Like my peers, the thought of living with roommates was a bit unpleasant. But as a transgender student, the added possibility of living with people who were uninformed about my identity was nightmarish. At best, these people could be unsure yet accepting. At worst, I could face hatred, or even violence. These thoughts stayed in the back of my mind as I began to look into housing. Then the Rainbow Floor appeared.  

When selecting a place to sit, I consider two crucial factors: people and proximity. Ask what your college can do for you. There I said it. Students and professors who take a fleeting glance at me crouched on the floor motivate me to look productive and therefore be productive. Sitting next to the lecture hall makes the looming nearness of the next class a ticking time bomb to finish my readings at hand.

We have all probably had one too many near-miss scooter encounters. Speaking from personal experience, I have almost been hit by a scooter on or around campus when minding my own business numerous times. So I am here to highlight the importance of pedestrian safety. 

By: Ela Rybak ‘25

As USC students, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with work and find ourselves not going outside as much as we probably should. Hiking is a great way to get out and relieve stress, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to find the perfect trail!

By: Ngai Yeung ‘23

In college, our time and attention is split between buckets such as chores, career, school, social life, health, finances, and many more. I’ve experimented with a whole variety of apps and methods throughout the years — here’s my ranking of the ones I’ve tried from worst to best.

By: Tamanna Sood ‘24

One of my favorite orgs that I chose to be a part of this year was USC’S SCIA (Southern California Indo-Americans). I applied to be on E-board as on a whim at the beginning of the semester because I wanted to join a club that would connect me to my culture.

By: Badruddin Mahamed ‘25

Although registering for classes during your first semester is quite a low-risk task, an important part of selecting classes is understanding the General Education (GE) Program.

By: Aedan Henry ‘24 and Raeden Tapia-Stevens ‘24 (Guest Bloggers)

USC has two fully-equipped, state-of-the-art fitness centers that are completely free for all students. But they can be intimidating for students new to working out. Here’s everything you need to know to get started at USC’s gyms.

By: Cherise Clough ‘24

Even though the semester is winding down, the stress is not. Sometimes I dread the mornings because it means another long day where the cycle repeats. But I've been listening to these podcasts, and I find that they are a quick and easy way to improve your day. They make me feel like everything will be okay. So without further ado, here are my top five podcasts to listen to in the morning on Spotify.

By: Ashley McKean ‘24 (Guest Blogger)

In all honesty, there was a period early on when I wanted to leave USC. It was short-lived but it was definitely real and I really wanted to give in and just take the easier, more comfortable path and go home. That’s what I did my freshman year at Syracuse. I pretty much decided almost immediately that I wouldn’t be staying for long. Had there been no COVID-19 imprisoning me in my 103-degree dorm room with no air conditioning, (no I’m no kidding it was actually that temperature in the room one day,) and impeding me from going out and meeting people, and the fact that 80% of the time my classes were virtual, I honestly feel like I may have come to love Syracuse and I would have stayed until graduation. Regardless of using COVID as an excuse, I didn’t give Syracuse the chance it deserved.

By: Nathan Kim ‘24

This is the second of a three-part series I’m doing to review the premed courses I’ve taken at USC…In this post, I will be going over the organic chemistry series, biochemistry, and statistics.

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

In March of this year, I moved across the street from a grocery store, and I realized that I no longer had an excuse to not try new food and make fun, healthy dishes for myself. I’d wanted to explore cooking for a while, but I’d been stuck in a rut of making the same roasted cauliflower and rice on rotation. I have worn the picky eater badge my whole life, and I decided that now would be the perfect time to work on it.