Why I Chose To Apply To USC

 

With all of the college application deadlines coming up I thought I’d share why I chose to even apply to USC. When I first started my college apps I remember being very overwhelmed at all the options I had for going to college. There are thousands of universities in America and don’t even get me started on international schools. There are so many things to consider when applying to schools so this is the list that helped me narrow down my choices to only places I could realistically see myself going if I got in. Plus if you’re reading my blog right now you are probably already considering applying to USC so here are a few more reasons you might want to or these could be things to consider when choosing what other schools you want to apply to.

Majors:

I knew that I wanted to do engineering, but I also knew I wanted to do things beyond engineering. It is important to not only look at what your specific program of interest has to offer, but to also look at what else is available. Ask questions like, “Is it easy to minor?” “Can I double major?” “Will I be able to take fun electives outside engineering?” With this in mind Viterbi’s philosophy of engineering plus put USC towards the top of my list.

Size:

Consider what size of school you want to go to. Size of classes and campus was something I never really considered until I transitioned from my private middle school to public high school. I went from an 8th grade class of 22 kids to a high school freshman class of 800 kids, talk about culture shock. This helped me realize that USC was ideal for me. I really wanted a school that had a big student body, but small class sizes which is what Viterbi offers!

Climate: 

As a Southern California native I knew that I would not be able to handle east coast winters. While this wasn’t my most pressing factor in my consideration it was definitely on the list for my comfortability. After talking to my friends who went to school on the east coast during our first winter break home from college I knew I had made the right decision for me.

School Spirit/Sports: 

I loved going to my high school’s Friday night football games and knew that was something I wanted to continue in college. I couldn’t imagine going to a school that wasn’t spirited and didn’t have athletics to watch. The Trojan spirit was something that everyone always talked about when I tuned into the USC livechats and trust me when I say it lived up to all my expectations.  I loved USC’s infectious spirit so much I even joined the USC spirit team. (ps going to a USC football game is really fun 10/10 recommend)

These are just a few extra things that I thought were important to consider when I was applying to schools!

Alexandra Rennie

Alexandra Rennie

MAJOR: Industrial and Systems Engineering YEAR: Class of 2022 HOMETOWN: Palos Verdes, California PRONOUNS: she/her/hers INSTA: @_alexrennie On campus I am the current captain of the USC Spirit Leaders, an ambassador for the Wrigley Institute of Sustainability, and a member of Greek Life.