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?
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.
Tales From a Freshman Research Assistant
By: Natalia Wurst ‘21
As of recently, I became a double major. But before deciding law school (and major debt) is definitely for me, I declared psychology as my undergraduate degree—and stuck with it because of how much it fills my heart with joy. The inquires continue to pour in from close family friends and from strangers in the supermarket. “Oh, so you want to be a therapist?” “So can you help us figure out what makes this family so whack?” And of course, my personal favorite, “Are you psychoanalyzing me right now?” (No, yes, and yes).
Top 3 Highs and Lows of College at USC
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
College can be described as a roller coaster full of ups and downs. As a senior, I reflect back on what were my top three and bottom three experiences of college!
What is the biggest misconception about college?
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
College is a great time. But is it always full of good times? Watch to find out the truth about college!
Is College Worth It?
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
It seems like everyone is going to college. But is it worth it for you? Especially now when it’s costing hundreds of thousands of dollars? Watch this video to find out!
Things I Wish I Knew Before Transferring to USC
By: Alexis Peters ‘20
Transferring schools is a big deal when you’re in college. Starting all over again, changing states, losing friends, learning your way around a whole new campus: it can be pretty stressful. USC actually has a quite large transfer student population. So for all the transfers out there: remember you are not alone. I transferred from one four year university to another, so the structure of my college experience wasn’t too different, but the culture was something to get used to. Being a spring transfer student made it difficult to adjust to LA life, from finding my way around the city, making new friends, and joining clubs. And although I have definitely gotten into the swing of things now, looking back on my first semester at SC, I realize there are some things I wish I had known before transferring. So, here it is: 5 things I wish I knew before transferring to USC.
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!
5 Study Hacks
By: Natalia Wurst ‘21
It’s that point in the semester where everything feels extra not okay. Maybe you’d normally be able to handle simultaneously juggling two research papers, ten extracurriculars, and a couple of annoying suitemates, but you’ve been juggling that since mid-September. It’s old news now. I feel pretentious calling the following list “hacks,” like you’ve never thought of them before, but humor me for a little and pretend you haven’t. These are implementable techniques to make such times less hellish.
Pass/No Pass: Here’s What You Need to Know
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
It’s that time of the semester: registration. Time to find those double dipper GEs, bookmark Rate My Professors, and avoid Friday discussions at all costs. One thing you might be considering is whether or not to take a class Pass/No Pass (P/NP). Here’s what you need to know.