Here are the UC essay prompts 1 through 8 from the .
UC PIQ #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?
At the University of California, I intend to pursue a major in Political Science to further my understanding of politics and the impact of each individual on policymaking. Furthermore, I am compelled to participate in student government upon my acceptance to UC schools in order to exercise my interests in a much larger and diverse community of students. Overall note: Even though this author has chosen an abstract quality (finding connections among the dissimilar), she lists many specific examples, and these examples provide the structure for her PIQ. Note the variety and specificity of her examples: UC PIQ #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? Also be comforted by the fact that the UCs explicitly state that there isn’t a right or wrong way to answer each prompt. Now, some ways are definitely better than others (and we’ll get to that in a minute). But UC admissions officers won’t go into your essay with an already-established idea of what your essay should be about. Each individual UC campus gives different weight to the essays in the decision process. You can click through each campus to read more about that on the . But no matter which campuses you’re applying to, your admissions officers will base their admission decision, at least in part, on your essays. Why? Because those are the values central to the University of California system. The University of California’s motto is, “,” and the Office of the President sums up the University’s mission with : We Teach. We do research. We provide public service.
Here are some tips for acing the third of the UC essay prompts:
Instead of picturing the UCs as a person, try approaching your UC essays with a few institutional values in mind. Things like intellectual curiosity, community-mindedness, innovation, leadership, and altruism should underlie your essay writing.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 1:
But what makes UC essays a bit challenging is the fact that they are completely different animals than the Common Application Essay or school-specific supplementals (if you want to read more about either of those, check out our Resource Hub). UC essays require a totally different approach to presenting your narrative.
UC Prompt 1 example essay: Ming Ji Restaurant
Before we get into our strategies for approaching your UC essay narrative, it’s important to look more specifically at how the UCs evaluate your essays.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 2:
The most common mistakes to avoid in your UC essays are repeating the prompt in your essay (don’t waste your words), trying to sound like an academic (admissions wants to hear your authentic voice!), and using cliches (they’re ineffective and—let’s face it—lazy).
UC Prompt 2 example essay: Drumming
UC PIQ #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?
EssayPro writers make your UC essays shine. No stress, just results!
Looking for UC Personal Insight Question examples? Subscribe below to gain instant access to 50 full-length example essays covering each prompt, plus an in-depth analysis of each essay to learn what UC admissions committees are looking for.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 3:
Looking for UC Personal Insight Question examples? Subscribe below to gain instant access to 50 full-length example essays covering each prompt, plus an in-depth analysis of each essay to learn what UC admissions committees are looking for.