The University of California System consists of ten schools on separate campuses – commonly known as the UCs – that all use the same application: UC Berkeley (Cal), UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Barbara, UC Los Angeles (UCLA), UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Francisco, and UC San Diego. (Note, however, that UC San Francisco does not offer undergraduate education.) You will use the same responses for all the campuses within this system to which you choose to apply. Take a look at what each campus has to offer, including academic programs, clubs, activities, location, internships, intramural options, career services, research opportunities, and professors. Then consider how you might showcase your fit.
UC admissions asks you to write several short essays to provide insight into who you are on a more personal level and reveal how you might contribute to the school to which you are applying. You must respond to four of the UC’s eight insight questions, and each of your responses is limited to 350 words. Read through the prompts, and choose the four that resonate most with your life and give you the best opportunity to discuss your unique experiences. Some of the questions overlap to some degree with respect to the topics they cover,. You want to select the ones that allow you to demonstrate specific attributes. No single question is better to answer than any other; it’s just a matter of which questions are better matches for you and your candidacy. Consider the combination of prompts that will allow you to communicate different aspects of your identity, character, and values.
UC Personal Insight Question #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.
This could be an intimidating prompt if you approach it too broadly. Instead, think about a specific example of your leadership in action. Consider instances in which you can trace a tangible positive outcome back to a specific conflict resolution, action, decision, negotiation, or collaboration. This effort could have been within your family, school, community, workplace, peer group, religious organization, athletic/academic team, or something else along these lines. What did you learn about leadership from the experience? What did you learn about yourself as a leader? How did the experience change your perspective and the way you interact with others? Make sure you address all of these questions and the additional implied question: what kind of leader might you be in the UC community?
UC Personal Insight Question #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.
This prompt provides an opportunity to express your creative passion and thought process. Do you have a particularly creative skill? Do you think about issues in inventive ways? Was there an issue or problem you approached in an imaginative or novel manner? Remember that this can be something related to school or otherwise. Select a specific example and demonstrate your enthusiasm. What was the outcome? How did your creativity, problem solving, innovative thinking, or artistic ability affect others? How does your creativity influence the way you learn, how you interact with others, your lifestyle, or your intended area of study and/or career? How does the example you discuss reflect something significant about you? And why is that important? How might you embrace your creativity while you are studying at a UC school?
UC Personal Insight Question #3
What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
This prompt allows you to detail something you have done for an extended time and through which you can demonstrate growth and deeper understanding. It might be something that came naturally to you or something you worked hard to develop over time. Be careful to not let your response to this prompt overlap with what you discussed for question #2 regarding creativity; you want to share something with the admissions committee here that represents a different facet of your abilities. This could be anything from playing a particular instrument to excelling at a specific sport or engaging in any other activity that demonstrates development through an extensive process. What initially sparked your interest? Why is this meaningful to you? How did you explore and develop this talent or skill? Did you have to sacrifice anything to pursue it? What have been the challenges and rewards along the way? What have you learned about yourself in the process? How might you continue to nurture/engage this talent or skill in the future, possibly even on campus?
UC Personal Insight Question #4
Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
In broad strokes, this question is about how you make things happen regardless of the cards you are dealt. It also speaks to your resilience and ability to adapt to different circumstances. Your response to this prompt really gets at the question of how you use what you have to succeed, whether you are fortunate enough to have had many educational opportunities or have had to work to overcome great challenges. What have you achieved and learned about yourself in the process? If you embraced an opportunity to experience something new (e.g., culture, activity, volunteer experience, academic enrichment opportunity), how did the experience change the way you look at the world? How did it influence how you think about yourself? If you overcame a significant challenge (e.g., learning disability, difficult family situation/relationship, financial challenges, particular hardship), what motivated you to do more? What steps did you take to improve the situation? How did overcoming this barrier make you stronger? How did it change your perspective or attitude? Whether you are addressing an opportunity or barrier, how does what you shared inspire you for the future?
UC Personal Insight Question #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?
