In a previous blog post, “Two Questions, One Answer: USC,” I shared general reasons why I chose USC. This time, I am going to hone in on why I chose Viterbi. By the end of April of my senior year in high school, I had narrowed down my college choices to USC and Boston University (BU). Both universities had highly ranked and well-established engineering programs, especially biomedical engineering programs. Thus, it was definitely the hardest decision I ever had to make. Here are some of the reasons why I chose Viterbi:
1. Viterbi has so many majors to choose from! Even within biomedical engineering, I could pick between biochemical, electrical, and mechanical emphases. This was important because I knew there was a possibility that I would want to change majors or shift directions in the biomedical field once I got to college.
2. Just like USC as a whole, Viterbi has a strong alumni network. Alumni come back to Viterbi and recruit for internships and full-time positions. I love how Viterbi reaches out to alumni to serve as advocates as well as mentors to students.
3. Viterbi made more of an effort to recruit female students than any other engineering school I had visited. I knew I wanted to be in an environment where I would not feel uncomfortable or inhibited because of my gender.
4. The Viterbi Overseas program is an amazing opportunity to study abroad in a European country during the summer with friends and faculty from Viterbi. This program stood out to me because I was interested in studying abroad, but I also wanted to do so many things in my four years (clubs, minor, etc.). Therefore, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do an entire semester abroad.
5. Viterbi has a very fair grading system. In other words, there is neither grade inflation or deflation. Viterbi classes have curves that always help your grade, which promotes collaboration. To put it simply, I did not want to go to school that was cutthroat.
6. Viterbi really valued undergraduate advisement. I appreciated that students had to meet with an advisor before registering for classes. With a plethora of classes to choose from, college can be daunting. I definitely needed someone to guide me and make sure I graduated on time.
Of course, these are not the only defining features of Viterbi. These are just the features that were influential in my college decision. I suggest that you don’t overlook them!
