HOUSING INFORMATION
A. Off-Campus Living
Most IBEAR participants choose to live off-campus in rented apartments or houses. There are
many private apartment buildings within walking distance of the University. Also, there are
numerous suitable residential areas within a 20-40 minute drive. Monthly rental fees for studio,
one bedroom and two bedroom apartments average $800, $1000 and $1300 respectively. Most
landlords will require a security deposit and a few require long-term leases before they will rent.
One option to bypass the apartment search is to take over the apartment of a participant who is
graduating.
Classified advertisements typically found in local and community newspapers may be useful
resources when you are looking for a place to rent. A few of the more popular papers are The
L.A. Times, The Daily Breeze, The Larchmont Chronicle, Pasadena Star News, The
Recycler, The Easy Reader, Pacific Palisades Post, North Shore Shopper, The Argonaut, The
Outlook, Glendale News Press, Beverly Hills Courier, and West Hollywood Independent.
Generally, you can purchase or pick up copies of these periodicals at local grocery stores, but
local libraries are also convenient places from which to view the listings in several papers at one
time, copy the ads you find interesting, and make phone calls to arrange to see the apartments.
General Perspective of Neighborhoods:

Arcadia/Pasadena/Glendale: Very nice and secure. There are many malls and parks. It
is a great area for families with children. Arcadia is considered one of the best school
districts of Los Angeles. Arcadia is a 40-70 min. commute to USC, Pasadena and
Glendale being less time (30-60 minutes).

Culver City/West L.A./Santa Monica: Many apartment buildings on Bundy drive, some of
which are reasonably priced. Only 12 miles to USC and a 20 to 30 min. commute. Close
to LAX airport, Beverly Hills and Downtown. Prices may be on the higher side near the
beaches.

Palos Verdes/Rolling Hills/San Pedro in the South Bay: Beautiful area, but 25 miles from
USC. Takes 45 min. to commute to school. Very safe neighborhoods and houses,
condos, and apartments are available for renting or leasing.

Playa del Rey/Marina del Rey/El Segundo: Beach cities. Lots of beach sports,
sailing/surfing/etc. Crowded on weekends, 16 miles from USC.

Torrance/Redondo Beach/Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach in the South Bay: Rather
secure, many places to dine out, large Asian community, and some houses are as
affordable as apartments to rent.

West Hollywood/Mid-Wilshire/Westwood: All areas toward the west of LA, which are
along the Wilshire Blvd. corridor. Each community has its nice areas worth seeking out
(ex. Westwood – younger university crowd, West Hollywood – mix of gay and Eastern
Europeans).
Near-Campus Housing
Some students choose to live in the area surrounding the USC campus. An advantage to living
close by is that you do not need a car to get to campus. There are several apartment buildings
within easy walking or bicycling distance of the campus, and a University Tram Service provides
transportation in most of these areas. While living near USC means living in an urban
environment with its associated problems, the area within a mile radius of campus is patrolled by
the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS).
The following are suggested short-term, near-USC housing options:
 Chez Ronnee: 2 bedroom, 2 full bath, extra luxury apartments with an exquisite
landscape built in a prime location to cater to the needs and comfort of USC students.
For more information, call (213) 746-7121 or (213) 748-4314.
 Graduate Row: 1157 W. 30th, at the corner of 30th and Orchard Avenues. 1, 2, & 3
bedroom furnished apartments within walking distance to USC are available. For
reservation information, contact Jerry Busch at (213) 746-4878.
B. On-Campus Housing
Although most Marshall MBA students live off campus, there are on-campus housing options for
you to consider. USC Housing offers a wide variety of living arrangements. Accommodations
include apartments, residence halls, and houses in a variety of styles, locations, and sizes. All
USC housing facilities are fully furnished, include laundry facilities, provide local and long
distance phone service, and provide an electronic security access system. Demand is high for
USC Housing, and interested participants must apply as soon as possible in order to increase the
chance of obtaining a unit. For further information, please contact:
Housing Services Office
Parking Structure X
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1332
Phone: (213) 740-2546/1809 or (800) 872-4632
Fax: (213) 740-8488
E-mail: housing@usc.edu
Web site: http://housing.usc.edu
C. Rental Listings
One way that we can help you is by forwarding information from a rental subscription service. The
Program Coordinator (Ivonne Castillo) may be contacted for this information. She will do a search
based on your specifications and forward the listing to you. You may email her with this request at
ivonne.castillo@marshall.usc.edu with the following information:
1. Name and email contact info.
2. Specifications that you're looking for in an apartment (ex. 1 bedroom, Santa Monica
location, no pets, $1000-1500).
3. Any additional information that you would need to indicate.
Web Sites – Relocation Information
Relocation information is available for sale at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
bookstore. You can reference their website at http://www.lachamber.org/bookstore/rbk.html.
 State Information (213) 620-3030 http://www.gsa.gov/et/fic-firs/fic.htm
 County Information (213) 974-1311 http://www.co.la.ca.us/
 City Information (213) 485-2121 http://www.ci.la.ca.us/
 Tourist Information: (213) 689-8822, LA Convention & Visitor's Bureau
 Rentals sites include
o http://www.westsiderentals.com
o http://www.apartments.com/
o
o
http://www.aptsforrent.com/
http://www.rentals.com/
D. Roommates
Having a roommate may be a good way to decrease some of your housing costs. If you are
interested in sharing housing with another IBEAR participant and would like to speak to other
participants who are also interested in having a roommate, please communicate with each other
on the Online Discussion Board. Once you are confirmed, you will have access to the online
forum.
E. Temporary Housing
At USC
USC offers apartment and dormitory facilities to accommodate the needs of students attending
the summer session at USC. This summer housing program is suitable for IBEAR participants
who arrive during the summer and are looking for temporary housing arrangements.
Assignments are made on a first-come basis. Housing rates for the summer are a bargain; they
average 60% of the rates during the academic year. All apartments are furnished except for
household items, such as kitchen utensils and bed linens. For further information, please visit the
Housing Services web site at: http://housing.usc.edu
Hotels - The following hotels are in close proximity to the campus:
1. Maison 140 Hotel 140 South Lasky Drive, Beverly Hills, CA. 90212 (310) 281-4000,
(310) 281-4001 fax. Reservations (800) 432-5444. Nice location, near everything.
2. Vagabond Inn, 3101 S. Figueroa, telephone: (213) 746-1531, fax: (213) 746-9106,
(discounted rate for students with letter of admission from USC).
3. Radisson Hotel, 3540 S. Figueroa, telephone: (213) 748-4141, fax: (213) 746-3255,
(discounted rate with letter of admission from USC, depending on date). Located next to
USC.
4. Holiday Inn, 1020 S. Figueroa, phone: (213) 748-1291, fax: (213) 748-6028. Location is
approximately 10 blocks from USC (too far to walk).
5. Wilshire Grand Hotel, 930 Wilshire Blvd. at 7th Street (downtown LA), telephone: (213)
629-4321, fax: (213) 612-3989
6. Hyatt Regency, 711 S. Hope, (downtown LA), telephone: (213) 683-1234, fax: (213)
629-3230, (discounted rate for USC students, depending on availability).