jz19

We may be the same person.

I can write at home but cannot read at home.  I only like to write on grid paper. I need to have eaten before I do anything at all. I need to have at least 2 beverages within reaching distance.
 
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I need to be wearing my "study pants".
 
If it's too quiet...I just fall asleep.  And I am extremely found of Sharpie pens

I have four cats, two from shelters and two I trapped as kittens from a feral colony. They don't take up too much time, and the apartment doesn't smell like cat at all because I clean the litter boxes everyday. The only tough part is that I had to switch them to an all-wet-food diet because one guy develops deadly urinary crystals with dry cat food, and even cheap wet food is more expensive than high quality dry food. Oh well, still love them lots.

Here's a picture of three of them sleeping on each other:

Hi all,
 
I'm currently an undergrad at USC, and will be headed off to Boston for my PhD in a few months. But I'm happy to share my knowledge. 
 
PhDerp - regarding the second car - at most apartment complexes you can definitely purchase a second space, but they get really pricey. A space in a gated apartment complex usually runs about $200 a month. You can typically purchase a tandem spot that has room for 2 cars for about $300 a month in most buildings. However, there is also A LOT of street parking in Los Angeles. I have never paid for a parking spot for my car. Most of the streets around campus have open street parking (except for Tuesdays from 8-11 am when they do street cleaning). So as long as you can remember to move your car every week at that time, you've got a spot for free!
 
jzhu - There aren't many trails around campus. Most people choose to run on the campus itself (the loop around campus is about 2 miles). Staying within the gates keeps you safe, and the campus is the best place to run for a nice view. Also, anywhere north of campus is safe to run. A lot of people will run the blocks around fraternity row, and even up to downtown LA. Basically the rule for going anywhere alone off campus is to stick East of Vermont Ave., West of Grand Ave., and North of MLK Blvd. This hold for any time of day.

Hi PhDerp!  It's totally possible to find apartments with 2 parking spaces in LA.  I used to live in Marina Del Rey, which is about half an hour from USC, and our second parking space was $55/mo.  I think this was unusually low, though, and offset by a higher rent....From what I remember of the apartment hunt, most places charged between $100-$150/mo for an extra space.  
 
Does anyone know of good running trails around campus (i.e. ones close enough to be used on a daily basis)?  I like to run early in the morning and found this article from 2011 that wasn't particularly encouraging....

Hi PhDerp!  It's totally possible to find apartments with 2 parking spaces in LA.  I used to live in Marina Del Rey, which is about half an hour from USC, and our second parking space was $55/mo.  I think this was unusually low, though, and offset by a higher rent....From what I remember of the apartment hunt, most places charged between $100-$150/mo for an extra space.  
 
Does anyone know of good running trails around campus (i.e. ones close enough to be used on a daily basis)?  I like to run early in the morning and found this article from 2011 that wasn't particularly encouraging....

- Ship all your media (books, CDs, DVDs) via USPS. It is shipped at a much cheaper rate. I think you can send about 200lbs. for less than $100.
 
- Ship your heaviest stuff in large flat rate boxes. I stuffed all my shoes in two boxes and it was $16ish a box. They would have taken up a lot of room in my car.
 
- Price out freight for shipping furniture. You can get a mattress box from a store and ship it freight for cheaper than it would cost to get a uhaul rental sometimes. 
 
- If you know your parents will be sending you package, leave a bag of off-season clothing for them to use as packaging materials.
 
- Sell everything you can and rebuy/CL when you get there. You'll be sad when you realize how much you spend in shipping vs. how much it really would have cost to just sell and rebuy.
 
- Don't forget, the heavier your car, the more gas you go through.
 
Hope some of these help!

I honestly don't. Once one thing is ok and seems done I pick it apart and find another reason to worry. Lol I don't swim much so no.
I mean this is very important it is my entire life here and I could live alone but having a roommate would be great but I don't want them to cut me into a million pieces and feed me to their dog!

I swing violently between "IM NOT GETTING IN ANYWHERE IM GOING TO FAIL LIFE AND DIE ALONE" to "THEY WOULD BE LUCKY TO HAVE ME." Until I receive word one way or the other, I am going to be mentally unstable and volatile. Apologies to all who have to be near me.

USC was/is my top choice.  I'm from LA and would like to stay here after getting the MPP, and since they're giving me a full tuition scholarship and assigned me to an amazing advisor (Raphael Bostic), I really don't have a reason to reject the offer.  Maybe if at the Dean's Merit even they tell us that drowning puppies is a part of the capstone project or something.  
 
@chocolatecheesecake will let you know how the event goes!
 
Who did you guys get assigned to for your advisor?