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 a specific read?
Trojans 360’s Freshman Must-Reads
By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19
Are you an incoming freshman? Welcome to the Trojan family! Take a look at these special posts to get a glimpse of the adventures that await.
Gym Intimidation at Lyon: You’re Not Alone
By: Terry Nguyen ‘20
USC’s gym can be a frightening place to those unfamiliar with the humid aroma of Lyon Center’s testosterone-filled, intimidatingly sweaty crowd. No matter what time of day it is or whatever the weather conditions are, Lyon is sure to be inhabited by at least several weight-lifting fitness junkies and cardio enthusiasts, both of whom make up a sizable portion of the USC student body.
Spring Admits: Next Stop, USC
By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19
Hello Spring Admits! I can’t believe you will be here in a few weeks. Right now, you’re probably excited and nervous, so here’s everything you should know about move in, Welcome Week, academics, clubs, food, and more!
A Guide to Life at USC as an LGBT+ Student
By: Adriana Bernal Martinez ‘20
When coming to college, we’re eager to find our people. People we share interests with, and most importantly, people that will accept us. Although USC takes pride (pun intended) in calling itself one of the most LGBT-friendly campuses in the nation, it’s not merely because of the student body’s progressive mindset. It’s because of its bountiful resources for LGBT+ students. USC’s LGBT Resource Center is open to the public every weekday, ready for you to come visit whenever. Located in the second floor of the Student Union Building with plenty of resourceful assets for USC students to take advantage of, here is just a little bit of what the LGBT Resource Center has to offer.
How to Find the Right Club at USC for you
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
So there you are. Watching the same show on Netflix for the twenty-third time. You want to do something but you don’t really know what so you just watch Netflix because you think there’s nothing else for you to do. Well, you’re just so lucky you ran into this blog post as you were scrolling through your Facebook feed because I am here to help. USC has some many opportunities to take advantage of but the real problem is trying to find out what they are and finding them, which is why you have us! A great way to fill up your free time, get involved on campus, help the community around USC, and get leadership experience is through clubs and on-campus organizations. I know. It sounds too good to be true but it isn’t!! Here are some tips for finding what club you belong with here at USC.
Ask A Trojan: Freshman Move-In (Tips, Tricks & Packing Lists)
By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19
Hello there! First of all, great question! Although I am not an international student, I will try my best to answer your question! Freshman move-in day. I still remember the emotional mixture of excitement and nervousness as I started a new stage in my life.
Ask a Trojan: Rec Letters and Rushing Panhellenic as an African American
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
Panhellenic Recruitment starts August 20th with the Rules Symposium. You can apply here until then but you may have some questions now. I am totally here for you! I rushed my freshman year, was on the sister side of recruitment my sophomore, & was the VP of New Member Education on the Panhellenic Council last year (Junior year)! So if you have any questions, just go to our ask box and ask away like s0phistique did! Her question was “What is it like for an african american student to rush a panhellenic sorority?”
Learn from your Big SCister
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
The first lesson is that almost every word that has an S or a C is “Trojanized” to have both and you shouldn’t fight it, but rather laugh and promptly accept it. Soon you’ll be doing it, too. I’m writing this post for my biological brother but since we’re all Trojan Family, the whole class of 2020 is more than welcome to my unsolicited sisterly wisdom. As a rising senior, I’m practically of a different generation than you young folks and my life experience is worth its weight in gold. I would give my right arm (dominant hand and objectively a critical component of my “good side”) to be able to have 4 more years of college like you young grasshoppers get to, especially if I could relive it knowing all I know now. In preparation for writing this letter I looked through my old photos from 2013-2014 (a simpler time) and can’t even believe how good we had it/have it at USC.
The Smoothest Move-In
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Moving in with someone is a big step in any relationship, so not matter how well you know your soon-to-be roommate, it’s perfectly natural to be a little nervous. Whether you met through mutual friends, knew each other in high school, found common ground in your generic posts in the USC Class of 2020 facebook group, or both opted for the “random roommate” in an admirable leap of faith, there’s no way you know what it will be like to live with them until you actually do.
Women Traveling the World
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
When you’re thousands of miles away from home, everyday annoyances can seem like serious dilemmas, especially when they’re harder to solve in a country you aren’t as familiar with. It’s upsetting but not the end of the world when your laptop malfunctions at USC or your credit card gets lost or canceled, but when you’re several countries away from the nearest Apple store and your bank has no branches in your host country, it can be fairly terrifying to say the least. It happens to everyone at some point or another and just like that, the honeymoon phase is over.
How To Have The Best Time in College
By: Emily Young MA ‘16
Since I am reaching the end of my five wonderful years here at USC, I thought it would be great to share my college tips for having the best college experience!
It’s Perfectly Reasonable to be “Undecided”
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
I entered USC as an Undecided Major and I hope to exit triumphantly next spring with 2 majors and 2 minors, pending how some of my abroad credits transfer in. Though I do not work in the Admissions Office, I do in fact, know almost all of the majors USC offers simply because I’ve considered declaring most of them.