College Survivors: Where were the places on campus where you were most likely going to see long lines? Did you avoid the lines are brave them?
JamTown’s Response:
Financial Aid gets the #1 spot. This office had long lines most of the time. I think that is consistent among most colleges too. Also, the bookstore had long lines, even with their 10 cash registers. Most of the popular food places on campus like Carl’s Jr., La Salsa, Wolfgang Puck’s, Betty Crocker, and every place worth eating had long lines. Sometimes, the lines in the workout rooms could get long for machines like the elliptical.
Most of the time, I would just suck it up and wait in line. But I hardly ever did that for the financial aid office. I usually planned my days so that I could go to the office in the early morning hours and beat the rush. Because out of all the lines to stand in, I don’t think there’s anything worse than standing in the financial aid line…it’s pure agony.
College Survivors: How did you find out about all the school clubs available on campus?
JamTown’s Response:
At USC, there was an involvement fair in the middle of campus with 30-50 tables representing a myriad of organizations. Each table would have a few representatives trying to convince passers-by that their organization was the best one to join. As a freshman, this fair was a part of “welcome week” and was the way I found out about all the clubs on campus I joined that first year. Other clubs that weren’t represented, students would find out through word of mouth or through a club’s campus-wide events. I eventually became one of those representatives behind the table for several of the organizations I joined. It was a fun time selling the merits of the clubs with my fellow members and also meeting alot of new students at USC. And I was proud to be a part of the Trojan family that really had an organization for every student’s interest.
College Survivors: What was your easiest college course?
College Dreamers: What class do you think will be a breeze?
JamTown’s Response:
My easiest class was probably Theatrical Symposium…otherwise known as CTCS 466. This class was not only the most awesome class ever, but also the least stressful. Students have the task of watching films before they come out and sitting through a question and answer discussion with some of the cast and crew affiliated with the films. It was probably the most popular class in the film school. Anyone at USC could take it. When it came time to select classes for the new semester, this class would always fill up really quickly. It was held in the main screening building at USC, Norris Theatre and housed at least 200 students…maybe more. We had textbooks for the class and had to take notes for our exams, but it wasn’t on any info that was really intense.
I took the class twice and saw so many great movies. Crash and met director Paul Haggis. Friday Night Lights and Billy Bob Thornton came as the guest. (Also my friend Lee from vlog #1 was taking the class with me at the time and was also in the movie. Billy Bob joked with him a little bit). Dust to Glory (a great documentary on off-road racing). Hotel Rwanda with writer/director Terry George as the guest. And there are so many others that I can’t remember. Needless to say, I always got an A in that class. And if anyone got anything less than that, then that person was probably a slacker.
College Survivors: How often did you see your parents during your college years? Did they pop up on campus all the time or did you hardly see them at all?
College Dreamers: How much of a physical presence will your parents have for you in college?
JamTown’s Response:
I wish my parents had more of a physical presence while I was in college. However, they were in Texas and I was in California. So it wasn’t that feasible for them to visit that often. I wished that they could have been there for a few parents weekends, a few of my dance performances, and even just to visit. But alas, that wasn’t the case. My mom actually came in town to my sister’s swearing-in ceremony my senior year of college and she was able to come see one of my shows. That was really exciting because she hadn’t seen me perform live since high school. But the only time both of my parents came to visit after moving me out to California was for my graduation. But like I’ve said before, the fact that my oldest sister was living in California the entire time I was at USC was almost as good as having an occasional parental visit. And that’s what family is for, right?
College Survivors: Was the fire alarm a constant invader of your peaceful dorm living experience?
JamTown’s Response:
The infamous fire alarm. In some campus housing at USC, it rarely went off because of a real fire. There was this one apartment complex that was a 5-minute walk from campus where the fire alarm would go off about once every other week. Maybe even more than that. Some silly (or intoxicated) person would always pull the alarm at all hours of the night, and as a result, had the residents standing out in the cold in their pajamas pretty regularly. I never had to deal with that craziness because I lived elsewhere. The alarm did go off where I lived, but it was way more rare and not as annoying. I can’t even imagine getting pulled out of bed at 3am over some foolishness. My advice to college dreamers: Don’t pull that fire alarm in jest. Even if you’re curious. You can get a hefty fine and it’s just plain RUDE!
College Survivors: Did your parents ever visit during parents weekend? Was it a positive experience?
JamTown’s Response:
My parents were never able to come during parents weekend when I was in college. It would’ve been awesome if they did because there was so much activity going on during that time. It would have been a great way for them to experience some of the staples of USC life, especially the crazy, hype atmosphere of football season. I also usually performed with the Gospel Choir and there were all kinds of dinners and concerts with big-name artists each year. One year, Nancy Wilson performed during parents weekend. It’s one of the many highlights of my college experience. I was floored by her youthfulness, her beauty, her stage presence, and her amazing voice. And while my parents couldn’t be there (and they really wanted to be there), I was fortunate enough to have my oldest sister come in their place…and that was something I was truly grateful for.
College Survivors: Did your college have a pass/fail option for classes? Did you ever choose that option? How did it work for you?
JamTown’s Response:
I don’t know if every college has a pass/fail option, but USC did. And if I’m correct, pass/fail does not add any points to one’s GPA. Students had a limited number of classes where they could choose this option…maybe two or three classes? Not sure if you could apply it to all your classes either. But anyway, all you had to do was do well enough to pass and BAM…success. No worries about getting As, A minuses or Bs. All you needed was a passing grade and you were done.
I never took any of my classes pass/fail. It would have been easier and less stressful. But I guess I wanted to get as many GPA points as possible. I had friends who exercised this option and they would be skipping down the hallway having fun while I was hitting the books hardcore. But in the end, it was good for me to have to work a little harder. It helped me to become more focused, diligent, and organized to things done and to realize my full potential.
College Survivors: Did you know exactly where you wanted to go to college? Or was it hard to decide?
College Dreamers: Do you have a first choice for college? Or are you still trying to figure out where you want to go?
JamTown’s Response:
I knew exactly where I wanted to go to school. I applied to some “safety” schools but those schools were really just for that…safety. I had no interest in attending those colleges. And actually, the other schools were in Texas because my family had a rule that everyone had to do their undergraduate studies in our home state. However, my father knew that the best film schools weren’t in Texas. So, I was the first exception to the rule. The University of Southern California was my first choice for their film program and I was so excited (and relieved) when I was accepted. It was my ticket to the west coast in pursuit of a dream.
