Student Life

The Trojan Family
Being a member of the Trojan family connects you with one of the strongest educational communities in the world. Comprised of thousands of alumni, students, faculty, staff, athletic fans, neighborhood partners, and others, it is not the size of this network, but the community of genuine caring and support which makes the Trojan Family truly unique.

Day in the Life
Though student schedules do vary, here is an example of a typical day for one MA-II student in their second year:

• 9:00 am:wake-up and turn on some music while I pick out what to wear. Take my dog for a quick walk.
• 9:20 am: take a shower and get dressed.
• 10:00 am: eat breakfast while I look over some notes for my Qualitative research class
• 10:30 am: start the commute. I live in the South Bay so I have to allow for traffic on the 110 and leave extra time to find parking since I didn’t buy a permit this semester.
  
• 1:30 am – 4:30am: go to work at my part time job as a student recruiter in the office of admissions at the USC Health Science Campus.
  
• 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: drive over to University Park Campus for my night class
  
• 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: eat and chat with some classmates before class
  
• 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: History class
  
• 9:00 pm - 11:30pm: drive over to my friends’ house. Catch up as we cook dinner together. Watch a little television before having a study session.
  
• 11:30pm: go home. Check e-mails, surf the internet, read a few chapters in a non school related book. Talk on the phone to my friend about her pre-wedding stress.
  
• 1:00 am: wash up and go to bed. I don’t have class until 2:00pm tomorrow so I’ll plan to wake up around 8:00 am and go to the gym tomorrow morning.

Transportation
The University provides tram service for students between Union Station, the USC University Park Campus and the USC Health Sciences Campus, as well as shuttle service to both campuses from the USC Occupational Therapy House. A car is just about essential for convenient mobility in Los Angeles, however, some students arrange car-pools for commutes and/or special activities. Los Angeles does offer limited bus and subway services at a reduced rate for students.

Take a look at the USC Tram Schedule.

Part-Time Employment as a Student
During the professional training year (BS and first year MA-II students) there is little time for work. Some students work on the weekend or in the evenings, as OT Aides, in restaurants or for other businesses. Advanced graduate students (MA-I, OTD, and PhD students) have ample time for research and outside work. Many maintain a private practice or work part-time or “on-call” as therapists. Second year MA-II students have time during the traditional week to work part-time as OT Aides or OT Trainees.

OT House
The OT House offers occupational therapy students the opportunity to live together in a supportive academic and social environment, and to get involved in community volunteer work. Read more about the OT House.

Lyon Recreation Center
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, main students utilize the Lyon Recreation Center, located on University Park Campus. This newly renovated facility is free to students and features the Main Gym - 21,800 sq. ft. gym (basketball, badminton, volleyball), an auxiliary gym (basketball volleyball, wrestling), as well as conference rooms, sauna and Jacuzzi, equipment rental and sales, men’s and women’s locker rooms, Klug Family fitness (weight room) center, cardiovascular equipment, racquetball and squash courts, a climbing/bouldering wall, multi-purpose weight and stretching areas, group exercise studio, and outdoor seating for aquatic events. A variety of workout classes are offered including yoga, Pilates, and cycling. Visit the Lyon Center website for more information.

Questions about student life? Ask a current student!