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Page 18 USC first and Brad Walters Journalism Junior When I was a senior in high school, I made what has been the most important decision of my life up to this point: the decision of where I wanted to attend college. Fortunately, the decision was an easy one for me. Before I was old enough to even worry about college, I was a big Gamecock fan. The experience of attending the football games as a youth was second to none. As a student, I've learned that the atmosphere of the game from the student section is even more phenomenal. My first visit to Carolina as a prospective student hooked me to the school. Before I even set foot onto campus that day, I saw from driving around that the city of Columbia was just the right size for me-big enough to have plenty of things to do, but small enough not to be totally overwhelming. I already knew the quality of USC's journalism program was unmatched in the region and that the Honors College was among the finest in the South. But a day on campus showed me that this was definitely where I belonged. Everything from the beautv of the Horseshoe to JO J the quality of student life was awesome, and I left Columbia that day excited about my future as a Gamecock. When the first day of school rolled around, I was really nervous about everything. It wasn't just the fact that I was about to be away from my parents' home^ for the first time, but I was wor MauiJim Ray I Arnette B I Revo ^ HUGE % Suncl | Hobie | SUNGLASS > b Anarchy "2, SALE! St Gargoyle 0al Vuarnet Costa Del Killer Loop 'Large action of Oakl available, but not discou ^SSSKSBS I DISCOVER I I only choice ried about whether I'd get to know people or if my roommate and I would get along. And would I know where to find everything on such a large campus? Of course, everything turned out just fine. I spent the first few weeks hanging out with people from my high school, but as time went on, I got to know more people. It only took a week or so for me to know where most things were on campus. My first semester, I didn't get involved in any organizations because I was worried about whether I'd have time. That was a mistake! I joined Circle K International, a service organization on campus, my second semester. I quickly found out that the feeling of giving something back to the campus and to the community was unlike any other. Ever since I joined The Gamecock staff midway through second semester, I've been busier -hir* T\w t*\rt*r Kpon_inrl T hi\rA if imr man x ?v, wvui i/wuii aiivi x vywuiuh l navv. u any other way. Keeping active in student organizations has actually helped my GPA because I've been able to better organize what I have to do. Now I'm editor in chief of The Gamecock for the summer-quite a big step for a shy kid from the upstate of South Carolina. My experience here has taught me that, no matter how big a school this might seem, it's not hard at all to make an impact if you really want to. I've had the time of my life at USC, and if I had to do it all over again, it be just as easy a decision for me to make as it was my senior year of high school. HJ IB V BjM fei flBg PROUD B| MEMBER B>; OF THE H$ I ASSOCIATION OF K PROFESSIONAL *! PIERCERS B| CAROLINA Transfer sti about fitting Rosalind Harvey Class of '99 I transferred to USC, and it was the best decision I could have ever made! Well, sure I am breaking my father's heart, with him being a Clemson graduate and all, but I think Carolina is finally growing on him. However, I think it will be a cold day in July before he will put the "I'm a USC dad" bumper sticker on his car. I was really worried about transferring to another school. Besides the typical fear of becoming a number, I was afraid I would be a year behind, not only in my academic schedule but al so with the campus. I know it sounds weird, but I was honestly afraid I would not fit in and USC would be full of "cliques" already established. Plus I was afraid I could not really become involved in student activities. Boy was I wrong! The night before my first day of classes, I checked and double checked all of my classes for the day and the buildings they were in. I even starred them on my map of USC so I knew where I was going. Coming from a small school, I was afraid I was going to get lost on campus. I really don't know why I was so nervous. Everything went very smoothly, and my professors seemed nice. I met several really nice peo IKappa ISl YS7~1 vvci^uinc y< p University of South Carolina ident talks in at USC pie, and I did not get lost! By the end of my first semester I had fallen in love with USC. The football games, the people I met, my new friends, and yes, the classes as well. My fears of becoming a number on such a huge campus and of not fitting in were put to rest. All of my professors knew me by my first name, and they really seemed to care. As a matter of fact, several of them still take the time to stop and talk to me when I see them on campus. My second semester at USC was even better than my first. I decided I wanted to become in volved in a student organization, so I chose to write > for the school newspaper,The Gamecock. Through the newspaper I met so many more people. Not only students, ;T' but great faculty members * I would have never had the opportunity to meet if I had not become involved in a student organization. The following semester I was chosen to be the news editor of The Gamecock, and later editor in chief. So I was wrong yet again. My fear of not being able to become involved was also put to rest. Even though I started my life at USC as a sophomore, I was never a step behind. 'Pijp? Delta! ou to use |