Engineering Graduate Students Association EGSA

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Engineering Graduate Students Association(EGSA)
http//viterbi.usc.edu/egsa Email egsa_at_usc.edu
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Outline

• About EGSA
• About EGSL
• USC Getting Started
• What it means to be a Trojan!
• USC Academic Life
• Trojan Experience
• Social life
• Life in LA

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About EGSA
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Who we are?

• We are students just like you who like having
  fun!
• All VSOE students are members of EGSA
• No Membership Fee
• Our events are open to all VSOE students and
  their dependents (unless specifically advertised)
• Our web site http//viterbi.usc.edu/egsa
• Senator Contacts, Upcoming events, Gallery

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What we do?

• Listen to you
• Voice your concerns
• Help improve things make life better!
• With Departments
• With VSOE
• With GPSS (Graduate Professional Student Senate)
• Academic Events
• Guest Lectures
• Discussions with Department Chair (s) and Dean

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What we do?

• Social Events
• Gatherings
• Departmental
• Ice Cream Socials, Theme Park trips,
• New year Luncheon,
• Inter-Departmental
• Banquet E-week
• Music of the World
• Tailgate
• Sponsor football game / theme park tickets
• Support events organized by other organizations
• Garba, Holi, Diwali AIS, Chinese Moon
  Festival-CSSA, Nowrooz-IGSA, Soccer
  Tournament-IEEE,

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Who funds our activities?

• You
• We get our funds from the programming fee you pay
  to USC
• So it is your money!
• You should attend our events
• You should send us suggestions, feedback and
  comments

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Our Board

• Executive Board
• President and 3 Vice President (s)
• Senators
• One or more representatives from all departments
  under VSOE
• If you have any concerns regarding your life at
  USC, studies, etc. you should contact your
  department senator

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About EGSL
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EGSL

• Engineering Graduate Student in Liaison
• Shirin Eghtesadi
• Having a challenging situation? Do you feel that
  something needs to be changed or improved? Or
  just need to know or say something and don't know
  where to go?

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What does EGSL do?

• Ensure that all concerns of the student community
  are handled in the correct manner
• Email eghtesad_at_usc.edu
• You can request anonymity.

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USC Getting Started
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USC step-by-step Getting Started!

• Passport Verification (International Students
  Only) OIS
• Holds
• Academic, immunization, degree verification
  others(OASIS)
• Course Advisement Registration
• D vs R Classes
• Audit, Credit/No Credit
• Internet Access First Login
• USCard (Photo ID)
• Works like a debit card (discretionary)
• Bank Account
• ATM, Debit and Credit cards
• Be Careful at ATMs!

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USC step-by-step Getting Started!

• Fee Payment
• Health Insurance
• Student Health Center
• Tuition Refund Insurance
• Housing
• Newsgroups
• Sports
• Lyon Center
• On-campus Job search and SSN
• California State ID or Drivers License
• Shopping
• Make your web site!

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Facilities

• To name a few
• Libraries
• Wired and wireless internet
• Dial-up from home [phone] FREE!
• Sports
• Tram service (FREE)
• Campus Cruiser (FREE)
• Parking

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USC Libraries

• How to locate books
• Hours of operation
• Location
• Access to online journals
• If USC Libraries do not have the book you need
  Try inter-library loan (FREE!)
• Library officials always looking for suggestions
• Loan Movies from library

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USC Academics
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USC Academic Life

• Life is not just about final exams!
• Between LecturesAssignmentsProjects
• All are important
• Most courses use all/some of them to determine
  your grade
• Do not let things pile on!
• Plan your semester
• Plagiarism!
• If in doubt, dont do it. ASK!
• Exams
• Generally mid-term (s) and final (end-term)
• Grading policy depends on Professor teaching the
  class
• Explained generally in Lecture 1 with syllabus

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How to select courses

• Seek information about course
• Professor
• Department Advisor
• Students who have taken the course
• Read through syllabus
• Attend first 3 weeks of classes and then commit!
• Find out the date of the final exam

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What do Prof.s like ?

