If I had to describe USC and my experience here as a student in one word, I would say “opportunity.” This was the main thing that attracted me to USC, and one thing that I have found to be true in my three years here.
As a senior in high school I knew I wanted to go to school on the east coast, and when April came I was deciding between attending MIT, Yale, and Columbia. I kept USC as an option just in case I decided I actually wanted to stay in California – and three years later, I’m really glad I did. What continued to bring me back to USC were all the opportunities available to me as a student. USC had the exact major program I wanted (“architectural engineering”), the best football team, offered me a the option of participating in research as a freshman, support systems within engineering, study abroad options for engineers, a club lacrosse team, a strong greek system, the best Trojan family, great location, and perfect weather – which crossed off every item on my list of the perfect college! While I couldn’t see this at the time, I now know that the college experience I have created for myself at USC, I couldn’t have had at any other university.
Outside of everything I was interested in, I could see that USC was also a well rounded university, where every school within the university was top notch was well. The students here are doing amazing things in their respective schools, whether this is business, music, film, or humanities related, not mention athletics or the arts. USC is on the cutting edge of innovation and the students are challenging themselves to be the best and learn the most they can from college, both inside the classroom and in the real world. While I have learned civil engineering in my classes, I’ve learned so much more through my campus involvements and abroad experience about leadership, communication and world cultures, and become a more well-rounded person as a result.
For those of you deciding where to attend college next year, I would say to look at the opportunities available to you at each school. This is the biggest indication of who you might be in four years, as you take advantage of every opportunity the school has to offer you.
Best of luck in your college decision! If you have any questions, feel free to email me at viterbi.student@usc.edu. Fight On!
My family after one of my lacrosse games
Viterbi Summer Overseas – Madrid
