By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

If you’re growing tired of going to the same fast food places on Figueroa over and over again, then it’s time for you to check out Mercado La Paloma. It’s a food court-style market with a number of restaurants and small shops offering everything from vegan Ethiopian food to traditional Yucatan cuisine, and it’s only two blocks away from campus! The food isn’t even the best part. Mercado La Paloma is a project overseen by the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation whose goal is to “promote business-ownership opportunities” and “living wage jobs” while building a stronger community. On the second floor of the building there are non-profit offices and spaces for classes and community meetings. So, when you go to get some delicious food, you’ll be supporting a great cause, as well! Keep reading to learn more about the restaurants waiting for you there.

By: Danielle Collins ‘20

Living a healthy lifestyle is one of the biggest struggles of being a college student. As someone who used to hate working out, I had a hard time finding motivation to go to the gym. But investing in a USC Group Fitness Membership last semester changed all of that. With the mid-semester membership discount coming up on March 1st, I wanted to share some information about USC Workout. Purchasing a USC Group Fitness Membership gives you unlimited access to fitness classes at the Lyon Center and the Village Gym. USC offers a variety of classes throughout the day every day. Keep reading to find out more about USC Group Fitness Memberships and how to sign up!

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

In the words of John Keating (played by Robin Williams) from Dead Poets’ Society. Okay, so yes – I am a little biased when it comes to poetry because I, myself, am a poet. But in this post, I’m going to tell you why college students (and honestly, everyone) should write poetry.

By: Natalia Wurst ‘21

There’s an informal consensus I’ve gathered from making conversation with sleep deprived people on elevators: midterm season is just a never-ending cycle of death that comes at you every few weeks and doesn’t go away. I make a lot of jokes about crying at Leavey for a girl who’s trying to seem reputable here, so we’ll put those aside for now–here’s how to finally get around to being productive in these very bleak times.

By: Maddie Walsh ‘20

Everyone has pet peeves, whether it’s the sound of cracking knuckles or slow walkers taking up the whole hallway, and professors are no exception. I spoke with a number of USC professors to learn about the little things that students do that stand out as particularly annoying. You can get on your prof’s good side by avoiding these 5 things!

By: Jamie Wu ‘18

Daniella Mohazab is a senior studying Communication, Media Economics and Entrepreneurship, and is a first year masters student studying Communication Management. Aside from her passion for communication, she is also a strong advocate for the mental well-being of students on our USC campus as well as young adults across the U.S.

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no. I didn’t stay out too late, and I wasn’t being an irresponsible college student. I was living it up on the dance floor at 7 AM on a Wednesday for the good of my health. The fact of the matter is: I hate exercise. I hate going to the gym. I hate running. I hate movement just for the sake of movement. You will never find me doing squats at the gym. You will never find me on an elliptical or a treadmill. And if you do, check up on me to make sure I’m alright.

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

I’m sure we’ve all joked about being broke. (Who hasn’t been the broke college student?) But as adults, we have to have some responsibility with money. And as we pass February and the following months, we will experience some type of drainage from our wallets. So, as I have done some seeking of ways to save money, I figured that I should pass down 5 tips that I think are super useful. These tips don’t need to go in order, but you can if you want!

By: Jamie Wu ‘18

As a senior, I’ve taken my fair share of classes here, ranging from linear algebra, acting 101 to Byzantine art history. But as I’m sure we can all agree, school sometimes doesn’t get us ready for the real world. Throughout my time here, these are the classes I’ve found to be the most helpful in my everyday life. If you still have time left in college, I highly suggest taking a look at some of them.

By: Danielle Collins ‘20

I love movies, and I love seeing movies at the theater. But in LA, too many movies nights can break the bank. Coming from my hometown where movie tickets are $7, going to the theater in LA was a shock. So I’ve done my best to figure out how to keep seeing movies without draining my bank account. My two biggest recommendations are buying tickets from the USC Ticket Office, or investing in MoviePass if you’re a serious moviegoer. Keep reading to learn about those options and a couple of other suggestions!

By: Alexis Peters ‘20

Hey peeps! I’m Alexis (or Lexi or Lex or whatever floats your boat, really) and I’m very excited to be able to share my escapades as a USC student with you all! When I tell someone my major, usually the first question I get is: “So, like, what is that?” I guess I understand since Narrative Studies isn’t something you hear everyday, nor is it one single discipline. Being a Narrative Studies major means that I love telling stories.

By: Natalia Wurst ‘21

Hey guys, my name is Natalia. I’m a (mildly confused) freshman studying psychology but also thinking about double-majoring in neuroscience and minoring in law and public policy and also going to law school after graduation - so who even knows what’s up at this point. I’ll try to sprinkle in some fun facts into this intro post so it doesn’t sound like I’m just regurgitating my resume at you and hoping you’ll think I’m cool.