A Freshman Perspective: Things I’ve Learned From This Semester

By Angelina Li

As my first semester here at USC comes to an end, I’ll say that my experience here has been nothing short of both pleasant adventures and those much-needed learning curves. 

In fact, the first article I wrote for Trojans360 was about how much I enjoy sitting in front of lecture halls and getting to class early. You would think that my habits of going to school at 7:00 AM back in high school would have translated here—quite the opposite. I’ll be lucky that I left my dorm at 9:48 a.m. for my 10:00 a.m. thirteen minutes away, but at least I have not lost my fast-walking capabilities.

So, here is a list of things I’ve learned over my time here on campus.

1. A lofted bed means you’re never getting off. 

Back home, I could just roll off my bed when I needed to wake up. Here, with my sky-high lofted bed, the second I become horizontal is the second I fall asleep, no matter how awake I was before. Perhaps because it takes so much more energy to actually get down the staircase, but I have never slept more here than I have my entire life (sans infant era). Being productive on my bed doesn’t usually work anymore, especially when the coffee from the dining hall barely has enough caffeine. Counterpoint—the laundry room is actually a great place to finish papers instead. 

2. Find friends that match your energy.

Second one in and I am already lying because this is something that I (and most everyone) have known since the concept of having good friends became a thing in my head. However, this is genuinely such an important thing to remember, because while you may have done a lot of Instagram swapping and “oh cool, what’s your major?” attempts at bonding with the random other freshman at the dining hall at the beginning of the year, it takes true bonds to maintain friendships. It may just be doing something insignificant together, like spending a tad bit too long trying to score free matcha from one of those Trousdale booths but end up realizing the matcha is why some people think all matcha sucks, or something random like frequenting the Amazon store to see if there are any free samples. But random moments like these are what I love and hope to continue to have with the amazing friends I have made here.

3. Find community not just within your academics and hobbies.

Consulting clubs, fashion clubs, anything of the sort are all amazing opportunities, but there often is still that feeling of competition, especially when clubs require highly competitive applications. Hence, whether that be a culture club or a religious group, join something based on uplifting your identity without any strings of trying to be the best attached. For me, this was joining AACF (Asian American Christian Fellowship). This is a community that has helped me grow as a Christian, which is an integral part of my identity that I hope to continue to foster.

4. There’s a lot more dorm space than you think.

This actually might not be a popular or shared opinion, but I feel as if I could have brought more stuff out here. Granted, I don’t exactly know what I would want to bring besides restocks of essentials so that I don’t have to buy them here. I definitely could have brought all twelve of my individual packs of extra cheddar goldfish and not just four. Something about knowing that those goldfish packets awaiting me at home prevents me from buying any more goldfish at Target—it honestly would feel disloyal. However, I will say that the biggest factor preventing me from packing more was the fact that my family drove me down to L.A. from good old Fremont in a rather cramped small car. Now that my family has come for the Thanksgiving, you best believe I asked them to bring bulk soap and paper towels from Costco in preparation for the upcoming semester.

5. Treadmill time is phone time.

My first time on the treadmill was at the Lyons center, and after that day, I was hooked. Aside from the days when I'm feeling extra tired or going on excursions with my friends, I walk on the treadmill at the Village Fitness Center for an hour. However, as someone chronically online, the time I spend on the treadmill is the time I get to watch my shows or listen to podcasts. Or even be on TikTok, although I actually do not recommend scrolling TikTok while sprinting. Not because it’s difficult because when there’s a will there’s a way, but because you actually will look completely ridiculous and probably cause liability issues.

6. There’s no need to party, but go to one just for fun

I never actually found a need to party even before coming here because I prefer my bed (as depicted by my first point. However, I actually really enjoyed going out and experiencing a party. I say “experiencing a party” and not “partying” because I didn’t really do much of anything there but take pictures and occasionally recognize a song. Maybe it was the people watching or the pretty bluish lighting that complements my skin tone in pictures, but I would go back. Just maybe once or twice a semester though—I am not at all cut out for that life.

7. You already paid for transportation, use it.

Now that the semester is about to end, I do indeed regret not exploring LA more with our “free” public transportation systems. USC provides students with free UPasses, which give unlimited rides on the Metro’s rail and bus lines at the convenient tap of a card. Students must register for the pass each semester. As someone who will try to get anywhere by walking because it is like a fun little Red Riding Hood adventure without the getting wolfed down part, the Metro is actually not that complicated. Minus the fact that every time my friend and I go together we somehow end up on the wrong bus, but we won’t dwell on that.

I actually haven’t used Fryft yet though, but trust I will next semester. Fryft is USC’s partnership with Lyft from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. that provides students rides within a certain boundary around campus. Some of my friends have Fryfted to go to Pot of Cha, which is a walkable distance from school but safer to go by Fryft at night.

8. There is no food open after 10:00 p.m., so either Insomnia or starve. 

This is entirely on me for lacking common sense, but I thought that either a dining hall would stay open until at least 11:00 p.m. or that there would be some food places on campus open late. The only establishment open is Insomnia cookies. Hence, stash food from the dining halls and have some form of instant meal available for emergencies. I used to tell myself I would not eat instant noodles because I wanted to make sure I was taking full advantage of my meal plan, but that is definitely not realistic. 

9. Yogurtland 

I used to think that my sweet treats here would just be whatever the dining hall served, but after a while, even those tasty little smores bars get tiring (try freezing them). I love walking down South Figueroa to get a cup of toppings with frozen yogurt on the side. I have figured out how to make my cup around two dollars, and yes, while I know that I am paying for the weight of the cup itself each time, this is my version of treating myself. 

Conclusion

Maybe after writing this article every single item on this list will actually become a falsehood like my first article. But for now, I stand by these statements and hope to continue to learn more. Like how to actually ride the Metro without hopping on the wrong bus.