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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Best Free Meditation Apps to Unwind During Finals
Sometimes school can get overwhelming, especially with end of the year projects and finals coming around the corner. One method that I use to help me decompress is meditation.
A Beginner’s Guide To Meal Prepping
By: Star McCown ‘21
What is Meal Prep? Meal prep is when you plan your meals and snacks for the week ahead of time, preparing your meals early on, and portioning them out for convenient meals-to-go throughout the week. Why should you try meal prepping? Well, meal prepping can help you eat balanced and nutritious meals, and exercise good portion control. You can also save money planning and making your meals ahead of time rather than eating out when you’re too busy to cook, or wasting money on groceries that end up going bad before you remember to use them. Don’t know how to cook? That’s okay! Your meal prep journey can begin with simple beginner recipes, and over time, you can level up your meal prep once you feel more confident in your cooking abilities. If meal prep sounds like something you want to try, then this blog post will help you get started on your meal prep journey.
USC COVID-19 Testing 101
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
Within the first week of classes, there was an incidence of 104 new cases of COVID-19 amongst students living on or near the USC campus. Awareness of proper hygienic practices like washing your hands for 20 seconds (or more) and social distancing has increased during this pandemic, but it wasn’t sufficient to prevent the parties and gatherings resulting in overall a hundred students now being quarantined at the USC Hotel. If you’re staying in or near USC and living with others, it is strongly recommended that you get tested for COVID every week. Here’s a quick guide on how to get tested.
Life Lessons from Jameela Jamil’s Talk at USC
By: Antonia Le ‘22
On October 28, actress and activist Jameela Jamil came to USC and spoke at Bovard Auditorium in a discussion moderated by Dr. Stacy Smith, of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Jamil’s talk at USC was sponsored by USC’s very own SAGE (Student Assembly for Gender Empowerment), working with USG, USC Speakers Committee, ISA, and SCIA. During the event, Jamil spoke about self-love, being an activist, and staying strong in the face of criticism and adversity. If you had to miss the event, here are some bits of wisdom from Jamil that should be heard by everyone.
Confessions of a High School Valedictorian
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
Transitioning into college is a journey, and one of the greatest obstacles is developing a growth mindset. It can be challenging going from being top of your high school class to “average” in a USC curved class. Nevertheless, it’s vital that college students all learn to dissociate self-esteem and self-worth from grades and prevent a fixed mindset from holding them back. The following is a very personal account of my own slow development to having a healthier mindset about not only grades, but about myself.
How to Stay Awake in Class Without Coffee
By: Antonia Le ‘22
We’ve all been there. You tell yourself that you’ll stay up a little bit to study for your midterm, but when it comes time to actually take the test, you find yourself wanting to doze off halfway through. Or maybe you had a great night’s sleep, but there’s that one professor whose voice just puts you to sleep. However, you might not want to reach for that cup of coffee just yet. Drinking too much caffeine (or caffeine at the wrong time of day) can mess up your sleep schedule and send you into an infinite loop of feeling tired, reaching for a cup of coffee, and not getting enough sleep. Instead, try these tricks for staying awake in class!
Plan B for Plan B: Emergency Contraception Around USC
By: Karla Leung ‘22
Accidents are a part of life, and in a pinch, it’s good to know where to find emergency contraceptives. Purchasing Plan B, a pregnancy test, or any other sexual health item can sometimes be embarrassing or nerve-wracking. Luckily, there are a variety of places around and off campus that provide discrete and convenient access.
How to Stay Healthy (Physically and Mentally) While Abroad
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
When you go abroad, you’ll start to hear all the usual jokes about the “Abroad 15.” And to be honest, you might put on a pound or two. I mean, let’s face it, there’s a whole world of new foods to try. But that doesn’t mean you should completely let yourself go. Here are some tips to stay healthy, physically and mentally, while abroad.
Meditation Tips for College Students
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
It seems like it’s always something when it comes to our health and wellness. From yoga to barre to being gluten-free or juicing every day; there is always a new trend. “Mindfulness” and “meditation” are popular buzzwords these days but they’ve been a part of my life for almost 10 years! I started meditating after attending group yoga when I was in middle school. My parent’s had recently gotten divorced and my mom found it was a good way to channel and focus negative energy and thoughts. 7 years later, I found she was right.
Food for Thought: Study Snacks of Champions
By: AnnaLiese Burich ‘17
I think it’s been hitting us all recently: the end of the semester is basically here. I know, I know, it felt like we were battling the summer heat yesterday, but now it’s time to be buying Christmas presents, eating Thanksgiving turkey, and….studying for finals.