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.

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

Hi, all! I hope classes are going well. And I hope you’re taking self care procedures to make sure your well-being is at its greatest. I figured that since I started my sophomore year at SC, I’d let the freshmen know what I learned as a freshman last year (hence the title). So, let’s get into it!

By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19

If you were admitted into USC for the spring semester, you may be wondering what this means. I can relate - me and many other students at USC have been in your place. Here’s everything you should know about being a spring admit, and the reasons why I would make the same decision again.

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.

By: Terry Nguyen, ‘20

As a dorm-residing freshman, it is easy to complain about the culinary scene of the dining halls: The food is too bland, they serve the same options weekly, the cooked meat sometimes looks suspicious, they added cheese into your omelette again — you get the point — the list can go on and on. Nevertheless, as your days at the dining halls are coming to an end, you realize that you have developed some clever food hacks over the past months dining at EVK, Parkside, or McCarthy. It is an acquired skill, and dining hall food is also an acquired taste, especially after months and months of the same salad bar with the same offered options of condiments. You learn to look past EVK’s strange-looking edamame, and un-avocado-like “avocado” sandwich spread. The period of super salty kale and sauteed greens are also fading into the memories of first semester. As a soon-to-be sophomore, here are a few easy food hacks to make the most of your time at a dining hall before that all-you-can-eat privilege is replaced by an apartment meal plan — or, no meal plan at all.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

“Office hours” is a popular phrase on college campuses. It is mentioned in almost every syllabus and always comes up during conversations about school with family members, alumni, or academic counselors. Office hours are times that professors or teaching assistants (T/A) set aside to be available to their students. A student may go to see a professor or a T/A during office hours because they don’t understand class material, want guidance in the course, or to pursue a topic in more depth than it was covered in class. Going to office hours seems like a pretty simple key to success, but if you’re an introvert or a shy person like myself meeting with your professor seems to be uncomfortable and scary. I’ll be honest, it was not until midterms of my first semester to feel 100% comfortable talking to my professors. I initially was very anxious and scared that I would have been disturbing the professor or asking “stupid questions.” However as time went on, I developed coping strategies that helped me to overcome my office hours jitters.

By: Adriana Bernal Martinez ‘20

Next year, we’ll have McCarthy Honors College in The Village to consider as an additional option to the already present freshman dorms – but for now, I’ve taken upon the task of getting the scoop on current USC students’ reviews of their residence halls and suites for the 2016-2017 year. Here’s to hoping that this post compiling facts and feedback from the people that were in your shoes last year can help you incoming Class of 2021-ers a little bit in your housing preferences! It’s coming up a lot sooner than you think.

By: Adriana Bernal Martinez ‘20

Hi there! I’m Adriana, Adri for short, and I’m a First-Year student studying Business Administration at the Marshall School of Business and minoring in French.

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

USC is a large school with over 44,000 students on campus. How does one keep up to date on what is happening on campus and off campus while trying to study all day and keep up with their Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram feeds? We have got a list for you:

By: Michael Boyle ‘18

USC prides itself on having a wide variety of student organizations, but which one is the right one for you? Take our latest quiz to find out!

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!

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

If you’re anything like me, you are pretty pumped to have access to the Spring 2017 schedule of courses. There’s just so much potential and so many courses to choose from; my roommate and I were literally counting down the days before its release two weeks ago. Even if you’re not quite on our level of excitement, I want to make sure you’re aware of the amazing 2-unit courses available to you, regardless of your major. The Courses of Interest page conveniently details courses chosen by the designated departments for students who are not majoring in that particular subject but who might find them enjoyable and beneficial. Nothing like being well-rounded and multi-interested, am I right?