“You must break the pattern today, or the loop will repeat tomorrow.” Who knew that a TikTok audio that eventually migrated over to Instagram would haunt me for so long? 

As a student, I find myself stuck in the same old routine: wake up, take the shuttle to school, attend classes, eat, work on assignments in the library, work out, go home and sleep. Repeat ad infinitum until graduation, or until you can’t handle it anymore and you go on a weekend party bender in the hopes of feeling alive again.

I know that I am not the only one who has felt the monotony of student life grate on their nerves; every student at USC has felt this drain at least once during their academic career. In fact, I know it’s not just USC students who feel this way. Before I transferred to USC, I found myself stuck in the same cycle every week. Without a doubt, this feeling sucks: a majority of students aren’t able to break out of this cycle because they have plenty of obligations to attend to in order to leave USC successful and well-prepared for the real world. 

Yet, it isn’t possible to live like a robot. I can’t keep on toiling away, trying to make heads or tails of complicated concepts such as SN1 reactions and ad hominem logical fallacies with only the hope of future employment to motivate me. To break the cycle, finding USC’s secrets, opportunities and people is what keeps student life interesting. 

I speak from personal experience. The many student-led organizations on campus are a huge reason why I am still sane. For instance, I joined Team Awareness Combating Overdose after I learned that Los Angeles is in the middle of an opioid epidemic. Organizations like TACO are attempting to educate the general public about the dangers of fentanyl. As I am from Hawai‘i, a state that is not experiencing a widespread drug epidemic, joining TACO has offered me a whole new perspective on what life is like here in L.A. 

Exploring USC’s giant campus is also something that I have found keeps life interesting. USC’s campus is 229 acres in total. These 229 acres are filled with countless surprises. For instance, there is a Bart Simpson statue hidden in the Harold Lloyd Lobby in the Steven Spielberg Building. I have yet to find it, because frankly, I am not good with directions. However, just knowing that the statue is out there and the hope that I will eventually come across it is simply invigorating. 

The most interesting aspect of life USC offers, however, is its student population. I’m from O‘ahu, one of the Hawaiian islands. As much as I love my home, one thing that drove me absolutely crazy is the fact that it was so small. I hated the fact that it was very likely I would see someone from high school, middle school and even sometimes elementary school around the island. Dentist appointments, speech and debate competitions, going to the mall — nobody was safe from seeing somebody from school and trying not to scream. 

USC has so many people from all walks of life. I feel incredibly lucky that I am able to find so many commonalities with so many different people. Hawai‘i, like California, is incredibly diverse. However, the melting pot culture in California is what makes USC stand out from many other colleges. It is this culture that has allowed me to meet so many new people.

The life of a student is always going to be difficult. Balancing academics, social life and personal health is already a challenge for many. However, breaking out of the seemingly never-ending cycle of school life is definitely possible. USC offers a diverse student population, countless hidden nooks and crannies around campus and incredible organizations that welcome students from all walks of life. Students should thus take control of their lives. To echo Danny DeVito, offer yourself a nice egg in these trying times. However, know that you’re the only one who can boil the egg.