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 something to read?
Learning to Love your Loft
By: Antonia Le ‘22
The general housing lottery has come and gone, and cancellation/reassignment time is nearly upon us. For many Trojans who were lucky enough to get into the housing of their dreams, it’s a time to step away and think about what’s really important: buying new decorations for next year’s digs. However, some Trojans are faced with much different tasks: trying to get reassigned to any room other than a loft or figuring out how to downsize their lives so that everything fits into a dorm room the size of a shoebox.
Arts District/Little Tokyo Vlog
By: Awo Jama ‘22
Earlier in the semester, I had the chance to explore both Little Tokyo and Downtown LA’s Arts District with the USC Photo Club on one of their off-campus excursions. After taking the Metro to Little Tokyo as a group, we were each given a map listing several notable sights in the area, and had free reign to explore what peaked our interest the most. Instead of taking stills of the vibrant murals and bustling shops I passed, I opted to film a short vlog which would document my trip:
Football Season’s Over…So Now What?
By: Cameryn Baker ’22
If you’re a big football person and an avid tailgater, you’re probably feeling sort of at a loss about what to do this weekend. Since September 1st, you’ve always had the football team to count on for your Saturday plans. Even if the game was away, you could still always make an event out of it—you could go watch the game at a restaurant with some friends, or, if you were really dedicated, make a road trip out of it and go see the game in person. But we’ve fallen to the Irish, and season is over. Not another Game Day until next Fall. If you’re a football person, that hurts. But don’t be too bummed, to the point where you sit at home and do nothing all weekend. Think of this not as an end to something, but as an opportunity to go try new things. Here are some fun ways you can fill your weekends now that football season has ended.
Where the Locals go in Santa Monica
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
You’ve all heard of and been to the over-crowded Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade, and Main Street strip. While these places are fun to explore, you won’t find them on this list (but if you do want to the stereotypical Santa Monica things, I guarantee there are hundreds of sites that can recommend you activities). The following are some less touristy places in Santa Monica that y’all should visit. Here’s a quick guide of some really amazing attractions and food places sorted by Metro stop!
USC Football When You Hate Football
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
I stood in the Coliseum, the crowd bellowing their support for the Trojan football team all around me. I clapped my hands. This would be fun. This would be fun. I had snagged a spot in the front row, which meant I couldn’t really see everything that happened on the field, but I got to wave to my mom when the Fox camera guy came up to film us. The girl standing next to me kept shaking her pom-pom in my face, so I couldn’t be sure Mom even saw my whole face. Maybe just a peek.
Commuting to USC
By: Camila Grases ‘21
I commute to USC. It’s about a 45 minute to an hour drive to and from my house. “Aw thats so sad, you aren’t getting the FULL college experience.” Oh hush hush now. It’s not sad. I wake up every morning in my own bed, my mom makes me breakfast in morning, and when I get home late, there is almost always food waiting for me (or for my brothers, but who am I to complain?). It’s really not so bad. There are definitely days where I wish I could live here, and have roommates and be able to stay late without having the fact that I have to drive home be in the back of my mind always. But I think having the constant support from my family has helped with my mental stability so much. Of course, there are commuters that don’t still live with their parents and whose experience is so different from mine. And there are students that don’t feel the same way about their parents. I’m just here to share a little bit of wisdom I learned from commuting for a full year now.
5 Reasons Parkside IRC is the Best Freshman Residential College
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
From great food, to diverse cultural events, and great accommodations, Parkside IRC is definitely one of the best places to stay. Let’s pretend I’m unbiased and don’t currently reside in it…here’s why:
Things to do in LA: Night Hike at Griffith Observatory - Tips, Tricks, and My Own Experience
By: Camila Grases ‘21
Listen, there are two kinds of people in this world: (1) The “I’ve been on thousands of night hikes, I basically have night vision, and darkness is my friend” person or (2) The “I enjoy the night from the comfort of my own home, nature is definitely nice but maybe not when I’m outside, because there may be ghosts here” person. Honestly, I’m the second. I am afraid of the dark (just scared of a lot of things really), so when my team brought up the idea of a night hike, I was a bit hesitant. The more I thought about it, though, the more excited I got. Sometimes, it’s the things we are most afraid of that give us the most pleasure. Compared to other thrill-seeking events, hiking is a relatively mundane activity. If you really think about it, it’s just glorified walking. So, we add a little spice. Go at night, in the hills of LA, to watch a city that is more beautiful in the dark than it is in the light. Trust me, it’s worth it.
USC Village Dorm Tour
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
Have you ever wondered what the Priam Residential College in USC’s University Village looks like? Check out this video to get a glimpse!
USC Graduation Vlog
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
How does it feel to be graduated? Watch as I navigate through this crazy but momentous day!
Flight On! RPL’s Mission to Send a Rocket to Space
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
3, 2, 1, blast off! The countdown is on for USC’s Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL). After the end of the semester, RPL will be heading to the desert to launch their student-built rocket, TRAVELER III, into space. I sat down with Karen Zhu, a member of RPL’s core team, to learn more about the upcoming launch.
360 Degree Vlog of a day in my life
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
What’s better than a regular vlog? A 360 degree one!! Here, you can scroll around and see exactly what I see as a college student here at USC. Make sure to click and drag the screen to see our beautiful campus!