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 a specific read?
The Culture of Sex - It’s Never Perfect
High school health class often serves as a crucible for adolescent hormones, as teens find themselves seated alongside one another, grappling with notions of sex, intimacy, and relationships. My own upbringing in a deeply Catholic environment meant that my teacher approached the subject with caution, emphasizing that sex was to be approached with solemnity and reserved for a context of maturity or marriage. It was framed as a sacred act, laden with moral implications.
My Favorite Places to Nap on Campus
By: Antonia Le ‘22
Though I thought that I had outgrown nap-time when I left kindergarten, the truth is that I savor my naps more than ever now that I’m a second-year college student. I’ve even made a habit of taking naps in between my classes, in libraries, or in classroom buildings when I can’t get back to my dorm. If you’re looking for a place to sleep during a temporary study break this finals season (or you simply don’t want to go back to your dorm), here’s the list for you! Read below to learn more about my favorite nap spaces on campus.
Here’s What Self Care Really Is (4 Tough Love Tips)
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
At the end of a long day, you might put on a face mask and light a scented candle. Or maybe you draw yourself a bath and pour yourself a cup of tea to de-stress. This is what most of us would call self care. But I am going to push the boundaries here, and argue that none of that stuff is self care. It’s just the capitalist side of it. Really taking care of yourself is so much more than that, and I believe that these days more than ever, people are forgetting that. This is a time in history where the pressure to succeed is often greater than our willingness to be happy. It’s a time when being overly busy is applauded even when it comes at the expense of your well-being. You can’t just slap on a face mask and cover up for the missing hours of sleep, or the amount of adrenaline coursing through your veins from all the stress.
Preparing Your Body + Mind for Winter: Finals, Seasonal Depression and Family
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
Winter is tough. Get ready and stay ready. Yes, Winter is the season to spend time with family over the holidays, drink hot chocolate, and take cute pictures in your coziest gear, but the colder months can bring about challenges for many of us. Seasonal depression, finals-induced stress, family drama, and terrible skin are just a few of the perils that may affect us, college students.
USC’s “Let’s Talk” Program -- An Overview
By: Antonia Le ‘22
As college students, one of the hardest things for us to do is to take care of our mental health. With midterm season still in full swing for some, while social and extra-curricular responsibilities continue to exist, it’s difficult to find time to sit down and ask yourself, “Am I okay?”. If the answer is no, then it’s near impossible to start making efforts to improve one’s own mental health. I’ve struggled with mental health issues all throughout high school and through my freshman year of college, and for the longest time, I was good at bottling up my feelings and pushing through. However, this semester, I’m taking a harder course load than ever, and I couldn’t deny my own feelings. I needed to talk to someone who would understand how to help me. As a result, I made the trek over to STU 422, where I decided to talk to a counselor for the first time in my entire life.
The Trojan Farmer’s Market
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but every Wednesday—right on USC’s campus in McCarthy Quad—is a farmer’s market. It’s honestly such a great system considering that USC is kind of in a food desert. Meaning: it can be pretty difficult to get fresh and nutritious food options around here. The introduction of Trader Joe’s and Target in the village has been a total lifesaver, but it’s so nice to have the farmer’s market to supplement your fridge stash with fresh, local, beautifully glistening produce, and support local businesses at the same time. Haven’t checked it out? Read on to find out what amazing stuff you’re missing at the farmer’s market, and why farmer’s markets are better than traditional grocery stores:
Staying Well During Midterms
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
It’s the height of midterm season and everyone around you is getting sick. The combination of lack of sleep, stress, and lack of self-care can easily lead to you feeling unwell when you most need to be at your best. It’s easy to forget to do the things that keep us well when things get hectic, leading to a positive feedback loop of stress. Here are some reminders and tips for you to be and stay well!
How I Learned to Love Myself and USC After a Rough First Semester
By: Antonia Le ‘22
Trigger warnings for mentions of anxiety, depression, and suicide.
I’m still trying to process the fact that my freshman year at USC is almost over. I’m heading into my second round of finals, and the first final I have coming up is for my 400-level math class. Right now, I’m really hoping that this past year has been a dream, and tomorrow I’ll wake up as a high school senior who doesn’t have to take a Theory of Numbers final.
How to be Productive when You’re Sick
By: Antonia Le ‘22
Last weekend, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had a rough draft of my WP-4 for my Writing 150 class due on Monday, but I was also coughing my brains out every five minutes, and the last thing I wanted to do was write. Everyone knows that the worst time to be sick is when you’ve got a big deadline or test coming up, and sometimes getting an extension just isn’t possible. Sometimes, when the forces of the universe conspire against you, you’ve just gotta pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get to work. I managed to do it this past weekend, and you can too. Here are some of my tips for staying productive on sick days!
Learn to Love Your Own Company
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
One thing that I think is important for everyone to learn is how to enjoy your own company. I don’t mean that you have to break up with your significant other or cut ties with your best friends, but it’s good to spend time with just yourself. They say that friendship isn’t necessary for survival, but it’s what makes surviving worth it. And I agree. Friendship and companionship is wonderful and valuable. But if you can’t enjoy your own company, how can you expect anyone else to do the same?
Going 0 Waste in College
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
Maybe you’ve heard this term thrown around before: zero waste. Maybe you think it’s impossible. There’s just no way that a person can make absolutely no trash or waste in life, let alone in college. And I will admit to you, it is very, very difficult. When you’re trying to live a zero waste or a minimal waste lifestyle, you have to be conscious of every purchase and every event, and every meal.
How to Make Time for the Things You Love
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
Okay, I’m going to be real. When I tell people that I love to read, I often hear in response, “Oh, I do too. I just don’t have any time to read.” Which I think is a terrible excuse. (Sorry if that was the excuse you were going to use too.) But I just find a statement like that patently false. Because if you really love something, and you truly enjoy it, you would make time for it. So, just be honest: You don’t like reading all that much, so, in your free time, you’re watching Netflix. You say: No, no, no! You’ve got it all wrong! You say: I love to read. Really. I do. But after studying all day, Netflix is just the easiest way to relax. If I didn’t have to do so much reading for class, I would read for pleasure too, honest. Alright, sure. I believe you. But, I propose a challenge for you. I want to challenge you to make time to do something you love this week.