University of Southern California Top Questions

Congratulations, kid! You’re off to college! And now is the time to kick things into high gear. You think you worked hard in high school? Well, think again. College is a whole different playing field. You will no longer be competing with your classmates for acceptance into universities. Instead, you will be competing with your peers for internships, jobs, and research opportunities. You will be fighting for your career, for your livelihood. So take my advice and prepare yourself. Go above and beyond what is expected of you. Read ahead. Write what essays you can long before they’re due. Give yourself time to meet with your professors and discuss what you can do to improve, even if you’re already doing wonderfully. Because in college, there’s no such thing as being good enough. You should never have true free time; because there’s always something that you can be doing to push forward, to get one step closer to making your dreams into a reality. So take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to you and don’t slow down. Your future is within your grasp, but only if you’re willing to chase it.

During my senior year, I was training for the AIDS Lifecycle, a 565 mile and 7 day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. At the time, I didn’t view HIV/AIDS as a potential career specialty; however, becoming an HIV/AIDS specialist has become my primary career objective. In retrospect, I would encourage myself to become more involved with the San Francisco HIV/AIDS community after the ride so that I would realize my true passion in life sooner. While there is no pressure to immediately choose a career, having discovered one’s interests earlier on in college is beneficial because one can better utilize the resources available. Furthermore, I would encourage my younger self to always keep the big picture in mind. It is essential to have a greater idea of life and those around you, otherwise the world becomes too overwhelming and each mistake seems devastating. Through this lens, errors are far from apocalyptic; rather, these failures are the means to achieving success because sometimes falling the hardest is an awakening to what we are truly capable of.

If i could go back to my high school senior year i would have applied to many different colleges and have met the deadlines. I would have asked more questions regarding different colleges or universities and i would have researched more about financial aid instead of assuming it was too dificult and that i would not received any. I also would have came straight to college instead of taking time off. I also would have met with my high school couselor and discussed more information regarding majors.

In high school I was not as involved as I wish I would have been. It was largely due to my poor self-esteem at the time. Now in college I am very much involved and my confidence is at its peak level. The one very important thing that I would advice myself would be to join more clubs and organizations on campus and to be more outgoing. Coming into college, I was initially shocked by how involved the students at the University of Southern California are. At first I did not involve myself as I should have. I knew so many of my peers who were running for head positions of different organizations, receiving many internship offers, and who were just extremely involved. They were a motivating factor in my current involvement as an undergraduate student at USC. However, I feel like I am constantly playing catch-up to be a competitive student with the rest of my peers. I strongly believe had I planted the seed of involvement when I was in High School, the transition to being involved in college would have been much easier.

College not only provided escape from my crazy, idiosyncratic family, it allowed me to finally get something I've always been told to get and only dreamed of having: a life. I am responsible for making my own mac and cheese, washing my own dirty socks, and waking my own butt up at seven in the too-early morning. Sure, I have to pay for practically everything on my own, but there's a lesson in that, much deeper than the usual "so this is financial responsibility!" I come from a low-income family that struggles to pay rent and my aspiring heart was set on the University of Southern California and all its jaw-dropping tuition glory. Trust me, I certainly learned to appreciate every dollar I have earned thus far and it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't at this school. So why USC, you ask. Well, Jim, the academics are fantastic. It can be stressful, tiring, overloading, but at the end of the day, I feel like my work means something. At the close of each semester, I grow more confident that I am going to go somewhere after this. That in itself is irreplaceable.

Being a member of the USC Dragon Boat Team has been one of the most valuable experiences I have had at the university so far. During my very first class on my first day of school at USC, I realized I was no longer in high school. Sitting amongst 300 other students inside Taper Hall’s lecture room, I felt overwhelmed. When I joined the Dragon Boat Team, however, my earlier feelings of anxiety were completely gone. My teammates offer useful words of advice, guidance, encouragement, and most importantly, comradeship. The sport has also given me a means for relieving stress. Especially when the dates and deadlines of midterms and essays approach, I find myself in great need of a “pick-me-up.” Finally, dragon boat racing has instilled in me a new sense of determination, and focus. From dragon boat racing, I’ve learned a lot about myself. It has taught me that when fueled with ambition and perseverance, there is no limit to what I am capable of accomplishing. I apply the same kind of enduring passion and dedication to my pursuit of a degree in biochemistry as I put into racing for the USC Dragon Boat Team.

I have learned a lot about myself personally. Everyone thinks college is about learning about a major but it is also about learning about yourself. Decisons you make when you are on your own and also the mistakes you make tell a lot about yourself based on why you made those decisions. Reflecting back on some of the things I've done while in college has showed me parts of myself that I like and some that I really don't. Recognizing these things can help me become the person I want to be. You learn what you like and don't like, what your real goals are, what you look for in friends and relationships. I learned a lot, including that I love learning!

I've discovered that I exist in order to achieve something beyond just "my purpose." College has taught me who I am, who I am not, so many different lifestyles. It has taught me who people are behind the facades they put on for society and it has taught me that despite our flaws, we are changing the world--even if only a bit each day--by pursuing our visions, bringing our best to the table and collaborating. We live to lift each other up and to collaborate--between fields of study, between states, between countries and cultures. College has taught me how attainable each of our purposes that God has called us for are and has directed me toward my specific calling as well. I've learned that I'm not studying to get good grades, to get into law school--to look just toward the next step.Life is about being a friend, a good student, a good sister, and good servant to others--These are thew ays we become agents of change. College gives each of us the resources to open our minds, to work together, and to learn from the cutting edge of research.

As a sophomore, my college experience has already given me more than I could ever dream of. I have met so many diverse and amazing people, attended numerous cultural events, and explored L.A., one of the best cities in the country. I am working for an almost unparalleled education, and when I graduate, will become part of the most loyal alumni network ever. I have created lasting relationships with many professors which will help me find a job in the future, and I have become a member of a national, professional, architecture fraternity which has provided not only networking opportunities, but a family in which to belong. I have never been bored in L.A. or at USC, and it has taught me countless life lessons and has shaped me into an educated young lady who will make an impact on the third-world nations with the designs I have to offer to better their countries.

In choosing to go to the West coast for college (coming from the Midwest), I have been exposed to a painfully different cultural atmosphere. Culture shock and a spoiled freshman roommate taught me to be open to new people and ways of life. The school spirit made me feel a part of something larger and distracted me from homesickness. As a junior, I am over-involved in classes, extra-curricular activites, and school sports, but I am loving every moment. Furthermore, as a commit-o-phobe, I was wary about travelling four hours by plane to get to school after every break. The concentrated Environmental Studies Department has solidified my interest in environmental studies and has provided me with study abroad opportunities I have never imagined possible. Now I am Master SCUBA certified, have many solid and close friendships, and I cannot wait to get back to Los Angeles! I feel a deeply rooted connection to my department, faculty and advisors, and the purpose of USC. Getting through the rough patches has allowed me to become a focused student and friendly Trojan. I love spreading my Trojan Spirit to the Midwest! FIGHT ON!