In the Industrial and Systems Engineering major here at USC, my classes are always filled with some awesome people! Here’s a transcript from a special interview with my friend Tanisha, an ISE junior from Charlotte, North Carolina. She shares a lot of great insight on her journey into Industrial and Systems Engineering, moving to LA from across the country, and advice for prospective students!
Alexa: Hey Tanisha! Thanks so much for doing this interview with me. Why don’t we start by asking “why USC”?
Tanisha: The reason I chose USC – it had a lot of potential majors that I’d be interested in. When I was applying to colleges, I was not sure what I wanted to do. I was sure that I wanted to be in a technical field, but I didn’t know what type that would be. So I wanted to trial a couple of classes and then make that decision, not go in completely sure like some other people do. I felt like USC was able to provide that flexibility for me.
Alexa: So you initially came into USC as computer science, right?
Tanisha: Oh, I applied as electrical and computer engineering! And then as soon as I got in, I switched to computer science. I took a semester’s worth of course work and was like, “Oh, maybe I don’t enjoy coding that much”.
So I switched to computer science and business, CSBA, thinking that it had less coding requirements. After another semester of this, I was not really happy with it. So I started looking into other majors. One of the majors that really appealed to me was industrial and systems engineering. I hadn’t heard of it at all before that semester; you don’t meet a lot of people doing it because it’s relatively new.
I took one of the intro probability classes for that, and really liked it because I could apply math and a little bit of coding. That’s how I like to approach real-world problems: using technology to make systems better and optimized, which is what ISE’s do. After two semesters of ISE coursework, I officially switched to the major.
Alexa: What’s the vibe with our classes usually? Would you say it’s a lot of technical, heavy stuff, or is it a good balance between technical and non-technical?
Tanisha: It’s a very good balance between technical and non technical stuff. You take things like probability, stats, optimization, discrete system simulation, but also non-technical type classes like human factors and human-system design, and engineering project management. Right now I’m taking a class called sociotechnical systems and work organization, which is not super technical either. These are all “people classes” – I think they actually really help me navigate my relationships with other people. A lot of times, engineers have the technical skills, but they’re not equipped with the best people skills. ISE’s have both! So I feel like our course load really helps us balance those technical and non-technical skills.
Alexa: You came to USC from all the way across the country, from North Carolina! How was that for you? Were you scared at first?
Tanisha: Yes, USC was the only west coast school I applied to. Honestly, I only applied because they had scholarships … I applied before the scholarship deadline. And then when I got in, I was like oh, I know it’s a good school and I got a scholarship, but I don’t know anything about it. I wasn’t able to tour it at the time either.
So I was just looking at USC YouTube vlogs, you know the “Day in the life of a USC student”; reading stuff on Reddit. I feel like those, especially YouTube, really helped me imagine myself there. When I actually got here, the weather was amazing. It’s not that different from North Carolina like in August, but it doesn’t get as cold as it gets in North Carolina during the winter, which I really liked.
Other than that, I’m from a very suburban area. Moving to South Central LA was kind of a little bit of an adjustment. In an urban area you have to be really aware of your surroundings. But I will say, I’ve never had a bad experience because I’ve always been aware and cautious. But LA is such a big city, you have so many opportunities. Downtown is just 10 minutes away, or you can just take the metro to Santa Monica and just sit at the beach if you want to. You have the Getty, there’s so many museums in Expo Park, and always so many events going on at USC and in the city.
Alexa: So you were able to adjust to physically being here and thriving in the new environment, but how were you able to adjust to your engineering classes? Because I remember feeling like my high school classes didn’t prepare me for my engineering classes, and it was kind of a shock.
Tanisha: Because the entirety of my first semester was just CS coursework, I didn’t enjoy it that much and had a hard time adjusting to college-level work. I was at office hours, like, every day, just sitting there in the vampire den that’s the computer science building. Making friends in class also really helped, because your peers are a great and underrated resource.
When I switched to ISE, I enjoyed the course work a lot more, and I understood it a lot easier and faster too. So I don’t need as much help anymore, but professor’s office hours have still been helpful. I feel like people don’t take advantage of that because they’re going to think, “Oh, am I gonna be judged by the professor or the other people in class?”, but the professor’s job is literally to help you. And if you don’t understand something, that’s why you’re taking the class, because you don’t know the content! There’s no shame in asking for help.
Alexa: I agree with you. That’s what I do, too. At first though, it was definitely hard asking for help. You have to go out of your comfort zone. Last question: any words of advice for prospective students, or things you wish you would’ve known before you came to USC? Even before applying in the first place, throughout the application process?
Tanisha: I think students should look at all potential majors we have. It’s okay if you are interested in a bunch of different things and are not sure what you should choose. Just keep an open mind, though, because I was so sure when I came to USC that I was gonna graduate with a CS degree, and it did not go that way at all. So keep an open mind, and don’t say no to an opportunity, even if you think you’re underqualified. A lot of times, you’re in your own head but you’ve put the hard work in. And when you get to college, join clubs. It’s very easy to meet people through clubs. And when you’re applying to schools, YouTube is a great resource. What else? What’s something that surprised you when you got here, Alexa?
Alexa: Honestly, for me, it was the work hard play hard culture at USC. I wasn’t really expecting that. But it’s good! It’s a good balance; I’ve never felt like my classes have a toxic environment because everyone is very collaborative.
Tanisha: Yeah, most of the classes have grading systems that work in your favor, not against you. You’re not competing with your peers, which I think is really helpful. For the engineering school, it’s not hard to get the classes you want at all. Even though USC is a big big school, the engineering school is small and the ISE department is even smaller.
Alexa: Yeah, it’s great! Freshmen should definitely try their best to get involved from the beginning, and it’s easy to do that within such a tight knit ISE community. Thanks so much for chatting with me Tanisha!
Tanisha: Thanks! I hope this helps any prospective students.
This interview transcript has been edited for length and/or clarity.