Hey College Survivors & Dreamers? Today is jam packed with a vlog interview and bucketload of other things, so I’ll leave you with some more words of wisdom.? But before that, I have good news!? I will be interviewing someone in a new way next week for an upcoming vlog.? And it’s someone I’m a huge fan of.? You might be a fan of this person too.? Have a great weekend.
Risks worth taking are limited only by the imagination.
College Survivors: Did you find it hard to navigate your college campus when you first arrived? Or was the campus small enough that it was manageable?
JamTown’s Response:
When I arrived at USC, I thought I would never figure out how to get around without getting lost.? The campus was huge in my eyes and my freshman classes had me trekking from one end to the other.? I felt so silly because I didn’t want to be “that kid” walking around with a map in my hand.? But with time, of course, I was zipping through campus on my bike and taking shortcuts.? Plus, I had my newly-found freshmen friends who were just as lost as I was to help me along the way.
I missed yall yesterday.? And I’m sorry if you missed me, but it was Memorial Day and I was living my life like it was golden all weekend long.? And let me tell you, it was the best weekend I’ve had in a long, long time.? In other news, I have been getting new subscribers almost every week for the past month or two.? Now, I’m up to 47 total from this website and YouTube.? This makes me happy.? Yall have to understand how grassroots this community is.? People are not drawn to the site because I’m doing a review of Beyonce or because I’m reviewing a popular movie or because I’m discussing some hot political topic.? We’re talking about education on here!? And the fact that people are subscribing because they enjoy the content brings me joy.? And I thank you.? (And please tell a friend to subscribe this week!)
College Survivors & Dreamers What did your acceptance letter(s) to college look like?? Small envelope, big envelope?? What was your reaction?
JamTown’s Response:
USC has the best acceptance letter ever!? And I say this not really knowing what every college’s acceptance letter is like.? But their acceptance letter is so over the top, it has to be one of the best.? It comes in this really huge envelope that is thick and heavy.? So, I slowly opened this package 8 years ago with my family sitting all around in suspense.? And I pull out a folder that has the USC insignia on it.? At the bottom, it says, “YOU’RE IN!” in bold white letters.? I screamed, I danced, and I probably cried too.? It was the best feeling in the world.? The folder was full of pertinent info about housing, orientation, financial aid, etc.? But I will never forget that moment.? And so many of my fellow Trojans around the world experienced the same thing I did.? Not only did it make me feel special that USC was that concerned about how the good news was delivered, but it got me really pumped up to start school.? I was so proud to be a new member of the Trojan family.? I believe I still have that acceptance package stored somewhere with the rest of my tangible memories.
College Survivor: Did you sell your books back to the bookstore every year?? Did you get a nice fat wad of cash in return?
College Dreamer: Do you plan on keeping your school books or selling them?
JamTown’s Response:
Ooo bookstore buy-backs are a big humongous fail…for the most part.? Sometimes, you hit it big.? And when you do, it’s like winning the lottery…sort of.? As a student at USC, I learned very quickly at the end of my first semester that it doesn’t matter if your book cost $250 AND was purchased as a new book.? The bookstore will have the nerve to only give you $30.
What?!!! $30?!? 30?!!? You’re not even gonna give me half of what this darn book cost that didn’t teach me anything and is poorly written, I might add.? What?!? I demand to speak to your manager!!
All those things and more ran through my mind every time I would try to sell back my books.? Some books they don’t even take back.? Other books, they’ll give you for pennies on the dollar.? So you can come to the bookstore with $500 worth of books and leave with $60 cash.? It hurt my feelings every time.
Sometimes, I resorted to other methods like selling directly to other students or using Half.Com, where I sold several books to needy students across the country.? So, the power was back in my hands and I got a little more money for my books.? But the bookstore almost never gave me what I thought was sufficient.? It’s a hard pill to swallow, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
It’s graduation time, which means it’s also packing time.
College Survivors: How efficient and fast were you in packing up your apartment in college?? Did you have help?? Did you start early?? Have you ever used a storage company during the summer?
