One Month Later

     So I have been down here at USC for a little over a month.  Wow!  Time has flown by!  Seems like just yesterday I was packing up the car to drive down here with my family to move in.  Thankfully I can say that these past few weeks have been great.  As a Capstone Scholar down here I am given added advantages on top of being in a great dorm.  I love all the added benefits given to us, such as social events and cinemas that we get to attend to for fun, yet still get points towards the Capstone Scholars Fellows Award.  So pretty much we are rewarded for having fun.  Nothing is better right?  That's what I thought.  Being a Capstone Scholar puts me in a great position for improving my resume for Graduate School and helps me get a leg up on the competition within my major.  I have the opportunity to grow closer with other Capstone Scholars just as interested in improving their education and meet with faculty one-on-one.  I cannot find any reason why being a Capstone Scholar would have been a bad thing, it is one of the best decisions I have made so far in my college experience.
     Outside of being in the Capstone Scholars program I have done a pretty good job of staying on top of my schoolwork and making good grades.  I am surprised at how much time I have to complete each assignment for a class.  I planned to be stressed out 24/7 and never have any fun, yet I do not feel this way.  Although I am still stressed a good bit I do not feel like any of my stress is preventing me from having a good time.  It is really all about time management at this point.  I was extremely nervous about meeting friends, especially ones who were not very interested in partying and more about having a good time outside of parties.  Thankfully, I have found a small group of close friends who all share the same feelings towards partying as I do and understand that you do not have to be at a party or drinking to have fun.  With my friends I have gone on midnight excursions to various places and just toured Columbia in a different way then if I was driving around in a car.  So far I have been very impressed with how diverse college can be and how many opportunities there are for everyone to have a good time in whatever they choose to be interested in.  With such a large school it is hard not to find something you love here!