Entries by Valerie Yu

Make these light and easy meals during move-in week

All of the hustle and bustle of move-­in week got you looking for an easy way to unwind and refresh? All settled into your dorm or apartment but not yet willing to settle for the dining halls? Try these light and easy recipes that you can whip up without the need for any electric kitchen appliances. Breakfast/snack: Fresh fruit […]

FYF: How to fit in by standing out

Arranging a lineup and planning an outfit go hand in hand for music festival attendees. Let’s not pretend that Coachella’s music festival is the only display of popular street fashion. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the FYF Festival is sure to be a hub of the latest fashion trends. If you are feeling […]

Freshman year playlist takes us back to that first day

When I think back to my first days as a USC student, there are songs that I instantly associate with the unique feelings of being a nervous and wide-eyed freshman. To this day, when I listen to these songs I’m instantly overwhelmed with the same emotions I felt back then when I was trying to […]

Eight tips to get you up for an early morning run

We all feel better when we do something healthy for our bodies. It’s just a fact. But I think most of us know the difficult feeling of trying to bring yourself to get up early to go on a run. I bet half of you are nodding your head thinking back to the few hundreds […]

Forming bonds in Kiyosato

It is only the end of April, but the sun has begun to rise hot and white in the sky. The new freshmen have begun to settle comfortably into the routine of university life. They’ve finalized their schedules, but more importantly, they’ve begun to finalize their club memberships. Unlike American college students, who can hardly […]

Fight on: A Trojan’s end-of-semester bucket list

With the semester coming to a close, it might be dawning on you that you’re going to have to spend three whole months away from the best school in the world. Before you leave for summer though, try to accomplish some (or all!) of the tasks on this list. Check out campus from up above, […]

Five takeaways from freshman year

Independence isn’t everything. Despite everything your parents, high school teachers, guidance counselors, and friends already in college have said, college isn’t just about being independent. Sure, it’s a big part of learning to live on your own, but during your first year away, there is a lot of support available for you. Chat up your […]

Cooling off with homemade popsicles for the summer

Summer is just around the corner, so you can expect Los Angeles heat waves to be hitting campus right about now. Instead of stretching yourself in front of AC or taking a dip in one of the many fountains on campus, cool off with easy-­to-­make popsicles! I don’t know about you, but as a kid, in […]

Why Argentina? Reasons more students should study in South America

“Why Argentina?” This is a question that I have been asked over and over again since I applied to study abroad in Buenos Aires last September.  For me, the answer was always an easy one. I am an international relations student with a regional emphasis in Latin America, which I selected because of my Spanish […]

Being there: On performing the “Experience Abroad”

Each semester, there comes a time when thoughts about the transitive nature of being an exchange student truly consume me. Usually, it’s around the time I should be studying for my first wave of exams and papers, but instead, I just stare aimlessly at the ceiling for hours (and watch Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix until […]