• Attendance
• Be there (on time)!
• Ask questions
• Even if you think people will laugh
• If you have a doubt ASK!
• Most Prof.s let you walk in and walk out any
  time from the class
• Not necessary that you should do it!
• You can eat and drink in some classrooms

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USC Academic Life

• Interaction
• Talk to your Prof.
• Know office hours and location (email)
• Possible research opportunities
• 590 (Directed Research)
• Talk to your TA
• He is there to help you (email)
• Know office hours and location
• Other facilities
• Blackboard
• Discussion board
• Online submissions
• Mailing lists
• DEN Web-casting
• Classrooms have multimedia and wireless access

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Grading System

• A and A 4.0
• A- 3.7
• B 3.3
• B 3.0
• B- 2.7

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Trojan Experience
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What does it mean to be a Trojan ?

• High expectations
• You get instant
• recognition
• Among Alumni
• Among Employers You are special!
• USC expects you to have the best time of your
  life and provides you with all the facilities and
  opportunities
• Its a place to harness your talents and skills
• Cheer every Football win
• USC at the top!
• USC vs. UCLA!!! - A must experience event

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So How is Life at USC?

• Did you imagine your life at USC to be dull,
  boring and all about books and studies?
• You were WRONG!
• Social, Cultural, Academic, Professional,
  Networking events round the year
• Many on-campus organizations
• Check out USC Student Organizations web site for
  a list
• Dance, sports, regional, martial arts,
  meditation, academic etc.
• EGSA and Departmental events

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GPSS

• Graduate Professional Student Senate
• Its your organization too!
• Is there to listen to you
• Campus Safety Chair
• Intl. Scholars Committee Chair
• And voice your concerns to USC Administrators
• Funds lots of events year around
• USC Program Board
• International Students Assembly

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USC One of a kind!

• Largest International Student Community
• Your chance to meet people from around the world
• Learn about other culture (s) while sharing yours
• Make friends
• Say Hi to fellow students!
• At USC you are your nations ambassador

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Put aside some time for

• Grocery Shopping
• Cooking
• Cleaning Maintenance
• Laundry
• Pay bills, rent,
• Hang out, party
• Movies

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Safety!

• Most Important
• Walk in well-lit areas at night
• Do not walk alone at 1am in the night!
• CALL campus cruiser
• (213-740-4911 or x04911)
• CALL Department of Public Safety
• (213-740-6000 or x06000)
• LAPD (911)

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Tips on selecting where to stay!

• Get information
• How is landlord
• Past residents, OIS, mailing lists
• Insect problem
• Deposit
• Campus Cruiser and DPS limits

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Where can you sit and study!

• Libraries
• Class rooms
• Gardens
• Cafeterias
• Commons
• Topping student Center
• Where ever you like (choose wisely)

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Career Opportunities

• On-campus Job Fairs
• General
• Engineering Special
• Monstertrak
• Interviewtrak
• Off-campus Job Fairs

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Enriching your USC Experience

• Lectures
• Departmental
• Research groups
• VSOE Lectures
• Guest Lectures
• Networking Events
• USC Career Center
• Internship and Job search
• On-campus / Off-campus
• Courses
• You are welcome to take any course you like
• Sports, dance, language, music, art,

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Around LA

• Place to visit
• Theme Parks Disneyland, Magic Mountain,
  Universal Studios, Sea World
• Downtown, Shrine, Universal City Walk
• Shopping Malls, Parks, 3rd street Promenade
  (Santa Monica)
• Museums Some around USC
• Big Bear (ski)
• MTA (1-800-COMMUTE)
• Bus and Rail service (http//www.mta.net)
• 3 day pass OR 1.25 per ride (daytime)
• Cab, shuttle

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Get Involved!

• EGSA is YOUR organization
• Email egsa_at_usc.edu
• Web Site http//viterbi.usc.edu/egsa
• Slides available on our web site
• Join the EGSA mailing list

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EGSA Board

• President
• Amit Dhariwal
• Vice President
• Nazila Mokarram - Programs
• Wei Chen - Finance
• Eva Lee Communication
• Department Senators
• Ryan Downey - Astronautics Space Technology
  Division
• Jay Mung Biomedical Engineering
• Aviral Mathur - Computer Science
• Aditya Devdhar - Computer Science
• Karthikeyan Chockalingam - Civil Environmental
  Engineering
• Akshay Kumbhar - Electrical Engineering
• Karan Bheda - Electrical Engineering
• Soraya Taghavi - Electrical Engineering
• Naser Khan - Industrial Systems Engineering