The Trojan Legacy: History of the USC Football Team
The Trojan legacy is deeply rooted in the prominence of the football team: gameday traditions, tailgating, and everything surrounding USC athletics. Established in 1888, USC Trojans football has claimed several national championships, 55 bowl appearances, and over 800 wins as of 2024. This football team made their first collegiate appearance in 1889, taking victory 40-0 against St. Vincent’s College. Today, all USC home football games take place at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, commissioned in 1921 as a tribute to veterans of World War I and is a site of 3 Summer Olympics.
A Freshman Perspective: Things I’ve Learned From This Semester
As my first semester here at USC comes to an end, I’ll say that my experience here has been nothing short of both pleasant adventures and those much-needed learning curves. So, here is a list of things I’ve learned over my time here on campus.
Review of DFTC’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show
This past Halloween season, I discovered so many people close to me that were unaware of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This year, I worked on DFTC’s production of it as a lead Hair and Makeup artist, but this was far from the beginning of my obsession with the franchise. The campy, raunchy, music-filled show is an unforgettable experience each time.
5 Shows USC Students Should Watch With Their Free Max Subscription
Looking for a more fulfilling way to procrastinate than doom scrolling? Luckily, USC provides free HBO Max (now just Max) specifically for these situations! Perfect for midterms or finals season when you’ve already cleaned your whole apartment/dorm, and now there’s nothing else to feasibly rationalize not working. As a professional procrastinator, here are some of my recommendations for shows to binge watch deep into the night and early morning.
Must-Watch Modern Horror Movies & Shows for October
As someone who can be a bit of a weenie when it comes to watching horror, yet still loves the stories, it can be hard finding the perfect horror movie/show to watch that balances good storytelling yet is scary. Lots of people have seen/heard of the classics like Scream, and The Exorcist, but there’s numerous modern horror projects that are equally as scary/fun that you might’ve not heard of.
The Correlation Between My Seat and Productivity
When selecting a place to sit, I consider two crucial factors: people and proximity. Ask what your college can do for you. There I said it. Students and professors who take a fleeting glance at me crouched on the floor motivate me to look productive and therefore be productive. Sitting next to the lecture hall makes the looming nearness of the next class a ticking time bomb to finish my readings at hand.
4 Reasons Off-Campus Housing is Better
Living on campus is a dream, mostly in the sense that you romanticize it in your own head. Before moving to college, living in a dorm seems really cool (not for me because I was terrified of communal bathrooms but still); you get to basically live in a building with all the people you know and campus is a step or two away. However, living there becomes painful eventually, as you realize that when you’re exhausted or looking your worst and just want to go out to get some food or head to the library, there’s a 95% chance that you’ll run into someone you know. Randomly seeing people is only fun in theory.
Scholarships You Should Apply to if You’re from SoCal
You often hear that there’s millions of scholarships available for college students. But most of these scholarships can have extremely niche criteria that you don’t feel like applies to you, or feel like a shot in the dark. As someone who’s successfully landed thousands in scholarships, in my experience, the more narrow the criteria to apply to a scholarship, the more likely you are to get that scholarship. And surprise, surprise, there can be one piece of criteria that already benefits a large percentage of USC students.
Celebrating Valentine's Day at USC
Are you ready for Valentine's Day? Excited to dive into a sea of romance, or perhaps you're approaching it with a different mindset altogether? Whether you're basking in the company of a significant other, treasured friends, or prioritizing self-care, seize the opportunity to savor each moment and sprinkle love wherever you tread. Regardless of your plans, Valentine's Day at USC offers a diverse array of activities and opportunities to celebrate love in all its forms. In this blog, we'll explore the V-day atmosphere on campus, delve into some of the dating topics and trends emerging in the Trojan dating landscapes and highlight some exciting Valentine's Day events and activities happening at USC.
Never Have I Ever: USC Edition
Never Have I Ever is a fun game to play to get to know your friends better. We gave it a twist and came up with over 100 USC related “Never Have I Ever” questions to play with your friends. Enjoy!
10 Last Minute Halloween Costumes
It’s that time of year we’re trudging up the hill of projects disguised as midterms and trying to maintain that treasured “work-life balance.” The last thing on your mind is what three Halloweekend costumes you’ll need to scrounge together with accessories that may or may not come in time. So, here are some last-minute costumes that you can put together with clothes in your closet.
Slice Shop @ TCC Pizzas Ranked from Worst to Best
I was somewhat surprised when TCC began selling pizza slices this school year. I understand the pasta place next to it, but when college students already get so much free pizza from club events and campus talks, pizza that costs money better be worth it. I tried all of Slice Shop’s Pizzas and ranked them from worst to best. Here’s my take:
Filone’s Pasta Kitchen @ TCC Dishes Ranked from Worst to Best
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
There are only so many options when it comes to on-campus dining, so it’s always exciting to see a new place pop up. A few months after Filone’s Pasta Kitchen opened, I went down to the TCC and ranked each dish from worst to best. Here’s my take on what to order (and what to avoid).
South Asian Coming of Age Movies you should add to your Netflix Watch List!
By: Tamanna Sood ‘24
Have you been craving something new to watch lately? Is your current watch list going a little stale? Well fear not! As your resident Bollywood Movie expert (take this with a grain of salt), I’m here to help diversify your watch list. Here are some incredible Bollywood “coming of age” movies on Netflix to offer both a sense of comfort and entertainment!
List of Discounts and Free Subscriptions for USC Students
By: Amy Argueta ‘24 (USC Student Life Guest Blogger)
One of the perks of being a USC student is the wealth of discounts available to many of your favorite brands. From free streaming subscriptions to discounted or even free entrance to theme parks and museums around LA, there are many ways to save money during your time at USC.
5 Classic Rom-Coms to Watch this Holiday Season!
By: Sanaa Alam ‘25
One of the best parts of the winter holidays is cuddling next to the fireplace with a warm cup of hot chocolate or cider, spending time with family and friends, and watching holiday movies! As an avid rom-com watcher, here’s my favorite 90s and early 2000s movies perfect for embracing the holiday vibes this winter season!
10 HBO Max and Showtime Movies to Watch during Winter Break
By: Hannah Skinner ‘23
If you didn’t know already, USC students have free access to both HBO Max and Showtime! Now that winter break is coming up it’s the perfect time to flex your free accounts and have a movie night at home with friends and family. Here are 10 movies to add to your watchlist.
The Best Food in L.A. (On a Budget)
By: Sian Salazar ‘25 (Guest Blogger)
As a current college student who’s already (more than) breaking the bank just by attending USC, I know the importance of keeping your spending under a budget. So I’ve put together a quick list of places in Los Angeles with cheap, student-budget-friendly food.
Top 5 Fryft Zone Foodie Spots
By: Esther Cho ‘23
It’s Thursday Night and all you’ve got in the fridge is a piece of stale bread and a banana. You can’t go grocery shopping until tomorrow, earliest— and in all honesty, you’ve been subsisting off instant ramen for the past week…
Big New Movies to Watch This Year
By: Claire Wong ‘23
COVID-19 has been an interesting period for movies. Movies have been digitally released this year because theaters across the nation are closed. And without the theater experience, watching movie is not as appealing. Movies have been very much marketing their films differently this season and you may have missed some. Here are some of the best movies released this year!