Congratulations to our newest Trojans on joining the family. I know you’re eager to get to campus, choose your dorms, and make shopping lists for the big move. Or maybe you’re just arriving in the Fall unsure of how to meet people or how to get to your classes; which dining hall has the best breakfast?

The conversation surrounding dating in college is muddled with conflicting opinions, with some strictly opposed to the idea and others fiercely for it. Whether to date in college can be a hard choice for many due to the unpredictable nature of school life. With the constant deadlines, club responsibilities, recruiting, and general adulting, a relationship often doesn’t fit into the college student lifestyle. Romantic relationships in college can also be daunting. The idea of seriously pursuing a partnership with someone can be scary as a young person. It can be difficult to forge your own identity and life plan while also hoping you’ve found your “forever person”.

When I started at USC, I hadn’t toured the campus or even stepped foot in the area before I accepted my admissions offer. I was about as clueless as I could be. I’m not from California, and certainly not from Southern California, so it was definitely an adjustment in every possible way. I distinctly remember buying chapstick during my first semester and my jaw actually dropping at the price. Here’s what I wish I could’ve learned from my online research about USC and student experiences before I got here.

One age-old piece of college advice is that you should never under any circumstances enroll in an 8 AM class unless you want to hate your life for an entire semester. Even though I’ve always been an early riser, I’ve done my best to heed this warning. Throughout my college career, I’ve started no earlier than 10 to keep a safe distance from the dreaded 8 AM. It made sense. I liked my quiet, slow mornings even though I regularly woke up early enough to make it to a lecture at the crack of dawn.

Spooky season is finally upon us! Known for monsters, pumpkins, and colder weather, another great aspect of this season is the opportunity to snuggle up with your boo (get it hehe)! With midterms in full swing and Halloween just around the corner, let me take over the search for wallet friendly and fun dates off your plate. Here are five affordable, cute, and spooky dates in the Los Angeles and USC area that are great to welcome in the season.

Heading into my senior year of college, I’ve finally learned the embrace that college is hard. Whether it’s a tough class or just homesickness and general overwhelm, there’s always a new challenge to work through. I guess that’s what growing up is all about. But, over time, I’ve learned one of the best ways to treat those low moments is finding small ways to make your life a little better every day.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ’24

As summer is approaching, people might be asking you, “What are your plans for this summer?” A lot of people might say they have an internship lined up, however, if you don’t have one, don’t stress!

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

USC Career Launchpad is your answer to your internship or post-grad job anxieties. For the last couple months, we’ve all been stressing over landing an internship for the summer or landing the perfect post-grad job offer. Figuring out the future is always daunting, and it can be a challenge to curate the perfect resume, make the right connections with people in your field, and have the skillset to stand out.

By: Aedan Henry ‘24 (Guest Blogger)

As a college student, it is important to stay organized — and perhaps the most popular tool to help with that is a humble notes app. But with so many popular options, which should you use?

By: Tamanna Sood ‘24

Spring is officially here! The grass is green! The air is clean (well I guess as clean as LA air can be)! The flowers are in full bloom! Spring is my favorite season of the year. There is something about spring that just makes me feel so productive and powerful! This got me thinking about the ways I could celebrate the season and bring Spring in! So here are 5 ways to bring in Spring at your dorm!

By: Badruddin Mahamed ‘25

As a practicing Muslim, I faced many unique challenges during my first semester. With some preparation however, you're transition to life at USC as a Muslim student can be much less tumultuous than mine.

By: Tamanna Sood ‘24

This past week USC celebrated Holi on campus! Learn more about Holi and how Trojans celebrated it in style!