By Jackie Kim
I want to address this article to new students at USC. At the beginning of each semester, USC is blessed with new students, and they seem to be forgotten about after the first crazy week of orientations and welcome events, especially during the spring semester. Having been at USC for almost three years, I want to share some bucket list items that I have completed/ want to complete that are great ways to explore the campus and get to know USC on a more personal level. I’ve included items that are not mentioned during the campus tours, in the brochures, or on the school website. Most are things that I’ve figured out while attending USC, and fun things I wish I knew when I was adjusting to life at USC. Most continuing students will know things on this list, so feel free to ask a continuing student for more fun ideas!
- Try all of Ground Zero milkshake flavors
Ground Zero, the on-campus coffee shop and performance café, is a great place to hang out with friends—especially because of their milkshakes. Amazing creamy and sweet, these milkshakes can cheer anyone up instantly. The diversity of the milkshake menu is fantastic, stretching out over three chalkboard menus. I recommend that you grab a different-flavored milkshake as a treat every weekend!
- Run around campus
The running route around campus is just over two miles long, a perfect distance to burn off all the calories from the Ground Zero milkshakes. It’s great to go for a run before it gets too dark and say hi to all the fellow Trojans you’ll be running in to! The best thing is that if you get too tired, you’ll pass by a lot of gates, so you can stop and rest inside campus whenever you want!
- Study in all the libraries on campus
USC is the epitome of beautiful libraries. If you haven’t seen the big hall in Doheny Memorial Library or the Philosophy Library in Mudd Hall, it has to be your next destination! There’s a library in just about every building on campus, so make it your goal to pick a different study spot every day! It’ll be a great change to focus even better on studying!
- Climb to the tenth floor of SGM using just stairs
Known as the tallest building on campus, SGM has a great set of elevators…that sometimes don’t work. I discovered this one day, and had to walk all the way to the tenth floor using just stairs. You may start to question your motivation on floor 6, but the sense of achievement at the end is great! Also, it’s always easier to climb down stairs than climb up stairs!
- Spend a night in Leavey Library
Except on Saturday nights, Leavey Library is open 24/7, making it the go-to study spot for many students who need to spend a quiet, focused night studying. There’s going to be a day (especially during finals season) that you’ll wish you had more hours in the day to study, and Leavey Library will be there for you, 24/7. There are some couches you can even nap on!
- Visit TroGro while it’s closed– only for 30 minutes a day
Following the Leavey Library night, you may want to step into Trojan Grounds, the campus Starbucks to recharge your caffeine level. Just like Leavey Library, it’s open 24/7, EXCEPT for 30 minutes from around 3 a.m. each night. I have personally never seen it closed, having gone to Starbucks earlier than 3 a.m. or past 4 a.m. (dark times), so this remains on my bucket list item!
- Watch something with other students at the new Annenberg building
Lastly, students host viewing parties at the new Annenberg building for big events such as the presidential debates, and it’s always a great time to watch something so influential with the company of other passionate Trojans and free food! New Annenberg is a beautiful building and going to these events will help you connect with other Trojans in a unique way.
If you ever want someone to complete these with you, I’ll be more than happy to (even the one that involves climbing stairs)!
Featured image is author’s own
Jackie is a Junior majoring in Business Administration, with potential minors in Computer Science or East Asian Studies. She has lived all over the world, from Korea to Singapore, to various parts of America. She is fascinated by cultural diversity, and her goal in life is to become a diplomat for the United Nations. She is a big fan of learning languages, and she is hoping to learn her sixth one soon. Jackie is involved in various international campus organizations such Model United Nations, as well as community service groups, and the residential government, and would love to introduce you to cool leaders on campus if you want to get more involved! She loves playing ice hockey, playing traditional Korean music and, and socializing with people in her free time! She can’t wait you meet you and get to know you! She also has a lot of school spirit because she absolutely LOVES USC.