University of South Carolina-Columbia Top Questions

Going into college my first year I assumed it would be very similar to my high school experiences. Ironically, my high school teachers were right when they said college would be totaly different . I learned that just because I was living on my did not mean i was an adult or living independently; I still needed my parents help in descision making and important choices that will impact my future. I had to learn that living on my own not only meant that i had to be accountable to myself but also modivate myself to do well and keep my grades up. My first semester also taught me that i had time to consume myslef with activities that interested me and to be open to trying new things. USC has been very valuable and will keep helping me grow as an individual. I think that learning how to manage my time and experience life at USC will help me obtain the education i wish to have so that I will be able to pursue my goal of working in the medical field.

Sydney J. Harris once said “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” I believe that throughout my college career I have read and studied many different subjects and topics, which have helped me develop my own opinion towards many things. By seeing things through others eyes I can better understand and communicate with them. I have taken classes in many different fields and I love learning. I feel that it makes me more whole as a person, and broadens my horizons. It’s really refreshing to sit in a class where everyone wants to be there, and understand that they need that class to fulfill their future dreams. I believe that my college experience has brought a new sense of responsibility to my life. It’s a step closer to the real world and I am getting very prepared for it.

I have grown immensely while in college. Sure, there are fun times but as many freshman and sophomores learn the hard way, you don't go to college to just have fun. I, for one, learned that the hard way. Eager to get out from beneath my parents wings I went blindly into college. Luckily, I did well and maintainted good grades, although I could not decide what I wanted to do with my life. After five majors, and five long years, I fell in love with photography. I would never have found this love had I not had the college experience that I did. There is a lot of wandering you do the first few years, not really knowing who you are. As you continue to grow, you begin to take on responsibilities and realize this is YOUR life and it's the ONLY one you are going to have. Once you reach that milestone, things begin to fall into place. I owe my career path to my college experience. I also know I am who I am today because of the many lessons and trials I went through as a college freshman, sophomore, junior, and finally a senior.

College has been a time of great exploration for me. When I first started USC, I was a Pre-Med Biology major. I felt that being a doctor was the only way for me to affect positive social change. While the Biology courses were challenging and interesting, I felt compelled to reach out into other areas of academia as the university offers a myriad of majors and courses. I took courses on Mesoamerican history, HIV/STI prevention, environmental justice and social marketing. These courses opened my eyes to the great possibilities for contributing to society. USC also has a vast number of student organizations and, as a classmate and I have done, students are encouraged to create new organizations. As president, I have learned about my abilities as a leader and about caring for marginalized populations. Professors at USC also encourage students to explore different concepts and topics. Overall, USC has allowed me to develop a clear understanding of who I am and which career suits me best. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would with no hesitation.

I went to USC as an international student. My experience brougt me the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people and to study fascinating subjects.

Initially, I dreaded recieving my education at an instate college. My heart was set on a change of scenery, and the University of South Carolina felt too close to my home in Charleston to provide that for me. Arriving at a university with over 4,000 students in the freshman class after graduating from a small arts high school where I was number 4 of 126 to walk across the stage on graduation night was intimidating. I was afraid that I would not make friends comparable to those I had found in high school, that my living quarters would fulfill all of the dingy dorm room horror stories I had heard up until that point, and that I would struggle to keep pace with the academic rigor of the Honors College at USC. I was mistaken on all accounts. The people who I have encountered during my first semester at the University of South Carolina are some of the kindest I have ever met. My accomodations in the brand new Honors Dorm are beautiful, and the professors who taught me daily strove equally as hard as I did to ensure that I achieved academic success at my new home.

So far throughout my college experience, I have learne how to dedicated myself completely to a task. At USC it is imperative that you work hard for everything you get, whether it is an on-campus job or a grade on a final exam. Once college began, you begin to realize things about yourself and about the world that you never realize you didn't know to begin with. For example, aside from learning how to dedicate myself, I learned you have to be determined before anything you want will begin to fall in to place. Specifically, the University of South Carolina has shown me how people from all different social classes and countries go through different routes to accomplish the same common goals: to first be admitted into the university; second, to succeed in maintaining an acceptable gpa; and third, to graduate and find a job. Though we all come from different backgrounds, once here, we all essentially work together to accomplish these three goals and to begin our lives in the adult world. USC has given me a valuable glympse as to what the real world actually is: all types of people working together for one goal, success.

I have met many new people and already have formed lifelong friendships. College made me truly appreciate home and the morals my family raised me upon. College has taught me to balance my time while also networking with other in order to have a social experience as well as academic.

Attending University of South Carolina has allowed me to grow in ways I had not been able to back home. I came from a small island. Moving to a huge college campus has allowed me my first taste of independence. It has allowed me to hope for, believe in, and pursue my dreams. I hope that I will be able to continue the rest of my college career at this university, because the people I've met, the experiences I've encountered, and the courses I have taken have allowed me to believe in myself. USC has given me the chance to flourish into the person I am going to be. It has presented me with the opportunity to express myself freely without fear of what my parents or the people back home might think. USC in a way has awarded me a freedom of sorts. I know that no matter what the experience that I've had here will have shaped who I will be for the rest of my life.

Through my college experience I have learned that I am a creative, goal oriented, and hard working student. I have realized the importance pursueing an education nad a dream. I have also discovered that I enjoy the learning process immensely. I have proven to myself, at 46 years old, that it is never too late to pursue an education. Going to college has been one of the best decisions of my life.