<p>Cardinal Gardens is like 100 ft across the street from the 2nd most crossed intersection by USC students not to mention already being on the North side of campus, being more dangerous is the least of your worries. Both buildings are fairly old and very similar, I can’t really think of any major pluses for either other than Cardinal Gardens having AC and only the lesser/much cheaper Apartment Meal Plan is required. I would go in assuming though that the amount of freshman in these buildings (probably moreso for Cardinal Gardens) is much more less than actual Freshman dorms as both are available for upperclassmen so you may not be surrounded by as many Freshman as you would elsewhere.</p>