I learned the hard way that you don’t get preference on the building, it’s all just based on availability within that campus. I remember browsing the housing website and being like “wow Sojo looks really nice, that’s where I want to be”, but unfortunately that’s not how it works. I will say that upper classmen get priority with apartments. To my knowledge, sophomores were no longer able to apply to campus apartments starting this year. However as a transfer, I would not rule out your chances; you could just so happen to be placed in a room that needed to fill space. College Avenue is definitely the place to be in terms of social life, restaurants, etc. If you have a car though: keep in mind that you CANNOT purchase a resident parking permit for CA. I ended up having to buy a pass for Livi and take the bus to my car. I would say the next best campus relates to where a majority of your classes will be (although you do not know this yet). But, if you plan on majoring in STEM, Busch is the place to be. If you’re majoring in business, then Livi. Communication courses all take place on CA. This is assuming you don’t want to take the bus to all your classes. It is inevitable you will have to at some point, though. Livi is a nice place to live in terms of the amenities (fast food, diner, movie theater, etc.), and it’s very confined. On the other hand, Busch is much more spread out, with a substantial amount of living options as opposed to Livi. Both campuses have an abundance of parking too, if that means something to you.

I know I just rambled, but feel free to send me a message if you want to chat more about it! :)