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Campus Housing:

C

(explain this grade)

Comparable Schools'
Campus Housing Grades:

Quick Stats

Undergrads Living on Campus

49 %

Best Dorms

  • Casa Italiana
  • Graham Complex

Number of Dormitories

12

Worst Dorms

  • Swig has a reputation for being the “party dorm,” and therefore being a bit loud and dirty. So the reasons for its inclusion on the “Worst” list may actually appeal to some.

Freshmen Required to Live on Campus

No

College Prowler Take

The dorm rooms at SCU are just that—dorm rooms. They are not particularly large or small, and they come with minimal furnishings. The underclassman dorms are pretty much interchangeable, with the exception of Swig and Alameda North. Swig is considered the worst dorm because of its reputation rather than any problems with the facilities; it is really very similar to the others. Alameda North is a bit different because of its location on the “Dark Side” of campus (thus called because of its distance from the center of campus) and is a converted apartment building. The rooms are setup a little differently, and it is more isolated than the other dorms. It is the preferred dorm for sophomores who wanted to move off campus but were unable to for one reason or another.

The biggest complaint students have about the dorms is the strictness. While this varies to some degree depending on the RA, they are all fairly strict. Campus Safety will check into any noise or activity they think is suspicious, and sometimes search the rooms of students they catch breaking the rules, even if they were not in their room at the time of the infraction. This is more of an annoyance than anything, though, because if you get in trouble every week or get caught with drugs, punishments are usually light. All in all, the dorms are average but a little strict.

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Students Speak Out

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

Anonymous says:

They spend so much money on...

They spend so much money on landscaping and flowers and stuff, but I would rather have AC in the dorms, or toilet paper that’s soft and effective.

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Anonymous says:

Not one of the dorms is terrible....

Not one of the dorms is terrible. There are several newer ones that tend to be in high demand—Sobrato and Casa. But it’s more about the people you’re living with than where you’re living.

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Anonymous says:

I liked living in the dorms, but I...

I liked living in the dorms, but I was ready to move off campus after the first year. Campus Safety and the RAs are just too strict. Sometimes it felt like they were trying to baby-sit me. Then other times I felt like they were trying to get me arrested. Like when they called the Santa Clara Police to come arrest me. I didn’t like that.

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Anonymous says:

They got rid of the Graham pool...

They got rid of the Graham pool for some reason, which sucks. The actual pool was small and nothing special, but it was a cool place to hang out. And the freshman girls lying out by it were always nice.

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Anonymous says:

Avoid Swig unless you like paying...

Avoid Swig unless you like paying a lot of fines for puke in the elevator and bathrooms. Graham was nice when they had the pool, but that is gone now, so I guess Campisi and Sanfilippo would be best.

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Facts

What You Get

  • Bed
  • Bookshelf
  • Cable TV jack
  • Closet or wardrobe
  • Desk and chair
  • Dresser
  • Ethernet or wireless Internet connection
  • Free campus and local phone calls
  • Window coverings

Room Types

  • Doubles
  • Suite-style rooms
  • Triples

Available for Rent

Alhambra water coolers and water delivery

Bed Types

  • Bunkable beds
  • Lofts
  • Twin extra-long

Also Available

  • All buildings are smoke-free, and smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of dormitories.

Cleaning Service

In public areas; community and semi-private bathrooms are cleaned by staff approximately once a week.

Dormitories

Sobrato
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 277
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, suites, apartments
Air-conditioning, classrooms, faculty and staff offices, laundry on each floor, seminar rooms

Sanfillippo
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 194
Bathrooms: Shared by wing
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Kitchen, laundry facilities, lounges, sinks in rooms, study rooms, TV lounge.

Nobili
Floors: 4
Bathrooms: Private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, large doubles
Lounges, quiet environment, recreation room.

Walsh
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 90
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Kitchen, laundry, sinks in each room, study lounges, TV lounges, vending machines.

Swig
Floors: 11
Number of Occupants: 345
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Elevators, in-room sinks, laundry, lounges, study lounges, TV lounges, vending machines.

St. Clare
Floors: 2
Bathrooms: Private
Residents: Sophomores, juniors, seniors
Room Types: Doubles
Close to Cyber Cafe, free parking, laundry, vending machine.

Casa Italiana
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 300
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, suites, apartments
Air-conditioning, classrooms, faculty and staff offices, laundry on each floor, lounges, seminar rooms.

Campisi
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 190
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Air-conditioning, garden area with barbecues, laundry, in-room sinks, kitchen, study room, TV lounge on each floor,

Bellarmine
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 69
Bathrooms: Private
Coed: Yes
Residents: Sophomores, juniors, seniors
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Air-conditioning, elevator, lounges, underground parking

McLaughlin
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 121
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
In-room sinks, laundry, study lounge, TV lounge, vending machines.

Graham Complex
Floors: 2 (four buildings)
Number of Occupants: 240
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Garden and barbecue area, laundry, TV lounge, vending machines.

Dunne
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 271
Bathrooms: Shared by wing
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Laundry, TV lounge, sinks in rooms, vending machines.

Did You Know?

All campus residents get free cable and access to SCU’s movie channel, as well as the campus Ethernet/wireless network.

Most of the freshman dorms are pretty much the same. There are two dorms that have nicer, suite-style rooms, but one is reserved for upperclassmen (Sobrato), and the other is for students in the Italian studies program (Casa Italiana). Freshman dorms consist mostly of two-person rooms, with a few larger triple rooms.

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