By: Sophia Williams ‘22

By now, everyone is exhausted by having to find new innovative ways to fill the long days of quarantine. However, boredom often leads to innovation, which is why I’ve pulled together a list of some fresh new takes on how to make the most of our time at home.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

With the raging pandemic and social distancing, it can be increasingly difficult to have meaningful interactions with friends and family. Perhaps your best friend, whom you previously saw every day, is halfway across the country in a different time zone, and, now that you’ve moved back home, the parents you missed are breathing down your neck and nagging about grades and future plans. Whether it’s due to the increased distance or the lack of any distance, your relationship dynamics have changed. To improve relationship quality and promote mental well-being, you should make the time to find ways to check in with your loved ones and show them you care.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Within the first week of classes, there was an incidence of 104 new cases of COVID-19 amongst students living on or near the USC campus. Awareness of proper hygienic practices like washing your hands for 20 seconds (or more) and social distancing has increased during this pandemic, but it wasn’t sufficient to prevent the parties and gatherings resulting in overall a hundred students now being quarantined at the USC Hotel. If you’re staying in or near USC and living with others, it is strongly recommended that you get tested for COVID every week. Here’s a quick guide on how to get tested.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Online classes, canceled internships, and a lot of unstructured time. Keep reading for some of my favorite books, shows, movies that will be worthwhile investment of your time.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Science Outreach (SCout) is a USC club that brings fun science experiments to 2nd and 3rd-grade classes. The goal is to get the junior scientists excited about science before their science curriculum officially begins in 4th grade. Teaching the kids through experiments, SCout aims to share our passion for science and inspire life-long learners in junior scientists. Keep reading to find out more about Science Outreach!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

The new guidelines ramping up nationwide have shut down restaurants, public spaces, and gatherings of any kind. Just because you need to keep 6 ft of physical space between you and the person next to you, doesn’t mean you need to grow apart from your friends. Keep reading for some fun ways to still “hang out” with your pals!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22 and Sumaya Hussaini ‘22

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, USC recently announced that classes will be conducted online via Zoom. This transition will be challenging, and many students are concerned about the quality of online educational instruction. If you’re worried about falling behind with the transition to Zoom, keep reading for some tips on how to succeed in any online college course!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Transitioning into college is a journey, and one of the greatest obstacles is developing a growth mindset. It can be challenging going from being top of your high school class to “average” in a USC curved class. Nevertheless, it’s vital that college students all learn to dissociate self-esteem and self-worth from grades and prevent a fixed mindset from holding them back. The following is a very personal account of my own slow development to having a healthier mindset about not only grades, but about myself.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

USC is fortunate enough to have 3 Metro stops near USC’s main campus! For $1.75 you’re able to go to DTLA or Santa Monica and everywhere in between. Here are some tips from an LA local about the Metro Expo line.

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Welcome to your new home! Whether you’re coming from within LA or from overseas, moving into college dorms is a big adjustment. You (or your parents) have spent the summer going over the necessities of bedding, towels, and toiletries. Want to know what else you should bring and what you should clear from your luggage?

By: Hannah Kim ‘15

One of the hardest parts about living on your own (and slowly and painfully becoming an adult) is learning how to feed yourself. Gone are the days when you could open a stocked fridge to leisurely select your meal. In college, it is the unfortunate reality that sometimes you open up your fridge to be greeted by a lone bottle of Sriarcha. And a potato. If you’re lucky.

By: Lauren Brose ‘15

Like the old cliché that “money cannot buy happiness,” I realize that there is much more to life than wealth. Money certainly isn’t the solution to all of my problems but that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t a problem I face as a college student who’s entirely dependent on my parents. As much as I appreciate my parents’ generosity of financing my college education, it doesn’t feel right to be wasteful with my finances. Now’s the perfect time to take control of your finances, learn to save here and there and understand the full value of managing and spending money earned.