Whether it's class, design teams, weekends, or just exploring LA - you'll find it here.
This spring semester I had a terrifying experience when my roommate went home for the weekend and I was woken up at 4:00am by the carbon monoxide alarm going off in my apartment. I had absolutely no idea what to do other than get out of the apartment, but as I stood shivering outside the only thing I could think …
For those of you who don’t know, I have A LOT of life-threatening food allergies… so many that even I forget what they are sometimes! I’m allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, eggs, lentils, peas, Dijon mustard, kiwis, and bananas (yeah… I know the bananas one is weird. I have no idea how that one happened). I always carry …
One of my favorite classes so far has been my junior year Building Science Studio. For one year, we had to ability to develop and produce our own project. The only instructions were: design a school. Everything else was up to us! Naturally, everyone starts to focus on their own interests. There is only 7 people in the class but …
My first year and a half of college, I attended the University of Washington Seattle. I met some of the best friends of my life, and had some really awesome adventures. I’m from Seattle, so it was nice being close to home and seeing my family often, but something was missing. I always had a life-long dream of living in …
So you may have heard that Los Angeles doesn’t experience seasons… I’ll admit that this is halfway true. We don’t get snow or as many changing trees as other parts of the country, but we do get some chillier weather and our favorite fall traditions! Here are five ways to enjoy the fall in Los Angeles. Whatever team you claim …
The fall semester is halfway over! Midterm season is in full swing, teachers are starting to talk about final projects and papers, and Halloween is almost here! After living at USC and in downtown LA for over two years, I’ve learned a lot about all the exciting things to do off campus to get a break from school. This semester …
When I first arrived at USC, no one in the world knew that I was gay. It was a really strange period in my life; towards the end of my senior year, I went through a lot of introspection, and gradually worked towards being comfortable with my sexuality. It was a really strange position to be in, coming to realize …
The Viterbi Summer Institute is a program put on through the Center for Engineering Diversity that gives minority students the opportunity to get acclimated to the school and the unfamiliar area prior to the start of classes. You basically get to experience college before starting your freshman year, making the transition a lot simpler. A total of 50 students are …
Yes, I’m in Writ-340 right now, and yes, my essay is due this Friday. But I’m not working on it right now. Why, you ask? Well, to put it simply, I don’t want to. Which brings me to the topic of this blog post – what to do when you should be doing something else. Option 1: Get Something to …
USC’s main campus, University Park, is pretty large. It also has some of the most beautiful buildings on a college campus. Being a student in Viterbi, I feel like I spend most of my day on the south end of campus, where most of the Viterbi buildings are. It’s partly because I also lived on that side of campus, at …
Fall 2016, my ego’s on top of the world Fall 2016, my ego’s on top of the world My little sister is now a senior in high school stressing about applying to college. I bet you can guess her number one anxiety inducer: the essays. So, being a good big sister, I decided to go back through all of my …
For most, nothing screams summer like the sweet aroma of a freshly made waffle cone and a fat scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor. Although the cold weather in Kansas City never stopped me from eating ice cream in the middle of winter, luckily in beautiful LA, everyday feels like summer. For an ice cream fanatic like me, the …
How many college kids can say that the university they attend has a campus on an island. Well if you go to USC you can! About 26 miles off of the coast of California, Catalina Island houses the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies. The mission of this institute is “to encourage responsible and creative decisions in society by providing …
Last month, I had the incredible opportunity to staff a conference of chemical engineering undergraduates held here at USC, where over 300 students from universities across California, Nevada, and Arizona, gathered here in sunny LA to engage in academic competitions, network professionally, and attend career workshops. This event was organized by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) chapter here …
I can’t believe my freshman year is over! Throughout my first semesters as an engineering student, I’ve definitely learned a lot of lessons—from both good and not-so-good experiences. One of the most crucial takeaways I got from this year is the huge importance of time management. Engineering students are undoubtedly busy. We’re juggling our difficult, technical classes with clubs, sports …
An alternate title for this article could be “Yes, I Changed My Major Junior Year and Will Graduate on Time”, but I’ll get into that later. Sometimes it can seem like everyone has it together in college, with their dream job at their dream company and a major taking them along that path. Well, believe me, many of us start …
If you told me three years ago that I’d be heavily involved in a sorority in college, I would’ve said you were crazy. Yet here I am, in my junior year at USC and second term as vice president of Alpha Omega Epsilon, the science and engineering professional and social sorority in the Viterbi School of Engineering. In my freshman …
Happy Thursday folks! It’s another month, another blog, and another day in the life of a Viterbi student. The days have certainly been getting busier lately, with classes picking up and recruitment season starting, so stay tuned for more updates on that. In the meantime, however, the main event I’ve been looking forward to this semester is attending the annual …
When I had committed to come to USC, my first challenge was choosing where I was going to live. USC has many different freshman residence halls that is perfect for all types of students. Since I received a merit scholarship from USC, I chose to live in McCarthy Honors College in the brand-new University Village. The next thing I thought …
Life at a high-achieving school like USC, not surprisingly, has its ups and downs in terms of stress, time management, and fun. There are days where my workload seems insurmountable, and others where I feel totally in control. If you want to manage all this without making yourself stir-crazy, the key is to minimize these fluctuations. Sometimes it’s a bit …