Dean’s Corner
Welcome Back!
by Mary Nisbet, Associate Dean
Welcome back to the new academic year! I hope you’ve had a fun summer and are
returning to UCSB with your energy and enthusiasm fully charged! This summer,
I've been heavily involved in further expanding the technological resources
available to you. First, you will notice that we have a new look for our newsletter.
We have now discontinued the print version and have moved to a fully electronic
version. We hope that you like it – the new version allows us more flexibility
and, of course, is more cost effective. The new version still has the articles
that help you make the most of your honors experience at UCSB, and the regular
features that bring you the information you need. And the new version will be
easier to read on line than the PDF version that we have had up to now.
We have also developed two new sites within our general advising web site that
will be of benefit to many of you. For students who are still undeclared, we
have developed a new web site that helps you to find the right major (www.advising.ltsc.ucsb.edu/undeclared/index.php.) Topics that the web
site covers include advice on how to choose a major and, having chosen one,
the steps you need to take to declare it, questions to ask yourself to find
out if you’re in the right major, information on double majors and also minors,
and a link to our newsletter for undeclared students "Explorations."
Another development that we expect will be of value to honors students is the
new Health Professions Advising site (www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/health/.) This site provides a great deal of support
information for students who are considering a career in one of the health
professions. In addition, for those students who are currently applying for
health professions graduate programs, the Health Professions Support Page in
the new site allows students on-line access to the entire process of sending
letters of reference to schools. You can now open a file, check the status of
your letters of recommendation to see which ones have been received in the
Health Professions Office request letters to be sent, request that letters of
recommendation be sent to schools to which you are applying, check the status of
letters sent, update the status of each application for schools to which you
have applied and view health professions charges submitted to your BARC account.
I also want to remind you that in Fall quarter, we run our major competition
for URCA grants to support undergraduate research. I always enjoy this
competition since I have the opportunity to read all the applications we
receive. I am constantly impressed by the quality of the applications, and
also by the sheer innovation and creativity that students demonstrate in their
projects. Each application is reviewed by at least two faculty members who
recommend whether or not the project should be funded. More than 90% of the
applications we receive are fully funded so, if you apply, the chances are high
that your application will be successful. Getting involved in research is one
of the most valuable ways that you can enhance your education at a research
university like UCSB and our URCA grants can help you fund your project. The
Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Office (URCA) will run Research
Workshops designed to help you complete an application for research support
through the URCA Grants Program. Check the URCA web site
(www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/urca/research.php) for more information.
I wish you well for the new academic year. Whether you’re a new freshman or
a returning senior, this year could be one of the most exciting and productive
of your life. As an honors student, you have the attributes and abilities
needed to fully exploit all of the personal and academic growth opportunities
that UCSB has to offer. Let the learning begin!
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