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University of Southern California

Basics

17,414 total undergrads (collegeboard)
2,931 degree-seeking freshmen(collegeboard)
10 Freshmen residence halls
Freshmen apartments

Student Comments

Living on campus is wonderful. You have endless possibilities. All the doors into the hallways are open so your social life is set! Any dorm offered at USC is great! Although it is a little bit costly, I think the experience is worth it. Plus the campus is not enormous so everything is pretty much walking distance, which makes the dorms very convenient (CollegeProwler).
These past 4 years at USX I have lived on campus. It has truly been the best 4 years of my life. The dorms aren’t too bad – even the older buildings are okay, and the social atmosphere makes up for everything else. The Residential Advisors’ always make sure to plan fun and free events for the residents and are always available for guidance. The cost is decent – much better than off-campus housing. Safety has never been an issue either, since we have our own Department of Public Safety making rounds every day (CollegeProwler).
Each dorm offers a very different on-campus living experience. Some of the dorms are more for partying while others are quieter. The whole social spectrum is covered! Every living space has food nearby, and most have treadmills, which is very convenient. I love dorm life! (CollegeProwler)

Residence Halls
- Arts & Humanities Residential College at Parkside (PRB)
  - Basics
    - Newest building in Parkside Area
    - 4 story complex
    - 440 students
    - Primarily Freshman
  - Rooms
  - Suite-style
    - Double Rooms w/ living space
      - 3 bedrooms (6 person)
        
        6 spaces available
        
        $4,585/semester
      - 4 bedrooms (8 person)
        
        432 spaces available
        
        $4,410/semester
      - Double w/ bath (2 person)
        
        2 spaces available
        
        $4,410/semester
  - Recreational Facilities
    - Performance space
    - Multipurpose room
    - Music practice rooms
    - Collaborative learning center
    - Lounges on each floor
    - Recreation room
  - Building Features
    - Laundry room
    - Air conditioning
    - Customer service center
  - Located Nearby
    - 8 minutes from Tommy Trojan (walking)
    - View map here
  - Special interest community
    - Arts & Humanities Residential College
    - Arts-related activities
    - Special interest floors
    - Art and Architecture
    - Dance and Drama
    - Creative Writing and Music
  - Dining Nearby
    - Parkside restaurant
    - Located in adjacent international residential college
  - Student Opinion
    - I think the arts and humanities is by far the best dorm. It’s brand new, super nice, has AC (one of the biggest things during hot times) and each suite (4 rooms) has a little common room. Plus you’re right next to Parkside restaurant (way better food than EVK) and because it’s so far from the library it has its own study room (College Confidential).
    - Even though it’s not as “social” I like (the arts and humanities) better because then you can choose when you want to go out and do stuff rather than have activities imposed on you all the time (College Confidential).
  - Bimkrant Residential College (BSR)
    - Basics
      - Must be on an academic scholarship or in theThematic Option Honors Program to live here
      - 8 story residence halls
      - 20 rooms per floor
      - Coed by section
        
        Each floor has a men’s and women’s section
      - Primarily freshman
    - Located Nearby
      - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - Leavey Library
      - View map here
    - Rooms
      - Traditional Dorm Style
        
        Single
        
        4 spaces available
        
        $5,275/semester
        
        View floor plan & tour here
        
        Double
        
        218 spaces available
        
        3,670/semester
        
        View floor plan & tour here
        
        Triple
        
        39 spaces available
        
        $3,745/semester
        
        Private stud room
        
        View floor plan & tour here
      - 2 community bathrooms per floor
    - Building features
      - Laundry room
    - Special Interest Community
      - University Residential College at Bimkrant
        
        Trustee and Presidential scholars
        
        Vibrant and enhanced living experience
        
        Faculty interaction
        
        Diverse programs
        
        Monthly field trips
        
        Weekly theme dinners
        
        EVK restaurant
      - Literature and film based retreat
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Music practice lounge
      - Study area
      - Television lounge
      - Pool table’
    - Dining Nearby
      - Trojan Grounds Coffeehouse (in building)
    - Student Comments
      - I think Birnkrant should be on the list of best dorms. I live there now, and it’s very social but you can still get work done. It’s also much nicer than New/North (CollegeProwler).
      - I lived in Birnkrant last year and everyone I know loved it. Because the floors aren’t as big, there’s a tighter sense of community and you get to know the people on your floor really well (College Confidential).
  - Fluor Tower Residential College (FLT)
    - Basics
    - 11 stories
      - Each floor has 4 suites
        
