I love back to school season! This time of year always feels magical because the possibilities are endless. Ast the school year goes on, it's easy to fall into bad habits, but in August, I always like to pretend that's not going to happen. I’ve always considered myself a pro at making back to school resolutions, but I struggled with keeping them. Last year, however, I was able to make my healthy habits stick. So, without further ado, here are my back to school tips to help you start off the school year on the right path… and stick to it!

One age-old piece of college advice is that you should never under any circumstances enroll in an 8 AM class unless you want to hate your life for an entire semester. Even though I’ve always been an early riser, I’ve done my best to heed this warning. Throughout my college career, I’ve started no earlier than 10 to keep a safe distance from the dreaded 8 AM. It made sense. I liked my quiet, slow mornings even though I regularly woke up early enough to make it to a lecture at the crack of dawn.

We have all complained about the GE system at USC. Whether it’s having to read tons of books as a STEM student or remembering how to do math as a musician, GEs often put us in uncomfortable spots, take up a lot of time, and feel entirely unrelated to both our current work and our future careers. There’s no denying that there are many flaws in USC’s general education system from just how many of these credits you have to take and the money you pour into them, the lack of options with pages worth of WebReg dedicated to classes only open to certain majors, and the amount of work and expertise that can be expected in a field you have no background with. Trust me, I’ve done my fair share of complaining. But as a senior this year, I’m learning to embrace the GEs and make the best of the situation.

While my freshman year took place entirely online, I know what it’s like to start a new school with no friends. It can be daunting to walk up to people and start a conversation without knowing how they’ll respond.

By: Kelsey Cheng ‘25

One of the most nail-biting GEs is GE-E: Physical Science. With one mention, you’re transported back into your high school biology class. Can I guarantee an easy A? No. But I can guarantee that you’ll learn theory and hard skills that are extremely valuable in the tech industry with LING 285: Language and Technology.

By: Kelsey Cheng ‘25

This class shreds what you think you know about the scientific world and then builds it back up again. It opened my eyes to questions I never even thought to wonder, and then it gave me the framework for answering them for myself.