Arushi Gulati
Hometown: La Canada, CA
College Activities: Research with Professor Meshkati in Pediatric Patient Safety, Viterbi Impact Program (Mission Science),Teach for Los Angeles, Alpha Epsilon Delta Associate Member
Why USC?
I realized that USC had some unique features that I loved. For example, I knew that I wanted to try new things in college while still taking my academics seriously, and it seemed as though students here were very good at balancing rigorous classwork while being involved on campus or pursuing other fields of study. The faculty here also seemed very caring and invested in their students’ success, which wasn’t something that I noticed at every school. I was impressed when the professors that I talked to took the time to get to know me personally. Additionally, when I toured campus, I noticed a lot of school spirit. That was an important aspect of campus life to me, because I wanted to go to a school where I could bond with others over school pride. I’d heard the term “Trojan family” before, but I hadn’t fully comprehended how much meant to everyone at USC. Finally, I committed and bought myself a matching USC t-shirt and water bottle to celebrate.
What activities do you do?
I love exploring LA with them and since coming here, I’ve seen parts of the city that I never even knew existed despite living in the city all my life. Some of my favorite memories also include fall semester’s football games, where everyone (even some of my professors) went out to support the team and connected with each other over a common interest.
Did you always know you wanted to do engineering?
Coming into this year, I wasn’t fully sure if I was going to continue studying biomedical engineering. However, the guest speakers that visited in my introductory Freshman Academy class and at seminars outside of class helped to convince me that I had made the right decision. I especially liked that Viterbi’s first-year curriculum gave unsure freshman like me a better idea of what engineering is, so I can be sure it is something I am interested in, especially because I had almost no exposure to it in high school. Even though classes are not easy and I’m not looking forward to going through finals week again this semester, I’m glad that I have a great community of friends. I am grateful for all of the support that exists for students, especially in Viterbi.