        2 male
        
        2 female
    - Primarily available for freshman
    - Rooms
    - Suite Style
      - 4 bedroom (8 person)
      - Double
        
        312 spaces available
        
        $4,410/semester
        
        Common room
        
        Kitchenette
        
        Microwave
        
        Range top
        
        Suite bathroom
        
        Double facilities
        
        View floor plan & tour here
      - Single
        
        7 spaces available
        
        $5,540/semester
        
        Private bathroom
        
        View floor plan & tour here
    - Building Features
      - Air conditioning
      - Study area on each floor
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Pool table
      - Television area
      - Customer service center
    - Special Interest community
      - Somerville
      - El Sol y La Luna
    - Located Nearby
      - 6 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - Lyon Recreation Center
      - Computer lab
      - Programming space
      - View map here
    - Dining Nearby
      - New Residential Dining Facility (Opening Summer 201@)
    - Student Comments
      - Fluor is very spacious, clean, and quiet but not as social as other dorms (CollegeProwler).
      - Fluor Tower has, what I believe to be, the most favorable amenities of any of the on campus options. It’s location is great – at the northwest corner of campus it has easy access to the student gym, a café, mailroom, parking structure, computer lab, financial services branch, off-campus shopping center and food court, student health services building, and it’s no further than 10 minutes from the farthest lecture halls. There is little else a freshman could ask for from on-campus living (CollegeProwler).
  - International Residential College at Parkside (IRC)
    - Basics
      - Southwest corner of campus
      - Primarily freshmen
      - 4 story complex
      - 400+ students
    - Rooms
      - Traditional Suite-style
        
        3 bedrooms (5 persons)
        
        Single
        
        36 spaces available
        
        $5,160/semester
        
        View floor plans and tour here
        
        Double
        
        14 spaces available
        
        $4,858/semester
        
        View floor plans and tour here
        
        3 bedrooms (6 persons)
        
        Double
        
        60 spaces available
        
        $4,585/semester
        
        View floor plans and tour here
        
        4 bedrooms (7 persons)
        
        Single
        
        11 spaces available
        
        $4,980/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
        
        Double
        
        24 spaces available
        
        $4410/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
        
        4 bedrooms (8 persons)
        
        Double
        
        256 spaces available
        
        $4,410/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Community bathroom
    - Building Features
      - Air conditioning
      - Tram stop
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Collaborative learning center for group study
      - Formal and informal meeting/seminar spaces
      - Music rooms
      - Lounges
      - Recreation room
    - Special Interest community
      - International Residential college
    - Located Nearby
      - 8 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
    - Dining Nearby
    - Parkside restaurant
      - International gourmet cuisine
      - Accommodates special dietary needs
    - Student Comments
      - The IRC is new, the lift is large, the stairs are bright (they have windows that stretch from the ceiling to the floor), and the bathroom is fantastic. (it is spacious and the water is hot when it should be) You get wooden furniture, and a rocking chair! There are also a range of facilities from treadmills to piano rooms, and you will be pampered. To be honest, my room was the first thing that I missed when I went back home for the winter break (Unigo).
  - Marks Hall (DXM)
    - Basics
      - Primarily freshmen
      - 3 stories
    - Rooms
      - Double
        
        80 spaces available
        
        $3,670/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Single
        
        2 spaces available
        
        $4,715/semester
      - Community Bathroom
    - Building Features
      - Pleasant lawn and garden plaza
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Study rooms
      - Laundry rooms
      - Lounges
      - Piano
      - Pool table
      - Exercise area
        
        Stairmasters
        
        Treadmills
        
        Elliptical
        
        Weight machine
    - Special Interest community
      - South Area Residential College
      - Women in Science and Engineering (WISE)
    - Located Nearby
      - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - University’s historic Alumni house
      - Libraries
    - Dining Nearby
      - Ground zero
        
        Coffee house
        
        Student-run entertainment venue
      - EVK dining facility
  - Marks Tower (DMT)
    - Basics
      - Primarily freshmen
      - 8 stories tall
      - Coed facility
        
        7 single-gender residential floors
        
        14 double rooms each
    - Rooms
      - Double
        
        188 spaces available
        
        $3670/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Community Bathroom
    - Building Features
      - Customer service center
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Lounge with pool table
      - Study tables
      - TV area
    - Special Interest community
      - South Area Residential college
      - Great Outdoors Floor
    - Located Nearby
      - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - libraries
    - Dining Nearby
      - Ground zero
        
