• Push yourself—do the hardest thing you can do. Being in-over-your-head is how you grow. They’ll teach you a lot at Viterbi, but discipline is the most important thing to learn and you have to figure that one out for yourself.
  • If you aren’t 100% committed to one of the engineering disciplines, then select a broadly-applicable one (i.e. mechanical, electrical, or industrial & systems).
  • You need to learn how to manage your stress, immediately. Find an activity that can relax you after just 15 minutes. I use running, writing, or meditating.
  • Don’t forget to have fun. Your responsibility quotient only increases from here on out. Enjoy your freedom; ‘gather ye rosebuds while ye may.’
  • Your network is your net worth. Nobody makes it on their own. Don’t be a lone wolf at Viterbi.
  • Travel every chance you get.
  • Take the classes that sound interesting, not the ones that sound easy.
  • Others may disagree with this one: don’t hold on too strongly to your identity. You’re going to be confronted with a lot of information and experiences that are going to challenge your previous world views of yourself. Don’t try too hard to put yourself into a niche. Change yourself.
A picture of me at summer orientation, 4 years ago. It's been real, SC.

A picture of me at summer orientation, 4 years ago. It’s been real, SC.

gordy

gordy

Junior biomedical engineer (electrical emphasis) at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. I enjoy cooking, folk music, and reddit. And I'm all kinds of geeky.