Corey Kerdman Andrade, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

I chose to come to UCSB as a transfer student because of the Chemical Engineering Department’s high ranking. Santa Barbara is also a great area with a lot of sunshine, and when I came to visit, everybody was smiling and really inviting. It’s a big thing when you tour a bunch of schools, and the people were smiling at only one of them.

I’ve heard from friends who went to larger schools that they are always competing. That’s not how you want to feel when you’re trying to get your education. You want to be building yourself up and looking at how to maximize your potential, not just considering what someone beside you is doing.

The greatest thing about UCSB is the collaboration. You’re in a community; you’re not just an individual on your own, and you will succeed if you partake in that community. I think this is the best environment you could possibly be in. Your teachers and fellow students are like an extension of yourself. You’re never really alone, either emotionally or academically. Everybody goes through things throughout the years, and having teachers who understand that you’re a human being and not just a student or a money source or a time drain is kind of empowering and makes you feel like you have value.

There is something to be said for how great my relationships are with my friends here. It is difficult to do this program by yourself. You have to put in a ton of time and do a lot of reading on your own, because no one is going to tell you everything you have to do. But it’s also a very community-centered program. We help each other, and I would not be able to succeed without my classmates.