Out-of-state students adjusting?

bunnywunny
Tue, 12 Nov 2013 01:45:57 +0000

I’m from Georgia, and an Undecided major. Though I can’t say I’ve found a plethora of people from Georgia, I’ve run into a decent amount of people from the Southern States.

Thought I wouldn’t have a problem trying to adjust, as I’d lived in Los Angeles for about 4 years when I was younger. Also had this arrogant mindset that I had a leg-up against my fellow USC peers, about half of whom are from in-state. While they live anywhere from 40 to 400 miles away from home, I lived 2,000 miles away. I don’t have the luxury to take a weekend trip or even a Thanksgiving trip back home. Gotta stick it out here until December. Because of this distance, along with my ability to do the basic domestic chores (washing my own clothes and dishes, taking out the trash, making up my bed, keeping my room tidy, washing behind my ears - y’know, the basics) I assumed I had something to show for my independence.

I was wrong. This is just me, but I find the the people, attitudes, and overall culture in California and Georgia to be quite different, and I found myself calling my mother many times since I’ve been here to confide my uncertainty that the university was the right choice for me. Overall, the environment of not only USC but SoCal as a whole took me a while to get used to, and in some ways I am still adjusting!

I’m saying all this to say, come into USC with an open mind and fresh perspective. While you may think you’re grown and independent now, I promise you, you’re still gonna have some growing up to do in college. That goes for anyone.

As for the adjusting, it’s all depending on the person, yeah? I’m a pretty shy girl, so naturally it was a bit challenging for me to get out of my comfort zone at first. Maybe not the same story for you. However, today I can whole-heartedly say that my earlier fears regarding my inability to make friends here at USC were definitely unnecessary, though understandable at the time. Plenty of opportunities, including welcome week, clubs, events, and my current job have lead me to meet many people, make plenty acquaintances and mentors, and have a handful of great friends that I can rely on.

Don’t worry. You’ll do fine here. Like I said, there’s always, always something going on on campus, and therefore plenty of opportunities for you to find cool and interesting people that speak to you.

Oh, and little tip: Bring a jacket here, k? And a couple of long-sleeves shirts and sweaters.

I thought I wouldn’t need one, and was so stuck on this superior mentality of people from California considering the “cold” to be a mild 65 degrees. I’m regretting that choice. It actually gets pretty darn chilly! Right now, though it does get decent enough in the afternoon that I am perfectly comfortable in capris and a short sleeve shirt, by night I’m usually freezing my tail off.

Also, stock up on the southern home cooking while you still can.

Good luck, and Fight On!