[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][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=”4/5″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ronald-jones-ii-usc-stanford.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][cs_text]When I was looking at different colleges, there were three primary factors that I looked for- strong academics, fun social life, and an enjoyable location. Usually schools excelled at one or two of these topics, but finding a place that I felt like I could really have all three was not an easy challenge. However, USC’s strong combination of these three was enough to convince me that it was the right place for me.

ACADEMICS:
I’m sure that I don’t need to spend too much of your time here. USC is known for having a strong reputation in nearly every degree program and tons of resources available to students. Although it’s a large school, USC’s commitment to small classes, undergraduate research availability, and interdisciplinary education (emphasizing minors and classes outside of engineering) was enough to hook me.

SOCIAL LIFE:
At USC, there is so much more to do than school. There are concerts around LA every weekend, I’ve found most of my best friends in my fraternity, and during the fall, there’s a football game nearly every Saturday. The school spirit and exciting sports scene were also huge factors in my decision to come to USC.

LOCATION:
I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA so I’m a total wimp when it comes to weather. I probably wouldn’t last a year somewhere that has “real” winters, so having USC in a place with nice weather but still a few hours away from home was perfect. Also, LA has an endless amount of possibilities of things to do in the surrounding area. It’s close enough to the beach to go surfing in the morning, close enough to mountains to take day-trips snowboarding, and surrounded by so many good restaurants.

I could go on and on about why USC was the right choice for me, but everything I say falls into one of these three categories. The balance between the three is simply unbeatable. Fight on![/cs_text][x_image type=”none” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Los-Angeles-real-estate-1024×683.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/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/2017/09/IMG_1336-copy-1.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/nathan/” title=”” target=”blank” info=”popover” info_place=”bottom” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”Bethany Biomedical Engineering ’19”][cs_text class=”cs-ta-center”]Nathan is a sophomore studying ME. He loves the beach, hiking, and football games. Click the picture above to learn more![/cs_text][cs_icon_list][cs_icon_list_item title=”@nate.alva” type=”instagram” link_enabled=”true” link_url=”#” link_title=”@nathan” link_new_tab=”true” style=”font-size:18px;”]@nate.alva[/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/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2017-09-17-at-11.37.34-PM.png” 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=””]Mechanical 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%);”]More From 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]