UCSB Engineering

“Studying engineering here at UC Santa Barbara, you have the benefit of courses taught by professors, not lecturers. You get to know everyone in your class and your class level…”

Eric Martin
Mechanical Engineering

Why I chose UCSB
I chose UCSB for multiple reasons, the first being I was aware of its upcoming prestige as an engineering institution, and secondly one of my neighbors went here, and she totally raved about it. I guess it didn’t hurt that it’s right on the ocean too.

Studying engineering here at UC Santa Barbara, you have the benefit of courses taught by professors, not lecturers. You get to know everyone in your class and your class level, and after four years of that you build this camaraderie. It’s almost like that high school feel where you are comfortable in your surroundings after spending so much time there, and with comfort comes your ability to strive and excel in what you are studying and learning.

Studying abroad
To take advantage of my engineering education, other than participating in various clubs on campus (engineering or non-engineering related), I have studied abroad twice. I spent a summer in Spain, in Granada, and a semester in Cape Town, at the University of Cape Town. I think I was the first engineer to go to Africa from this school, but it was very easy to accomplish and they worked with my needs, and as a result I will still be graduating in four years.

Future plans
As far as life after Santa Barbara, I will be attending the new university in Saudi Arabia, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), to get a master’s degree in environmental science and engineering with a focus on renewable energies, air and water quality, and green planning. And beyond that, who knows? I have a passion for international culture and travel so if I am lucky enough maybe I’ll get to use what I have learned somewhere across the Atlantic or maybe here at home.

Related links

• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Education Abroad Program