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: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Yes, I did it. I gathered my courage and used one of those electric scooters that have been spreading like the sickness that’s been going around lately. I mean they’re everywhere. When they first popped up, I figured they’d never catch on. It seemed too dangerous, too expensive, too inconvenient. Being from Chicago, I sort of forgot that an electric scooter business could actually be quite profitable: there’s no snow in LA. And living at USC, I’ve realized that certain distances are too far to walk, too close to Uber, and too far to Fryft. But I put off trying those scooters for so long. To be honest I was terrified. I had never stood on a motorized board of any kind, and I was almost certain I would fall on my butt. Or worse: my head. (They tell you to wear a helmet, but hello, I didn’t want to look like a complete dork. [Especially when there are ten-year-olds out here doing wheelies on these things!… I digress.]) Anyway, I finally hopped on one of those scooter-things because I am an avid movie goer and was spending entirely too much money on Lyfts to and from LA Live. It’s about 1.8 miles away, which took me about 14 minutes by scooter. So: to Lime or not to Lime?

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Want to explore new beauty products but don’t have the time for retail? Shopping for beauty products can be a pain with a hectic college schedule and LA traffic. Solution: try out the my favorite subscription services that deliver sample and full sized products straight to your dorm.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Every Sunday there is a food festival with hundreds of vendors hosted in Downtown LA and New York City. Smorgasburg in LA is hosted from 10AM to 4PM at 777 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90021. This is the perfect place for open-minded people willing to try LA’s signature food fusions as well as a great place to just browse the latest food trends and enjoy aesthetic lifestyle stands (after all, admissions is free!). This Sunday, some friends and I decided to explore. Here are some highlights and breakdown on the biggest open-air food market in America.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Looking for great Japanese food and cute plushies but don’t want to deal with Little Tokyo tourist traps? Visit Sawtelle instead. Just 10 stops heading west on the Metro Expo line from USC is West LA’s “Little Japantown.” This mini center of East Asian food and novelties is located on Sawtelle Blvd. As a West LA resident, this was one of my go-to spots growing up. Here are some of my favorite things to do at Sawtelle.

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

You may have heard of vegetarian and vegan diets. But what the heck is raw vegan? Let me explain. Raw veganism is a diet in which you don’t eat any meat or dairy products, and you don’t eat anything cooked. So what do you eat, you may ask? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts. “Why would you do this to yourself?” This was a question my friends asked of me many times. My plan was actually to eat raw vegan for two weeks, and I wanted to do it as a sort of cleanse, so that I could have a fresh, healthy start for the new year. Except, two weeks didn’t really work out for me… But, we’ll get to that later. My goal for this raw vegan journey was to eat super fresh foods, cleanse my body, and maybe have glowing skin and silky hair by the end of it. Since I have a meal plan (and also for experiment’s sake), I planned to exclusively eat food from the dining hall. So, let’s begin!

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

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.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

With their Bellagio-esque dancing fountain, four pools, gaming room, free shuttle, and other amenities, the Lorenzo is a popular choice for students at USC. Part of the Renaissance collection, the Lorenzo is privately owned by GH Palmer Associates and marketed as luxury student housing. While GH Palmer Associates is creating much needed housing in downtown LA, the Italian façade luxury apartments don’t serve the greater community. The increasing demand for exclusive student housing has decreased the economic incentive for developers to create additional much needed affordable housing units in South LA.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Courtesy of Late Night SC and ResEd, I was finally able to attend LA’s Haunted Hayride at Griffith Park. Here’s an honest review of the Hayride and Purgatory (the theme park).

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

You’ve all heard of and been to the over-crowded Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade, and Main Street strip. While these places are fun to explore, you won’t find them on this list (but if you do want to the stereotypical Santa Monica things, I guarantee there are hundreds of sites that can recommend you activities). The following are some less touristy places in Santa Monica that y’all should visit. Here’s a quick guide of some really amazing attractions and food places sorted by Metro stop!

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Here we are, already getting into the swing of things on campus! We’ve moved in, had reunions with our friends, knocked out the cobwebs from the summer and… now it’s time to actually get some work done. What? I know, I sort of miss summer too, but it’s time to buckle down. How can you start this semester off right so you don’t end up sobbing into your textbooks in the back of Leavey Library come midterms? (Unfortunately, I think we’ve all been there.) Here are some great tips that worked last semester to keep me sane.