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
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New Years Resolutions You Can ACTUALLY Keep This Year
By: Claire Wong ‘23
With the new year comes resolutions, but we all know that new year’s resolutions don’t always last. Here are some alternative resolutions that are more practical and aim to create sustainable, long-lasting habits instead of drastic lifestyle changes.
The Importance of Maintaining Close Relationships
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
With the raging pandemic and social distancing, it can be increasingly difficult to have meaningful interactions with friends and family. Perhaps your best friend, whom you previously saw every day, is halfway across the country in a different time zone, and, now that you’ve moved back home, the parents you missed are breathing down your neck and nagging about grades and future plans. Whether it’s due to the increased distance or the lack of any distance, your relationship dynamics have changed. To improve relationship quality and promote mental well-being, you should make the time to find ways to check in with your loved ones and show them you care.
Reviewing USC’s Stay Active Premium Pass
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
With a lot of us still stuck at home, fitness has been a popular topic this year — everyone trying to make the best out of their situation. I’ve made a post about fitness/working out before, but I recently became aware of another option for students: WORK. USC Rec Sports partnered with WORK to bring you even more workouts. WORK offers not only live (everyday but Sunday), but a collection of pre-recorded videos for constant access. Not limited by a schedule, students can have full control over when you’d like to work out, even past the semester. While there are a collection of free classes available, WORK and USC Rec Sports is offering a 70% discount for USC students to total in at $25 a month.
How to Mentally Recharge After Finals
By: Celine Vazquez ‘24
This semester has been far from easy, and pushing through finals season has seriously taken a toll on all of our mental health. After finals are finished, it’s important for us to take a step back and take care of our minds! Here are just a few ways you can mentally recharge after finals, so you can be ready to have a wonderful, relaxing break. Let’s get started, Trojans!
Cheap and Easy Breakfast Ideas for College Students
By: Celine Vazquez ‘24
College comes with tons of responsibilities, and finding easy breakfast recipes shouldn’t be another thing you have to add onto your plate. Luckily, this go-to guide with some of my favorite breakfast ideas has got your back! Stop skipping the most important meal of the day and try these 4 cheap and fool-proof recipes. Let’s get eating!
An Inter-vlog About Stress
By: Nathan Vogel ‘21
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been stressed. And I stress a lot, but this semester has hit harder than I’m used to, and I think that’s been the case for a lot of us. So, I reached out to Dr. Dave Lavond and Dr. Ruth C. White (who have been USC profs! #fighton) for some tips. For all of us stressed Trojans.
Revisiting The Basics: Self-Care Checklist
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
Well, 2020 has been quite the year, or I guess I should say “is” since even now, we’re still going through it. Staying on top of schoolwork in a condensed semester would be a struggle regardless, but on top of our current climate, at least for me, “tough” doesn’t really cover it. Finding a balance between work and self-care is extremely difficult, but it’s also extremely important. Essential, really. Which brings me to this post: a checklist and a list of resources. Listed below are reminders and tools to so you can take care of yourself and help you get through this crazy time. If you feel you haven’t been taking care of yourself as well as you should have, this is your sign to turn it all around.
USC COVID-19 Testing 101
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
Within the first week of classes, there was an incidence of 104 new cases of COVID-19 amongst students living on or near the USC campus. Awareness of proper hygienic practices like washing your hands for 20 seconds (or more) and social distancing has increased during this pandemic, but it wasn’t sufficient to prevent the parties and gatherings resulting in overall a hundred students now being quarantined at the USC Hotel. If you’re staying in or near USC and living with others, it is strongly recommended that you get tested for COVID every week. Here’s a quick guide on how to get tested.
Reasons Why You Should Do Work Outside!
By: Vivika Kapoor ‘23
At the beginning of the semester, I started bringing my homework and assignments outside after feeling cooped up inside libraries and study lounges. I began bringing a picnic blanket out to the Great Lawn and doing my work there, which was one of the best decisions I made in college! Now, I want to share with my fellow Trojans why I love working outside. Check out these reasons why you should learn to love it too!
10 Tips For Succeeding in a Different Time Zone
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
I never expected “15 hour time difference” to be an issue when I first started college; but here I am, just six months into my first year facing a most bizarre academic challenge. After trying out different methods of adjusting for a month, I’ve compiled the following list of tips for succeeding in different time zones – I hope these will help you as much as they have helped me.
Staying Sane in the Midst of Midterm Madness
By: Ann Nguyen ‘22
The endless midterm season has fallen upon many of us, and the mere thought of constant, back-to-back exams and midterm papers alone can drive you insane. How can you manage it all? How do you find your own balance? I’m still in the process of figuring it all out myself, but hopefully these tips from my personal experience will help you out!
Why I Recommend A Social Media Detox
By: Talia Walters ‘20
Two months into the new year, and it’s a good time to reflect on many of our New Year’s Resolutions to see how it’s all going. For me, I’ve given up on most of mine (which is true of almost every year – I’m not a fan of change), but one that I’m still going strong on is a social media detox that I chose to do pretty suddenly. It turns out when your resolutions are things you need to do for yourself, you’re more likely to stick to them – who would’ve thought! Anyways, here’s a review of my experience detoxing social media apps from my life and why I’d recommend doing it.