Wade Hampton Statue–Columbia (SC) 2012 (Flickr)
The life of a college student is full of freedom and the fun that follows. The joys of heading off to the university of your choosing is great, but do you know what’s really great? When you head off of campus and into your own house. You’ve all seen your friends post Instagram pictures of signing their first lease, and now it’s time to join them.
Here at Rent College Pads, we have decided to run through some of the best housing options available for the lucky students who attend the University of South Carolina in Columba, SC. We used Google Maps review system to determine this list of ten. For a full list of available apartments near USC view our map page.
650 Lincoln is located right on campus so you won’t be able to use sleeping in as your excuse to skip class. This fully furnished complex brings you right to the doorstep of luxury, affordable living. What is luxury living you might ask? A pool, cabanas, hammock, fire pits, fitness center, clubroom and a host of other amenities that will blur the line between living and being on vacation. The great lease options are a plus as they offer leases through the summer if you don’t want to head back home.
The Club at South Carolina Stadium
The Club is another look at resort style living with a whole bunch of reasons to stay at your apartment and not a lot of incentives to get to class (you know, besides getting a degree). The location is absolutely prime as you are in the backyard of the stadium and surrounded by wonderful walking trails near Congaree River and Granby Park. Inside the apartments aren’t too shabby either as you can choose from a 1-3-bedroom options and have the choice of furnishing as well.
The Retreat is Columbia’s only Craftsman-Style Cottage Living. We know that means nothing to you so let’s break it down. These houses are sweet and located in a great location with a true neighborhood experience. Instead of being packed in the dorm with a random mix of students, you’ll be surrounded by your friends and freedom. The community offers access to a bunch of sporting activities as well as a movie theater, fitness center, tanning bed and computer lab. The 2-5 bedroom options mean there’s a ton of room for you and your #SQUAD.
Cayce Cover offers students the chance to experience a home away from home setting while simultaneously allowing you to say you live at The Cove. The location is pretty close to campus, but why walk or bike when you can take a state of the art shuttle? The community offers up access to a fitness center as well as a sparkling pool. The apartments are fully furnished and come with HBO. Another bonus of The Cove? The individual lease assignments mean you won’t get screwed over by flaky roommates named Chris.
If you thought the University Oaks were trees than you are a truly misguided individual. The University Oaks are a student housing complex that’s designed with you in mind. They understand what a college student truly wants. They offer the area for socialization when you want it (gym, pool, yoga studio) study when you have to (academic center) and privacy when you need to get away. There are shuttles to take you to and from campus, it’s steps away from Williams-Brice and it’s already in the center of downtown so you don’t need to worry about taking an Uber out on Saturday nights.
Aspyre is right in the heart of everything in Columbia. Steps away from campus, Greek Village and many other hot spots Aspyre has the location aspect nailed down. The club room and grilling areas will give you time to get outside and mingle with your peers in ways that dorm living can’t even come close to. If you’re into actual swimming and not just taking snapchats of you in your bathing suit, then you’ll certainly enjoy the lap pool. Big animal lover? Good news for you as the Aspyre features a Doggie Park. You can enjoy your freedom here at Aspyre alone (1-bedroom) or with your friends 2-3 bedrooms.
The Village is a community of apartments and townhomes surrounding campus. They want to bring you a neighborhood-style set-up with the complete lifestyle. The luxurious clubhouse or the hammock park will give you a spot to relax and enjoy life outside when you’re not inside surfing the web with up to a gig internet. They also try and throw social events for their residents so you get the chance to mingle with like-minded students. The location is perfect for student season ticket holders who want to watch the gamecocks as you can pre-game from your house and then wander over to the stadium with ease.
We’re just going to throw this out there right away. The Hub features a rooftop pool which offers panoramic views of downtown South Carolina. Just imagine after a long day of classes, kicking it pool side and soaking in the views. This alone would have us sold on living here, but they offer up a number of other reasons to go here as well. The spacious private rooms are beyond impressive as is the luxury clubhouse. They also have VIP options which are #Goals. They include a Kohler shower head with Bluetooth speaker. And if you’ve never showered with music it’s just like showering with a beer. Once you’ve done it with, you can’t imagine it without. The only knock against this place? They use words like Hubmazing and Hubmenities.
The Lofts are a serene off-campus student housing option that provides a fun and fresh way of living. The floorplans are as varied as you’ve ever seen as each bedroom option (1-4) contains many sub options so there’s definitely something to suit all budgets and needs. The picnic area and pool are a great draw to get you outside of your comfort zone and into meeting new people. The coffee bar is great for those pesky 8 a.m. classes. The included utilities and Wi-Fi are great for when you come back at night ready to dig into some Netflix before bed. Comfort and convenience are what The Lofts aim for and they deliver.
Station at Five Points is the newest student apartment community in Columbia that urges you to break away from everyday living. The study lounge and business center will keep you focused on academia while the pool, golf simulator and putting greens will help destress from it. The floorplans range from 1-4 bedrooms so you can either go it alone or with some pals. The location is great and the place is simply beautiful.
You’ve got a lot of things to worry about. What classes you’re going to take, what flavor of Ramen Noodles do you want to eat and what filter should you put on that Snapchat. We here at Rent College Pads understand all of these you have to deal with so we hope to make your housing decision a little easier.
Callie Kollenbroich
Callie Kollenbroich has been the Operations Coordinator and Content Writer/Editor at Rent College Pads since 2015. When she's not working, you can find her at home, eating peanut butter out of the jar and bingeing an unhealthy amount of Forensic Files. She's not as lame as she sounds.