By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

Trying to get all of your classes — the right courses and the right time with the right teacher — can sometimes feel like a ferocious free-for-all. But with patience and a little strategy, figuring out next semester’s schedule should feel less like a mad dash and more like a fun puzzle. (Not even an exaggeration — I’m not the only one who finds planning fun…right?) Here are the top tips to finessing fall semester and taking another step towards that degree.

By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

You read that right…nature in LA! Who knew? I wasn’t being sarcastic either — half of the fun of the nature that exists in this metropolis is finding it. Because, well, it’s LA. In a city with stars seemingly everywhere but in the sky, green space is one of the last things I think of. Lucky for you all, I’ve done the intrepid (internet) exploring for you. For those brave enough to venture where the paths are dirt and there’s a little more wildlife than rats and roaches, here are the best places in the LA area to catch a breath of fresh air.

By: Karla Leung ‘22

Fashion Industry Association, most often abbreviated as FIA, is a Marshall School of Business based club and is the only fashion focused club on USC’s campus. Hosting a fashion show for the past fifteen years, this year’s theme was Made in LA, meaning every brand and designer featured is based and made in Los Angeles. Not only is it supporting local brands (including USC student designers), but also ensuring that the clothing is ethically sourced. Los Angeles is known for being one of the fashion capitals of the world for its innovation and fashion startups, and the USC fashion show highlighted some of the great talent coming out of LA.

By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

Raindrops are nowhere while walking through campus

Bright kids all around and “Fight On’s” from Trojans

Brown paper bookstore bags filled with school merch

These are a few of my favorite things!

By: Lindsey Hamilton ‘22

You’ve seen them all. There are so many “top ten” lists and similar compilations of bite-sized information you could practically make an encyclopedia. Yet because lists are meant to be skimmed, depth is usually sacrificed. We have so much information easily available that we don’t know what to do with it — so oftentimes we don’t do anything. But that’s not good! We have the potential to do so much good in the world, and I believe that in approaching information from the right angle we can do just this. So in the spirit of our favorite easy-to-read format, here is a list of ways to hack the famous Top Ten List and deal with information overload (including some other fun Top Ten finds)!

By: Natalie Oganesyan ‘22

Let me paint a familiar picture. It’s midterm season and you’re spending all your available hours and sanity on studying. You’re stressed beyond belief, but in a week or two the worst will be over. That is, until you get hit with the common cold. Or something in your personal life goes horribly wrong. Or you realize you spread yourself way too thin. Your first thought is “Are you kidding me?” and it’s closely followed by “That’s just my luck.” But I’m here to tell you that it’s not the end of the world. Even if you feel like death now, and everything feels like it’s coming crashing down, here are a couple things you can do to give yourself a break and push through this trying time:

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

It’s now the third week of the second semester and honestly, the first semester really flew by. To be fair, everything seems to fly by when looking back on it – I highly doubt that the Sophia trying to finish my WRIT 150 essay while studying for biology midterm 3 and a chemistry midterm felt that way.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Winter break flew by and here we are in the second week of Spring Semester. The add/drop deadline is fast approaching. Missed your registration? Didn’t get into the classes you want? Unhappy with the times of your lectures, labs or discussions? Here are some tips to get the classes and sections you want.

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

It’s Conquest week at USC, and the campus is gearing up for one of the most anticipated football games of the season! People are dusting off their Fucla shirts, playing Tusk on repeat, and getting ready for Conquest on Thursday! But others on campus are preparing for conquest in a different way. The USC Helenes have set up camp around Hecuba and Tommy, standing guard 24/7. Wait what? Yes, this university organization has volunteered their time to protect USC’s beloved statues from vandalism in case the Bruins decide to try any funny business. As a member of the Helenes myself, I was very excited to partake in this tradition and camp outside with the other members of the organization.

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!

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

I stood in the Coliseum, the crowd bellowing their support for the Trojan football team all around me. I clapped my hands. This would be fun. This would be fun. I had snagged a spot in the front row, which meant I couldn’t really see everything that happened on the field, but I got to wave to my mom when the Fox camera guy came up to film us. The girl standing next to me kept shaking her pom-pom in my face, so I couldn’t be sure Mom even saw my whole face. Maybe just a peek.

By: Fred Akau ‘20

After those seemingly endless years of high school, craving for that BIG next-step towards a new life of experience, opportunity, and (quite honestly) some fun, college has finally arrived. The long-awaited “best years of your life” have manifested themselves into that pretty sleek-looking, cardinal & gold, U-S-C acceptance packet. There is a tangible excitement when imagining the infinite paths your life can take; how, for what seems like the first time, you are in full control of what that path is. But, alas, that initial excitement now seems to have simmered down, and many of us are simply left confused, lost, and horribly indecisive. The endless list of opportunity that we once sought after has now turned into an endless series of difficult choices, a persistent frustration in deciding: “What the heck do I want?”