This question is similar to the second part of question #4 about barriers you faced. This is the place to reveal why your extracurricular involvement, test scores, or grades might not be at as high a level as those of other applicants – just make sure you do not come off as making excuses. Your most significant challenge could relate to a personal loss, a disability, conflicts within your community or family, or having to come to terms with a nonconventional identity. It is also possible that you are still working to overcome the issue. The important thing is to identify the challenge, discuss what you have done to try to overcome it, and then explain its impact on your academic achievement. If you select this prompt, your story is likely to be very personal. You don’t have to shy away from this one, but you will need to give it a great deal of thought so you can effectively convey the significance of your chosen topic. It is also important to consider how the lessons you have learned through this process have prepared you for academic success in college.
UC Personal Insight Question #6
Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
This prompt asks you to convey your passion and enthusiasm for a specific academic subject. You will need to reveal not only the topic you find interesting but also how you explore your interests and engage with learning on various levels and in different environments. Think about what you have done to dive deeper into the subject, such as volunteer activities, internships, research, clubs, or advanced classes. What makes this subject so exciting for you? How has the knowledge you acquired influenced your perception of the world? What have you learned about yourself in your pursuit of the subject? This essay is a great place to discuss your potential major or other areas you hope to study in college, as well. If applicable, you could also draw a connection to your future career. As the admissions committee reads your response, they will be thinking about how you might explore this and other topics at their school.
UC Personal Insight Question #7
What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
This question is pretty straightforward. It addresses how you, as an individual, have a positive impact on the people around you. Identify something you did that was helpful to others. Many applicants discuss a specific volunteer experience. Others discuss a team or group. Identify your role within the school, group, or community. What was the issue/problem/deficiency/need? How did you help address it? Why was this important to you? How do you know you had a positive effect? What was your motivation to help? Did you work with others or alone? What did you learn about yourself in the process? Is this something you might continue while in college?
UC Personal Insight Question #8
Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
Yes, this is a wide open question! Before you decide how you want to respond, make a list of the characteristics you feel make you an outstanding fit with the University of California System. Then look over your application and the other essay questions you have already responded to and see whether you think there is anything missing. This is your opportunity to tell the admissions committee anything you feel is significant that you were not able to discuss within the context of the other prompts. Although part of the advice UC admissions gives for this essay is to not “be afraid to brag a little,” this prompt is not the only part of the application in which you can highlight your clearest strengths. You could skip this essay and still represent yourself and your talents effectively by choosing four of the other seven prompts. If you didn’t already answer prompt #3 and want to close on a strong note, this essay could allow you to highlight something singular about yourself.
Admissions committees tend to read essays in chronological order, so if you do elect to respond to this prompt, make sure you end on a strong and interesting note. This is a good opportunity to link what you discuss to the UC System in some way. Maybe you have already been involved in a precollege program at a particular UC campus – a creative writing program for high school students, for example – and formed meaningful connections with faculty members in the process. Mentioning details like this can help demonstrate that you truly want to be part of the social fabric of a UC campus and are more likely to attend a UC school if accepted, which could certainly help sway the admissions committee.
Admission to the UC System is highly competitive and continues to become more so each year. This is especially true for out-of-state candidates. The UC System does not allow you to submit standardized test scores or letters of recommendation. Admission officers will have only your GPA, transcript, activities, and honors lists. Therefore, it is essential that you use your essays to provide context for your experiences (both inside and outside of the classroom) and explain how they have prepared you to be a successful UC student. You must work to set yourself apart from other applicants. As you write your essays, keep the 350-word limit for each one in mind, and do not repeat information you have discussed in other essays. Strive to use each essay to tell the admissions committee something new about who you are. Plan out your responses, and make sure you allow yourself adequate time to revise your responses. These short essays are your opportunity to share more about what makes you unique. Consider your motivations, inspirations, values, learning style, character, personal history, and goals for the future.
Marie Todd has been involved in college admissions for more than 20 years. Marie has both counseled applicants to top colleges and evaluated more than 5,000 applications for the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; College of Engineering; School of Kinesiology; School of Nursing; and Taubman College of Architecture. Want Marie to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch.
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