By: Grace Carballo ‘17

It recently came to my attention that I am graduating in less than 2 months, which means these last few weeks as a USC undergrad will be both the best of times and the worst of times. I’m as curious as you are to see what I do after graduation! These last few weeks aren’t all fun and games and increasingly desperate job applications! We, the seniors, have some decisions to make before Commencement 2017.

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: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

Are you a lover of books (and free stuff)? Then head over to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this April!

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

Between midterms, jobs, internships, homework, and relationships taking time for yourself can be the last thing on a student’s mind. Taking on too many tasks, overbooking yourself, and never slowing down can put a student in a diminished physical, emotional, and mental state.

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

This past March 9th, 2017 I had the pleasure of attending two speaker events. The beauty of USC is that you can have your major and still be in touch with your interests. My way of doing that is attending more speaker events that I should be on campus. It is rare that on the same day there are two high profile speaker events but the Thursday of March 9th was one of those days.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Friday, I met some amazing and inspiring peers at the Diversity Networking Mixer at SCA through several rounds of “speed dating.” The event was hosted by Acción Latina, USC WCA (Women of Cinematic Arts), African American Cinema Society, the Asian American Cinema Association, and Queer Cut, the School of Cinematic Arts’ diversity organizations.

By: Terry Nguyen ‘20

What do you meme you haven’t heard of USC’s meme page? For the latest college trend this past semester, students are turning to a new fascination within internet culture: college-related memes featured on Facebook meme “pages” within a university subculture. As meme culture continues to grow in popularity, college campuses are adopting their own, specific brands of humor. USC is no exception. USC’s page, titled USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens, takes its name inspiration from UC Berkeley’s — UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens. UCLA consequently named its group UCLA Memes for Sick AF Tweens, but the Trojan meme-makers would like to believe pre-teens are arguably cooler than “sick af” tweens. But the real question is: what makes USC’s meme page so iconic? An average USC student’s humor consists of more than simply bagging on UCLA students; it’s a combination of poorly Photoshopped Nikias memes, the slow burn torture of rising tuition, and the strange neo-Gothic pointy structures that guard USC’s gates.

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

There should never be a day or moment where you don’t put your mental health first. You may have heard of the awesome resources at the OWHP Wellness Lounge, but have you heard of the counseling services on the third floor? If you’re going through depression, anxiety, and/or other mental health issues, this place may be what you need.

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

Hi, all! My name is Lilly Kate Diaz (aka LKD aka Lilly-Kate). I am a First-Year/Freshman (and First Gen!) student studying English with an emphasis in Literature (soon to be minoring in IT).

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: Ayman Siraj ‘18

It is that time of the semester when the whole campus seems to get serious about studies – midterms are in full swing, group projects assigned and for some panic sets in as they try to keep up with the express pace of classes at USC. Many of us think of Leavey Library but there are other great spots as well. Here is my list of the 5 best places to study on campus!