Hey guys, school is back in session and I’m so pumped to start the second half of my undergraduate career at SC! After an exhausting summer of non-stop travel it’s nice to know that I’ll be in one place, at least for a little while. The rest of my family vacation in Italy was fantastic, and I’ve been putting together some video clips from my GoPro that will hopefully be edited and online soon. Also, be on the lookout for an awesome summer recap video Betty, Coco and I have been working on.
From the start of my time at SC I have consistently been told to brace myself for junior year as an engineering student, and I am definitely starting to see why. This semester I am enrolled in a full 18-unit course load that includes three engineering courses from three different disciplines, OChem, and a general education course. My engineering courses include Statistical Methods for Biomedical Engineering (BME 423), Linear Circuits (EE 202), and Statics (AME 201), but despite the seemingly large amount of work in my future I am excited to start taking more engineering classes that cover a wide range of topics.
My life outside of the classroom this semester is sure to be just as hectic and busy as ever, which is just the way I like it. My fraternity just wrapped up fall rush with awesome events like Go-Karting and a Yacht Cruise, and I look forward to getting involved this semester with more initiatives on the Interfraternity Council as we seek to address the topics of diversity and acceptance on the Row. I also want to get involved in one of USC’s newest and most interesting clubs, 3D4E, which is a student run 3D printing organization that works on a variety of different 3D printing projects that include creating a full 3D campus map and the Freehand Project (seen in the tweet below). I am also serving as the Vice President of Recruitment for the Greek honor society, Order of Omega, and will get back into coaching little league baseball near the end of the semester.
Had a great time yesterday at the Children’s Hospital of LA picnic. Gave three kids cool new hands! @Enablethefuture pic.twitter.com/rBM0SsT6eM
— USC 3D4E (@3D4E_USC) May 4, 2015
With so many things going on in and out of class, what I am most excited for this semester is Trojan Football season. Coming into the season ranked as one of the top ten teams in the nation there are a lot of expectations for the team to do big things, and the hype-train is most definitely rolling through campus. Hand-in-hand with football games are football tailgates, and I cannot wait for this weekend when thousands of people will gather on campus decked from head to toe in Cardinal and Gold before the game. Whether you are an over the top fan like myself, or just a casual supporter of all things USC, the experience of watching a football game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one that is tough to beat. In addition to all of our home games, I am also heading out to South Bend to watch the infamous battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh against Notre Dame with my dad, and also plan on making a trip home to Phoenix to watch USC play at ASU.
It’s official: headed to South Bend with Pops in October pic.twitter.com/Z1sFg4cLjH
— Alex Budde (@FightOnBudde) August 25, 2015
So far this semester is shaping up to be extremely eventful and I couldn’t be more excited to see what this year has in store. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on my many adventures and experiences throughout the Fall, and whether you find me in Leavey studying for midterms or on McCarthy Quad on Gameday, you know I’ll always be Fighting On.
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