The best advice that I can give to Freshman is to believe that you can be a successful college student. Whether you come from a high school where you feel you were constantly challenged or from a high school where you felt you weren’t challenged enough; you are ‘prepared’ for USC. The good people at the admission office know you are beyond capable to succeed at USC, and that is why you were admitted. When I first got to USC, I was extremely uncertain as to how I was going to go about developing great college study habits and attaining an internship. As a first generation college student, I really felt that there was no way I was going to do well. That was my reason of doubt, but whatever yours may be it is nothing but an insignificant thought.
You are competent enough to succeed in class, especially at a place like USC. There are SO many resources on this campus and that is a blessing. If you ever need help with math, you can always reach out to the Math Center or the Viterbi Academic Resource Center (where you can also get help in physics and major specific courses.) If you need help writing, like many engineers do, you can go to the Writing Center. Even within your courses, along with your lecture you also have a discussion, office hours, and, in some courses, supplemental instruction. Aside from everyday mishaps, there is no reason why you should not be able to succeed.
USC also makes attaining an internship more than feasible. With career fairs every semester, a career services center, and professors who are always willing to be your mentors in the process, you will not have a lack of guidance and/or opportunity. There are people on campus that want to see you achieve each and every goal you set out to accomplish.
The combination of these resources has assured me that I am “cut out” to be an engineer and that I can succeed in the future as a student and a professional. Don’t ever limit your boldness and intelligence because of uncertainties. Try it out and remember that you can be a successful college student, no matter what it is making you think that you can’t.
