University of Southern California Sophomore Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"I lived in a 6 person/3 bed here freshman year and a 4 person loft sophomore year.
The 6 person (3 pics attached) is very nice, tons of room and storage.
The loft (1 pic) isn’t great, it’s tiny and has very little storage space (but at least it’s cheap).
Freshman year the dorm was relatively social and I was friends with probably around half my floor, sophomore year it has not been social and I haven’t made any new friends in the building.
Cale is a pretty nice building, but all village dorms are fairly similar.
Personally I wouldn’t recommend living here freshman year because it’s harder to make friends than a traditional dorm, but if that’s okay with you go for it.
The loft is a little rough but it was worth it to save money for me" - 1 year ago

5 student reviewers said they lived in Cale and Irani Residential College during their sophomore year

Number 4

"The living room has air conditioning, but it doesn't go over to the rooms so it can get hot at night. We would sleep with the window open sometimes and used our fans when it was really hot. I loved having keys so I didn't have to scan my finger to get in, and I rarely ever saw my RA so it felt very independent. The balcony was nice and some of my friends actually lived in the apartments across from me so we could see each other across the way. The outdoor furniture was great during the day and night for studying or relaxing. There was a fire place and that was so cool! I loved the proximity to the village as well. CarGar was so chill and nice, and it had all of the amenities of the village as well. No elevators so moving in/out can be a little hard unless you live on the first floor but those apartments have a chance of being broken into!!" - 4 years ago

7 student reviewers said they lived in Cardinal Gardens during their sophomore year

Number 3

"It's a nice apartment, don't get me wrong. It has two bathrooms with the two bedrooms, and it has a microwave, stove, and oven. I think everything else about this apartment is a complete joke. Mold constantly grows in one of the bathrooms. Once we left our apartment, and one of the toilets just started overflowing for no reason. In the first semester, there has been nearly 10 false fire alarms ranging from 3:00 a.m. to work hours. I reported a cracked door hinge that was already here at the beginning of our move-in, and they still haven't fixed it. It's been several months. This month, hot water stopped working the entire day. There have been multiple instances of the water turning yellow. I don't even want to talk about the "amenities," or how you can't swim in a one foot deep pond, or how their coffee machine lacks half the ingredients, the fact that they only give free energy drinks, and.. that's about it. A simple calculation for the monthly rent per person (4 ppl per apartment) can easily prove the absolutely enormous amount of money that this apartment building earns every single month. Most people pay $1,300 a month so x 4 = 5,200. 5,200 x 61(number of rooms a floor) = 317,200. That x 7 for the number of floors, and you can see that 2,2 million dollars a month can earn you dangerous, often not hot water, broken door hinges, terrible bathrooms, no light in the living room, inferior quality amenities, and elevators that break down twice a week. If you use (some) Android phones or older iphone model, your Wi-Fi will constantly disconnect every few minutes.

Do not live here. " - 1 year ago

8 student reviewers said they lived in University Gateway during their sophomore year

Number 2

"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

11 student reviewers said they lived in Cowlings and Ilium during their sophomore year

Number 1

"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

14 student reviewers said they lived in Nemirovsky and Bohnett during their sophomore year