Freshman year housing is such a unique experience – it’s where I met some of my best and closest friends, and the people that I lived with last year and this year. Two years ago, I lived in Birnkrant Residential Hall, which was the honors college (now, that’s McCarthy). You can read all about the perks of dorm vs. suite life, and why I chose to live in BK here.
After freshman year, I decided that I still wanted to live in USC housing. The benefits are great – most USC owned apartments have kitchens, access to meal plans at the dining halls, designated study spaces, and 9-month leases, so you don’t have to worry about figuring out subletting for the summer months. They’re also furnished! Last year, I lived in Troy Hall, which is now graduate housing, but most sophomores lived in Cardinal Gardens (Car Gar) or Troy. Now, you’ve got so many more options for USC housing with the Village. I loved being close to my friends, and being able to walk down the hall or up a flight of stairs to get to see people. A lot of USC housing apartments have courtyards or outdoor spaces with hammocks, fireplaces, and other places to relax or get a nice change of scenery. Plus, you’ve still got RAs who set up cool events and programs; some of my favorites last year were when the RAs brought puppies for us to pet during finals season, and RAs bringing us free cupcakes and doughnuts.
However, some of the other really great options are to get a house with friends. Lots of people like to live with a larger number of people, or be able to host more people at their place at a time. This is a really great option if that’s more your style, and it was something that I was considering for this year. I really wanted to be able to have my own room this year – my own space to study, nap, and hang out with friends, and I chose the route of getting a group of friends and finding an apartment off campus, and non-USC owned. I really love living where I do now! It’s nice to have an apartment again; we’ve got a nice little kitchen/common area to hang out in, do homework in, and make cookies in at 1 in the morning. Luckily, we found a place that’s super close to the engineering section of campus, so I get an extra ten or fifteen minutes to sleep in in the morning, before biking off to class.
Though I chose not to live on campus after my first year, there’s also the option to do so! Webb Tower and Parkside Apartments are two of the on-campus options for students to live in after their first year, plus the new buildings in the 8 new non-freshman buildings in the Village! Many people who are involved in Greek life choose to live in their sorority and fraternity houses, as well, and there are even people who live at home or downtown, and commute every day!
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