Community: The Bren Experience (MESM)

To students preparing for rewarding careers in environmental science and management, the Bren School offers an ideal location, cutting-edge facilities, and an outstanding curriculum and faculty. But a whole range of other, less tangible factors also distinguish the School. They are sometimes referred to collectively as “the Bren factor.”

Perhaps because the School is relatively small, with just under 150 master’s students in two classes, it is more intimate and friendly. Perhaps because it is situated on the West Coast, just 90 miles north of metropolitan to the dynamic city of Los Angeles, it is more open to new possibilities and novel ways of doing things. Perhaps because it stands at the edge of the wide Pacific Ocean, it attracts students having equally broad interests and abilities. Perhaps because the faculty and staff feel privileged to be here, they are willing to genuinely engage with students and go the extra mile for them.

The Bren factor shows up when renowned guest speakers relax with faculty, students, and staff at a reception on the outdoor terrace, against a background of ocean, palms, and a twilight sky. It is evident in a supportive student community whose diverse members find common ground through shared studies, intramural sports, beach barbecues, surf sessions, bike rides, backpacking trips, evenings in Santa Barbara, and collaboration on Group Projects. And it comes through in “random,” the shared e-mail list-serve that functions as a clearing house for environmental news and debate and as a bulletin board for ridesharing, party planning, house rentals, pet care, equipment loans, lost and found, and a wide range of other Bren community business.

Bren School students pursue a rigorous course of study in a casual and friendly environment. They value hard work and recreation. They are engaged and committed to applying environmental knowledge now. Some students stick to a regular schedule; some mix long study days with others that leave room for a run on the beach, a surf session, or a bike ride into the mountains. Students regularly gather on forays to night clubs in downtown Santa Barbara. They support their friends’ bands, cooperate in the Bren recycling progeram, and participate in a wide range of environmental activities. They are acting in the present while training for and looking to the future, and they are supported by faculty, staff, and administrators who are available and willing to help. They are taking on a big challenge with passion, tenacity, and inspiring unity. We invite you to join them.