If I had to describe USC in a single word, it would be: “Energy.”
What does that mean? School-spirit, motivation, drive? Yes, and more!
Ever since I first visited USC for Explore and saw how happy the students were to be here – how excited they were to go to USC – I’ve noticed an almost tangible energy on campus. It’s the feeling that you’re part of something exciting, something larger than you and your studies. I visited over a dozen schools while searching for my college, and they were all great, but I never matched this feeling anywhere else, and it made my college choice easy.
It’s the energy you feel at a University opening new research and innovation centers seemingly weekly. This photo is from the ribbon-cutting for the new Brain and Creativity Institute
A large part of this energy comes from our nationally dominant Trojan athletic programs which unite the student body, alumni, faculty, and staff. Whether on campus or across the world, you have something not only in-common with other Trojans, but something you can both be actively excited about.
Feel the gameday energy!
This energy goes beyond school-spirit and gameday. Since coming here, I’ve seen it in the faculty, staff, and administration, who are constantly working to improve our school. We’re a top university, and we’re well known for our rapid rise under President Sample and continued rise under President Nikias. You know what you won’t feel on campus? Complacency. Everyone at USC is constantly striving to be innovative and improve our academic programs and student opportunities and bring the university more prestige around the globe. Like I said, when you’re here, you are a part of that. The drive to constantly improve is energizing and motivating.
Our faculty are constantly earning new awards, like Dr. Solomon W. Golomb, 2013 National Medal of Science Winner
When alumni visit campus, regardless of how long ago they graduated, they enthusiastically interact with current students. They work to get us job opportunities and support us in any way they can. What energy is more positive than that?
I think all it takes is a visit to campus or a talk with a current student in order to feel this energy for yourself. I encourage you to read other blogs on this site and I think you’ll even feel the undercurrent of this energy in those.
Students and faculty here can frequently be found working to enhance our studies and our school.
For an example of this energetic improvement between students and faculty, check out this blog from last semester where I described a meeting we had with the BME department chair, which resulted in a brand-new class the very next semester!
