University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

If I could go back in time, I would tell my high school self to be brave! Since graduating high school, every period of growth has followed bold choices and fearlessness of change. Whether it's moving across the country, applying to a competitive program, or challenging established but inefficient routine, having the bravery to make bold changes is how you move forward. It may not always have the outcome you envision, but you will always learn from it, and grow as a person. Pushing yourself out of the routine and life you know can be scary, but exposure to new ideas, people, and opportunites is what going to college is all about. I would encourage myself to be brave and fully explore and take advantage of all the opportunites college offers.

The college experience has been somehat of a dissapointment. Because of cutbacks it has been difficult to take many of the courses that look interesting. On the positive side I am graduating in three years instead of four because the University has accepted my AP credit and summer school courses. I have learned about Computer Science/Game Design because UCSC is one of the few schools to offer such a major. The result has been t hat I am more aware of my strengths and weaknesses for pursuing a career in this field. The University does include a lot of guest speakers and this has also helped me to see the potential for pursuing a career in this field.

My experiences as an undergraduate student were some of the most rewarding of my life thus far. I would strongly consider myself to be defined as a highly ambitious student, and from the moment I enrolled at the University of California-Santa Cruz, I fully immersed myself in all the university had to offer. During my four years as an American Studies undergraduate, I completed enough courses to satisfy my major twice over and requested permission to take additional credits in fields such as sociology, computer programming, art history and music. I also had the opportunity to involve myself in various campus organizations including: the American Studies Student Representative Board, Women's Varsity Golf, Gospel Choir, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, Students Against War, and the Kinetics Poetics Performance Poetry Group. My experiences as an undergraduate allowed me to intellectually and spiritually blossom and created a lifelong learner of me. The knowledge I have attained and the fire that has been ignited inside me is absolutely invaluable, and I eagerly anticipate starting graduate school in the fall. I move forward a great deal wiser, more self sufficient, and well equipped to achieve all of my educational and career goals.

What I have gotten out of my college experience so far is the solitary experience it is to live life on my own. For the last 18 years of my life I lived with my dad in a quaint little suburban city and I never got to experience life outside of that bubble. Coming here to UC Santa Cruz has given me an experience of a lifetime I'll never forget because I've met such wonderful people I never would have met back at home. Now I consider Santa Cruz my home because I'm living here on my own yet I have my roommates and housemates to support me, so I'm never really alone, but I'm as independent as I've always wanted to be. It's such a valuable experience living on my own because I have myself to motivate me and I have to learn how to live by myself in order to succeed in life later on. I can't be dependent forever and my college experience here has taught me that and I am very grateful for it.

College has forced me to grow as a person. I have learned the evils of procrastination and I have learned the importance of studying. College has also given me an oppurtunity to thrive not only academically, but emotionally. I have reached out to many people and have made many friends. Holding an on campus job has also been extremely beneficial. I t has shown me the importance of time management. I can honestly say I have grown more in the past 4 months than I have my entire life.

My college experience so far has taught me invaluable lessons outside the classroom, which in my opinion are much more important than the knowledge I acquire from my textbooks. Firstly, college has given me the ability to work hard and really try to succeed. Never in my life have I felt so compelled to do well in school and really get the grades that I am satisfied with. Coming from a family with high expectations for me, I failed to fulfill these expectations and ended up attending my fallback option. But this same failure was what made me realize the impact of my education on my future career and quality of life. Just as importantly, this same failure taught me to appreciate the people I rely on in my life, namely my parents. Even though I came up short to their standards, they remained encouraging and supporting, despite their financial shortcomings in this ever-climbing fee hike. Most importantly of all however, college has forced me to be less reliant and more independent. Living on my own, doing my own chores, and making my own decisions are just a few aspects of this valuable life lesson.

A college experience is a learning process when coming straight out of high school. My time at Heartland Community College has taught me that if I want something, I have to make it happen. No one is there to hold your hand like they did in high school. College is about developing and perfecting the skills that will make me successful for the rest of my life! I discovered very quickly that what I put into the college experience is exactly what I will get out of it as well. So my plan is, and continues to be, giving my all to the point of exhaustion and perfection. I would never phathom doing anything half-heartedly, and my time at Heartland Community College has challenged me to keep working as hard as ever, in hopes to transfer to a university with confidence. I thank the school for expecting the best out of me. Their expectations have forced me to work to meet my highest potential as a student, getting ready to transfer with a 3.906 GPA. I am very proud at how far I have come while attending Heartland College as a student and as a woman!

From my college experience, I have encountered many new and progressive ideas about society. I have learned about alternative histories not taught in the normal high school, close-minded textbooks. I have met a diverse group of liberal students, who are accepting to my gender and sexual preference. I have experienced a new and beautiful campus. I have become educated about the devastating impacts humans have been and are making to the environment. I have been presented with tools to further my passion for the environment and our precious resources.

I am in the Digital Bridge Academy at Cabrillo College. The DBA is a learning community which has built my confidence level up, and has given me tools that I can use throughout my college and career experience. When I first enfrolled in college, I had a minimum goal of obtaining an A.A. Degree, but now that the DBA has shown me how successful I can be, I am now planning for my Master's Degree. Following is a short list of valuable skills that I have received from the DBA at Cabrillo: I have gotten to know myself and my personality, which is a direct connection to being happy and successful within a career and in life. I now know what my "learning style" is, and how to recognize the learning styles of others. This is extremely helpful in order to work together well. I can work in groups better. I have learned helpful study skill techniques, and I know what my academic and career skill sets are. I am so thankful that Cabrillo College has incorporated the Digital Bridge Academy into thier curriculum, and I recommend it to all first time and return students!

College has taught me to be more independent. Along with making sure that I do my own work fully and get to class on time, simple things like making my own meals and doing laundry has made me a stronger, more self-reliant human being. College has also taught me that there are so many fields of study to explore and unique, diverse people to meet and learn from. I have learned the importance of being a well-educated individual, as well as the understanding that opportunities are always there, but it's the amount of effort you choose to put in that can make something worthwhile.