One of many incredible exhibits we explored during our visit to the Exploratorium!
The variety of classes here at USC is absolutely incredible. Even as an engineer and as a freshman, I have already had the opportunity to take a very diverse array of classes. You may be wondering how I was able to take such awesome classes, and how my engineering classes fit into my schedule?! I took these classes alongside my engineering classes, which may sound like a lot, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience. All of my classes were very useful, and I definitely recommend taking advantage of the wide variety of classes.
One class I took was a philosophy class, a category B – Humanistic Inquiry class, which satisfied that specific General Education (GE) requirement. There are so many different options for each category of GE, which guarantees that there be at least one class that interests you, even if it’s completely unrelated to your major or anything you have ever done before! I chose philosophy because a lot of philosophy is based on logic, which relates to engineering in an abstract way, which I really enjoyed.
I also took a theatre class that was a GSEM, which stands for General Education Seminar, which all freshmen have to take. They also count for the category they fall under in General Education. GSEMs are a really cool freshman class, because they are all capped at a very small number, fewer than 20, so the class setting is very participatory and hands-on. My class had only 10 students in it, and I loved the feeling of knowing everyone in the class and being able to have in-depth discussions that we could all participate in. Even with no prior experience in theatre, I gained skills in public speaking and critical reading that are lifelong skills.
This second semester, I took an FSEM (Freshman Seminar) because I was very interested in learning more about the topic, Space Exploration. It was very similar to a GSEM in class size and the ability to get very in-depth in each class period. I loved getting to learn a great deal about a topic that I had almost knew nothing about, as well as getting the opportunity to visit the California Science Center during class time!
I also was able to take two very interesting classes through the Annenberg School for Communications, which were Dynamics of the Video Revolution, and Experiences in 360 Degree Thinking. Annenberg classes are very interesting, and I highly recommend taking them! Through these classes, I had the opportunity to hear from highly respected guest speakers, travel to museums and labs around campus, as well as take a final weekend trip to the Exploratorium in San Francisco! Through taking these classes, I learned about topics I had never even thought to explore, as well as met wonderful fellow students and professors I never would have met otherwise.
[author title=”Author” author_id=””] Button Text
