As the beginning of the end of my sophomore year gets under way, I have so much to look forward to in all aspects of my college life. I am going to split this up into three categories: classes, extra stuff, and what is beyond the end of this semester.
Classes:
I am excited for ALL of my classes this semester. The reason being that all besides my GE begin with the title AME or ASTE (meaning they are aerospace or astronautical related). I love my major and have since taking the introductory course my first semester on campus. My passion for the field makes taking the courses extremely interesting and waking up for my 8 am easier. Four weeks into the semester, and I have not been disappointed. Let’s break it down.
AME 231 Mechanical Behavior of Materials: I am learning about the atomic level of materials and how they differ in certain systems and when to use what based on the objective.
AME 204 Strength of Materials: This class connects to the above mentioned class in that we are learning about how forces affect these materials and where they will fail and how they react to forces outside of the system.
AME 490 Directed Research: This course is not so much a class as it is research. Since I conduct research on campus, I can add this course to my schedule and get units that count towards my tech electives.
ASTE 280 Foundations of Astronautical Engineering: Or as I like to call it, Kerbal Space Program (a spaceflight based video game) in real life. I am going to learn all about orbital mechanics and the basic principles of Astronautical Engineering.
ANTH 333 Forms of Folklore: This class is already amazing. Did you know that jokes count as folklore? Folklore surrounds you in your everyday life and you do not know it. This class breaks it all down from mythological creation stories to hilarious jokes across cultures.
Extra Stuff:
Perhaps what I am really most excited for is baseball season. The club team has trips planned to Berkeley, Arizona, and San Diego to play against the respective club teams at those universities. In addition, we added a lot of talent for this semester and have an even more respectable squad to go up against fellow PAC 12 schools. Also, for the first time, we will be able to play on the D1 field at USC. The “big stage” if you will. I am thrilled to be able to keep my lifelong hobby going in college and cannot wait to get out there and compete.
In addition, my research projects are starting to heat up. I was recently trained to run the wind tunnel and calibrate it by myself. Meaning, I can set my own schedule, gather my own data, and come up with conclusions and hypotheses on my own time. Furthermore, we have some deadlines coming up for the company that we research for that will produce more prototypes and insight into what we are really trying to do.
Beyond:
My summer is chalking up to be amazing. First off, as soon as I get back home to Arkansas, I will be travelling to Cleveland, Ohio to watch my brother graduate. Being the HUGE family guy that I am, this an awesome moment that I will get to share with my family as I watch my role model take the next big jump in his life.
Not a week after that, I will be shipping off to Paris to study abroad through the Viterbi Overseas program. I will be taking two classes from USC professors with my fellow USC classmates in Europe and cannot wait to broaden my international horizons while taking classes that count for USC credit.
Overall, there is a ton to be excited about. Stay tuned for plenty of updates!
