Sometimes I focus on the wrong things and miss gems hiding in plain sight. The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is one of those hidden gems and provides an excellent education with compassionate, knowledgable teachers at an affordable price. This combination is probably why UCR is ranked #1 for social mobility. Our country needs more schools like UCR.
When I was looking at engineering schools in high school, I was biased by college counselors (and my competitive community) to focus on elite schools. I dismissed UCR and did not bother applying. I wound up attending a flagship UC and did not think about UCR again until many years later, after being humbled by engineering school and early career steps.
After deciding to return to grad school, I gave UCR a serious look. I was astounded I overlooked the beautiful campus and the caliber of the programs here at UCR. The graduate engineering programs are UCR are quite excellent and the programs are growing. (Remember, F=MA whether you are in Riverside or Westwood!) When pursuing research, you get out what you put in. Frankly, many of my fellow grad students are brilliant.
With one year of my studies complete, I feel like I have learned and grown in many ways I did not expect. I have enjoyed the opportunities to be a teaching assistant and become a better communicator and mentor. Working in the lab has been a wonderful experience to learn more about legged locomotion, robotic arms, and control systems. I’m having more fun too than I expected.
This whole discovery process also makes me wonder, what other hidden gems am I missing?