College is hard. Every class will not be your favorite. Every professor is not your friend. And. for most, this will be the longest time you have ever spent away from home. With all that being said, I am glad I chose a school that supports me throughout the bumps in the road. A campus that I can call home. Why USC? Why not USC? The past two years have been life-changing, and I could not imagine myself on any other college campus.
Engineering + Community Engagement + Medicine + Tech
Throughout my life, I have played over six club-level sports! I enjoy learning new things and could not spend too long on any “one” thing back then. So, throughout my college application process, one goal was to find an engineering school that supported their students’ interests beyond engineering. That was when I stumbled on Viterbi’s “Engineering +” philosophy, which I have found to hold true.
From changing my major three times to having a class dedicated to supporting engineering startups for global social good and hosting a hackathon on campus for high school students, there is plenty of space to pursue interests beyond your coursework. I am passionate about medicine and community building; Viterbi has strongly supported and encouraged those interests with the Viterbi Impact Program, Friends and Neighbors Events, and funding for my community programs.
Support
USC has a strong emphasis on wellness. At the beginning of the semester, almost every syllabus I received included links to resources supporting academic well-being and mental health. Most semesters, I ignore that blurb of the syllabus and skip reading the late policy, but this year, I decided to read the fine print.
These are some of my favorite FREE wellness resources here at USC:
- Viterbi Learning Program, which provides year-round free tutoring.
- The Kortschak Center provides academic support resources, such as an academic coach, to help you plan your semester and check in with you weekly on your progress.
- USC Student Counseling services for regular check-ins with a therapist. I even had the option to choose someone whose cultural background aligned with my own.
- Nutritionist that helped me with a meal plan to increase my protein intake.
I have had a great experience with these programs and could not recommend them more!
Community
Everyone at USC is so supportive of each other. We laugh together, we study together, and we protest together. We are the type of campus that shows up when it matters. One crucial aspect of this community atmosphere is “Welcome Week,” hosted by USC. For an incoming freshman in the fall, this is the week before your classes start. Throughout that week, USC hosts many events to help you get acquainted with USC and the Los Angeles Area. I have so many fond memories from that week, and two years later, I still live with the friends I made that day.
“Why I chose USC” is a slightly misleading title. While yes, two years ago, I chose to attend USC; every day, I actively choose to be a Trojan. On a campus that supports me so well, I am excited to see how I will grow over these next two years, fight on!
Featured Photo Caption: HackSC X NSBE collaborated to host HackSC Jr. with a hackathon with a focus on uplifting underrepresented minorities in tech. A project that I lead, funded by the Viterbi K-12 STEM Center. #engineering+service
