Sometimes school can get overwhelming, especially with end of the year projects and finals coming around the corner. One method that I use to help me decompress is meditation.

After a long day of school and homework, it’s time to unwind and go to sleep. You’d think that after a day of looking at our laptops, we’d want to unwind and read a book or journal – but no. In fact, about 90% of 18-29 year olds sleep with their phones near them, while 95% of people use their phone just before going to bed. I used to be one of those people.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

As college students, we are surrounded by technology. We rely on our smartphones and tablets to  communicate with our peers and professors, to check our exam grades, or to fill out all the random surveys we get sent. With the right apps, you can avoid having to find a place to sit, pull out your laptop, and connect to WiFi to stay up to date on your school life. Here are the five apps all USC students should have.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

Most goals cannot be achieved overnight. While I may go to bed early one night, creating consistency and not falling back on my old habits is hard. I’m trying to implement this goal by setting a routine or schedule for myself, and being okay with not perfectly meeting my goals all the time.

By: Sydney Fioerentino ‘24

I used to be an insomniac. I couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard I tried, and I would stay awake until 3-5 a.m. each night. My body felt tired, but my mind was lit up worrying about school. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I knew something had to give.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

I struggled with this, especially with friendships. I’m more of a selfless type of person, and last semester, every time I was invited to someone’s house or to go out to a party, I would say yes. In my head, this was my chance to make friends and have an exciting college experience, but internally, I felt socially exhausted and just wanted to stay home sometimes.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

I can’t stress enough that self care can be anything—as long as you're working towards improving your mental or physical health in big or small ways, you can quantify it as self care.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

Cooking and meal preparation can be difficult, especially as a college student… But if you are ever indecisive about what you want to eat, look no further! Here are my top five places to eat in the Village.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ’24

Candles are just a block of wax in a container and costs over $10. And when the wick is short, you throw the whole candle away. Such a simple creation can do so much for your mental and physical health. Here are a list of things that candles do for you!

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

As midterm and final bear around the corner, it’s time to study and get assignments done! If you are tired of studying at home and want to get on campus, here are my top 10 places to work!

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘ 24

We are all trying our best to not catch COVID-19, but cases have gone up because of Omicron and the holidays; unfortunately, I caught the virus myself. Let me say, you do not want to get it. But on the off chance that you do, here is a small survival guide that’ll help make your 10-day quarantine and recovery better:

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

The semester is almost over, and if you are like me, your social battery may need some recharging. I would say I’m an outgoing person and partially extroverted, but there are definitely times where I would love to stay home and watch Netflix by myself. I’ve noticed USC is a pretty social school, and I get to see my friends every single day and night. However, I do get tired of partying or going out every weekend, and sometimes I just want to sleep and be left alone. Now that winter break is coming up, this is the perfect time for me and anyone else to recharge their social battery. Here are some things I am going to do to help myself relax: