Theodore Lin shares experience and advice for future college students
On December 20th, three alumni held a talk about their university lives with the seniors and juniors. Theodore Lin (’14) was one of the three who had followed his dream of being a business consultant throughout his four years in the Marshall School of Business in the University of Southern California (USC), majoring in Business Administration while minoring in Computer Programming and Applied Analytics.
In his junior year, Theodore became a member of the USC Marshall Case Team to represent USC for international case competitions. Although they did not win the final cup, the USC Marshall Case Team was the finalist for the Marshall International Case Competition in 2017, defeating universities from around the world such as HKUST (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Tsinghua, and CBS (Copenhagen Business School). In addition to competitions, Theodore works on various other projects provided by the university. “My favorite project was helping a major Thailand bank craft a digital strategy to target small enterprises,” commented Theodore. With a different project with a different organization every year, he looks forward to the new experience waiting in San Francisco next August.
University life is a period of self-discovery so the activities and groups you involve in may change. Likewise, Theodore joined a fraternity during his first year but began to draw away as he began spending more time volunteering at Troy Camp, a high school monitoring program. Troy Camp provides professional training for Theodore to help a large number of underprivileged primary and secondary students around the USC area to achieve their greatest potential. The volunteer program is also a source of mental comfort and relief. “Spending a lot of time volunteering helped me to ground my values during stressful periods like job recruitment,” he explained. Not only is the organization a great opportunity, it is also much more interesting than “the fraternity that was starting to get old,” Theodore, “and Troy Camp volunteers are also always down to have a great party.”
Some college students tend to let go of their responsibilities as a student, indulging themselves in partying and fun rather than concentrating on studying. However, Theodore disagrees with such mindset. “Don’t let go of your freshman year grades,” advised Theodore, “It matters when you want to recruit for an internship or prestigious organization.” This is especially true for international students studying in the U.S. since only a certain number of career opportunities provide an easier access to work visa. Thus, college students must find a way to find an overlap of their interests and available opportunities. “In the best case scenario, your passion is what’s best for your future.” said Theodore.
Currently in his junior year of his university, Theodore is almost complete with his undergraduate years. From joining and quitting a team to working on his favorite projects, Theodore has explored every aspect of his university life following his dreams. Either it is the seniors who will be leaving in a few months or the freshmen that have four more years of high school to go, we can all learn valuable lessons from Theodore’s story.
Featured Image – Theodore Lin (right) enjoying a meal with his friend Courtesy of USC CASA