Advice I Wish I Had My Freshman Year
By: Nancy Aguilar ‘22
Freshman year was extremely difficult for me, I cannot stress this enough when I say that you are not alone in feeling lost and confused when you step onto the USC campus. My journey at USC has been anything but linear. I was admitted as a Biology major and dropped out on the first orientation day. I stepped into the lab and already knew it was not for me.
So, I then chose to pursue International Relations because I’ve always been a fan of learning about different cultures and social activism so it seemed like a good way to combine both. But two years into school I still felt like I was missing something in my curriculum and then I added film production as a second major down the line.
Starting as a freshman at a school you don’t know, with no friends and no idea if you’re even in the correct major is something that many students experience. I didn’t find my group of friends until my second semester as a freshman. Believe me, I know how difficult it is to feel like everyone has a group of friends and knows what they want except you.
Attend Every Event That You Can and Meet New People!
One of my greatest suggestions for you as a freshman is to attend as many events as you can and don’t be afraid to explore. I met one of my best friends at a freshman orientation event and it wasn’t until we hung out at a different welcome event that we actually became friends. They have a ton of fun events for you as a freshman that you should take part in and especially take advantage of the free food! Some of my favorite events were an ice skating activity, welcome concert, freshman barbecue and the Southchella event that was held for residents in the South residential building. Most of these events consisted of just music, food and fun. I would go into detail about them further but I think what determines your experience most is the people you meet or are accompanied by. Sometimes the events themselves aren’t the best, but with the right people you can find fun anywhere. I highly recommend going out to all the events that you can and meet as many new people as you can.
Remember that everyone is new to the school like you and most people are always happy to meet new people. It’s also an extremely rare opportunity to meet people outside of your major. After these initial weeks of mingling with other freshmen, you do not get another opportunity like this to meet people of all backgrounds. After this, most people meet their friends in classes and most of the time if you’re in the same class you’re in the same major. So please take advantage and meet people that are interested in things that are different from what you’re interested in. Currently, all of my roommates and close friends have different majors and it’s such a nice break from my major.
Participate in Career Fairs
Go to career fairs! As a freshman there’s a lot of pressure to get internships and join all of the right clubs but the best advice I can give you is to just treat it like it’s a fitting room. Browse and try clubs like they’re pieces of clothing. You haven’t purchased them so there’s no commitment or stress to keep them. You can just simply choose not to get it and try something new and your freshman year is the perfect time. I encourage you to go to at least the first meetings of all the clubs you sign up for or are remotely interested in because, even if the club isn’t for you, you have the opportunity to meet new people and not be left wondering what if.
Also, don’t be scared of taking on leadership roles because you’re the “new” one. Oftentimes roles are what you make them and it’s not like you’re being graded or anything. Take on new roles and challenge yourself because in the worst case scenario you leave the role but you can still put it on your resume nonetheless.
Learn OASIS and Make Four Year Plans For Yourself
If OASIS doesn’t sound familiar to you, don’t stress about it. Personally, I feel that counselors and advisors don’t emphasize the importance of being familiar with OASIS. It stands for Online Academic Student Information System and you can find it in your my.usc.edu account. I cannot stress enough that it’s in your best interest to consistently keep up with your OASIS record. This is because your OASIS account lets you know what credits you’ve covered and the credits you need for your major. Additionally, it lists the potential classes that can cover your major requirements and it makes the registration process so much easier to be familiar with this system. Furthermore, checking the USC website for your specific major requirements and planning each year yourself as best as you can ensures that you make the most of each of your semesters. Oftentimes, some classes aren’t offered every semester or they have certain prerequisites or D-clearance requirements so it’s best to always have some sort of plan set so that you can take all of the classes that you want and you can take advantage of your freer semester to take extracurriculars.
Take WRIT-340 your Freshman or Sophomore Year
WRIT-340 is an upper division requirement for all USC students that is typically done during senior year. If you’re not a huge fan of essay writing I suggest you take this upper-division requirement within your first two years because you’re going to be fresh out of WRIT-150 and your GSEM courses so you’ll be decently accustomed to essay taking. And then, once you’re a senior it’s such a great feeling to have the requirement done while others still have to do it. Personally, I didn’t think the workload was that different from WRIT-150 so it is totally do-able as a freshman. Additionally, definitely choose a topic that you’re interested in and will be fun for you. I know they suggest taking a topic that’s within your major but I say take it as an opportunity to explore something that interests you that you may not be able to see in your current major classes.
Schedule a Lunch with Your Professors!
This doesn’t have to be every single professor, but getting in touch with professors that you like or would like to get to know more is always a good idea. Additionally, connecting with professors that could potentially help you get to where you want to be. These are valuable resources in the long run because they can always write a letter of recommendation for you or connect you with somebody that can open doors for you. It also helps humanize you more when grading season comes around so definitely take an hour every couple weeks to meet with your professors.
Regardless of the route you take in college, it’s most important to remember that there is no correct route. Go at your own pace and do what feels right for you. Remember that even if things don’t pan out how you want them to, you can always find silver linings where you didn’t think you could.
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