By: Talia Walters ‘20

I’m not usually a sentimental person, but considering the current situation, I think it calls for a little bit of sentimentality and a short reflection of my 4 years at USC.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Hello, all, it’s me again— just your lowly Astrology girl who’s bored in quarantine and is willing to do almost anything to avoid studying for her finals! I’m back with the third (and final from me!) installment of USC-related astrology content. Check out which USC Housing Option matches your zodiac sign (maybe for some housing inspiration in the future?) and also your finals horoscope for a good pick me up in these terribly trying times. You can spare a few minutes of finals studying for a good Zodiac-based studying tip! Good luck this semester!

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I’m the kind of person who can spend all 16 of my waking hours lying in bed and scrolling through news articles of the impending doom du jour. In fact, you can refer back to my previous social media detox post for proof – the whole thing with Iran almost drove me mad. This whole coronavirus thing is also driving me mad. But that kind of worrying and anxiety isn’t good for anyone especially not when you’re trapped in your house, so I’ve spent some of my quarantine time curating just a list of things to do and talk about that aren’t the coronavirus.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

If you’re anything like me, you haven’t been to Tommy’s Place at all since your orientation when they hosted a party the one night you were there. In all honesty, with the introduction of the Village and the sheer fact that we’re in LA with hundreds if not thousands of different clubs and restaurants, Tommy’s Place isn’t usually anyone’s go-to on campus despite its easy access. And I always saw that chalkboard right outside RTCC with all the events at Tommy’s Place for the week and wondered what they were really like since I know no one who chose to go to them. However, this little experiment that was supposed to take me three days has now taken me three weeks, and even at the time of writing this article, it’s still an ongoing challenge. And I need your help. Thus, this is the story of me attempting to Revive Tommy’s Place Trivia.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Two months into the new year, and it’s a good time to reflect on many of our New Year’s Resolutions to see how it’s all going. For me, I’ve given up on most of mine (which is true of almost every year – I’m not a fan of change), but one that I’m still going strong on is a social media detox that I chose to do pretty suddenly. It turns out when your resolutions are things you need to do for yourself, you’re more likely to stick to them – who would’ve thought! Anyways, here’s a review of my experience detoxing social media apps from my life and why I’d recommend doing it.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I spend a lot of time on my phone. Like, probably an unhealthy amount of time on my phone. And while I’m not proud of that fact, in all honesty, my phone has probably been a surprising asset throughout my time in college. Not just with social media, like Snapchat and Spotify, but with other, lesser-known apps that I appreciate having and using in my everyday life. So, to justify the sheer amount of time I spend on my phone, here’s a list of the apps I’ve found most useful during my life in college.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I always tell myself that I can study in my bed, which I know isn’t true, and then I end up falling asleep ten minutes later having got nothing done. If this sounds like you, you might want to look into a new study spot on campus, just so you’re not constantly sacrificing your productivity. Below is a curated list of 8 unique places on campus that I feel like most people don’t remember. So go and stop by between classes – you might just find your new favorite study spot!

By: Talia Walters ‘20

I had the recent, somewhat horrific discovery that Valentine’s day is currently less than 3 days away, and I have planned almost nothing for this weekend. In that panic, I realized I needed to figure something out and fast. So if you also happen to be in that boat (I super don’t blame you, this year is already flying by), then take the research I’ve already done so you can get all of your planning out of the way super fast. Here are a few cool things happening around LA this weekend. At the time of posting, all events still had tickets available, but act quick as I’m sure they’re bound to sell out soon.

By: Talia Walters ‘20

Studying is not the easiest thing to get done, and we’re all looking for shortcuts and tools to help make our lives easier. I may not be able to help you find a way to avoid studying or decrease the amount of studying you need to do, but I do have some resources that should help make the process a little easier. If you’re interested in more study tips, check out this article on the best ways of studying or this article on the best places to study!

By: Talia Walters ‘20

When I was in high school, the theater group put on a performance of Eurydice, and in the production, I played a stone. If you’ve never seen Sarah Ruhl’s telling of the Orpheus myth, then I’m sure that sounds just as exciting as playing a tree in your elementary school play, but I promise that the stones are characters with lines. It was probably my favorite show that I was in, so when I saw Sarah Ruhl was coming to a Visions and Voices event to talk about the world premiere of the new version of her show, I couldn’t say no. It wasn’t until after I reserved my tickets that my friend pointed out that it was in fact the “LA Opera,” and so the new version was an entirely different, operatic version of the show that I wouldn’t recognize. I have no knowledge of the opera or how to talk about operatic music, but I was still determined to go. So, here’s a review of “The Life and Afterlife of Eurydice (and Orpheus) in Opera” from someone who has never been to an opera before in her life.

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: Talia Walters ‘20

We are in the midst of the most exciting time of class registration during the semester: the three-week add/drop period. Over the next week and a half (decisions must be made by FRIDAY, JANUARY 31st), everyone is able to try out classes, switch out of and into new classes, and drop classes they don’t actually want to take. But sometimes, it’s hard to figure out if you should continue taking a class because you just don’t know what the best decision is. Now, I’ve been around the scheduling block a few times, and I’ve made my fair share of scheduling decisions down to the wire of the add/drop period. So, I’ve come to help and share my wonderful knowledge. Here are 8 questions you should ask yourself when deciding if a class is right for you: