University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

You are about to take your next step in life and you should know a few things before you do. Go to community college first to take care of all your general education requirements. You will save yourself a lot of money and the classes won’t be overcrowded so you’ll be able to choose the ones you want. While you are there make sure you think about the career you want to pursue when you transfer into a four-year university. Do a little research to find the best school(s) to apply to with regard to your career goals. Your social life is important but not so important that you let your grades suffer; make sure you find a good balance between your studies and your non-curricular activities. Most importantly, keep track of your finances, don’t overcharge your credit cards, but make sure you have one and you pay the balance every month. Study abroad, it will give you a cultural perspective and expand your network friends to an international level. And, remember to call Mom and Dad, they love you more than anyone else and they’re are living vicariously through you.

I would tell my past-self to take advantage of the clubs, student knowledge and surroundings at UC Santa Barbara. Try and do more international study. The experience I had going to Spain through extentions was unforgettable. I joined the Latino Business Association (LBA) during my last year at UCSB and I regret not joining sooner and joining other clubs related to me. I found community and help with my classes through LBA. No one needs to go through school alone and sometimes it feels like it when you are studying for tests or writing term papers. The students at UCSB are its greatest resource and they can and will make test and paper preparation easier. Be humble and know that you might need help from time to time and actively seek out that help with some of the brightest minds in the world. Take advantage of Santa Barbara, one the most beautiful cities in the world; beaches, hillsides, great restaurants, and history. Yes, I'm advising to go outside from time to time or else you'll leave wondering where this extra 15 pounds came from. Be fearless, get involved, try everything, and talk to everyone.

I would tell my high school self that being prepared & ready for college is alot harder than it seems. Make sure you are ready to go when you chose to. Dont rush into going just becasue its "the normal" thing to do. waiting to go was the best decision for myself. I would tell myself that life will throw your curves & college is one of them, if you do decide to wait, its never to late to go, but you cant get very far without college nowadays. Be prepared to stress sometiems, study alot & alwasy work hard. Its the only way you will make it through college. If college is easy, then You arent doing it the right way!

Don't be afraid to try something new. In highschool you get set in the same routine. You and your friends do the same thing with the same people, so you don't have a lot of room to grow as an individual unless your friends plan on growing in the same exact direction. In college there are so many clubs to be a part of and new people to learn from. Don't be afraid to go to an informational meeting, volunteer, or talk to the person sitting next to you in your lecture (they are probably a lot more interesting than whatever yout professor happens to be talking about). When you find something that you like- go with it! And if it doesn't work out then try something new that looks fun. Also, don't worry about major requirements. It is very likely that you will decide on a new major by the end of your first year so don't stress about which math class or chem lab you are going to take because perhaps there is a a major that is more suited to you that doesn't even require those classes at all.

My experience at the University of California Santa Barbara has been a great one. My time there has helped me to become an adult, to think critically, to excell at research and interviewing skills, to become culturally diverse, and to gain leadership skills. The University has helped me to become independent and self sufficient. While studying Sociology I gained very valuable interviewing techniques and skills and was able to effectively communicate with my peers and Professors. I gained confidence at presenting in front of huge groups of people and never felt judged or looked down upon by anyone. During my class time I was exposed to many different groups of individuals and was able to learn a lot about them and their culture. This was very important to me because my sociological knowledge was expanding in ways that I had never imagined. With my education at the university I realize that I want to further develop my sociological skills and continue my education with the goal of a Master's degree in the field with the ultimate goal of becoming a Medical Counselor. My sympathetic nature and all that I have gained from UCSB has fostered my desired career path.

Even though I have only been in college for a little over a quarter, I have discovered exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have taken a variety of classes at UCSB that have opened up my eyes to possible carreer fields. If I had not attended college I would still want to pursue a degree in Aquatic Biology, which I had no idea what to do with once I graduated. After taking a human physiology class it was like a light build went off in my head. I was so fascinated by the content ot the lectures. I knew at that point I wanted to get a degree in Human Physiology and then go to physical therapy school after I graduate. College has helped me realize that I really do want to help repair people's injuries because I tore my ACL a year ago and I know what the healing process is like. I thank UCSB for opening up my eyes to my future.

My college experience has been great. I am one of those people who doesn't party very often and likes to stay at home when possible. I ave been blessed with a good amount of luck when it comes to planning my academic life. I was able to transfer from my local Junior College after two years and I will be graduating with dual majors this coming spring quarter. I managed to accomplish all this by promising myself to not get stuck in my home town with the many of my high school classmates after graduation, and by keeping a promise to my mother, god rest her soul. I promised that I would continue my education, I will get a Ph.D. So what is the value of attending college? I would say that attending a university will test your character and will help reveal the kind of person you may want to become in your adult life. It is one of the greatest adventures and tests of my life, and I would continue to do it for the rest of my life, if that were possible.

In just 4 short months in college, I have made great friends and begun on my path to become a theoretical physicist. I have access to excellent professors in an intimate setting. UCSB is beautiful and I love studying near the beach and also near my home. I have the amazing opportunity to live at home and attend a first rate University.

Going off to college was a very scary idea at first. Hundreds of miles away from home and knowing nobody, attending college has really expanded my horizons and taken me out of my comfort zone. I'm meeting new people and making connections with people beyond my expectations. My classes are challenging and require me to go out of my comfort zone. High school was very much a walk in the park and college has showed me that higher learning is really different. I have learned to appreciate the meaning of a college degree that much more and hope that after obtaining my own, I will be able to acquire a job that I love, even in this economy.

Going into college I was a person that was lost in the world. I had just lost what seemed like my entire world, my high school sweetheart and was about to lose the connection between my friends and family-or so I thought. I was a person afraid of change and I was not in the mood to embrace my world that was about to change completely. I walked onto campus and immediately felt care free and happy. There were hundreds of new faces-but none of them scared me. Hundreds of tall, big buildings-but none of them scared me. Hundreds of brand new bikes, and those definately did not scare me. I met the greatest people in my new dorm. In my new home. Those people helped me get out and live again. They helped me on those nights that I had to study for a Final the next morning, but were also with me as I ran the streets half naked in the traditional Finals Undie Run. No matter what the case, I know those people will always be by my side, and that is a priceless experience.

Through my college experiance I have gained the oppurtunity to meet and interact with new people from cultures that vastly differ from my own. and that has greatly enriched me. Other than this, I have been able to take part in various activities and immerse myself in the ongoing events that comprise of sstudent life and have hardly found time to stop. Most importantly though, i have learnt so much in college; so much that I do not think it would be possible for me to gain otherwise. In these ways, I think it has been a valuable enperiance for me and as I look ahead of me I see a few more years that I have in college and can only imagine the wealth of knowledge that is available for me to partake of.

Attending such a top-class research school as UC Santa Barbara has allowed me to become more intimately involved in the research process. Speaking with the top innovators in scholarship is further rewarding. Prior to coming to this school I was somewhat close-minded and rather conservative. However, being exposed to such a broad array of ideas and people has allowed me to become more accepting and open-minded. Though we do have our share of partying as any other school, we study twice as hard! Thanks!!

During my first year at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I have already begun to grow as a student and as a human being. Classes have challenged me academically and forced me to improve my study habits and time management skills. Moving away from home and living in on-campus housing last year challenged me socially as I had to adjust to living independantly and not having my parents around to make sure I behaved responsibly. I have also learned a lot about the world in general through the many interesting events and lectures that the University or campus groups sponsered throughout the year. It has been incredibly valuable for me to attend college thus far. I have interacted with fascinating new people from very different backgrounds and learned important life lessons from these experiences. I genuinely believe that any other university could not have offered me a more welcoming and nourishing environment in which to grow and I feel that the experiences I have had at the University of California, Santa Barbara have made me a better person who is more able than ever to achieve my full potential.

