| Full-time undergraduate program |
Because USC has such a small campus (it is bounded by four major Los
Angeles streets), the housing situation can be somewhat of a problem
for many people. It definitely seems as though the lack of available
student housing for all undergraduates significantly hinders the
school's ability to offer its students a true, 4-year residential
college experience (such as those offered by universities like Harvard,
Stanford, Princeton, Yale, etc.). However, a large number of students
decide to live in off-campus housing within 1-2 blocks of campus.
Though rent ranges, a one bedroom studio can run for anything between
$450/month to $1000/month, depending on the location and amenities
(keep in mind that parking is a much coveted commodity in the downtown
Los Angeles area, and some apartment complexes do not offer it). USC
also has a serious parking problem, but it offers multiple on-campus
parking structures which cost about $700/year, an off-campus parking
center which costs about $350/year, and has off-campus parking for
those who live in off-campus, university-owned housing. In general,
parking can be very problematic, but it should never be enough of an
issue to seriously dissuade you from bringing a car to campus. USC also
allows freshmen to bring cars to school.
Some of the housing facilities are better than others, but below is a
breakdown of some of the more well-known and highly regarded dorms,
apartments, and other housing complexes:
Residential Colleges (Dorms)
North and New Residential College- Also known as "EVK" after the in-
dorm eatery (definitely avoid this cafeteria for all meals aside from
breakfast--it has a wonderful breakfast!), these dorms resemble
military barracks and don't have many amenities. However, they are
known as the party dorms and, as such, have a large proportion of those
who will eventually join fraternities and sororities.
Trojan and Marks Halls- These are the so-called "nerd dorms" that house
students who hold Trustee, Presidential, and Dean's Scholarships.
Although the accomodations aren't the greatest, PICK THIS DORM if you
want to be around people who will stimulate you intellectually. Many
people I know made a huge mistake by staying away from these dorms
because they heard that a bunch of dorks lived there, only to realize
that it's better to be around slightly dorkier people than it is to be
around completely morons at other dorms.
Pardee and Marks Towers- Decent, but nothing special. They're less
crazy than New/North and have slightly better facilities than
Trojan/Deans. They're definitely the middle ground in terms of freshman
dorms.
Suites
Fluor Tower- The building is mostly comprised of athletes, as the
facility is located next door to the gym and football practice field.
If you're obsessed with Jamba Juice, this is a great place to live, as
there is one downstairs in Cafe '84 (along with a mini-Starbucks and
Krispy Kreme--don't expect hot donuts here though). I wouldn't suggest
living here unless you have more than 2 friends that you know you want
to be living with in a suite (8 total people, 4 suites per floor, about
12 floors). Webb Tower, which is next-door to Fluor, is more or less a
similar living situation except for the fact that the floors have
apartments instead of suites.
Parkside International Residential College- As the newest suite-style
complex at USC, Parkside is a truly phenomenal place to live. It offers
both singles and doubles and the best facilities of any housing on
campus. It is also home to the Parkside dining hall, which has the best
food anywhere on campus and has a very tight-knit community of
students, many of whom are from foreign countries.
Apartments
Cardinal Gardens- This is definitely the first choice for apartment
living for students. It is located directly across the street from
USC's campus and it almost seems like it's a part of the campus itself.
It has better amenities than most other apartments and aside from
having a great location, it offers 1 bedroom-2 person and 2 bedroom-4
person apartments for reasonably decent prices.
Century- As the second-best apartment option, Century is located next-
door to Cardinal Gardens and is a stone's throw from the USC campus.
The facilities are not great, but the location is almost unbeatable.
Meal Plans: After they eliminated the Flex Plan last year, the school
now offers the Trojan, Cardinal, and Gold Plans. Essentially, the Gold
Plan is required for those living in Parkside, and the vast majority of
others choose the Cardinal Plan. The Trojan Plan is overpriced and
there is no way that you will ever be able to use up all of the money
on the plan. The Trojan Plan provides for 10 meals per week in Parkside
Dining Hall and interchangeably for breakfast and lunch in EVK. AVOID
EVK at any and all costs. The plan also includes $510 dining dollars,
which can be used at nearly any other place on campus (including
Commons and the Fine Arts School Cafe, but excluding Popovich's Cyber
Cafe).
While the neighborhood is not that great, taking common sense
precautions should provide you with a safe environment. Make sure not
to walk off-campus too late and always take advantage of USC's campus
cruiser service, which offers free rides to students within a
particular mile radius of campus. The gentrification that has been
caused by USC pushing its students into off-campus housing (thereby
pushing the other residents even farther out) has created an
environment that serves as a bit of a buffer zone between the area and
the campus. USC's Department of Public Safety does an excellent job
patrolling the neighboring area and serves as an invaluable resource in
reducing local crime.
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