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: Karla Leung ‘22

Classes can be difficult and it’s always beneficial to reach out for help. Of course, you often think to first contact your TA or professor to get some help in classes, but for cases when that’s not enough, you can always take these convenient and FREE options provided by USC! Classes can be hard, but it’s surprisingly easy to get some extra help!

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.

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.

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!

By: Karla Leung ‘22

After the recent summer earthquakes — a 6.4 and later a 7.1 magnitude only 150 miles away from Los Angeles — earthquakes have become an even more pressing issue in California. Throughout the Los Angeles area, the quake and its aftershocks were felt and California residents have been increasingly concerned of impending earthquakes in the future. If you’re from out of state and have never experienced the threat of an earthquake, it’s important to be aware of the steps to take in case one hits during your time at USC.

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!

By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

The prospect of moving to an entirely new place and rebuilding your social circle from scratch is a pretty scary one, especially if social situations tend to stress you out. With that said, making new friends and putting yourself out there is one of the most rewarding experiences that college has to offer. Check out these tips for overcoming overthinking and making freshman year one to remember!

By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

“I would write a real memoir, but I’m too busy documenting my life on Snapchat,” and other symptoms of phone addition (w/ helpful tips on how to STOP). Nomophobia. While it’s not quite a real word yet, it describes a very real and very scary trend: the fear of being without a mobile device.vAnd chances are, you have it. Good news? You’re not alone. Bad news? Yes, it really is that common.

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Summer time is finally here! And while the days get longer and stretch warmly into infinity, you might be looking for some new books and TV shows to fill your time. Well, look no further! I have curated a special list organized by genre and mood, so whatever you feel like watching or reading, you’ll have something on deck!

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.

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!