University of Southern California Top Questions

Don't be deceived by smiling faces. Go to college. Get a good education. Find a good man who will treat you with love and respect. Wait until you're ready for children. Take care of your mother and father in old age. Raise children to respect their heritage and respect others, especially those less fortunate, that need help the most. Contribute to society in a positive way. Be active in volunteer work. Help your community. Be a positive role model for your family. Finally, be true to yourself.

They say college is a time to pursue your passions. Unfortunately, passion does not pay the bills. Passion does not put you in a position to help your family. Are you prepared to expend a lot of time and money only to be a professional waiter? If not, then carefully consider your major. Business/accounting is one of the greatest majors to pick. Few majors provide the kind of money and opportunities that entry level positions provide in business. Even with a bad economy, first year investment banking analysts make over $100,000 a year. Only the best, however, can be investment bankers. There is no adjustment period - hit the ground running the moment college begins. Look up fraternity rush dates well before school starts. It's important to be involved and to have a strong network. There is no better place to begin. Also be sure to familiarize yourself with the career center and start looking for internships immediately. That first internship won't necessarily be easy to find, so be prepared to accept anything. Finally, do you want a lot more money to be available for fun things? Then stop being lazy and apply for some freaking scholarships.

Do not limit yourself to just an undergraduate education. College has many exciting opportunities to offer. It is important to take advantage of all of those opportunities inside and outside of the classroom, but don't forget about the classroom. Just like you had to work hard and learn about who you were in high school, you will be challenged to do the same in college. This is the place where it is completely up to you to find a balance between working hard and having fun. It is an important lesson to learn and one that will serve you well for the rest of your life. Your future may end up completely different from what you thought it would be, so don't limit your future opportunities by letting your grades slip. By working hard during your four undergraduate years, you will make it easier to do anything you want in the future--like attending the graduate school of your choice. Don't be afraid to reach out for help if you need it. Be kind, be smart, and make sure you have some fun.

Everything happens for a reason.

I would advise myself to explore the several financial opportunities ahead of time before college starts. Also, looking into every aspect of the institution would have been helpful.

I could warn my high school self about procrastination or recommend that he organize his schedule so that he has no 8 AM class and enjoys his Fridays free, but he would figure that out on his own soon enough. Instead, I would advise him to step out of his comfort zone. My favorite moments of college thus far have resulted from thrusting myself into a new environment, such as nervously asking a girl to swing dance with no prior experience. Sure, I cringed when she winced after I clumsily stepped on her toes, but I am better for it. I gained confidence from conquering my fear and I even had fun doing it. I have also performed stand-up comedy at an open mic, taken a spontaneous weekend trip to the Grand Canyon, and played Quidditch with a floormate from Shanghai. Recently, I have started perusing Time Out: Los Angeles to find more uncomfortable environments to encounter. My high school self would recoil at the very thought of these types of situations, but I would encourage him not to just endure them, but to enjoy them because, in the end, he will wish that he could have experienced more.

You should not have stressed so much about which college you would eventually end up at. Talking to all my friends after coming back for winter break, each and every one of them have fallen in love with their respective schools and are having a great time. Also, grades are not everything. In the business world, it is all about who you know and the connections you have. While grades and test scores are a great indicator of your intelletual capabilities, they are by no means surefire ways to success in and after college. Accept who you are as a person and strive to accomplish goals that you specifically want to do. Don't let anyone tell you how to live your live, find what your passions are early on and pursue them. I know I have three and a half years left in college but I can already tell that those years are going to the greatest of my life. The best is yet to come so keep your head up. Everything works out at the end of the day. You learn more from your failures than your accomplishments. Fight On!

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF There is a lot of talk about the affordability of college these days, but this is not a reason to assume you have to go into insurmountable debt to earn your degree. Financial resources are constantly given to students who put in the time and effort to seek out funding. More importantly, resources are available to the students who never stop looking. If I could do it all over again, I would incrementally pay down loan debt during college by constantly competing for private scholarships. Do not assume a full-time job will enable you to repay what you owe. I waited until after graduation to start paying back school loans. I nearly drowned because it was impossible to pay down the enormous debt on the salary I earned as a recent graduate. Signing a loan promissory note does not have to be the end of the story. While you still qualify as a student, put your hand out and ask for every bit of scholarship and grant funding you can find. Have no shame and remember that you will never know what you can get until you ask.

“Take your time!" Reflecting back on my high school years, senior year was by far, my best. Once the ladder was scaled, four hard years of work during high school, the leap from the diving board provided two options: making a smooth splash into a new pool, or plummeting straight down. I had all my ducks in a row senior year, so the leap taken was one that I felt comfortable and filled with excitement to do. I attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy as a musical theater major. I completed a year of studies to find out that my focus had shifted towards the production side of entertainment. My family supported me to have multiple internships with acting management, commercial agency publicity, and NBC Universal casting. Real world experience enriched my awareness of what life after earning a degree in a formal setting would be like. I completed two years at Santa Monica College and prepared to transfer to a University. Fortunately, USC would be a perfect fit to my puzzle. The variety of my journey so far reassures me that advice I would give myself would be to “take my time.” This helps develop character.

I would tell myself to not be wary of the change. I spent too much time trying to figure out where I would be most comfortable and the least "out of place" in college. I believe that the time I spent worrying about whether or not I could fit in took away from many opportunities that I had in front of me. Although this year I have discovered many activities I enjoy taking part in, I wish that I had taken advantage of these opportunities more quickly and not been so apprehensive to join in. I would also tell myself to continue to work as hard as I can. The academic transition from high school, or in my case, community college, is much more drastic than I anticipated when I began at USC. It took me too long to completely understand how much higher the level of academic competition is now in college and how many more doors are opened if I push myself to work as hard as I possibly can. The last thing I would tell myself is to grasp every opportunity possible, whether it be academic or social.