Over a year ago I put down my deposit to attend USC before I had even heard back from every school I had applied to. As cliché as it sounds, I knew USC was the school for me when I visited, and I got that feeling I assume brides get when they put on their wedding dress for the first time. I’d be lying though if I said I didn’t have a little fear inside of me when I chose to go to USC. USC is a four-and-a-half-hour plane ride from my small Midwestern hometown, I had no friends going, and leaving behind the comfort of high school is hard for anyone. Still, I packed my bags and prepared myself for the greatest four-year adventure of my life.
Now when I say that I chose USC before hearing back from all the schools I had applied to, most people get the sort of look on their face that I like to call the “why would anybody ever do that” look. It is a bit unorthodox for most people to do something like this, but when I further explain myself it all makes sense.
USC to me was not just a place where I was going to get a degree and call it a day. Sure, that is a pretty hefty bonus of attending college, but going to USC gives me so much more. The opportunities I have had in just a year at this school have been unlike anywhere else in the world. I have traveled all around California, made friends from all over the world, and been able to join clubs like Engineers Without Borders and Viterbi Impact that let me volunteer using my engineering skills. I even received a fellowship right away during my freshman year that has given me the opportunity to conduct research along amazing USC faculty members.
Taken on my first day at USC!
Aside from USC as a whole, Viterbi is so unlike any other engineering program in the world. Viterbi+ really is, in my opinion, a phenomenal way to run an engineering program. Viterbi encourages us to be so much more than just engineers. I know friends who are on the surf team, people who are in acapella groups, and classmates who are in the marching band. People in Viterbi are not just going to graduate as better engineers, but better human beings.
Trojan Gamedays
Now, I could go on and on about why I chose USC. The beautiful campus, amazing surrounding city, tough academics, and overall school spirit just crack the surface of what is possibly the hardest question to answer. In the end, I could not be happier with my choice in college and I thank USC and Viterbi for giving me lifelong friends and memories. Once a Trojan always a Trojan is such a real thing.
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