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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Study Tips to Get You Through Finals Season
Finals season is upon us—sometimes, this means a few reflections, one big test and maybe an essay. But if you’re like me, this finals season is especially stressful (ten things to turn in during one week?!?) However, the dreaded finals season can be stressful no matter what you have to do if you aren’t taking care of yourself properly. I’m going to be talking about some tips that help me during finals.
Setting realistic standards 101
By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24
Most goals cannot be achieved overnight. While I may go to bed early one night, creating consistency and not falling back on my old habits is hard. I’m trying to implement this goal by setting a routine or schedule for myself, and being okay with not perfectly meeting my goals all the time.
How to fix your sleep schedule
By: Sydney Fioerentino ‘24
I used to be an insomniac. I couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard I tried, and I would stay awake until 3-5 a.m. each night. My body felt tired, but my mind was lit up worrying about school. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I knew something had to give.
Setting Boundaries: Saying "No"
By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24
I struggled with this, especially with friendships. I’m more of a selfless type of person, and last semester, every time I was invited to someone’s house or to go out to a party, I would say yes. In my head, this was my chance to make friends and have an exciting college experience, but internally, I felt socially exhausted and just wanted to stay home sometimes.
8 pieces of advice for Graduate Students at USC
By: Joshen Mantai ‘24 (USC Student Life Guest Blogger)
When I first got to USC as a graduate student at Annenberg, I didn’t know what to expect for my experience, especially at a university in the middle of such a big city. Would it be like my undergraduate experience at UC Santa Barbara, or did I have to prepare myself for a whole new environment with a separate identity? So, for any incoming or current graduate students, I’m sharing what I’ve learned through my first semester experience so far.
Come With Me to LNSC!
By: Amy Argueta ‘24 (Guest Blogger)
Did you know that Late Night SC’ (LNSC) hosts a series of free events that are held every month and are open to all USC students? Some past events this semester have included Paint Night, Self Care Night, and a Gardening Tea-Party event. Honestly, I don’t take advantage of these free events enough, but this semester I decided to change that and went to a few LNSC events to see what they were like. If you want to learn more about my experience attending these events then keep reading!
The COVID Survival Guide
By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘ 24
We are all trying our best to not catch COVID-19, but cases have gone up because of Omicron and the holidays; unfortunately, I caught the virus myself. Let me say, you do not want to get it. But on the off chance that you do, here is a small survival guide that’ll help make your 10-day quarantine and recovery better:
Time to Recharge: Here’s What I’m Doing Over Break
By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24
The semester is almost over, and if you are like me, your social battery may need some recharging. I would say I’m an outgoing person and partially extroverted, but there are definitely times where I would love to stay home and watch Netflix by myself. I’ve noticed USC is a pretty social school, and I get to see my friends every single day and night. However, I do get tired of partying or going out every weekend, and sometimes I just want to sleep and be left alone. Now that winter break is coming up, this is the perfect time for me and anyone else to recharge their social battery. Here are some things I am going to do to help myself relax:
Self Care Day Tips
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
We all know by now that prioritizing your mental and physical health is a must, but it’s definitely easier said than done as students. At this point in the semester, we’re probably all more than a little tired and in need of a break, so I’ve compiled a list of five tips to help you make the most out of your days off.
The Importance of Sleep for College Students
By: Una Stanisavljevic ‘22
For many college students, receiving the preferred number of hours of sleep can be difficult. From grueling through all-nighters to attending parties, filling in the gap by recharging your body is a crucial component of self-care. While it might seem like an appealing idea in the beginning, choosing to swap sleep for coffee will not last in the long run.
Revisiting The Basics: Self-Care Checklist
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
Well, 2020 has been quite the year, or I guess I should say “is” since even now, we’re still going through it. Staying on top of schoolwork in a condensed semester would be a struggle regardless, but on top of our current climate, at least for me, “tough” doesn’t really cover it. Finding a balance between work and self-care is extremely difficult, but it’s also extremely important. Essential, really. Which brings me to this post: a checklist and a list of resources. Listed below are reminders and tools to so you can take care of yourself and help you get through this crazy time. If you feel you haven’t been taking care of yourself as well as you should have, this is your sign to turn it all around.
Sick Day/Day-Off Checklist
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
Being perfectly honest, I was never one of those people who got perfect attendance. I just couldn’t do it. At some point during the year, I’m either going to come down with something or just completely burn myself out. I’m a believer in breaks sometimes being necessary and that there is nothing wrong with them, but as college students, we do have responsibilities and we can’t just throw them to the wind at every whim. So, before you go ahead and skip that 9AM lecture because you’re feeling a bit off, run through this list and make sure you have all your pieces in place.