I can’t believe it’s already the third week of school.  It feels like I never left USC, but it also strangely feels like I just got here.  So far, everything is going really well.  I’m enjoying my classes, I’ve had some awesome opportunities to explore LA, and I’m getting more involved in the organizations I’ve chosen to be a part of.

My schedule of classes looks like this:

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It is a very packed schedule, but I’ve found it manageable so far.  I am taking Mechoptronics Laboratory, Thermodynamics, Dynamics of Fluids, Dynamics, Writing 340, and Creating Poetic Cinema.  I am so far loving the balance of engineering and arts classes.  My classes each have 1 homework set per week due, 1 on each day of the week, so I’ve found that managing my time is the key to succeeding.

Even though I’ve only been back at school for a little less than a month, I’ve had some awesome opportunities to go out and explore LA.  I went to a restaurant last weekend called the Blu Jam Cafe – and it was delicious!  It is located on Melrose Avenue, so while we waited for our table, we went shopping in fun vintage stores like Wasteland and American Vintage.  It makes for a very fun morning.  Also, last weekend I was able to go to Disneyland!  I received complimentary tickets during my internship, and I decided to use them this past weekend, before things got very busy with my classes.

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Not only was last weekend a Disney weekend for me, but it was also game day weekend!  Although the game ended up being a huge disappointment, it was a ton of fun to celebrate the first home game.  Campus was, of course, packed with tailgates, and the student section at the game was packed!

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I have also had the opportunity to speak with Professor Ronney regarding my research this semester, and I will be getting started this week! It sounds like I will be working on real, meaningful projects related to microcombustion.  I cannot wait.  I also got to welcome a brand new Alpha class to Alpha Delta Pi, my sorority!  Before that, I welcomed freshmen into the Jewish community at a retreat for Hillel called FreshFest, which I helped to plan.

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If the rest of the semester is anything like these past few weeks have been, I am in for an amazing year.

 

Samantha Kaplan-2015

Samantha Kaplan-2015

Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2015, Learn more on her profile here!