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?
Come with Me to a Men’s Volleyball Game
By: Kelsey Cheng ‘25
Did you know that USC students can watch regular-season, home games for almost every sport? Last week, Trojans faced off against UC San Diego at the Galen Center. As a long-time fan of USC volleyball, I jumped at the chance to see my school’s victory over the Tritons. Follow me to learn more about the volleyball game experience!
Webb Tower vs Birnkrant: A Review of Apartment vs Dorm Living
By: Kristen Adams ‘25 and Kelsey Cheng ‘25
Choosing where to live while at USC can be a difficult feat, especially for freshmen. With four traditional freshman dorms, two freshman suites options, and four freshman apartments to choose from, the process of finding your best housing fit can be tiring and stressful. In this article, Kelsey and Kristen will be diving into their freshmen living experiences so that you can learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the dorm experience versus the apartment experience at USC!
5 Travel Tips for Heading Home during Winter Break
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in airports during layovers and on planes themselves, but since the pandemic hit, I’ve only been on a plane twice since March of 2020. Since winter break is coming up and it’s time to head home for the holidays, I put together this list of tips to remind myself and all of you of easy ways to make air travel less daunting this holiday season. All of these tips I’ve learned, tested, and used over the years — especially when I have to travel on my own — to help manage the potential chaos an anxiety travel can bring.
Come with Me to the 2021 Teen Vogue Summit
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
On Saturday, December 4th, I headed down to Goya Studios to attend the Teen Vogue Summit. This outdoor event was half block party and half convention: there were booths from LA brands and vendors, as well as panels and musical performances running on an outdoor stage. I was immediately drawn in by the event advertising a chance to network with other Teen Vogue readers, editors, and panelists as well as receive career advice from Condè Nast recruiters. The event felt full of opportunity and community.
Tips For Exploring LA On Your Own
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
When I moved to LA, I didn’t know a single person who lived here. I felt isolated and like I was missing out on huge parts of my new city since I would only visit places I could walk to from the USC area. For a long time, I thought I had to wait to make friends to explore LA, and that mindset only made the loneliness I was experiencing when I first moved worse. Eventually, I decided I couldn’t wait around for other people to start having fun and enjoying my new home; through that process, I discovered that I really love exploring on my own! I know so many people are hesitant to venture out by themselves, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned along the way that might make it feel a bit less daunting. If you want to actually see what it’s like, I also vlogged my trips to Los Feliz and Echo Park and the week I went to Studio City, Hollywood, and the Grove!
Rivalry Week 2021
By: Kelsey Cheng ‘25
It’s the gameday of the year––the USC vs UCLA football game. After a year-long hiatus due to COVID-19, Trojans are welcoming back decades-long traditions during Rivalry Week. The days leading up to the big game against our crosstown rival are filled with history and spirit. If you didn’t get a chance to see it for yourself, learn more here about how Trojans prepared to face the other LA school last Saturday!
Everything You Need to Know about ¡Día de los Muertos!
By: Nancy Aguilar ‘22
Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a holiday of Mexican origin dedicated to remembering and honoring the deceased. The holiday is typically celebrated by cleaning the graves in the cemetery and setting an altar (ofrenda) dedicated to the dead. In the majority of Mexico, Día de los Muertos is celebrated from October 31st-November 1st but the dates there and internationally can extend to over a number of days.
Power Couple Saves Student Laptops and Livelihoods at the USC Village
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
Everyone breezes right past the sleek, austere storefront that almost looks like a mini Apple store on Jefferson—that is, until they’re in trouble. For where else can a student with two essays and a presentation due the next day go when smoke starts wafting out of their laptop?
Tips For The Best Concert Experience
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
With the COVID vaccine more widely distributed and new safety measures in place, live music is making its return to LA and around the globe. As a music industry major, I’m selfishly excited to get back to live shows, but I’m also relieved for the small venues who have fought hard to stay open through the last year and a half. Since we’re all a bit out of practice when it comes to going to concerts, I made a list of six tips to make sure you have the most fun (and safe) experience possible seeing your favorite artists live.
What I Eat at USC Dining Halls in a Week!
By: Kristen Adams ‘25
At USC, you can choose from three different dining halls: EVK, the Village, and Parkside. There are pros and cons to each dining hall, though it is important to note that the ratings and opinions about each dining hall and the food they offer are subjective; every eater has different preferences! Below is a quick rundown and analysis of each dining hall, mainly taking location and variety into consideration. Following the rundown is a picture gallery of all the meals I’ve eaten from the dining halls in the past week. Enjoy!
My Moving Journey: What I Learned (Part 2)
By: Sydney Henry ‘24
Welcome back! This is Part 2 of My Moving Journey, so make sure to go and check out Part 1 first before reading this one. Part 2 is going to be all about the actual plane ride and touching down in LA! The best part!
My Moving Journey: What I Learned (Part 1)
By: Sydney Henry ‘24
Welcome back everyone! It’s a new semester, everyone is back on campus, and everyone is still not over the end of summer break. My last post of the spring semester talked about me getting ready to move cross country from New York to California to attend USC, and let’s just say I both did and didn’t follow my own advice. Yikes! But, as I said in that last post, this is a learning experience for all of us, and I definitely learned a lot. A lot that I can share with you all.