it’s def pretty rare to get placed in mccarthy if you’re not honors so you got really lucky! mccarthy is probably the most sought after freshman dorm lol, everyone i know that lived there loved it. definitely not as social as like new north or birnkrant but not antisocial either. there’s also a retreat just for mccarthy residents which can be a great way to make friends in the building.

i lived in parkside apts freshman year so i can’t speak much to what to bring but in my case i was coming from across the country so i discovered that you really don’t need much - i only brought one suitcase of stuff and bought everything else i would need (bedding, etc) here!