        Coffee house
        
        Student-run entertainment venue
      - EVK dining facility
  - New Residential College (COL-NEW)
    - Basics
      - Primarily freshmen
      - Oldest residential hall
      - Same building as North
      - 2 buildings
        
        Elizabeth Von KleinSmid Memorial Hall (EVK)
        
        College Hall
    - Rooms
      - Single
        
        6 spaces available
        
        $4,775/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Single w/ sink
        
        12 spaces available
        
        $5,130/ semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Double
        
        186 spaces available
        
        $3670/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Double w/ sink
        
        12 spaces available
        
        $4775/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Community bathroom
    - Building Features
      - Customer service center (EVK)
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Lounges
      - Pool and Ping-Pong tables
      - New workout area
        
        Treadmills
        
        Elliptical
        
        Stairmasters
    - Special Interest community
      - New Residential College
      - Cinema Floors
      - Women’s Wellness Floor
    - Located Nearby
      - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - Leavey Library
    - Dining Nearby
      - EVK dining facility (located in EVK building)
      - Trojan Grounds Coffeehouse
    - Student Comments
      - New (and north) are very social, but because of that they are very loud and that makes it hard to do work sometimes. They also lack privacy (CollegeProwler).
      - Dorms are the best, and they are the most fun I’ve ever had. Get into New or North (they are the same building; just opposite sides). Do whatever you have to, they’re awesome! (CollegeProwler)
      - Widely regarded as the most social (read: party dorm) residential college at USC, New-North is a popular choice with students who are looking to go Greek. It's often too loud; so many residents make use of Leavey library when they need to hit the books, just a couple hundred feet away (Unigo).
  - North Residential College (HRH-NRC)
    - Basics
      - Primarily freshmen
      - Coed by section
      - Same Building as New
      - 2 buildings
        
        Harris Hall
        
        University Residence Hall
    - Rooms
      - Single
        
        7 spaces available
        
        $4,775/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Single w/ sink
        
        12 spaces available
        
        $5,130/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Double
        
        174 spaces available
        
        $3670/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Double w/ sink
        
        78 spaces available
        
        $4065/semester
        
        View floor plan and tour here
      - Community bathroom
    - Building Features
      - Laundry room (each floor)
    - Recreational Facilities
      - Enclosed patio area
    - Special Interest community
      - North Residential College
      - Men’s Wellness Floor
    - Located Nearby
      - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - New College residential halls
      - Library facilities
    - Dining Nearby
      - EVK dining hall
      - Trojan Grounds coffee shop
    - Student comments
      - New/North Residential Colleges are both newer and more spacious. These dorms are where you’ll meet lots of people (CollegeProwler).
      - Dorms are the best, and they are the most fun I’ve ever had. Get into New or North (they are the same building; just opposite sides). Do whatever you have to, they’re awesome! (CollegeProwler)
      - Widely regarded as the most social (read: party dorm) residential college at USC, New-North is a popular choice with students who are looking to go Greek. It's often too loud; so many residents make use of Leavey library when they need to hit the books, just a couple hundred feet away (Unigo).
  - Pardee Tower (PTD)
    - Basics
      - Primarily freshmen
      - 8 floor hall
      - Coed by floor
    - History
      - Built as part of USC’s commitment to Olympic Village
        
        1984 Summer Games
    - Rooms
      - Double
        
        280 spaces available
        
        $3,670/semester
        
        View floor plans and tour here
      - Community bathroom
    - Building Features
      - Customer service center
      - Laundry facility (each floor)
    - Recreational Facilities
      - TV lounge
      - Kitchenette
      - 2 music practice lounges
      - Study lounge (each floor)
    - Special Interest community
      - South Area Residential College
      - Business floors
    - Located Nearby
      - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
      - Doheny Library
      - McCarthy quad
      - Marks Hall (gym facility)
    - Dining Nearby
    - Student Comments
      - I lived in Pardee and I loved it. However, Pardee is coed by floors (one floor male; one floor female), and it might have been more fun to live in a dorm that’s coed by section or room (CollegeProwler).

