Freshman Dorm Reviews: 2023 Edition
By: Kathryn Aurelio ‘25
A year ago I was scouring Reddit pages and outdated advice columns in search of the “best” and “worst” places to make my new home for freshman year. Although everyone has their own biases and preferences, here is a summary of the general consensus and my recommendations for the best places to live on-campus your freshman year.
Residential Halls (classic communal halls)
Living out my movie fabricated dreams, the following residential halls provide a social environment that encapsulates the feeling of growing into the new stage of your life–independence and balance. Getting over the fear of meeting new people during welcome week is eased by the inert condition of a long hall of doors and thin walls. Overall, I find this is a good style of living for a good “work hard play hard” type.
Birnkrant
Pros:
Steps from Everybody’s Kitchen (EVK) dining hall
Has a Starbucks in the building open until 8 p.m. most days (that you can use your dining dollars at)
Right across from Leavey Library (which means you might have a view of the beautiful fountain)
“8 floors of open doors”: notable for being social yet not overly loud
Cons:
No A/C
Not as modern as apartments/suites in the USC Village
Pardee Tower
Pros:
Nice, large, red LED-lit study lounge for watch parties, game nights, photo shoots, or…studying
Connects to Marks Tower (you can go back and forth easily if you have friends or if none of the washing machines are available)
Close to Doheny Library
Home to Somerville Place and Latinx floors
You can catch some McCarthy Quad concerts from your room
Cons:
A *bit* farther from EVK than Birnkrant and New North
No A/C
Not as modern as apartments/suites in the USC Village
Marks Tower
Pros:
Connects to Pardee Tower (same pros as above)
Easy access to Marshall and Popovich area
Nice conference room and pool table on the first floor
Cons:
Not co-ed (female and male identifying individuals are placed on separate floors which use different elevators making it sometimes difficult to meet new people)
No A/C
Not as modern as apartments/suites in the USC Village or Pardee and Birnkrant
New North
Pros:
Gym amenities
Nice quad
Study lounges on each floor
Cons:
Notoriously loud
No A/C
Not as modern as apartments/suites in the USC Village
Apartments/Suites (modern, A/C’d, privacy)
Living in luxury, USC’s freshmen apartments and suites are modern and blessed with AC units. They allow you to get close to your 4-8 roommates/suitemates as you live in these sort of clusters. You have an “instant” group of a few friends, but some may find it hard to branch beyond these few people because of the nature of semi-secluded housing/quieter study environments.
McCarthy Honors College
Pros:
Nice organized excursions/activities for each floor
Right above McCarthy Dining Hall, Dulce, Amazon Hub, and everything else in the Village
Like-minded honors/academic students
Cons:
Private environment, may be harder to meet people
More roommates in most suites (average of 4)
Higher living costs
Webb Tower
Pros:
Nice studio option (that cost less than residential halls!)
Views of the DTLA skyline and Hollywood sign if you’re on top floors
Cons:
Private environment, may be harder to meet people
More roommates in most suites (average of 4)
Cale and Irani
Pros:
Right above the Village Gym
Also above Insomnia cookies and other restaurants
Across from the McCarthy Dining Hall
Modern amenities
Cons:
Private environment, may be harder to meet people
More roommates in most suites (average of 4-6)
Higher living costs
Parkside A&H
Pros:
Spacious rooms with AC
Quiet environment for studiers
Proximity to the arts school (Roski) and Iovine and Young Academy (IYA)
Next to the Metro E line station
Proximity to Parkside Dining Hall
Outdoor fire pit
Cons:
Private/quiet environment also means it may be harder to meet people
More roommates in most suites (average of 6)
Higher living costs
Parkside International
Pros:
Spacious rooms with A/C
Quiet environment for studiers
Proximity to the engineering school (Viterbi)
Proximity to Parkside Dining Hall
Next to the Metro E line station
Outdoor firepit
Cons:
Private environment, may be harder to meet people
More roommates in most suites (average of 6)
Higher living costs
Don’t stress if you don’t end up with your top choice – everything works out in the end. I lived in Marks Tower (my fourth choice) and found a community of great people and the best college friends in my hall! Your experience is what you make of it and your housing is only a small fraction of making your time here worthwhile.
Want more from Trojans 360?
Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.
