Four years – it can feel like a long time, and also a short time too. It’s hard to begin to categorize everything that happened from the moment I committed to come to this amazing place to today. It’s been real, it’s been a ride – it’s been…Wow.
So many people say that the get nostalgic about USC close to graduation, even before they’re gone, and I think that that’s just testament to how wow this place is. People are ready to miss campus before they’re even gone because of the depth and quality of the experiences that they’ve shared and the qualities of the people that they’ve met.
Through and through, my experiences at USC have been so heartwarming, looking back through four years of learning everything I could’ve about airplanes, traveling, skiing, enjoying LA, learning to love a big city that I thought I’d never grow accustomed to, the list goes on. Wow.
Other areas of my life have been positively affected from this place as well – mostly through the experiences that happened outside of the classroom, that weren’t planned, that might not have been the best decision or the “right” thing to do but that were so rewarding because of the attitudes that were shared by the people who partook and the situations that were unplanned and beautiful because of it.
If I had a few pieces of advice to give to anyone considering attending USC, or really anyone who wants to get the most out of college in general, here’s my best take:
- Seek out experiences that you’re not comfortable with (to a certain degree) or normally wouldn’t try. It can sound a bit like you’re scared of missing out, but even if you don’t enjoy the time to the maximum potential, you’ll be better off for getting that exposure to something that’s unusual. For me, this was going to a warehouse art show. Four years ago I’d never have thought of doing something like that, but I’m better for it.
- Take at least one spontaneous trip with friends. For me, this was going to San Luis Obispo to see some friends for the weekend. It was Friday, we weren’t sure what we were going to do for the weekend, and 15 minutes later we were on the 101 on the way up to SLO. It was a great weekend.
- Go to the football games. If you’re not a football person, go for the people! So many people are so positively enthralled with football (and sports in general) and I can say that the experience has been positive.
- Explore the area, not just campus, that you’re living in. Los Angeles could take a lifetime to see, but depending on your attitude, you can either see much more or much less of the city based on how often you decide to get off campus.
- Know that relaxing or enjoying your time outside of class is just as important as hitting the books. You should study, you should study hard, but you should also think of being in college like having a bank account. If studying is a deposit, you need to make withdrawals as well – reward yourself and do something that you enjoy! Your time studying will be more productive as a result too.
I could go on, but I’m thrilled to see so many amazing students on campus attending admitted student events, and see the level of energy and excitement that will be brought with the class of 2022. Make this place yours, and make yourself great. I still have experiences everyday that make me say wow.
Fight on!
-Naish
[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/5″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false” class=”cs-ta-center” style=”color: hsl(0, 95%, 18%);”]About the Author[/x_custom_headline][x_image type=”circle” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Naish-Gaubatz_web.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”#https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/bethany/” title=”” target=”blank” info=”popover” info_place=”bottom” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”Bethany Biomedical Engineering ’19”][cs_text class=”cs-ta-center”]Naish is a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering. He’s a pilot, and will talk with you for as long as you want about planes (and other stuff too).[/cs_text][cs_icon_list][cs_icon_list_item title=”@naishonals” type=”instagram” link_enabled=”true” link_url=”#” link_title=”@bethany” link_new_tab=”true” style=”font-size:18px;”]@naishonals[/cs_icon_list_item][/cs_icon_list][x_gap size=”100px”][x_custom_headline level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”true” class=”cs-ta-center” style=”color: hsl(0, 95%, 18%);”]Check it Out[/x_custom_headline][x_image type=”thumbnail” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Boeing-787.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/study/biomedical-engineering/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_button size=”mini” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/study/aerospace-and-mechanical-engineering/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]Aerospace Engineering[/x_button][x_gap size=”30px”][x_image type=”thumbnail” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/los-angeles_1.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/free-time/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_button size=”mini” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/free-time/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]LA Life[/x_button][x_gap size=”30px”][x_image type=”thumbnail” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/USC-campus-Hahn-plaza.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/orgs/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_button size=”mini” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/orgs/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]USC Campus Faves[/x_button][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” class=”cs-ta-left” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column bg_color=”hsla(0, 27%, 74%, 0.03)” fade=”true” fade_animation=”in-from-bottom” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”true” class=”cs-ta-center” style=”color: hsl(0, 96%, 23%);”]Hear from other Viterbi Students[/x_custom_headline][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”2″ offset=”” category=”” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”true” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”2″ offset=”2″ category=”” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”true” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”2″ offset=”4″ category=”” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”true” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]
