As the spooky season of Halloween and the rumble of football season come to a close, a much scarier and daunting season looms over us – finals season. Amid the stress and late-night cramming, the changing climate outdoors can further challenge our well being. Through the hustle and bustle of the end of the semester, it is really easy to lose sight of our health and put our bodies under an excessive amount of stress. To make sure you don’t get sick at this critical time, I’ve compiled a few simple tips to help you prevent getting sick and staying healthy this final season!

There’s turbulence in all aspects of the college years as your foundation of as ever changing person – from friends to classes to academic esteem – is always shifting. It’s confusing, upsetting, and wild, but it’s also a part of growing. 

By: Tamanna Sood ‘24

Last semester, no matter how hard I tried to take care of myself and go to the gym, I found myself making excuses. I hated going to the gym and felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. Knowing my struggles, a friend suggested I try out PHED 104A. It turned out to be one of the best classes I’ve taken at USC! 

By: Celine Vazquez ‘24

This semester has been far from easy, and pushing through finals season has seriously taken a toll on all of our mental health. After finals are finished, it’s important for us to take a step back and take care of our minds! Here are just a few ways you can mentally recharge after finals, so you can be ready to have a wonderful, relaxing break. Let’s get started, Trojans!

By: Antonia Le ‘22

Valentine’s Day has come and gone and here I am again: single. I’m twenty years old, and I’ve been single for twenty consecutive years. Not to sound all cringey Riverdale ~I don’t fit in and I don’t want to fit in~ but I’m one of the only people I know that has never had a serious relationship, nor have I ever kissed somebody. Being in college, where it can often seem like everyone is hooking up with everyone else, being someone who’s inexperienced in dating can make you feel weird. Even broken. But, I’ve been working on myself lately, and in doing that, I’m working on telling myself that I’m not defined by whether I’ve kissed someone or not. If you’re like me, click the “Read More” for some tips on how to stop feeling like you’re gonna be forever alone.

By: Antonia Le’ 22

It’s always daunting trying to reach out and seek mental health care. Most people have heard some criticism of USC Student Health Center, and that might scare them off from seeking the treatment that they need. However, asking for help shouldn’t be scary, and the process of seeking help should be transparent and known to all. So, if you want to know more about mental health care at USC and what you can do to make your life better, read on!

By: Michael Boyle ‘18

To help students lower stress level during this hectic finals season, the office of wellness and health promotion brought some cuddly study buddies to campus. Trojans 360 caught the whole experience on video!

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

This year, my primary focus is my happiness. The first step to achieving this is by making your needs a top priority. A lot goes into your overall health and wellness and I feel that a blog post dedicated to this topic is long overdue. I am all about finding that inner-bliss and through these habits— many of which I have personally adopted over the past year— I can attest to what I’m saying. A healthy lifestyle is exactly that: a lifestyle.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

I’m bad luck when it comes to getting sick. Two weeks ago, I took the initiative and got a flu shot mainly because I knew it’d make my mom happy. 48 hours later I was checking myself into the emergency room so I can get hooked up to an IV because I had a bad reaction to the vaccine. Accompanied by a dead arm that reminded me of the days when I got into fights with my older brother, I had a migraine headache, fever and a bacterial infection where the shot was administered. After a week of taking antibiotics, I was free from illness. This only lasted me a week at best. So here I am, sniffling, as I sit here writing this blog post because now I have been blessed with the common cold.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

During college, there is so much uncertainty with what the future holds— Not knowing if you’ll get a job, not knowing where will it be, and asking yourself “what’s next for me?” is a daunting experience. I came to this realization my sophomore year. It became clear to me then that I needed to do whatever it took to put myself in a good spot for a job upon graduation. That was when I decided my life is 100% about my goals. I’m sure many of us desire accomplishing a number of specific things before 30 such as traveling the world or moving up quickly in the working world. These aspirations truly reflect who we are as people; therefore, we owe ourselves this time to fully discover who we really are.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

Valentine’s Day is this weekend and I will be spending it alone this year. I have no issue with it, as I don’t believe v-day is synonymous to S.A.D (single awareness day). Like every major holiday, it is not defined by the man or woman you wake up and go to bed thinking of, but instead being in the company of people you love.