No matter what year you’re in, deciding where to live for the upcoming school year is always a daunting task. Whether it’s deciding to live on or off campus, finding something within your budget, or looking for suitable roommates, there are so many factors to consider in choosing a living situation. But, as incoming freshmen, it can be especially challenging. Before setting foot on campus, first-years have so much to learn, and understanding housing options is one of the first major steps into acclimating to college life.

Post-vacation blues are such a real thing. When you’re on vacation, it feels as though nothing matters, and you have all the time in the world to just enjoy yourself. Time often stands still, and there’s no better feeling.

A trip away from USC was in the cards for me this Spring Break, and I was lucky enough to travel to Delray Beach, Florida. My friend Anthony calls it home and invited a group of our friends to come stay with him for the week. If you ever find yourself in Delray Beach, here are some exciting attractions and relaxing spots to visit during your stay.

In early March, the School of Cinematic Arts brought Bollywood: Big Screens + Streaming, a series of Bollywood movie screenings and panels, to campus. Acclaimed Hindi-language films including Gully Boy, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and Raees were shown in theaters across campus and were followed by panels featuring Indian film industry icons like producer Ritesh Sidhwani, director Zoya Akhtar, and music composer Ankur Tewari.

One of my biggest fears when starting at USC was the sheer size of the student body. I went to a tiny high school where everyone knew everyone. Moving to a university with over 20,000 students, I was scared I would drown. This was one of the main reasons I joined Thematic Option – because it offered small class sizes, along with academic rigor.

When I transferred to USC, I had no clue what to expect from the university or LA. I was honestly so shocked and excited that I got into such a well respected school and niche program that I didn’t think twice before accepting a place at the school. Having only been to college on Zoom for freshman year, there was a lot I had to learn about being a college student and USC all at once. Despite all my fellow sophomore peers starting on campus for the first time at the same time as I did, our experiences ended up being largely different because I transferred whereas they started at the school from the beginning. Since I can’t go back in time, let me give you the wisdom on transferring I wish I could tell my past self before she committed.

April is Arab American Heritage Month. At USC, this month and the associated events are spearheaded by the The Middle Eastern North African Student Assembly (MENASA). MENASA has planned seven events including an opening ceremony, art exhibit, lamp mosaic workshop, community dinner, henna night, Ma’amoul making night, and an advocacy event. I had the privilege of speaking with USC MENASA and USG’s Advocacy Liaison, Yasmeen ElFarra, who shared more about MENASA’s experience attending, developing, and planning the events during the month.

At USC, most freshmen live on campus in freshman specific housing structures like Birnkrant and New North. Sophomores then have the most ease and choice in their housing because of the sophomore housing guarantee. They can choose to live in a suite-style unit in the USC Village or one of USC’s apartment complexes on or off-campus. After your sophomore year, you lose priority in USC’s housing assignment system, so most upperclassmen that previously lived in USC housing move to independent housing near campus. 

During my time doing work-study jobs at USC, I have gradually learned many useful things about navigating work-study that I wish I had known from the beginning. From learning how to obtain work-study to balancing my work-study amount between two jobs, I’ve obtained so much knowledge of the process of pursuing work-study. So, if you’re just beginning to look into work-study allow me to save you some time and effort by answering some of the questions you may have about work-study.

This might be a controversial opinion, but course registration is my favorite time of year. There are so many possibilities for your schedule and it’s fun to complete the puzzle of all your classes to craft ‘the perfect schedule.’ 2-unit classes are a great way to add in an elective or raise your GPA. If you have space in your schedule and are looking for a 2-unit class to fill it, these are the 2-unit courses I recommend for Fall 2024.

I often joke that getting work-study at USC is harder than getting in, which isn’t entirely untrue. I’ve spent hours completing work-study job applications. I started with high hopes when I arrived my freshman year. Before going to college, everyone told me, “Just get a library job, you can do your homework during it.” Seems easy enough when you put it that way.

I am exceptionally bad at all of my hobbies. As someone who leans towards perfectionism, this has always frustrated me. Activities that were supposed to be fun quickly turned sour when I stagnated in my progress — how could I have fun when I wasn’t improving my skills in a productive way?