UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
STUDENT BLOG
-
![]()
Navigating Your First Year as a USC Trojan
by Lanie Brice
-
![]()
Navigating Your First Year as a Spring Admit
by Lanie Brice
-
![]()
How to Balance Your Social Life During Finals
by Donal Buckley
-
![]()
Study Tips and Habits to Get Through Finals Season
by Lauren Liang
looking for a specific read?
Senioritis: How I (Try To) Keep Myself on Track for the End of the School Year
As the weather begins to get warmer and my uncertain looming adult life gets closer and closer, my will to get any work done dwindles down further and further. I’ve had a serious case of senioritis since the beginning of March and have been falling behind in all of my classes. While it’s easy for me to say, “I made it! I have my degree,” the truth is, I still need to finish my finals and pass my classes. If you are anything like me, you also decided to save some of your hardest classes for your last semester of school. In order to get myself back in shape and finish my year off right, I’ve become stricter with myself! Here are some of the ways I’ve (tried to) keep myself on track.
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.
Six Ways to Beat Burnout
By: Antonia Le ‘22
As college students, it’s inevitable for us to experience burnout. Whether you’ve committed to too many clubs to this semester or your professors have decided that it makes sense for there to be multiple “midterms” for one class (or both), you’re going to hit your breaking point eventually. Though the grind never stops, there are some ways that you can find a way to slow down and take care of yourself.
8 Things you Should be Doing to Ace your Finals
By: Sophia Pei ‘22 and Camila Grases ‘21
Ah, good old finals are approaching. We know this can be a stressful time, but don’t fret. Here are some tips on end-of-the-semester stress management we’ve learned during our time here. We hope this information is just as helpful to you as it is to us.
A Comprehensive List of the Best Campus Study Spots
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
I recently embarked on a quest to find the perfect study spot. I wanted to find a place that was perfect to set up camp for a couple of hours and chug through some homework. And if you’re like me, the two main libraries on campus just don’t cut it. They can get pretty crowded sometimes, and it just isn’t the kind of atmosphere I want for a long study session. So, here it is: Your comprehensive list of nearly all the places to study on campus that aren’t Doheny or Leavey. Let’s hit it!
How I Stay Sane During the Second Week of Classes
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
The first week back at school is like a highlight reel - you become re-acquainted with your dorm and friends, unpack your holiday gifts, and glide from lecture to work to the gym’s free fitness classes as if in a dream. By the second week, you’ll have received some kind of rude awakening - you return from a workout and your roommate didn’t refill the Brita. Your fellow E-Board members start sending demanding texts about funding deadlines. Somehow, there are 14 assignments, readings and peer reviews due. Also, you’ve fallen sick, and your family is complaining that you haven’t checked in. Fight On! Need help staying afloat? Here’s how I’ve tackled this second-week panic for the past 7 semesters:
Steps to Becoming a Better Reader In College
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
I came into college thinking I was all that in a bag of chips. Reading on point, essay writing skills on point, time management on point; but after a couple of weeks during my first semester of college…my academic confidence tanked.
How to ace your finals
By: Jamie Wu ‘18
Finals are right around the corner. In fact, it is 3 days away. Little-known fun fact huh? Although there is a lot of work to be done, studying doesn’t always have to suck. And as a senior, hopefully I can offer some studying advice. Here are my 7 best tips on how to be on your A game this finals season!
5 Ways To Organize Your Life in Time For Finals
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
Anyway you frame it, preparing for finals can be stressful. Whether they come in the form of your normal tests, essays or other types of projects; these assessments are of the utmost importance because they reflect the hard work you’ve put in all semester and play a major role in your final grade. Personally, I’ve found myself stacked with studying, finishing projects, writing essays and completing other important personal tasks during this time. In addition to the stress there seems to be an attitude amongst many professors that their class assignments are the most important. Despite these tensions, here are five pieces of advice you can take into the next few weeks in order to reduce your stress and get your stuff together during this stressful time.
Study Less, Study Smarter
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Now that I’m ~almost~ a senior in college, I can truthfully say I’ve done my fair share of studying in my day. Some of it was productive, some of it was fueled by procrastination, some of it was downright intolerable, but it doesn’t have to be. As I begin my midterms this semester in Argentina, I’d obviously rather be doing something else, but at least I feel like I know how to prepare and tackle the tasks at hand. This ain’t m first rodeo.
4 Ways To Stay Awake
By: Judy Lee ‘17
I want to preface this by saying SUFFICIENT SLEEP SHOULD BE EVERYONE’S GOAL. Sufficient sleep results in better health, better eating habits, better cognitive power, less cranky tantrums, hating the world a little less, etc.