Currently I am on my winter break; I just successfully finished my first quarter at UCSB. Already I have learned and experienced so much. I have experienced the stress and struggle of studying hard to get those grades you want in your classes and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it when you see the once ideal grades on your report card. I have experienced living with four other girls that I never met prior to moving in. Honeslty, they are all already so special to me and I know will be people that I will never forget because they've been part of my new chapter in life as a college student. I have experienced the crazy parties that I have heard so much about when I used to say i would be attending UCSB. All this experiences are valuable to me because they are shaping who I am and will continue to until the end of my college career. It is gradually changing me and all the struggles, accomplishments, mistakes and right turns, I know I will not regeret one thing because it will all prepare me for the big world outside of college.

Attending college and studying in this field has taught me valuable life lessons and shown me that success is not easily gained but earned through hard work. Digital media is the perfect fit for me. I feel as if I told a story in the exact manner that people want stories to be told to them. No one wants to read the newspaper for the rest of their lives. No one has much patience for following magazines and tabloids. Digital media is the future, and I want to be leading the pack. I want to be taken seriously, and I want to show the world things that aren't being shown right now. I want to share stories of my community that aren't being heard around the world. I want to endorse local businesses that need support much more than big time monopolies that run the field. I want to promote the local artists who are deserving and extremely talented, but are not necessarily well-known or succesful. Most importantly, I want to clear the way for kids like myelf. As I mature, I find it less important to worry solely about myself, and more important to help others.

My college experience has molded me into the hardworking woman I am today. In high school, I was lazy and did not really care about my education. Once I got to college, I made a promise to myself to enjoy college but still work as hard as I can. Now I have a 4.0 GPA and can honestly say that attending college has reversed my laziness. Attending college has been a life-changing experience in my education and in other areas of my life.

College is not just for the young person fresh out of high school. College is invaluable for a person looking for a career change, locked into a dead end job, looking for new challenges, and/or maintaining knowledge on new technology to be prepared for advancement in an existing occupation. Today’s workplace demands multiple tasking aptitudes and abilities. Senior citizens possess various talents essential for business success, but they must continue to learn and add to their extensive wealth of information. Throughout the years, I have periodically returned to school for a semester or two. Now at age 70, I desire to return to college to complete my Bachelors Degree, and then pursue a Masters. People are living longer, and the age for retirement will eventually be increased. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and I intend to keep my thought processes active. My work experience has been lucrative, rich, and rewarding, thanks to a good education. Even if I am unable to work another day in my life, I can still share priceless experiences with the younger generation.

Even though I am only a college freshman, I have already learned quite a bit about myself as well as my trade. My ultimate goal is to open my own bakery and this scholarship will allow me to continue dreaming my dream. My family and I do not have much money so I already knew the value of a dollar. But being in college has taught me that I'm not the only person who struggles and that helping others is never bad. Instead of putting some extra money in the bank, I gave $20 to a stranger at school to pay for the rest of her books. I've learned that college is a place to gain necessary knowledge for a bright future but even more so, I've learned that college is a place to learn about yourself. As well as a place to experience things you may not have otherwise. I've met people that have changed my life entirely. I've met instructors who inspire. Now, all I have to do is aspire. And that will put the icing on the cake of my life. Thank you for you time and consideration.

In today's economy, college is a must to provide for yourself and your family. While attending college and working a part time job, I've learned a few valuable things. For example, I learned that college is extremely different than high school. In high school, I made very good grades, of course, but i didnt study as hard as i am required to in college. In college, that extra step is what helps you to achieve higher goals. Second, I learned that the goals set for students are set higher than what was set in high school. If you step in the classroom the first day of a semester, the instructor knows you're there to learn and you will be tested to your wits. Third and most importantly, I learned that with new experiences comes new responsibilities. As soon as i applied for Shawnee State University, there were what seemed like books of paper work that needed to be filled out and filed. To sum it all up, college has helped me learn to study harder than i did in high school, helped me to set up and achieve higher goals, and helped me to become more responsible.

I have been able to study abroad for 3 semesters and this has changed my life entirely. ALthough I only resided at UCSB for 2 years, it allowed me to fulfill my dreams of going abroad and learning/improving 2 other languages.