Why did I choose USC? That’s a fair, and very good question. I’m very glad to say that I have many many reasons why I chose USC and rightfully so- choosing where to go to college is an important decision for anybody.
I’m going to briefly explain to you how I fell in love with USC first, then give you six distilled reasons why I choose USC, and why I still think to this day (as nearly all Trojans do after their first year-rightfully so) that USC is a great choice to go to university!
I orginially started coming to USC once a year back in middle school with my parents-we would come to see the USC/UCLA game around Thanksgiving. Seeing as both my parents went to USC, it was a fairly tilted scale when it came to support in athletics….but I nonetheless consider my decision to come to uni here an independent decision. 🙂
Before and after each game, we would go walk around campus to kind of get a sense of how people were feeling about the game. It was precisely these walks which caused me to see the pride on campus students, professors, and adminsitration had for USC! We all love being here, campus is prestinely maintained, and we are in the center of one of the greatest cities in the United States. It’s sort of something you gotta come on campus to feel-and I strongly encourage you to come visit us on either a Discover or Meet USC day here on campus. More info? Go to: http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/visit/meet_usc.html
As for me, here are my reasons why I chose USC.
-Research opportunities
-Diversity of study opportunities
-Weather
-Family
-Study Abroad Opportunities
-the City.
I’ll elaborate.
I suppose I’ll start with the academics side of things as that is probably a very important item on your mind at this point. In this field, I chose USC for the study abroad opportunites, research opportunities, and opportunities to diversify my studies. From last to first: USC allows, and more importantly, encourages students to double major. See the Renaissance Scholar program at: http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/renaissance/
In addition to this, you get a great support network of advisors to be with you at every step of the way during your degree progress.
In tandem to this great diversity of study, I’ve found there to be (much like I heard when I was applying ) that as the leading private research instituion in the nation, there is an abundance of research opportunities at all levels. Most recently, this last summer I was researching the effect of sheer forces on the rates of protein aggregation with one of my favorite professors. Student orgs such as Aero Design Team (ADT) also give you great opportunities to apply what you learn in class to the wider world.
Lastly, a shot out for study abroad opportunities. Clearly, in such a global market place, no matter what you are studying, it is important to have an internationally aware background. So far, I’ve studied abroad at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, and have gone on business trips to places such as Budapest, Hungary, Dubai, UAE, and Milan, Italy to gain international market exposure.
To top that off, if you study abroad for 10+ weeks and maintain a 3.5+ GPA, you are eligible for great scholarship opportunites upon graduation.
Check out these places for more info:
http://www.marshall.usc.edu/undergrad/buad/international/excel
http://www.usc.edu/dept/International_Offices/Globalization/scholars/global/faq.shtml
http://dornsife.usc.edu/cambridge-program/
http://dornsife.usc.edu/overseas-studies/
When you finally choose a university, you choose a campus, and in effect, a home…. Of course you want a nice home where you enjoy yourself, feel safe, and able to thrive during your studies. I’m not saying it all starts or stops with the weather and family (of course some of us have different tastes and or can’t stand our great aunt!), but in my case, the sunny coast line and many close family members made USC a great choice for me. I mean laundry time is a thing of the past…..just take it up to grandparents, where I get a great meal to chow down on while I’m waiting for my whites to finish….of course family is about more than that 🙂 While weather/family wasn’t a deciding factor, it did go in as a very big plus in my pro/con list.
Lastly, a shot out for LA. What can I say, it’s a great city. You can eat out every night of your time at USC (not that you need to- USC food is good!) you would never eat at same restaurant twice. It’s a fun city too….be it from an entertainment aspect…Hollywood, amusement parks, finance, banking, engineering what ever it is, you will have it at your fingertips. You know that this means right? Early exposure to the top industry of your choice- it’s arguably one of the best places to start your career.
I hope this all helps, and don’t hesitate to contact me or any of my VSA colleagues if you need anything at all! All the best, Warren
