How to Write the UC Admissions Essays

 UC Excerpt

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing

“Imagine UC was a person. If we met face-to-face, what would you want us to know about you? You could write about your creative side. Your thoughts on leadership. A challenge you’ve faced. Whatever questions you answer, make sure you show us your personality—just as you would in real life.”

According to UC admissions (via their website):

“The University of California requires you to respond to four out of eight Personal Insight Questions, and you have a maximum of 350 words for each. All questions are given equal consideration, which means there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others. Your responses should reveal your personality, background, interests and achievements in your own unique voice.” This link provides specific tips and guidance for each of the questions. General guidance includes: Write persuasively–Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make. Be personal–Talk about yourself so that the admissions committee can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Don’t be afraid to use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

In history, the types of students admitted consisted of applicants who 

define the specific terms in the question as it applies to their experience and response. Essays use personal narration to describe the applicant's experience (like their role in that community), and use specific/concrete examples to answer the prompt. Students also reveal what they learned from their efforts.

Supplement Essay Example:

Prompt: 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?

Swimmer Michael Phelps said, “I only fear not trying.” I am a swimmer, too, and when I first started swishing through the water, I used to sink under a whirlpool of fear, but it was never for not trying. I actually feared not being good enough for my coach, so I spent years “trying” swimming…on my own because formal coaching was just too intense. Then, fourteen, I sought external motivation as a way to make significant progress by joining an out-of-school swim club that trained aspiring professional athletes. Most of my teammates were children, amazingly talented and dedicated; I had underestimated the challenge.

Two months meant rigorous training, involving three demanding 2.5-hour sessions weekly, with a minimum of 3,000 meters swim in four styles. The physical strain was intense, and I grappled with mental stress, so driven by a desire for excellence. As expected, I would constantly compare myself to my much younger teammates who had been training since they were six. Although I was a proficient swimmer among amateurs, I still lagged behind in this group. Initially it bothered me, but I figured out how to ride those waves - like I usually do - because I never fear trying. Essentially, the courage to try and take on new challenges, as well as my improving swimming skills and physical fitness, has all made me more confident on my journey in terms of taking on challenging tasks. 

For instance, in academia, during my Internal Assessment investigation, I boldly chose Botany as the field to investigate—an area of knowledge that was almost unprecedented to me at that time. But with the stark lessons I had learned in swimming pools, I never shied away- I tried and tried again until I completed this most complex experiment. I can’t recall how many times I held the corpse of my plants, obtaining no result at all; looking through the articles extensively, I revised my design over and over again until my best attempt was made. On the very last day of the term I was still in the lab, collecting the hard-earned data.

by Sarah O'Neill, Coatesville, Supreme Editing