The coziness of fall is upon us, and with it an abundance of fall recipes to bake or cook. As someone who just got her own kitchen a little over a year ago, learning the balance between making dishes that are nutritious and ones that aren’t too difficult to make has been a journey. Also, I love to bake, and finding times to bake as a busy double major has also been a challenge. This year, I have found a few recipes that give off the coziness of fall without too many steps (or dishes)!

We have all probably had one too many near-miss scooter encounters. Speaking from personal experience, I have almost been hit by a scooter on or around campus when minding my own business numerous times. So I am here to highlight the importance of pedestrian safety. 

If you wake up scatterbrained and anxious about the day ahead, a daily “reset” ritual can really help you organize and center yourself. As a person who lives alone, sometimes holding myself accountable can be really hard. I try to keep my apartment clean and organized, but every now and then, I slip up and suddenly clothes are scattered everywhere, my sink is full of dishes, and I have an enormous pile of laundry waiting for me. Creating a daily reset routine has helped me feel less overwhelmed and keeps me organized both mentally and physically.

Sometimes cooking in college can feel overwhelming, especially if you share a kitchen, or maybe don’t have a kitchen in your dorm at all. However, there are many simple and healthy recipes that you can make, and some only require a microwave. Particularly, Trader Joe’s has some great microwavable meal options! Here are some meal ideas from my kitchen including favorite recipes from my mom.

As you snooze your seven alarms before your 9 a.m. class, throw on your clothes, grab your laptop charger, dash out the door into a lecture, and find yourself stuck in an endless cycle of eat, sleep, school repeat, let’s remember to take care of our health. It can be difficult when you’re on a time crunch to feed yourself (trust me, I went last semester only eating half a Barbell’s protein bar before my hour commute to work or my morning classes). So, here are some quick breakfast ideas that can be thrown together in under five minutes that will replenish your energy to start off your day happy and healthy.

When I started at USC, I anticipated stressing over homework, homesickness, and an adjustment period to my newfound independence. I didn’t anticipate, but soon learned, that new environments and major life changes are known to aggravate Tourette’s Syndrome.

The demanding combination of attaining a degree, maintaining a social life, and growing as a student can be extremely difficult. We, in turn, tend to sacrifice parts of our daily lives in order to meet the vast rigor of college, and a lot of the time, it is our daily meals and nutritional intake that get deprioritized.

Putting anything in a vending machine instantly makes it more interesting, so the new gold vending machine sitting outside of Trader Joe’s up against the elevator bank immediately caught my eye. Actually a revival of a project started in 2019, the USC Pharmacy and USC Student Health have installed a “wellness-to-go” vending machine in the USC Village to give students 24/7 access to over the counter medication.

While people often make lofty New Years resolutions that quickly fall by the wayside, there’s also more sustainable adjustments we can make to kickstart the new year. Here’s a guide to making quick, affordable, and healthy recipes to support your wellness year-round from the comfort of your dorm microwave or apartment kitchen.

Sometimes school can get overwhelming, especially with end of the year projects and finals coming around the corner. One method that I use to help me decompress is meditation.