Interview With Devanshi Tomar

Devanshi is an incoming freshman at UC Santa Barbara, where she is double-majoring in Psychological & Brain Sciences, B.S. and Anthropology with a Biological Emphasis, B.A. Her simultaneous interest in STEM and the humanities has culminated into an ambition to pursue medicine and public health as a career. In high school, Devanshi was the Editor-in-Chief of her high school's newspaper and the president of the mock trial team, both in which she has received numerous team and individual awards.

“I wanted to be a small fish in a big pond so that I can grow to be an even bigger fish in a big pond. Big public school aspect of UCSB appealed to me."

"As a tutor, I was helping other people bring out their voice. In mock trial, I was bringing out my voice to advocate for other people. In Journalism I was helping to uplift the voices of others "

"I was able to maintain a better balance than some of my peers because I understood the importance of maintaining focus. I also knew when to take breaks, to have fun, to take time to explore my interests that may not be academically fueled."

"Shadowed a doctor/psychiatrist to get more understanding of the medical field. Shadowing a professional helped me get a real life application of what I was studying."

"I was debating between law and medicine - I always knew that I wanted to have an impact on people’s life. Social justice and law reform are two of my ambitions. I want to make structural changes to the system."

"High school is about finding your interest. If you are confused about your career, there is no pressure to solidly them in 10th or 11th grade. Focus on what your passions and your interests are. And think about what majors that you can do. You have a lot of time to find out what you want to do as a career, so don't take too much pressure there."

"Its going to eventually work out in the end. I wish I had known about this earlier."

"High School is a time to explore. There is so much time in college to nail down career and nail down on focussed opportunities. In High School you are just a kid, and you can let your interests flow and your mind wander. You are allowed to remain curious and childlike in that curiosity, and that’s what the colleges want."

"Colleges are looking for someone who is moldable and open minded - someone who is eager to learn and eager to explore, someone who will take advantage of the opportunity that is available to them. Passion and drive is what they want. They don’t particularly want a mini software engineer."

"There is light at the end of the tunnel. If you are doing things to check off boxes that someone else has created for you, then you are not going to have anything to talk about. Break the mold and do things that interest you. Set yourself apart and chase your passions, stay involved, then you are more developed as an individual and not just as a college applicant."

"Be genuine and specific on the 'why' essays. Take time to research the college you are applying to. Be honest with your self - your stats and your resumes. They are looking at you as an individual. Establish a good relationship with your teachers. Don’t be fluffy and cliched. There is light at the end of the tunnel. It will be amazing and you will be blinded by the opportunity."