Olivia C., USC Student | Resident Spotlight

1. What brought you to USC and how do you like it so far?  

I chose USC because of the broad curriculum, the social life, and I thought it struck a really great balance between both being in a city while still providing the typical campus experience. I’m a Journalism major, but I’ve still been able to explore art and design and take some interesting General Education classes as well. My (albeit cut short) freshman year was really great, and  although online classes haven’t been ideal, I’m still pretty engaged with the course material and have made some good connections.  

2. How did you know your roommates and why did you choose to live in a Tripalink apartment?  

I know two of my roommates from my suite-style dorm freshman year, and one of those girls introduced me to our other two roommates. We chose to live in a Tripalink apartment because it was good value for off-campus housing - I’m not from Los Angeles originally, so not having to  purchase or rent furniture has been really helpful. I also appreciate having my own bedroom and  bathroom, especially with online classes. It's great to have your own space and not feel like you’re talking over your roommate or disturbing their peace. It’s also good to know that if one of us got COVID we could isolate in our rooms and not have to use a communal bathroom.  

3. What's your favorite thing to do with your roommates?  

My roommates and I love to cook together. We make one or two group meals every week, where we all pitch in to buy groceries, cook, and clean. (We have a checklist on our fridge of different meals we want to make by the end of the semester.) We have done Korean BBQ night, Italian  night, etc. Even when we’re not cooking a meal together, we’re usually cooking and eating  around the same time, so we’re able to catch up as we work. We’ve also been watching a lot of movies! 

4. Was it a hard transition from in person classes to virtual learning?  

It definitely has been difficult - it’s weird trying to engage with your classmates and professors through a screen. Some professors are better at it than others, but many lack the tech-savviness to  make the transition easy for everyone. I have friends who are in time zones that make online classes almost impossible, which is another major issue. Also, many of my friends are in majors where in-person classes/labs/workshops are necessary to reach the quality of education promised  to us by USC. It would be great if we could move to a hybrid model with the necessary precautions for classes next semester to get back some of the in-person experience as certain things can’t be replicated in an online environment. 

5. How has it been living with your roommates in quarantine? (If you are) 

It’s been good! I’m lucky to be living with my good friends, so we never really get bored. We get along pretty well in terms of cleanliness, but having a weekly cleaning service has been great as well. We have also been safely socially-distancing ourselves when we visit other friends living  around campus, which has been a great way for us to get out of the apartment. One of my  roommates has a car, so we have also been going out to restaurants and beaches.