University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

I love the cultures and ancient ruins of Central and South America so my fields of study have been Anthropology, Spanish and Portuguese. All these subjects have enhanced my travel experiences because I can talk to the locals and I can interpret and ask myself better questions about the ancient ruins I am exploring. I may be a bit old for starting a career in archaeology but Central and South America has so much to offer and so many diverse cultures to experience.

I have gotten the ability to intelligently synthesize and utelize information in order to create a more cohesive understanding of a problem in order to find the solution. I have also learned that I am more than capable of leaving my mark on this world in a positive manner.

I have traveled a lot of Central and South America and have seen many archaeological sites and seen many different cultures. Since I have been attending school I now speak Spanish and Portuguese so I can better communicate with the locals and my anthropology classes help me to better understand the diversity of cultures and the ancient ruins that I visit. Everytime I travel I now have a little better understanding of what Im seeing and how to interact. My biggest thrill though came when I finally became fluent enough in Spanish so that I could communicate with native speakers and it also became much easier to interact and assimilate into the culture.

By living in the dorms, I feel as though i got to live the college experience fully. I took part in sharing the bathrooms with forty women I have never met before, and went to the dining commons to eat my meals. Also I finally became responsible for choosing my own classes and making sure I went to class and did all the course work. By living here in the dorms, I feel as though I have become more responsible and more open to meeting new people. This is because when living in the dorms, you are put in a dorm with people you have never met before and it is up to you to get to know the people. It has been very valuable to me to attend college because besides the great education received, I have learned to be more comfortable with people I dont know and also I have become more responsible. Utimately have a good college experience is up the individual, because it is up to that person whether or not they will put themselves out there in order to meet to people and become responsible within a different environment.

Community college has been great because its a much more affordable way to acquire necessary credits for a four year degree. I was originally turned off by the idea and started my college career at a private four-year, and transfered into community college to save money for a few years. The coursework has remained just as rigorous, and taking classes at little to no expense encouraged me to take courses in many disciplines, ultimately leading me to find my major. I'm now excited to be transfering back to a four year institution because I feel like I know the ropes and already have what it takes to succeed.

So far, college has been an amazing experience for me on many levels. This is my first time living on my own, which has really fostered my independence. It is entirely new surroundings and atmosphere, where you are thrown from the comfort of your support system back home, into creating a new life for yourself. While of course the most important part of college is the education itself, the life lessons that are learned are sometimes equally significant. I have learned how to get along with difficult roommates, meet people from a variety of backgrounds, that otherwise I never would have gotten a chance to, and overall just develop myself as a person. I am double- majoring in Psychology and Business Econ, which leaves me with quite a full plate, but the general education requirements help me experience a wide variety of classes and subject matter, that I never would have thought to take. I have learned so much this year from my classes to my life experiences, that I never would have been able to back home. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything.

I grew up in a very small town in Northern California called Mendocino. Growing up I went to pre-school with the same people I graduated high school with, a graduating class of 41. Although it was a nurturing, and very intimate high school experience, I was unprepared for the acadmics of UCSB. However, it was okay. There were plenty of avenues for me to take in order to succeed, from CLAS (tutoring), to counseling services, and my sorority. There was support everywhere and now I've never been happier at school. I've heard of schools that sort of just leave you on your own when you get there, but that is NOT the case here at UCSB. I feel like my peers and my neighbors are my family and I wouldn't trade this experience for any other place, or school, in the world. I could also reccomend this school to anyone, there's a place for everyone and no one is scorned for their beliefs or values, that's rare in a college.

After taking a few years off of school I have been motivated enough to have a grade point average of 3.97. I?ve learned that you have to want to go to school in order to be successful in college. I have enjoyed my experience so far and I?m only half way done with my degree. Going to ITT Tech has opened my eyes to how many different careers I can choose from. Knowing what different agencies have to offer you get more of a general idea of how your career field will be and is helpful. After cracking down and deciding on an education path, I started classes and actually enjoyed them. I was actually nominated to be in the National Technical Honor Society in the within the first year. My mother knew that I was going to have to attend a trade school so that I would be focusing on my career. We have now been realizing how much my school is going to cost. Now I have been looking at scholarships and applying. It?s a great opportunity that no one takes advantage of, and I would generally appreciate every help I can get.

It truly is an eye-opening experience to attend this prestigious university. Ive learned that the opportuniy that i have right now to be taught by people who are experts in their field, and have contributed to their study on a national or even international level, which truly astonishes me, shows that this is an ooportuniyt of a lifetime. Not many will have the privelage of experiencing this level of education. As for that reason i stress that i teach my younger siblings or extended family or even random friends of the value of a higher education. It aids in finding what one wants in life, what one wants to study, to live and to teach to future generations. It puts myself and others attending such institutes of higher education in a privelaged position, where great responsibility is endowed. It becomes a responsibility to share your mind with the world, to contribute and help those around us that are not as fortunate as we have been. The success of one individual does not necessarily mean that only that individual will reap the benefits, many others will be affected. I strive to show many others that it is possible.

So far i have only been at Illinios Valley Community College but I completly love the college atmosphere. Its so much different compared to high school. In high school not many people really took anything serious but in college it is completly the opposite. Everyone is going for something and they do not allow the little things to really get in the way. There are so many people who are extremly smart and I love that. It makes me feel that i want to challange myself even more so I can be in that ideal. I have made new friends who take crazy hard classes like Calc 3, Tam, and DE. I am going to Kishwaukee college next semester and plan on obtaining two associate degrees; both mechanical and archecticual computer aided drafting. Im currently taking classes like GD&T and Descriptive Geometry and developement drawing. I am also a tutor here at IVCC and I plan to be one as well at Kish. I have worked for everything that I have and I appreciate everything so much more then most would. Thank you for reading this application/information and I hope to hear back.