JamTown’s Response:
Oh I hated packing up my apartment each summer.? And packing up before & after graduation was so annoying because I was so much busier with all the festivities.? The only good part was that my family was there to help me.? I had done a decent amount of packing before they came to LA, but I was nowhere near finished.? They weren’t too excited about helping me either, but I had a good excuse.?
In the previous years, I had no choice but to pack on my own.? Starting early?? Depended on my finals schedule.? I always started packing my clothes first.? Those were the easiest to let go of.? I felt like I still needed access to everything else.? In addition, I used storage every summer.? So my sister or some of my friends would help me move my life out of USC housing.? But all the lifting, cleaning, and moving would have me leaving some of the packing to the last-minute.? I always found some excuse that convinced me that I had more time.? Some of my friends were so bad that they would leave massive amounts of “stuff” behind: dishes, food, and even clothing.? They claimed to be giving it to the cleaning personnel.? I called it super lazy and kind of smart.
Still in the spirit of graduations and all, we’re gonna talk about networking today.
College Survivors: Does your school have a strong alumni network?? Have you used it?? Has it worked for you?
JamTown’s Reponse:
At USC, they talk about this thing called the Trojan Family.? It is our alumni network and apparently, the Trojan Family is supposed to be one of the most close-knit and connected ones of them all.? Well, I can say that the Trojan family is definitely a strong one, whether you’re living in Los Angeles or around the world.? Being an alum from the film school especially, makes the eyebrows raise and gives you a little more edge, makes possible employers a little more comfortable, and helps get you past a long line of other people.? It has helped me in more ways than one and I am actively engaged in daily communication with USC alums for support, information, and networking purposes.
However, some people make the mistake of believing that their college alumni network is going to work some kind of magic on its own.? They believe that having a school’s name on their resume equals instant success, an instant foot in the door.? Maybe for some employers, but what you really have to do is use your alumni network to enhance those qualities and skills that you already possess.? Because once you get the job, you still have to deliver.
I’m proud to be a part of the Trojan family and I try my best to not only seek it out for personal opportunities, but also to use my connections and knowledge to? fellow Trojans any way I can.
Since USC’s graduation is today, I thought it was only fitting for us to share our graduation stories.
In Wooden Nickels: CG’s graduation was more than he expected.
College Survivors: What were your graduation festivities like?? Were they enjoyable?
JamTown’s Response:
I absolutely LOVED my graduation (May 2005).? There was so much pomp and circumstance, it was quite overwhelming.? There were three graduations for me.? 1) Black Graduation, where the small percentage of Black seniors at USC celebrate their accomplishments.? 2) General Commencement, where all graduates come together for a ceremony.? 3) Cinema-Television graduation, where the film students get their diplomas.
Black Graduation was fun because there was soooo much energy in there.? Bovard Auditorium was packed to overflowing and my family was there and I was sitting with friends and there was so much love going around.? People danced across the stage, did step routines, and other crazy antics.? Our speaker was none other than, William Allen Young, actor and USC alum.? He imparted some words that got us excited for what was to come.
General Commencement was so amazing because it was in the heart of campus, near Tommy Trojan, and thousands of people were in attendance.? The processional was sectioned off into the different departments or schools students were graduating from and we were accompanied by the awesome Trojan Marching Band.? I was so proud to be walking in with the Cinema-Television banner before me.? USC gave honorary degrees to John Williams, Neil Armstrong (USC Alum), Robert Zemeckis, (USC alum) and some other noteworthy individuals.? When I heard the band play “Conquest” and “Fight On,” I teared up because that was the last time I would hear it as a student.? I was really about to enter the real world.? A lot of my friends didn’t go to general commencement because they said it was too early in the morning – 8 AM.? But I am so glad that I was a part of it.? My whole family was there including some out of town guests and they had a good time, as well.
Then, there was the Cinema-Television graduation at the famous Shrine Auditorium.? That was a great time too.? Lee (from the vlog) and I made sure we sat together and we joked around throughout the ceremony.? It was surreal to walk across that stage.? I will never forget it.? I joined the long list of graduates from USC’s film school and hope to soon be making my mark on the silver screen & small screen.
What did your acceptance letter(s) to college look like?? Small envelope, big envelope?? What was your reaction?