Yes, I am majoring in sociology, but boy, do I love money as much as the next person pursuing computer science for that fat check. It is perhaps the very fact that I am pursuing a traditionally less lucrative major that I feel the need to throw myself into whatever opportunities possible to make the most of my grand fee to be at this school. 

December is the month of changes—winter beginning (with 80 degrees weather, but so be it), grades coming to a close (scarier in the short-term than climate change), students returning home (although this is probably less exciting if your home is nearby) and the year coming to a close.

As my first semester here at USC comes to an end, I’ll say that my experience here has been nothing short of both pleasant adventures and those much-needed learning curves. So, here is a list of things I’ve learned over my time here on campus.

When they say “unlimited,” I really take it as “unlimited.” Once, I hopped through all three dining halls in the span of an hour, which you may equate to “big back tendencies,” but jokes on you, there were just flies in certain establishments that I could not ignore. If you like seeking college advice from the greats of TikTok and Reddit like I do, you probably have been reassured that the possibility of the “freshman 15” is combatted by all the walking you will do around campus.

Every waking second, it seems as if the line between social media and e-commerce blurs. Especially for college students who may be experiencing a newfound sense of freedom through new income streams, the desire to try new products heightens. Which seems a lot like the Europeans during the early modern period. Around the period of the Renaissance, Europeans gained increasingly curious about routes to Asia for spices, porcelain, and other commodities that they did not have back home.

With midterms, work, and life in general, sometimes we just don’t have the time to come with an elaborate Heidi-Klum-as-a-worm costume. Nor do we even want to spend the money. So here’s a few last minute halloween costume inspirations from someone who was Snoopy with just her hair wash headband (conveniently with dog ears)!

When selecting a place to sit, I consider two crucial factors: people and proximity. Ask what your college can do for you. There I said it. Students and professors who take a fleeting glance at me crouched on the floor motivate me to look productive and therefore be productive. Sitting next to the lecture hall makes the looming nearness of the next class a ticking time bomb to finish my readings at hand.