University of California: Santa Barbara
The university of California, Santa Barbara is found in an environment filled with breathtaking natural beauty coupled with intellectual vitality. The school is located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean away from the urban pressures and and this allows for the most promising students to be part of a community made of scholars internationally recognized. The vibrant cultural and academic activities of the institution are designed for teachers to demonstrate their skills everyday whether it is in the classroom or the lab.
Academic quality
Highest quality education can only be obtained by an institution that pioneers and continues to invest itself in research. The faculty of UC Santa Barbara comprises of 1,050 members, some of which have won the Nobel Prize. Other members are elected representatives of academies recognized nationally and internationally. UCSB’s campus is counted among the 61 research intensive establishment that has been given the opportunity to be a member of the Association of American Universities, a prestigious association.
Considering the number of scholars on campus, it is no surprise that experience of growth at the personal and intellectual level are the hallmarks of daily life.
The university takes about 21,685 students with 3,000 taking graduate courses. It is quite tough to enter the institution. In recent years only the most academically competitive students have been admitted and that has turned the campus into the most ethnically diverse in history.
UCSBC has 5 schools and one Graduate division offering over 200 majors and degrees. Out of that number 80 majors are offered by the College of Letters and Science. There are 7 disciplines offered by the College of Engineering. Students can also study at the College of Creative Studies where they are thought to think out of the box when dealing with mathematics, science and arts.
For those who want to pursue a professional career, they can choose between the 2 that the establishment offers, the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education and the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.
Scholarship and service
The combination of scholarship, public service and quality teaching has turned UCSB to a magnet that attract the most brilliant students in the country. The institution receives support from the National Science Foundation which sponsors 8 of the 12 national centers and institutes including National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Materials Research Laboratory and the Southern California Earthquake Center, just to name a few.
There is also the California NanoSystems Institute where nanoscale research takes place and that has led to dramatic breakthroughs and the creation of devices that can be used at the miniature level.
School community
UCSB is designed in a way that allows students to still enjoy a rich array of cultural, social and athletic events aside their academic lives. Most students live in dormitories found within walking distance from their lecture room. With the nearby city of Santa Barbara students can spend their recreational time learning about the history and art which is one of the characteristics of the city.
The university of California, Santa Barbara is the place where students who want to run away from the noise in the city head to. Over there they are provided with the tranquil environment they need to get deeper into their subject of study.