Best University of Southern California dorms

Number 5

"Nembo is the absolute best building in the village. It is the closest to the main entrance of campus and the convenience of living right next to TJs and Target is unbeatable. The 6P rooms are spacious, with one bedroom and one bathroom on one side of the kitchen and then two bedrooms and one bathroom on the other side (sinks in hallway, then a toilet room). There is a large pantry area (see pictures) and all the beds can be lofted for additional storage. The living room comes with a 6 person table, 2 couch pieces, and 2 entertainment centers. The refrigerator is provided but not a microwave or TV. Each bathroom comes with a large storage cabinet with 4 shelves. There is a ton of cabinet space in the kitchen, more than we needed. The “c” room was the single room/bathroom and the “d” and “f” rooms share the 4 person bathroom. Like every other village building, mail and packages go to Fedex. The 5th floor is a half floor (see pic) with 4 lounges and 1 laundry room. If you’re looking for the best view of downtown, look for rooms ending in “118” and “120.” The only downside was that most of the 6P in Nembo have inside courtyard views, which makes it much quieter but less natural light and no view. Two elevators and stairs. Overall, I had a massive room and I loved living here! Highly recommend. " - 7 months ago

We collected 14 dorm reviews for Nemirovsky and Bohnett

Number 4

"Lived in the loft. Some people dislike the loft because it’s the smallest option, but it’s also the cheapest option on campus so there’s that to consider as well. If you’re tight on money and also want to live in the village, which is an absolutely great place to live, then the loft is great. Personally, I had no problem with the relatively small size of my room and “living room” because I didn’t have much belongings anyways. Also, I was able to save a lot of money due to the cheaper rent, so that was great. In the loft, there are 2 bedrooms (2 ppl in each room), one bathroom, and a small “living room”/common area. The common area has a kitchen sink, stove, a medium sized fridge, a somewhat small countertop, and another sink just outside the bathroom door. There’s not much space in the common area, so there are no furnitures in the common area. The rooms themselves aren’t big either. There’s enough room in the rooms to place a fair amount of belongings but don’t expect to place any furnitures in them. There’s a mini fridge and a microwave in each room. The bed is on top of the desk and wardrobe closet. There are stairs that lead up to the bed and the stairs themselves have drawers built into them in which you can place things/clothes. Overall, I had a great experience living in the loft despite its smaller size relative to the other housing options in the village. Again, if you really want to save money but also want to live in the village, the loft is the best option." - 4 years ago

We collected 12 dorm reviews for Cowlings and Ilium

Number 3

"Lived in a two bedroom with three people so two people in one room and then a single in the other room and the three of us shared a bathroom and small common space.

The double room was really spacious, but not as big as the 2 bedroom 2 bathroom- those rooms are huge. Our common space was a lot smaller than other suites, it didn’t have a small couch like other rooms.

The single looked kind of small but it was still really nice for a college single. Both rooms came with a mini fridge and a microwave.

Bathroom is very nice with a tub shower.
Lounges are always clean and nicely kept. Walls are thick so you can’t hear what’s going on in other rooms.
This room was still way better than the average dorm.

Cons- if you choose the three person you may end up living with the RA as they could have the single room. This didn’t happen to me but happened to others. Also the walls between the double and single are kind of thin so be considerate." - 4 years ago

We collected 23 dorm reviews for McCarthy Honors Residential College

Number 2

"Like all rooms in the Village it is up to date, renovated and offers great amenities like laundry room per floor, balcony/outdoor common area, AC, and great plumbing. My semesters, the laundry machines kept disconnecting leaving the whole building to what one laundry room for 2 weeks, but other than that I appreciates the small community and the easily accessible study lounges where u could hook up your laptop to the TV’s. It’s a very good location right next to campus and offers an indoor bike garage!" - 4 years ago

We collected 5 dorm reviews for McMorrow Residential College

Number 1

"Great experience living in the suites at Parkside IRC! I was on the WISE (Women in Stem and Engineering) floor, which allowed me to connect with a bunch of great people and form connections with the in-residence faculty. Bathrooms are only shared with 3-4 people (so you can put all your stuff in there and don't have to worry about shower shoes or carrying your toiletries to the bathroom), and housing comes in to clean. Only con is that there wasn't a kitchen (but who knows if I would've had time to cook anyways).

This might be a con to some, but I wouldn't say this building is very "social"-- it's very easy to make friends with the people directly in your suite (and the fact that you can just sit in the common area connecting your rooms and chat fosters a friendly environment), but people are NOT having parties here. I loved this since it meant I could visit my friends and their get-togethers in their dorms, but always return to a quiet place to sleep or study (studying in a dorm such as New North would be unheard of).

"Parkside Darkside" is a real thing-- these dorms are at the very South side of campus next to the engineering school. As I lived by a "leave 15 minutes before any event no matter its location" rule, the location wasn't difficult and at worst just meant I couldn't sleep in an extra five minutes before my 8am.

I left early cause of rona, but USC handled the check-out procedures extremely well. Would def recommend on campus housing bc of this." - 4 years ago

We collected 7 dorm reviews for Parkside International Residential College