By: Hannah Skinner ‘23

The end of the semester is upon us, and so are finals. It can be a tough few weeks, but there are ways to lessen the stress and take better care of ourselves too. Here are my wellness and study tips to help you succeed during testing season!

By: Dara Udobong ‘23

Media depictions of college tell us that we’ll be having sleepovers every other day, party-hopping on Thursday nights, and having the best time of our twenties surrounded by our new built-in best friends. For some of you, this might already be your life. For others, none of this might feel familiar at all. If this is you, you’re not alone: a lot of USC students have shared their stories (of their successes and failures) at making meaningful friendships during this very peculiar semester. Unfortunately, its easy to lose sight of the fact that college is a whole new experience of self-discovery and exploration in a new city, state, or even country. Even if you’re an LA native, the college experience isn’t quite like any challenge you’ve ever faced before. It has its high highs, low lows, and one heck of a journey in between. We’re all just trying to give it our best shot, and you know what? It gets easier with time. But don’t take it from me, here’s some advice from a USC professor who’s been there, done that, and has a degree to show for it:

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

We all know by now that prioritizing your mental and physical health is a must, but it’s definitely easier said than done as students. At this point in the semester, we’re probably all more than a little tired and in need of a break, so I’ve compiled a list of five tips to help you make the most out of your days off.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

With school, exams, extracurriculars, and social life, there is always so much going on. One minute you have to do a homework assignment, and another you have to run to a club meeting. But do you ever have a moment where you do absolutely nothing? The moment where you don’t think about all the things you have to do and simply just live in the moment?

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

With midterms and finals season starting to blur together, we all have our own mountains of work to dig through. Whether you’re looking to decompress or share my bad habit of watching TV and doing work at the same time, Selena and Chef is the perfect show to watch during this hectic time.

By: Dara Udobong ‘23

Its already been more than 2 months since our return to campus, but honestly, it still feels surreal to be back. With a year and a half away from the great Tommy Trojan himself, 2 graduating classes fresh out of high school, and a new-found appreciation for life itself, everyone seems to be diving headfirst into getting the college experience.

By: Nathan Kim ‘24

As we are reaching the midway point of the semester, it’s easy to become unmotivated and exhausted from the ever increasing pile of work. I know that for me, I’m finding it harder to get up each day and consistently keep up with balancing my school, social, and personal life. It’s a constant battle to not feel burnt out and keep working hard each day, but I’ve tried to combat this by utilizing methods to regain that drive again and get out of this rut in my life. So here are 3 ways you, too, can escape that feeling of being stuck and unable to move forward.

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

Between classes, homework, clubs, internships, and jobs, it can be hard to find the time and energy to actually make a nutritious meal at the end of the day. I’ve definitely struggled with this myself. Over the last month and a half though, I’ve gotten more into cooking and discovered some quick, healthy meals that I genuinely enjoy making. While many of these are geared towards those of us with kitchens, I’ve done my best to note ways you can make these meals in your dorm as well. Hopefully, some of my favorites will inspire a lunch, snack, or dinner this week!

By: Dara Udobong ‘23

I started my USC journey back in Fall 2019. I had almost no idea what to expect: I’d only been to LA once before, barely knew if I was even ready to do this whole school thing again (after the most restful gap-year experience ever), and knew almost no one that was starting at USC in my grade. People from my high school rarely (if ever) came all the way out to the West Coast simply because it’s too far away from home, so I already felt like a fish out of water from the jump.

By: Una Stanisavljevic ‘22

As midterms are fast approaching, having someone to talk to regarding academic stress or personal issues can be a resourceful tool. Understanding that it can be daunting for many to confess their inner dilemmas, it can be helpful in alleviating some external pressures.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

School is back in person and many of us want to go out and party. We’ve been in quarantine for a year where we had no in-person social gatherings and all we wanted to do was spend time with friends. Now that everything is opened again, everyone wants to just have fun! But, there’s a catch to going out…not catching COVID or the delta variant.

By: Una Stanisavljevic ‘22

For many college students, receiving the preferred number of hours of sleep can be difficult. From grueling through all-nighters to attending parties, filling in the gap by recharging your body is a crucial component of self-care. While it might seem like an appealing idea in the beginning, choosing to swap sleep for coffee will not last in the long run.