A response to the question, 'Why did you leave UCSB? Do You Miss it'
Well, let's give you a little background on me. I love music more than life itself, and can't imagine my life without it. Another thing to know is that I (conceited moment here) am very smart. I really cannot stand being treated like a trained monkey in classes. I get very frustrated when I take a class and the work that I do isn't working towards anything. I realize that college is about expanding your horizons and showing you can do work you don't like, but I can do work I don't like; I just don't want to pay $7,000 dollars to prove it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that UCSB was not fulfilling my needs for my vision of myself in the future. I want to either be a performer (voice, musical theater, or movies/television) or producer. Actually, I really only want to be a performer, and I really didn't know how to embrace that, because let's face it, I was always afraid I wouldn't make enough money to make it worthwhile. That, however, is a mindset I am sick of in myself, because I know I have the talent and determination to be successful in this endeavor. Now, you may be thinking 'But Ari, you could pursue your dreams at UCSB!', and if you were thinking that, no, no I couldn't. The ability to network in Santa Barbara is incredibly limited. I would also prefer a conservatory, because again, I don't like taking classes that don't work towards a goal in my future career. I hate to sound mean, but I really don't miss UCSB at all. I miss the people, of course, I miss my friends and getting to have fun with them, but actually being at the school? No, and I'll tell you why, it's because I am so happy that I'm pursuing my own desires instead of the desires of people around me. I already started taking voice lessons, and my teacher told me he could get me ready to audition for any school I wanted, because I have the talent necessary. I feel like that's a signal that I'm on the right track. My other teachers never told me what schools were realistic, or told me realistically what my talent was, and so to hear it in my first lesson with a new teacher is so moving and incredible I know I'm doing what I should have been doing all along. Music is my life blood and I want to be in LA or New York doing it full time.