Seaver Residence Hall (SRH)
- Basics
  - Graduate Housing only
- Rooms
  - Single
    - 23 spaces available
    - $850/month
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Double
    - 60 spaces available
    - $635/month
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Large double
    - 12 spaces available
    - $700/month
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Private bathrooms
- Building Features
  - Kitchenette (each floor)
  - Customer service center
  - Offices for
    - US Card Services
    - USC Federal Credit Union
    - Mailing Services
    - Cashier’s Office
- Recreational Facilities
  - Exercise room
  - TV lounge
- Located Nearby
- Health Sciences Campus
- Dining Nearby
  - Plaza cafe
Trojan Hall (TRO)
- Basics
  - Primarily freshmen
  - 3 story hall
- Rooms
  - Double
    - 208 spaces available
    - $3670/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
- Building Features
  - Faculty apartment
  - Laundry facilities
- Recreational Facilities
  - Lounge
  - TV Area
  - Study rooms
- Special Interest community
  - South Area Residential college
  - Leadership floor
- Located Nearby
  - 3 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
  - Leavey Library
  - Doheny Library
  - Marks hall (gym faciltiies)
- Dining Nearby
  - Popovich Café
  - Ground Zero coffee house

Apartments

Cardinal Gardens (CAR)
- Basics
- Rooms
  - 1 bedroom
    - Two person
    - 155 spaces available
    - $4,560/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - 2 bedroom
    - 4 person
    - 500 spaces available
    - $3945/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Full Kitchen
  - Bathroom
  - Living Room
- Building Features
  - Fully furnished
  - Air conditioned
  - Customer service center
  - Secure bicycle racks
  - Open during winter break
  - Large parking lots
    - Permits available from USC transportation
- Recreational Features
  - Courtyard area
  - TV/billiards lounge
  - Sand volleyball court
  - Basketball half court
  - Large patio with tables
  - barbecue
- Special Interest Community
- Located Nearby
  - 9 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
  - Across the street from campus
  - Lyon recreation center
- Dining Nearby
  - Required meal plan
  - Café 84
- Student Comments
  - I could not have asked for a better place to live than Cardinal Gardens. My neighbors were awesome and we would make dinner together almost every night. I learned how to cook all sorts of interesting foods (CollegeProwler).
Parkside Apartments (PKS)
- Basics
  - Primarily upperclassmen & graduates
    - Freshmen space limited
  - Two 6-story buildings
- Rooms
  - Studio
    - 1 person
    - 10 spaces available
    - $5,040/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Studio
    - 2 person
    - 98 spaces available
    - $3505/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Large Studio
    - 2 person
    - 12 spaces available
    - $3,720/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - 1 bedroom
    - 2 person
    - 106 spaces available
    - $4,320/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - 2 bedroom
    - Single (“A” bedroom)
      - 3 spaces available
      - $4490/semester
      - View floor plan and tour here
    - Double (“B” bedroom)
      - 5 spaces available
      - $3,875/semester
      - View floor plan and tour here
  - Kitchen
  - Bathroom
- Building Features
  - 3 laundry rooms
- Recreational Features
  - lounge
- Special Interest Community
  - Parkside Residential Community
- Located Nearby
  - 8 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
  - International Residential college (adjacent)
    - Customer service center
- Dining Nearby
  - Parkside Restaurant
- Student comments
  - It’s not true that Parkside isn’t a social dorm; it’s just incredibly social within itself. It’s also probably the nicest of the Freshman Dorms and it’s great if you want to meet artsy people (CollegeProwler).
Webb Tower Residential College (WTO)
- Basics
  - Primarily freshmen
  - 14 stories
    - Tallest building on campus
- Rooms
  - Studio
    - 2 person
    - 26 spaces available
    - $3.610/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - 1 bedroom
    - 2 person
    - 43 spaces available
    - $4,715/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - 2 bedroom
    - Single (“A” bedroom)
      - 1 person
      - 13 spaces available
      - $4,825/semester
      - View floor plan and tour here
    - Double (“B” bedroom)
      - 2 person
      - 26 spaces available
      - $4,210/semester
      - View floor plan and tour here
  - 2 bedroom
    - Four person
    - 216 spaces available
    - $4,075/semester
    - View floor plan and tour here
  - Kitchen
  - Bathroom
- Building Features
  - Air conditioning
  - Freshmen required full meal plan
  - Underclassmen required partial meal plan
- Recreational Features
  - Lounge
  - Foosball table
  - TV
  - Study room
- Special Interest Community
  - Residential college
- Located Nearby
  - 6 minutes to Tommy Trojan (walking)
  - Lyon Recreation Center
  - Computer lab
- Dining Nearby
  - King Hall
    - Coming summer 2012

Furnishing/Amenities

Each room is equipped with the following

Mini fridge
Microwave
Powerstrip

Each resident is given the following furnishings

Desk
Desk chair
Bed
Dresser/closet

Source
- University of Southern California Housing. 14 May 2012. http://housing.usc.edu/