University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

College has reinvigortated my passion for learning; no matter what the course, I always find something interesting. Some of the stuff I have learned will be stuff I will remember all my life. Another skill I have been blessed to learn in college is the art of time management. Since I am now on my own, I have to make my own schedule that includes a job, sports, studying, and social life; my parents are no longer in the picture to tell me what to do and when. Finally, I have made many valuable friends, who I have created many happy memories with. I couldn't be happier with my social life right now.

My college experience at UCSB has been as wonderful as it has been unique. Throughout the continuing process of discovering what I love- soccer played just for fun, dancing hulas and haakas in my Polynesian dance group ITO, climbing, hiking and kayaking-I have begun to discover who I am. I have realized that I, as a young student spreading awareness through various political and environmental activist groups such as CalPirg and TGIF Real Foods Challenge Internship and teaching others what I love as a kayaking instructor, have a voice and various knowledge and talents that I can share. Going to school in Santa Barbara has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I will never forget this campus as the place where I learned to value myself, my education, my interests. It is the first place I ever fell in love. It is a beautiful place, with its beaches and big picnic-perfect lawns and sunsets over the ocean. UCSB is diverse and can mean so many different things to each and every student, but for me, it has become a home, a place that has both affected me and (I hope) been affected by me.

I'm mostly greatful for the efforts of all of my teachers at my college. They are outstanding educators, trying to get to know each individual student and working around schedules to give extra help. They are the tye of teacher I would like to become. They have such insight and life stories that pertain to the course which is so inspiring that, because of one of my political science classes, I have chosen to go to South Africa with the Peace Corps. With their guidance and teachings I will be able to give back to the world in a great way.

When you go away to college, you really do in a way get to see the whole world. There are transfer students, students from abroad and students all over California that you get to meet and learn from and that's one of the greatest things about going to college aside from studying whatever you're studying. Not only do I get to learn in class, but outside as well, from the people around me, to the community itself.

Attending college has been an extraordinary experience me. I come from a family that is not well off in the financial department, so being able to attend UCSB has been a blessing. Being here on campus has been incredible. I have learned, not only to love myself the way that I am but to also not worry too much about every little thing that life throws at me. You have to roll with the punches or else life will kick you down. Even though I have only been in college for a quarter so far, I would never give up this experience. There are so many things that I have done in the last few months of my life that I have never done before. I have gained so many life skills while living on my own. I learned how to use public transportation and I learned to make a budget. At first it is definitely scary because you do not know anyone, but as time goes on it is easy to see that being in college is one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

When I was applying to colleges my junior year of high school, the most important thing to me was that I moved away from home. My home life wasn't bad or harmful; I was just getting tired of my little suburan town. I knew that if I attended college near home, I would never be able to learn the life lessons never taught in school - how could I grow up under my parents' thumb? Moving out was the most exciting and satisfying thing I have done in my whole life. Only in my second year of college, I am managing a home, paying bills, disciplining myself to do my coursework and so much more. This new found independence is something I feel every young adult needs to experience. Not only for the maturity they will attain, but for the realization of the bigger world around them. Two years ago I would have never gone anywhere overnight without a family member or friend. This year I am starting to plan my year abroad to study in France! Going away to college has been the most freeing experience and I reccomend it to anyone who wants a higher education.

First off, getting to a college as prestigious and nice as UC Santa Barbara has been my goal since childhood. This school has built my character and given me knowledge to live life. The intelligent professors I have been lucky enough to be graced with have taught me discipline and hard work. This school takes me away from the domestic drama in my houselhold that I had to go through every day throughout high school. Instead of becoming a drug-addict like most of my friends chose to do, I took an alternate route and am pursuing a degree in Pyschology and Economics to better my life and the lives of those arround me. If I were to win this scholarship, I would appreciate it so much! Thank-you!

I have met so many people who have taught me things I never would have learned anywhere else. Every day is a new experience and a new chance to try out the unknown. If I'd stayed in my little home town, I never would have learned about all teh different way life can be or all the different ideas that can coexist in a society. It's been invaluble so far and I can't wait for the on coming years.

I've learned money management. I have three jobs and work to pay my own way through school because my mother has been laid off from her job of 15 years. I have become a self sufficient responsible adult. I have learned to commit myself to something and work hard to be successful. All the interesting things there are to learn really make school more enjoyable. The social life here is really great and i've met some really awesome people, and learned from the really not awesome people as well.

Being exposed to other students and professors with different ideas, opinions, beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences has been the best part of my college experience, making my first year at UCSB invaluable. I grew up in a very small, rural town where I would always know every single person in my class from kindergarten up to my senior year of high school. While being raised in a tight-knit community had its advantages, I could not wait for college. I was anxious for a new place, new people, new thoughts. And college has been everything I expected and more. Santa Barbara may not be a cultural mecca, but it has opened my eyes, thanks to my peers and professors. I was forced to rethink parts of myself that had been set in stone for eighteen years. I learned. Not just subjects like statistics or economics from my professors, but from my friends and fellow students. We all came together as strangers, from different places and backgrounds, and each of us offered a new perspective that helped us grow. Aside from educating me and preparing me for my future, I know it is the people and experiences that I will remember most.