevator, girls on the other. About 30-40 people per floor. It’s the perfect amount where you can know everybody really well! Most people share a room with a single roommate, some people share two rooms with three people, and some people have their own. Community bathrooms were not a problem, honestly. I sometimes had to wait for a shower, but not often. Each floor also had a study room

After the LGBT center's paint party, we spent a LOT of time cleaning up in the communal bathrooms, haha

It has a PERFECT location. On one side, you’ve got EVK, the dining hall, then on the other you have Leavey library, so you can study AND eat! In addition, the 24 hour coffee/snack shop – Trojan Grounds, is right in the very same building! You’re also overlooking McCarthy quad – the social center of freshman year, and you can get great views of concerts that happen there without ever leaving your room!

McCarthy Quad during springfest! We've had performers like OK GO!, Katy Perry, and way more perform right in our own quad! At least two concerts per year.

I don’t think there’s much more to say other than that I LOVED freshman year. I have loved sophomore and junior year as well, but nothing will ever be quite as special as that first year of college. I made 40 amazing friends that year, and of course we all keep in touch. Honestly the people I see and spend time with day to day have changed and center more around my involvements, but I still get together with everyone for dinner once in awhile! We still go to one girl’s house for Easter every year.

Last year's Easter celebration!

We were also a floor full of loyal trojan fans!

I hope I’ve conveyed that freshman year dorm life is awesome! I may have had the BEST experience, but I’m sure my friends and fellow VSAs would just as adamantly defend their freshman dorm as the best (they’d be wrong though). Just kidding- honestly no matter where you end up living, there’s a lot to bond over during freshman year, and you can make great friends without leaving your hall! It’s also great to get involved in building government so you can get leadership experience and have a positive impact on the building and the community right away! You get a large budget to plan and fund great events for the building!