Ahhh… that time of year strikes again. You’re balancing flu season, football tailgates, DoorDash fees, and, of course, all your classes that seem to have midterms that land in a two-day period. Although you can’t change your unfortunate testing schedule, here are some ways to live, laugh, and love through this nail-biting, anxiety-inducing, and heart rate spiking few weeks.

By: Aedan Henry ‘24 (USC Student Life Guest Blogger)

Doheny Memorial Library might be the centerpiece of the USC campus, but beyond its gorgeous first floor reading room, many students don’t know much about what Doheny has to offer. Exploring past the lobby, you can find nine floors of dense bookstacks, countless secret study spots, an abundance of research resources, and dozens of special collections and exhibits.

By: Lauren Liang ‘23

It’s that time of the semester again (or is it always that time of the semester?): exam season is upon us. While it might be tempting to just wing it, you can better prepare yourself with these studying tips.

By: Amy Argueta ‘24 (Guest Blogger)

Studying can be a daunting task, especially during midterm and final season when you have multiple tests in a week. Just the thought of it can lead us to procrastinate until we are pulling an all-nighter before a test and regretting all our decisions. Though it doesn’t have to be so draining. In this post I list some tips to help you get the most out of a study session just in time for midterm season.

By: Kelsey Cheng ‘25

We’ve all been there––rereading your textbook for the third time at 1 AM, hoping that the test won’t be that hard. Like many students, I studied by highlighting notes and rewatching zoom lectures. While this may work for some, there are other ways to absorb learning material. In honor of midterms week, I tried out a new method of studying called active recall that’s supposed to increase memory retention and decrease hours spent at Leavey.

By: Hannah Skinner ‘23

The end of the semester is upon us, and so are finals. It can be a tough few weeks, but there are ways to lessen the stress and take better care of ourselves too. Here are my wellness and study tips to help you succeed during testing season!

By: Vivika Kapoor ‘23

At the beginning of the semester, I started bringing my homework and assignments outside after feeling cooped up inside libraries and study lounges. I began bringing a picnic blanket out to the Great Lawn and doing my work there, which was one of the best decisions I made in college! Now, I want to share with my fellow Trojans why I love working outside. Check out these reasons why you should learn to love it too!

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I don’t know about anyone else, but I never learned how to study in high school. I was always the kind of person who would cram the night before in a panicked, caffeine-fueled rage before getting to school the next morning, taking the test, and doing mostly fine. Despite the horror of each experience, I never learned my lesson, and then I got to college, and it was down hill from there. So, to save you the trouble I went through, I’ve curated some handy tips on how to study.

By: Antonia Le ‘22

Every time I tell somebody that I am taking a 400-level Math class as a freshman, their eyes go wide. I don’t know if they think that I’m smart or insane, or some combination of both. I’m not even sure what I am. What I do know is that my particular class, Math 430 - Theory of Numbers, has challenged me in ways that no other math class has before. I spend twice the amount of time on my Math 430 homework that I do on my calculus homework, and at this point, I’ve begun arranging my schedule around Math 430. Taking a 400-level math class as a freshman, and one as difficult as Math 430 at that, is like diving into the deep end of a swimming pool with no swim experience. If you’re planning on taking a 400-level math class next semester, here are some things I wish I knew before taking the plunge into upper-division math:

By: Michael Boyle ‘18

Do you have something you need to study for? (Be honest now!) This test will help you decide which excellent study spot on USC’s campus you should choose for academic preparation today.

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

Do you think you are a productive human being? Fantastic. The real questions is whether you are actually be productive for your future and for your current self. As a college junior, I have definitely made mistakes and found ways to not do them again. Now, I am here to try to help you be a little bit more rich, in more ways than one. Let’s get started!

By: Kelly Kinas ‘17

Whenever I think about my life and where I am, I just feel so incredibly lucky. I am at the University of Southern California, I have a roof over my head, I’m listening to “How Deep is Your Love?” on a laptop computer. I have the opportunity to do some many things that a lot of people don’t have the chance to do. I am at THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD AND I AM DAMN PROUD OF THAT.