I lived in University housing(Troy East Apartments) during my first year of my master’s. I lived in a 2 bed 1.5 bath apartment with a total of 4 people(2 each in a room) and I paid between 750–800$ a month. The rooms are furnished(bed, desk, chair, sofa etc). If you looking around this price point, this would be a great option. If you want to lower your cost of living, it’s better to rent and stay off-campus. If you can rent a 2 Bed 2 Bath apartment and if you can share it with 5 people(2 in each room and 1 in living room), the cost comes down to around 500$.

Silicon valley is the global technology hub and many notable companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, Cisco, PayPal are headquartered there. It is also the home for thousands of startups. I wanted to be part of these tech giants in Silicon valley. After chatting with friends and relatives in united states, I got a strong feeling that studying in California might have a slight advantage in terms of job prospects and so was in search for admissions in the top universities in California. University of Southern California(from here on referred as USC) is well reputed and is one of the top private universities in California. USC has a good ranking in Computer Science. It also has great alumni network.

On-campus accommodations are costly around $900 per month. Off-campus accommodations are also available and they are a bit cheaper.

USC has a very good name and ranks in Computer Science and it is very well recognized in the job market as well. The location of USC is also very good for getting placed into good companies.

Masters students usually prefer to stay in rented apartments near campus. Campus housing is also located in the same area so distance is not an issue for these students. The rent is slightly higher for campus housing. Students prefer to take rented spaces of 2 or 3 bedrooms and they share the bedrooms with other students. They travel to the university on foot, or via university bus. University also provides free cab service after 7 pm for all students in a defined area around campus which is a blessing for all students as they even use it for grocery shopping, traveling to and fro campus at night, etc.

university of southern California is among the top universities for its computer science program so it became an obvious choice for me. It has renowned faculty, a great curriculum, and is located in the city which is beneficial in terms of networking. Located in California, companies find it easier to interview students and also make it easier for students to find jobs.

I have been renting out and staying as off-campus.

It has good courses of quantum computing where I further choose to do my PhD in. Great exposure of real time environment.

I lived in a dormitory building with full accommodations from room, bathroom, and cafeteria food, along with study rooms, and library access for computers and printing. Options for sharing rooms are two or three people per room, there is a shared bathroom on each floor, males and females share the same areas, everything is neat and clean, well maintained, and constructed to comfort.

Undergraduate: University of California at Berkeley (CAL). Graduate School: University of Southern California at Los Angeles (USC). I chose these institutions as they are some of the top ranked universities in the world. These are globally elite names that rank in the top tier. These college names allow for recognition in the professional environment. Major companies know the rigor that is associated with graduating from universally prestigious academic institutions such as these and the level of respect is instantaneously increased. At USC, my program ranks number one in the world in its field.

Los Angeles is one of the costliest cities in the world hence living here is expensive. Most Indian students live in sharing setting. Each home does have all the basic facilities like a fridge, oven, etc.

The University of Southern California is very well renowned and recognized in the field of VLSI and Computer Architecture which are my area of interest. They have numerous labs and research work going on in the field. Professors are highly qualified and involved in quality research with a really good publication history and citations. Alumni are placed in really good companies across the US.

University offers housing that is a bit on the costlier side. Off-campus many options within a 2-mile radius with rents ranging from $500 for shared rooms to as high as $1500 for single sharing per month.

I wanted to be in Silicon Valley so the location was a plus point. The University of Southern California is renowned for its computer science program and boasts knowledgeable professors who have done some amazing research work. Strong alumni network in the industry. One of the universities with a rank in the top 20 for Computer Science programs.

Housing is expensive. On-campus accommodation is expensive, even when shared. Outside, it may be less expensive depending on where you stay.

USC is one of the top colleges in America. It is ranked 20th in CS in the United States. USC has a very good network and hence one can find alumna in various companies. It has an excellent set of features to help you study. Being close to Silicon Valley gives me more opportunities to get hired.

No, I live in my sorority house.

Best ranked.

No. it's possible to get a rental within $1000 within the walking distance to USC.

My research interest aligned with most of the labs in my program and the full funding during the program is also phenomenal for adjusting the finance during the program.