By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

Trying to get all of your classes — the right courses and the right time with the right teacher — can sometimes feel like a ferocious free-for-all. But with patience and a little strategy, figuring out next semester’s schedule should feel less like a mad dash and more like a fun puzzle. (Not even an exaggeration — I’m not the only one who finds planning fun…right?) Here are the top tips to finessing fall semester and taking another step towards that degree.

THE FALL 2019 EDITION

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22 and Camila Grases ‘21

It’s time to register again? Already?! Well if you’re looking for hidden gem electives to fill up your 12-18 units, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are our top picks for classes to take next semester, ordered by school/class type. Lucky you — we even included some student testimonials and listed the time offerings!

By: Alexandria Frank ‘21

As a more formal introduction, my name’s Alexandria Frank and I’m an exchange student at USC from Howard University by way of Corona, CA. I’m born and raised in California but as far as my college experience goes, it’s been East Coast and it’s been Black. That’s because Howard is a historically-Black college/university (HBCU) located in Washington D.C. In other words, it’s very different from USC.

By: Sumaya Hussaini ‘22, Karla Leung ‘22, and Ann Nguyen ‘22

In light of USC’s involvement in the recent college admissions scandal, we wanted to shed light on this issue by gathering reactions from our student bloggers, first generation students, and organizations closely tied to the scandal like the USC Crew Team. The USC student body is represented by people of many different identities, yet this scandal is disappointing for many of us, devaluing our hard work and dedication to gain acceptance to this school.

By: Antonia Le ‘22

After a month of midterms, rainy days, and late nights, spring break is finally here! Your best friend is headed to Cancun, the girl you sit next to is going to London, and your roommate has a plane ticket home for the next week! Meanwhile, you’re still here at USC. But don’t worry, whether you’re stuck here because of work, money, or because you simply don’t want to go home, here are some ways to make the most of your week at USC without emptying your wallet!

By: Natalie Oganesyan ‘22

We all know the struggle of trying to look good in college, especially when we’re low on funds and can’t afford Sephora brand products. I’m here to let you know that there are good makeup and skincare products that are effective, inclusive, and cheap! Here’s a go-to guide on affordable makeup when you’re balling on a budget.

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22

“It’s Los Angeles. It won’t rain in Los Angeles!”

…And now it’s raining. So, aside from giving in and buying an umbrella, are you at a loss on what to do? Well, as the band TOTO tells us, “take some time to do the things you never had.”

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22

Whether you’re having an Oscars Watch Party and want to impress your friends in SCA or you just want to be informed, here are my recommended picks and everything you need to know in making your own 2019 Oscars predictions! I have been keeping up with the current Oscars race for almost an entire year — basically since last year’s Oscars. Having always been a huge cinephile, I know everything about how the process works, what constitutes an Oscar-worthy display, and what indicators are most reliable in predicting the Academy Awards. So without further ado, let’s get this show started.

By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22

You can stop avoiding Trousdale now. Election season is over! You no longer have to rack your brain thinking about polite ways to decline informational handouts or feverishly avoid eye contact. No more poster boards and no more free food (kinda bummed I never got my In-N-Out) because the results are (unofficially) in!

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

You may have heard of vegetarian and vegan diets. But what the heck is raw vegan? Let me explain. Raw veganism is a diet in which you don’t eat any meat or dairy products, and you don’t eat anything cooked. So what do you eat, you may ask? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts. “Why would you do this to yourself?” This was a question my friends asked of me many times. My plan was actually to eat raw vegan for two weeks, and I wanted to do it as a sort of cleanse, so that I could have a fresh, healthy start for the new year. Except, two weeks didn’t really work out for me… But, we’ll get to that later. My goal for this raw vegan journey was to eat super fresh foods, cleanse my body, and maybe have glowing skin and silky hair by the end of it. Since I have a meal plan (and also for experiment’s sake), I planned to exclusively eat food from the dining hall. So, let’s begin!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Courtesy of Late Night SC and ResEd, I was finally able to attend LA’s Haunted Hayride at Griffith Park. Here’s an honest review of the Hayride and Purgatory (the theme park).

By: Sophia Pei ‘22 and Camila Grases ‘21

Ah, good old finals are approaching. We know this can be a stressful time, but don’t fret. Here are some tips on end-of-the-semester stress management we’ve learned during our time here. We hope this information is just as helpful to you as it is to us.