Student Perspectives: USC in the Evening
During the school day, USC is bustling with activity—from the busy walkways of Trousdale Parkway to the classrooms scattered throughout campus. In the evening, after classes are (mostly) finished, the campus does quiet down a bit, but there’s still plenty of things to do. My name is Ashley, and I’m a fourth-year student at USC currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with a master’s in Materials Engineering. I’ll be sharing a little bit about what I do in the evenings as a USC student!
As a student, most of my mornings and afternoons are spent in the classroom. When my classes end depends on the semester; last semester, my last classes ended at 6:00pm or 6:30pm every day, but, during my sophomore year, most of my classes were done around 3:00pm or 4:00pm. So how would I spend the rest of my day?
Most of my club meetings are at 6:00pm or 7:00pm—which usually leaves me with a couple of hours between my last class and my next commitment. During that time, I like to go to the library to get some work done. My favorite libraries on campus are the Library for International and Public Affairs, the Architecture Library and the Science and Engineering Library. Even though they can be busy (since many students have finished classes), there are still plenty of seats available. I personally like studying indoors, which is why I tend to stick to libraries; however, there are also many outdoor spaces—which is a great way to take advantage of Los Angeles’ amazing weather. Some of the more popular outdoor spaces include the SCA courtyard next to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, the TCC courtyard area and the area outside Café Annenberg.
Around 7:00pm is when my club meetings start. I’m currently involved in the USC Racing team, so I head over to the Baum Family Maker Space—which is open to all Viterbi students to use—as that’s where most of the engineering design teams meet. I’m here around three to four times a week, working on various projects. One week, I might be manufacturing bushings; another week, I’ll be assembling the car or working on CAD drawings. I’m usually there until 9:00pm, after which I’ll head home to eat dinner.
I’m also the Vice President for the Asian American Tutorial Project (AATP), a volunteering organization. Every Wednesday from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, we have our general member meeting, where we bond with other volunteers, followed by our executive board meeting. On Fridays, after my classes, our organization goes to Chinatown to tutor students after school! I love volunteering with kids, so it’s an amazing opportunity to give back to my community and engage in something meaningful. Lastly, I’m also the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Every month we host general meetings, where we connect with other chemical engineering students, hear from ChemE alumni and organize career fair preparation workshops that include resume reviews and general advice.
Of course, this is just my personal experience. It might differ from that of my friends or my classmates. For example, my friend Lamiya, a fourth-year student majoring in Pharmacology and Drug Development, has had a very different experience. She is the Vice President of the Pre-Pharmacy Society (PPS), an organization that helps prepare students for careers in pharmacy! She attends meetings where she learns more about different pharmacy fields from guest speakers and engages in socials to get to know her peers better and build a “pharmily” in PPS (pun intended). She also works as a part-time pharmacy technician at the CVS near Gateway. This experience gives her a glimpse into a potential career and helps her see how classroom knowledge can be applied in the real world. She gains experience working with patients, learning about medications, and engaging with the community.
But don’t worry! I still make time for non-academic activities. Since I live in a house with six other housemates, we sometimes cook meals together! If we’re lazy, we’ll have an impromptu dinner and usually go to Koreatown for Surawon, a Korean tofu house, or Pho N Mor, which is right next to Gateway Apartments. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I love that Yogurtland is so close to USC! Whenever we finish eating dinner near Gateway, my friends and I always head to Yogurtland for a sweet treat to end the night.
There are also a lot of things to do within USC’s campus at night. USC has a program called Late Night ‘SC, which hosts fun events past 7:00pm. Recently, I went to an adult coloring event where they provided free coloring books and coffee! I also went to a mug painting event with my friends, where we got to paint our own mugs, all supplies included. We had a lot of fun, and it was a nice break from studying. Additionally, every Thursday from 7:30pm to 11:30pm, there’s “Tommy-oke” at Tommy’s Place. ThisPlace is a weekly karaoke event. It’s an open space where students can come together and do karaoke. I haven’t gotten the chance to check it out yet, but, since I love karaoke, this is definitely on my bucket list.
USC may quiet down at night, but it never really slows down. There’s always still something going on. Whether I’m in a club meeting, studying in the library, grabbing dinner with friends, or attending a Late Night ‘SC event, my evenings are always full in their own way. No two nights are the same, and that’s what I love the most! There’s always something to do, but USC also provides spaces to unwind and make time for yourself. For me, USC in the evening is where productivity, community and fun all come together.