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
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A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Google Sheet Assignment Tracker
For those who’ve tried Notion, physical planners, or just Google Calendar, sometimes it can be hard to choose and stick with a platform for that one-stop place for all your tasks. For me, since freshman year, I've created a google sheet listing out all of my assignments and deadlines for the semester and it's been a game changer.
Why I Don’t Make New Years’ Resolutions Anymore
The start of the new year feels like a blank slate or the perfect opportunity to rewrite the script of our lives. For years, I embraced the spirit of the New Years’ resolution, partly because it was a popular grade school post-recess activity and partly because I genuinely enjoyed believing I would be a different person in the next calendar year. My lists would look a little different every year but would still be brimming with the same ambitious flavor.
Why You Should Watch ATVN
When I first stepped into the Annenberg Media Center, I was blown away — and also a little overwhelmed. Television screens stretch high up the walls, displaying various news outlets and types of current news. There’s overlapping sounds about sports, culture, health and foreign affairs. From KTLA weather forecasts to CNN political panels, the message is clear: there was always news, there is always news, and there will always be news. It’s a cycle that never sleeps.
How I’ve Embraced Being a Second-Gen Student in a Semi-New World
To the untrained eye, college appears to be a foreign world teeming with unknown life. Amongst outsiders, the subject of a stereotypical USC student conjures images of a child in a family of Trojans who holds a certain amount of wealth. But upon closer inspection, you’ll find that the school’s environment contains many people who exist outside of the norm. In recent years, 25% of admitted students were first-generation and 22% of undergraduates are defined as low income.
How Eye Contact Could Change Your College Experience
Sometimes it feels like the friendliness at this school flows as much as the LA river. Maybe it was strong and powerful in the past. But over time, it’s slowed to a trickle. Then the walls went up, and now at times, the friendliness is barely there. In some areas, it’s more of a creek than a river, to be honest.
The BEST Finals Study Tips & Tricks
By: Ela Rybak ‘25
With finals around the corner, studying is at the forefront of most people’s minds. However, you may feel stuck in a rut with study techniques that no longer feel beneficial. There are a variety of study methods, and the most effective method will depend on your learning style and preferences. Here are some general tips and strategies that may be helpful as you prepare for these major cumulative exams.
Freshman Dorm Reviews: 2023 Edition
By: Kathryn Aurelio ‘25
A year ago I was scouring Reddit pages and outdated advice columns in search of the “best” and “worst” places to make my new home for freshman year. Although everyone has their own biases and preferences, here is a summary of the general consensus and my recommendations for the best places to live on-campus your freshman year.
Advice for Navigating Tense Roommate Situations
By: Kathryn Aurelio ‘25
As much as university life means curating consistent health and study habits while being independent of your family, it also welcomes in living with another person striving for the same goals. While the honeymoon phase of school begins when we’re eagerly attending welcome events, debriefing afterward, bonding over coffee, and much more, it’s inevitable to have some level of conflict throughout the school year. To nip possible tense situations in the bud, here are words of advice to navigate a co-living life:
What should seniors know? A Q&A with recent grads
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
I’m graduating in a month and I have no idea how to process the fact. What should us graduating seniors know about the next stage of life and how has our college experience prepared us for that? I talked to a handful of recent USC and Trojan360 grads to find out.
The Introvert’s Guide to Networking
By: Ngai Yeung ‘23
Everyone loves to talk about how important networking is, but no one ever gives you a clear answer about how to do it. As a big time introvert, this is extra frustrating because chatting doesn’t come naturally to me. So when I saw that the USC Career Center was hosting a “Networking for Introverts” workshop (bless their heart), of course, I had to check it out. Here’s what I learned at the event, along with my own experiences as a reporter moonlighting as an extrovert:
What I’m Doing Differently This Semester
By: Kathryn Aurelio ’25
It’s that time of year again where we’re all jamming our notes app with new year's resolutions, collaging magazine clippings into a vibrant vision board, and saving TikToks of new food plans (and never clicking on them again). My Fall 2022 semester was jam-packed with extracurricular activities, an internship, and work-study jobs, and while I see a pattern of the workload repeating itself this semester, I hope to prioritize—or at least hold to the same level—my physical and mental health. This semester, I’m breaking the cycle…and I’m using this article to hold me to it.
I Had My First Internship This Semester: What I Learned + Tips For Landing Your Dream Position
By: Nancy Aguilar Sanchez ‘22
It took me a really long time to work up the courage to apply for internships, but I cannot stress enough how much I wish I would’ve done it sooner! Companies need interns just as much as we need them, so always make sure that you are being valued and that you’re getting what you’re looking for out of the experience.