<p>Relax. Everyone is as broke as you will be (except maybe the super-wealthy kids). I had a similar situation, coming from a place with a high cost of living and I came to a couple of realizations. The first one was that depending on where you go, food and entertainment is ridiculously cheap. The Food 4 Less down Jefferson has really low prices (just don’t go after dark), the UV has cheap movies, etc. Your friends will also want to save money, probably. </p>
<p>Second, getting a job from USC is a great idea. I know it sounds like it might distract you from school, but a job raised my GPA. Most USC jobs are untaxed, and involve sitting behind a desk each week. You really don’t do anything besides surf the web and do assignments. That ended up paying for my dues, which I didn’t think I could afford.</p>