UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
STUDENT BLOG
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Navigating Your First Year as a USC Trojan
by Lanie Brice
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Navigating Your First Year as a Spring Admit
by Lanie Brice
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How to Balance Your Social Life During Finals
by Donal Buckley
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Study Tips and Habits to Get Through Finals Season
by Lauren Liang
looking for something to read?
How to Time-Manage Like a Pro
By: Natalia Wurst ‘21
There’s an informal consensus I’ve gathered from making conversation with sleep deprived people on elevators: midterm season is just a never-ending cycle of death that comes at you every few weeks and doesn’t go away. I make a lot of jokes about crying at Leavey for a girl who’s trying to seem reputable here, so we’ll put those aside for now–here’s how to finally get around to being productive in these very bleak times.
The 6 Most Useful USC Classes for Life
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
As a senior, I’ve taken my fair share of classes here, ranging from linear algebra, acting 101 to Byzantine art history. But as I’m sure we can all agree, school sometimes doesn’t get us ready for the real world. Throughout my time here, these are the classes I’ve found to be the most helpful in my everyday life. If you still have time left in college, I highly suggest taking a look at some of them.
Face Your Fears: Go to Office Hours!
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
Have you been to your professors’ office hours yet? If not, now’s the time! Your professors can help you prepare for tests and papers, understand class material, and share their experiences in their field. Professors hold office hours so they can talk to students: they want you to come! Trust me, they’re cool people, and you won’t regret getting to know them better! It can be daunting to go to professors office hours for the first time, so here are some tips, tricks, and conversation topics to help you face your fears.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Language Learning
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
If you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, starting as an adult can be daunting. It feels like you’re at a disadvantage after hearing for years that the best time to learn a language is as a child. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done — it’s just going to take some time and effort. I have a double major in Spanish, so I’ve been learning my second language for years in a classroom setting. But I’d still like to learn more languages once I’m finished with my Spanish major. So I thought I’d share some tricks I’ve used while learning Spanish, and some tricks I will use when I learn a new language. Here are the do’s and don’ts of language learning:
How I Stay Sane During the Second Week of Classes
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
The first week back at school is like a highlight reel - you become re-acquainted with your dorm and friends, unpack your holiday gifts, and glide from lecture to work to the gym’s free fitness classes as if in a dream. By the second week, you’ll have received some kind of rude awakening - you return from a workout and your roommate didn’t refill the Brita. Your fellow E-Board members start sending demanding texts about funding deadlines. Somehow, there are 14 assignments, readings and peer reviews due. Also, you’ve fallen sick, and your family is complaining that you haven’t checked in. Fight On! Need help staying afloat? Here’s how I’ve tackled this second-week panic for the past 7 semesters:
Steps to Becoming a Better Reader In College
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
I came into college thinking I was all that in a bag of chips. Reading on point, essay writing skills on point, time management on point; but after a couple of weeks during my first semester of college…my academic confidence tanked.
How to ace your finals
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
Finals are right around the corner. In fact, it is 3 days away. Little-known fun fact huh? Although there is a lot of work to be done, studying doesn’t always have to suck. And as a senior, hopefully I can offer some studying advice. Here are my 7 best tips on how to be on your A game this finals season!
The Truth About Getting A Bad Grade
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
To make my intro short; college is hard. Balancing massive amounts of free time, over 200 pages of reading, work-study, projects and personal issues is a lot for young adults to deal with. Consequently, there are going to be times where you miss class, slack on assignments and are just not up to this “getting a degree thing.” Out of all of this mess and confusion, your first bad grade might pop up.
10 Steps to Write a Killer Paper
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
You sit down and stare at the blank Word document. The ominous cursor blinks in the top left corner. After you painstakingly type out the heading, the empty page taunts you as the deadline looms in the distance. The moral of this story: writing is hard. Hopefully I can provide some advice to make it easier, and maybe even fun!
5 Reasons to Take CTCS-466
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
Los Angeles is known for film. Hopeful actresses and actors flock to the city in hopes of making it big and seeing their name in bright lights. Not only is it home to historic sets and studios- it also lays claim to one of the most highly ranked and prestigious film schools in the world, USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). Here at USC not only do we have an amazing film school but classes and programs at the school which are open to more than just SCA students. If you’re a journalism major like myself who watches movies to stay sane or a fan of the Spike Lees, Tarintinos, and Kubricks of the world; you can live out your wildest dreams at SCA.
The Best Classes I’ve taken at USC
By: Cole Sulivan ’18
I don’t want to call myself an expert, but I am a senior now. So for all of you young, bright-eyed underclassmen looking to pick the perfect schedule—or even for seniors who want to go out with a bang—here are the best classes I’ve taken at USC. The ones that you should absolutely take before you leave South-Central Los Angeles.