Hello! I'm Alisa, an undergraduate double-major student entering my 3rd year at UCSB, and I truly love it here. I was admitted as a transfer student straight out of high school, giving me the best of both the freshman and transfer lives. Some of my interests are product design, marketing, neurotechnology, music, and creative writing. I'm heavily involved in many different fields here: marketing internships, consulting and finance organizations, academic research, and several social and cultural clubs. I've gained so much from all the great opportunities here, and I'd love to share my tips that I learned along the way.

Hometown

Los Angeles, CA

Major(s)

Psychological & Brain Sciences (B.S.), Economics & Accounting (B.A.)

Minor(s)

Media Arts and Design

Clubs, organizations & involvement

1. Research: conducting an Honors Thesis study with UCSB’s Attention Lab (researching VR immersion and Psychology), former Research Assistant 2. Business: Marketing Strategy & Writing Intern for Dawdle AI app, Executive Board member of TAMID (a consulting and finance club) 3. Social​/​Cultural: Social Media Chair of Achayot - Sisterhood club, Events Board member of Chabad at UCSB 4. Recreational: Dancesport

Describe your college experience

I have truly loved every moment of my college experience, even the hard ones. There’s no way to truly understand the college culture here until you live it. It was extremely scary at first, not having a clue what to expect. I didn’t really enjoy my time in high school at all, but college quickly exceeded every expectation I could have set. Never again will I be surrounded by so many amazing and intelligent people, who are all my age and live within a 10 minute walk from me. A proper balance of work life and social life is taken seriously here, and your friends will encourage you rather than compete with you. Even studying for final exams is something you hate, but also something you kind of love. Outside academics, UCSB has also taught me how to be independent, confident, and always challenge myself. I wouldn’t trade this for the world.

Tip for future students

I have tons of specific advice to give, but here are some important general tips! 1) Planning out your own 4-year schedule as early as possible will save you lots of trouble 2) Opportunities are everywhere! Come into the school open to exploring all of your interests, and then narrow down your commitments and priorities later. 3) Campus resources are your friend. Office hours, CLAS study groups, Career Services, etc! 4) Living in Isla Vista is amazing, just don’t wait to figure out housing until the last minute. 5) It’s never too late to try something new. Get involved, you won’t regret it.

Favorite class

PSY 159: Health Psychology with Professor Sherman was the most interesting and important class I will ever take. Every lecture was filled with fascinating details and case studies on how the mind and body affect each other. At the end of the course, we also got to have a zoom seminar with an experienced Health Policy professional who explained the entire American medicine system in a 2 hour interactive discussion. Coming from someone who developed an autoimmune condition as a teenager due to stress, I truly think this is a class everyone should take, and especially those going into the medical field.

Career goals

My long-term goal is going into product design and development for neurotechnology, and maybe even start starting my own company some day.

Ideal way to spend a free night

Hanging out with a bunch of friends, playing group games while eating takeout or baking something.

High school or secondary school

Taft Charter High School

Previous college

Los Angeles Pierce College

Favorite spot on campus

The seating area just outside the Arbor​/​library is the best spot on campus. It’s just nice to sit outside sometimes in a popular area like that, especially when you’re on a library break and need to remember what life is like outside the 8th floor. You’ll likely run into some people you know who are just walking by or going in and out of the Arbor, and it can sometimes lead to really fun interactions or conversations. Even better is when someone is playing on the nearby piano. Highly recommend!