By: Talia Walters ‘20

As another finals season comes around, I’ve spent quite a bit of time procrastinating in the form of zodiac signs again. So, for all my work to not be for naught, it’s time to get your horoscopes read by Trojans360! While you’re at it, find the best place to grab a bite on campus depending on your star sign so you know exactly where to stop between finals (because I love astrology and I’m going to keep matching zodiac signs to USC things until someone stops me!).

By: Talia Walters ‘20

The holiday season is quickly approaching us, kids, and the only thing better than the eggnog and the pretty decorations is giving gifts! Unfortunately, the giving season and finals season are almost synonymous, making it incredibly difficult to shop for gifts for our loved ones before the holidays hit and it’s suddenly too late. That’s why this gift guide makes use of the USC bookstore! It’s a great way to shop for gifts in between your 8am final and your 2pm final, and it’ll remind everyone in your life to keep “Fighting On!”

By: Talia Walters ‘20

As we’re all buckling down for finals season, sometimes we just need to take a break. And what better way to spend that break than to schedule your classes for next semester! We’re deep into registration season already, but as we get to the last students’ registration times, it might be helpful to look back and make sure we’re getting the most out of our lovely web registration system. If you’ve ever been unsure of how to best use Web Reg to your advantage, this is a step-by-step visual guide to getting the most out of USC’s Web Reg system.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been asked what I plan on doing after graduation almost nonstop since the beginning of my senior year. My answer is always the same – a scoff that’s the mixture between exasperation, terror, and immediate anxiety – which usually prompts a sympathetic laugh in response. We all focus so hard on getting into grad school or making sure we apply to all the right jobs, that no one really stops to realize we don’t have to do those things. No one is forcing us to go to Med School or Law School, and no one is making us get a big person job. If it doesn’t seem right for you to send in application after application, sealing your fate until you retire, then don’t. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Of course, you still need an answer to that dreaded question. What would you do after graduation if you weren’t doing more school or going straight into the workforce? Well, friend, do I have a list for you! Below, I’ve compiled a few different routes for post-grad life that aren’t just going to grad school or getting a “real” job. They’re all entirely unique options, and maybe you’ll find the one that’s right for you!

By: Talia Walters ‘20

USC has hundreds of minors in almost every single school, and so sometimes it’s hard to find the right minor for you. There’s so many that it’s overwhelming to try to sift through all of the programs, and often, minors that are really interesting, cool, and unique get thrown to the wayside only because students don’t know about them. To try and combat this, I’ve curated a list of 16 unique and interesting minors (by my standards) below that I’ve never heard someone declare. As always, if you have any questions about if you have room for a minor or how you declare a minor, it’s best to stop by your major adviser’s office so they can…well…advise you in the right direction.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

After three finished years at USC, applying and deciding to come here feels like a distant memory. However, as I continue to trudge slowly through my senior year of college and as I see all of my friends in graduation caps announcing their future plans, I’m beginning to realize, much to my horror, that it might just be time to open those college apps again. In honor of a trying time for all of us, both high school and college seniors, I’ve been reflecting on my own journey to USC. I think my story’s a bit on the unique side, and I wanted to share it with everyone who might be worried about their upcoming applications or who might be regretting the commitment they made just a few weeks ago. Thus, I present: Talia’s Journey to USC.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Instead of doing a blog post for Trojans360, I decided to do a video with all the tips and tricks of how to handle realizing you're passionate about something new too late into college to change anything.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Dear USC, I love you, but we’ve got some things we need to talk about.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I want to make it clear that the “standard” study abroad options aren’t bad. The key is that your comfort zone is something that only you are able to measure, and decisions based off of that are yours alone. I just don’t think the image of a great, vast world filled with billions of people who aren’t the cookie-cutter USC student is well-presented to students traveling abroad.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

It is the time of the greatest strife during the fall semester; classes are coming to an end, and we’re gearing up for a turbulent time for all of us. We’re squirming to get out of classes, escaping back to our snowy home landscapes or the sunny beaches of vacation paradise. After Thanksgiving break, we enter a season that makes us ready to drop out of college and move onto bigger and better things. I’m talking, of course, about Sagittarius season. But, in all reality, finals season is also upon us, and in the face of the stress that is my exams, I figured a fun little romp through the planetary alignments might be just the distraction we need before we all ace our exams. Check out your star sign below, and you’ll be matched with a USC school and given a December Finals Horoscope. No worries - they’re all good. And stay strong as we move through a stressful Sagittarius season!

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Every year, USC, through a long list of student associations on campus including the Queer and Ally Student Assembly (Facebook, Instagram), puts on its own drag show with local (read: student) performers. And thus, in my determination to become more acquainted with USC’s queer communities, I decided to attend the show.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

If you’ve looked at my writer’s bio (available just up there at the top of the page if you’re interested in learning more about the writers of Trojans360 – I promise we’re really cool people!), then you know I spend a lot of time teaching languages. Luckily, this past semester, I was given the opportunity to teach French to high school students, allowing me to make my love of language education accessible to those students who are often forgotten in the Trojan Family. I was an inaugural member of the Shaukat Initiative.