UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
STUDENT BLOG
-
![]()
Navigating Your First Year as a USC Trojan
by Lanie Brice
-
![]()
Navigating Your First Year as a Spring Admit
by Lanie Brice
-
![]()
How to Balance Your Social Life During Finals
by Donal Buckley
-
![]()
Study Tips and Habits to Get Through Finals Season
by Lauren Liang
looking for something to read?
Lighten Your Load: Tips for Summer Packing
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
As the year winds down, it’s time to get packing! If you’re not within driving distance of USC, packing for the summer can be pretty stressful (I know it is for me). Let me share a few packing tips and tricks to try to lighten your load! There are 3 things you will need to pack: things for storage, things for your suitcase, and things for shipping! Read on to learn more about each step of the packing process.
Spotlight: The Freshman Football Experience
By: Maddie W. ‘20
Football season is a staple of the USC experience, and nothing beats going through it for the first time as a freshman. Most first year students spend the fall semester assembling the perfect game-day outfit, bouncing between fraternity tailgates, and navigating an overcrowded campus on their way to the coliseum, but for a select group of freshmen, game-days don’t involve any barbecues on the row or a crammed student section. No, for the freshmen football players, game-days are all about lining up with their “brothers” and watching their hard work pay off. I had the opportunity to sit down with red-shirt defensive linemen Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu who told me all about their first year being a part of the team, and how the football team takes the phrase “Trojan Family” to a whole new level.
What’s my favorite place on campus?
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
USC is a busy campus. There are 44,000 undergraduate and graduate students walking on campus at any moment. So what is a good place to get away from all that hustle and have a quiet moment to myself? Watch this video to find out!
10 Reasons to Consider Building Government
By: Maddie Walsh ‘20
When building government (BG) elections came around last year, I completely rejected the idea of running for a position as something I would NEVER do. However, when the application to campaign opened this year,I thought why not? I was looking for more leadership opportunities and wanted to be more involved on campus, so I decided to run for president of the Cale and Irani Residential Colleges. At the time, I really had no idea what I was signing up for, but being a part of residential student government (RSG) turned out to be an extremely formative experience.
What I eat in a day as a USC college student
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
What do college students even eat on a regular basis?? Follow me on my food adventures throughout the day!
Visions & Voices Recap - Talking Race: Social Media and Social Justice
By: Amy Wang ‘21
The Visions & Voices event “Talking Race: Social Media and Social Justice“ featured Meredith D. Clark, Karen Grigsby Bates, Feminista Jones, and Felix Gutierrez. While the panel covered many topics regarding social media and its influence on activism, there were several ideas covered that especially piqued my interest.
How To Dining Hall
By: Natalia Wurst ‘21
Even though dining hall food is currently the most unappreciated aspect of my college experience, I know it will quickly turn into the metaphorical “one that got away” the minute I have to cook anything more complicated than pasta. Multiple sources have confirmed this fact. That being said, if you’re a freshman, or even a sophomore/junior/(senior?) with a meal plan, it’s perfectly valid to be sick of months or even years of the same old, same old. No one is denying that this a first world problem, but the struggle is a struggle nonetheless.
What if I don’t get into USC?
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
“USC is my dream school and I’ve wanted to go there ever since I was 5.” I’ve heard this from lots of perspective students and sadly, some of those students don’t get into USC. So what do you do when you’ve put in so much effort in your college applications but it didn’t turn out the way you want? How can you reconcile the fact that you’ve spent countless hours on your common app with the fact that you’ve been rejected from your dream school? I know it’s hard but it’s not the end of the world and I hope these 5 reminders will give you some solace.
Where to Find Free Events @ USC
By: Natalia Wurst ‘21
If you’re anything like me and spent the summer before freshman year researching every possible way to mooch off our school, you probably don’t need this list. But for the rest of you sane people, who still want alternative (FREE) ways to spend your weekend besides watching Netflix, here is where to find them:
What is Motivate & Empower?
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
There are many ways students can get involved on campus, but have you heard of Motivate & Empower (M&E)? If you want to gain a sense of social responsiveness, inspire change, and help to empower local communities, this group is for you.
Kitwana - How Black Greek Life was Reborn at USC
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
Kitwana is a Swahili word, meaning that one vows ‘to live.’ This is what Junior USC student Marcus Burke, an Animation and Digital Arts Major, roared into the cold air Wednesday as he ascended the steps of PED. He and senior Marquis Morris (USC Sociology major and All-American Track athlete) had just officially joined one of the most esteemed fraternities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Game Day As A TMB Member
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
As we are going through Conquest week, and approaching our season ending (of course, with the exclusion of Pac-12/Bowl Game), I have been reflecting on my time here as a part of the TMB and will, in this article, tell you about my game days as a TMB member.