By: Sophia Pei ‘22

It’s that time of year: college applications. SATs and ACTs may be canceled by the Common App essays are not. Keep reading for my college essay and my reflections on it, the college application process and time at USC.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Online classes, canceled internships, and a lot of unstructured time. Keep reading for some of my favorite books, shows, movies that will be worthwhile investment of your time.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Science Outreach (SCout) is a USC club that brings fun science experiments to 2nd and 3rd-grade classes. The goal is to get the junior scientists excited about science before their science curriculum officially begins in 4th grade. Teaching the kids through experiments, SCout aims to share our passion for science and inspire life-long learners in junior scientists. Keep reading to find out more about Science Outreach!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

The new guidelines ramping up nationwide have shut down restaurants, public spaces, and gatherings of any kind. Just because you need to keep 6 ft of physical space between you and the person next to you, doesn’t mean you need to grow apart from your friends. Keep reading for some fun ways to still “hang out” with your pals!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

The recent string of nightly emails from the Provost’s office has caused an uproar not only on campus-wide, but nationwide. COVID-19 is having a larger societal impact than anyone had anticipated. Everyday, researchers are finding out more about this strain of the coronavirus and along with more knowledge comes more questions. Keep reading to find out more about the coronavirus, its impacts, and some tips to stay healthy.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

What is a RA? It stands for Resident Assistant and we’re the people planning your community meetings and giving out free food at your residence halls across USC. The application to apply for the RA position for the 2020-2021 school year is now open and can be found at Erezlife. Keep reading to learn more about the position and application process!

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.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Welcome to your new home! Whether you’re coming from within LA or from overseas, moving into college dorms is a big adjustment. You (or your parents) have spent the summer going over the necessities of bedding, towels, and toiletries. Want to know what else you should bring and what you should clear from your luggage?

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

I was advised against it by parents and friends alike but fortunately, I was able to find an eclectic group of people who were willing to go camping with me during the first two days of Dead Week. We were stressed out enough for finals, so we decided to not deal with the hassle of tent camping and backpacking; we tried out Yurt camping. Here are some highlights from our glamping experience at Lake Cachuma.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Commitment day is coming around the corner. While USC has been in the media for less delectable reasons recently, it truly is an amazing school. After spending a few nights at Berkeley, UCSC, UCLA as well as some privates on the east coast, I’ve decided that USC is the place for me. Here are some reasons why I appreciate USC (as well some things I would like to change).

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Stressed out because you aren’t doing anything productive this summer? Want to study abroad in China? Want to do research on climate change and its impact on the ocean? Check out USC’s Problems Without Passports course BISC-499: Our Future Changing Ocean. Due to a recent last-minute student dropout, we need at least one more student for this course to continue. As someone who is really passionate about environmental conservation, I would really love for this course to continue. If you’re interested please keep reading!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

We’ve all heard how sleep deprivation can cause short-term consequences like poor judgement, weakened immune system, and poor concentration and is also correlated with detrimental long-term effects like heart disease and neurological degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately in an age of instant gratification and ever more invasive technology, maintaining healthy sleep habits is becoming more difficult. Sleep difficulty has been cited as the leading factors affecting USC students’ academic performance (along with stress and anxiety which also cause further lack of sleep, leading to an awful positive feedback cycle). As a diagnosed insomniac, I’m definitely guilty of not getting as much sleep as my body needs. The following are some tips that have helped me obtain a more consistent, healthy sleep schedule.