So you are applying to one (or more) of the 9 UCs? Let’s talk about it. For those out of the loop, the UCs or the Universities of California include 9 campuses across the Golden State. The campuses include Berkeley, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Irvine, Riverside, Merced, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis. While the schools range when it comes to size, programs, acceptance rates, etc they all share the same application. Students choose which of the campuses they want to apply to by checking a box on the application and paying separate application fees for each campus. TLDR: applying to one is as easy as applying to all 9, however much cheaper.
The UCs do not use the Common App and their application is due much earlier than many other schools on November 30th. Since they do not use the Common App, you don’t need a Common App essay to apply, however you will need to write 4 essays as part of the application. So let’s talk about it and break down the UC essays.
The UCs give you a ton of information and tips when it comes to their essays. There is a video. There are writing tips. Go over this info carefully. It will help you. You need to choose 4 out of the 8 prompts and each essay is capped at 350 words.
1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
Even if you don’t have a leadership position, you can answer this question. This shouldn’t feel like a resume. They have already seen all your activities. Choose a single moment where you showed off your leadership skills. This response should feel like a story (you are going to hear that a lot in this blog, sorry in advance but it’s true.) This story can be anything. Maybe it’s a time when you took on more responsibilities in a club. Maybe it’s helping your younger sister finish a project. Maybe it’s about a time a friend came to you for advice. Leadership can take a lot of forms and so can this story. Choose one that shows you in a good light and that you are excited to tell.
2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
We love this question. They say it right in the prompt, creativity can mean a lot of things. You don’t need to do art to answer this question, but you certainly can. The easiest way to answer this is with a story about a unique hobby. If the hobby is artistic or includes creative problem solving you are golden. This hobby could be macrame, cooking, building computers, going to escape rooms, etc. Tell them a story about doing the hobby and how you push yourself creatively in that hobby.
This is also a great question to play with structure and form. They are giving you a license to be creative. Maybe you want to write a short play or a recipe or a set of haikus. This is probably the best question to do it for.
3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Students can often shy away from this question which is a shame. This can be a really fun question to answer if you don’t get caught up with the words “greatest talent.” You can write this essay about any skill that you have developed over time. Anything you have committed to learning works here. Showing off that growth is what will make this essay work.
This is a great opportunity to show off a skill that you haven’t brought up elsewhere in your application. It’s ok for the talent to be quirky. Honestly, it will make this essay more fun. You can write about teaching yourself Polish, building miniatures, winning trivia nights, etc. as long as you tell a compelling story of practice and growth.
4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
Before writing this question, read the next one. They are pretty similar, so we suggest answering one or the other. This one can be a smaller story than the other which we are always a fan of. The story you should choose to tell for this question should be about a time you used something you learned and applied it to a challenge.
This story doesn’t need to be dramatic. For example, if you took an online course in computer science and then used that knowledge at an internship, that works well here. Tell a story about how you used that knowledge in the context of the opportunity.
5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
Again, if you have done #4 already, skip this one. This is kind of #4’s dramatic twin. We really only suggest this question for people who immediately know what story they want to write about. If you find yourself wracking your brain to come up with something, it’s probably not for you.
You don’t need to tell a sob story to get into college. It’s not something we even recommend to 99% of clients, but if you have a story that you think is important for understanding the person that you are, it may be worth it. If you take on a question like this, make sure you are actually ready to tell your story. If the significant challenge is really raw still, protect yourself and skip this.
However, if you chose to take this one, make sure you answer both parts of this prompt. You need to describe the challenge fully and how you overcame it AND how it affected your academics. One note, if you can end this story with the feeling that you are now doing well and thriving after overcoming the challenge, it's a great thing to leave the reader with.
6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
You should answer this question. Mainly because it’s the only question that allows you to say what you want to study and more importantly major in. This is important information for admissions officers who are trying to build classes. Stating your major will help them immensely.
We suggest starting with how you first fell in love with the subject. This should be a short personal story. For example, if you want to study biology, maybe it was going to the natural history museum as a kid and seeing a specific exhibit. Once you have introduced your subject, take us down the rabbit hole with you. Talk about classes you have taken, books you have read, and research you have done. We should see your spark of passion grow into a wildfire. Get deep, get specific, and show us how you have explored your academic interest. The “furthered” part is important here, we should see that growth.
7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
This is another prompt where you will need to tell a personal story. This isn’t the time to write about volunteering once at a soup kitchen. You should not only show more commitment, but also a more unique story. Sometimes students get really boxed in when talking about bettering a community and think they have to write about standard community service. You don’t, and honestly, unless that is your whole thing, you shouldn’t.
Some answers we have loved to this question include starting a recycling program, passing out valentines dressed as cupid, being a peer counselor, etc. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Whatever story you tell, however, you should bring us into your world. What is your school/community like? Why did you start doing whatever you do? Why is it important to you? This is a great opportunity to show us some of your values.
8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
The UCs don’t ask you to share your Common App essay but honestly, this question is pretty much the same as prompt 7 on the Common App. This essay is much shorter, however, most students can utilize their Common App essay here. You're going to need to cut it down and reshape it, but if you have done a good job on your Common App essay, it’s a good idea to leverage it here. Whether you use the Common App essay or not, this question is great, because you can pretty much write about anything, just make sure it's a story and one that you feel is important to tell about yourself.
Give yourself plenty of time to do the UC app. It takes a while and it is due earlier. You don’t want to have to rush this. There is a lot of info on the UCs website, so read it carefully. It will make their whole application easier.
Still need help? We hella got you. Reach out here.