5/31/ · The University of California school system covers 10 universities across the state. The UC system does things its own way—they have a separate application and (you guessed it) a separate list of essays to write. Below is a collection of some of the best UC essay examples/UC personal insight question examples I’ve seen 5/22/ · As we’ve said, there is only one application required to be considered by all the UC campuses. Eight essay prompts (which the UC application calls “personal insight questions”) are offered. You answer four; there is no right answer about which ones you choose. You only have words to answer each question 3/25/ · You may be able to use your UC Personal Insight Question essay for other schools. Since many selective schools require supplemental essays (that is: essays you write in addition to your main, word Common App personal statement), it can be useful to write an essay that works for BOTH the UCs AND one or more private schools
17 UC Essay Examples AKA Personal Insight Questions
The Requirements: 4 out of 8 essays, words each. Supplemental Essay Type s : OddballCommunityActivity. The UC application sounds like a riddle, uc application essay. Every student must write four essays, but choose from eight prompts.
A strategic uc application essay will choose a constellation of prompts that highlight vastly different aspects of their lives and personalities, leaving an admissions officer with a deep and complete picture of who they are.
Avoid robotically starting every answer by uc application essay the question and be as anecdotal as possible. When answering this question, avoid the siren song of your resume. Think of a moment when you were in a position where you worked really hard to help uc application essay group of people. Maybe you are always the one helping your younger siblings with their homework, and you struggled to find ways to engage your dyslexic younger brother with math.
Maybe, as a camp counselor or church volunteer, you were in charge of choreographing and instructing a number for a group of seven-year-old hip hop dancers to uc application essay. Perhaps, on a Habitat for Humanity school trip, you became the head cook, whipping up everything from pancakes to chicken fajitas while galvanizing a team of sous chefs to pitch in.
The point is, try to isolate a single leadership moment, and bring it to life with vivid details. Describe where you were, what was happening around you, and what you were feeling.
Discuss what challenges you faced, and what you ultimately learned from the experience. You may think that this question was geared towards the artistically inclined, but take a closer look. The wording offers many potential definitions that veer away from traditional conceptions of creativity and actually, it asks you for your personal definition! Creativity lies in your outlook: seeing the opportunity to use one of your skills in a novel situation; looking at a problem from a new angle to find the solution that no one else could see.
This question is, in reality, ideal for the more scientifically oriented to create a more well-rounded profile, uc application essay. Creative types, on the other hand, might want to proceed with caution since, really, every question is an opportunity to show off your talents and describe your artistic endeavors.
So, you claim that gardening, or Calculus, or painting is how you show your creative side. So, then immerse the reader in this activity with you. If you enjoy gardening, describe the plants, their qualities, and how you make your horticultural choices; are you drawn to the aesthetics or are you botanically inquisitive?
If you love to paint, show the reader where you paint, what you paint, and why you paint, describing the colors, textures, uc application essay, materials—the essential process behind your art. Write descriptively so that the reader can feel as if he or she were experiencing your creative passion with you.
So if you choose to respond to both of these questions, make sure to highlight distinct skills in each. The good news is: finding your subject should be easy! You just need to answer this question: what makes you proud?
Think about the stories that your friends and family like to share about you. Think about moments when your hard work paid uc application essay. If the memory of your first swim meet victory still makes you smile, draw us into your rigorous training schedule; describe the aspects of the sport that motivate you to wake up early and push yourself. What were your challenges? What has this experience taught you?
This narrative should have a clear timeline that traces your growth from the past to the present and into the future. Show not only that you have grown, but that you will continue to grow as you take your first steps into adulthood, uc application essay.
This question is tricky because it has two parts. So first break the question down: You can write about either A. How you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity OR B.
How you have worked to overcome an educational barrier. You are not being asked to write about both parts of this question. Just write about one. If you have participated in uc application essay afterschool program, internship, honors program, or a special class that was meaningful or inspiring to you, uc application essay, you will want to think about choosing option A.
Maybe it was an afterschool program for young, aspiring lawyers, or an advanced history class that you took at your local community college, uc application essay. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your ambition and highlight the kinds of challenges that engage and excite you. Beyond underscoring an academic interest, reflect on the personal qualities required for you to succeed. Uc application essay remember to show, not tell!
It will save you from accidentally humble-bragging your way through this assignment. Now, for option B. If you have worked to overcome a disability, struggled in school because you have a different background than your peers, suffered financial hardship, or something along those lines, you can choose to write about option B.
To nail this tricky task, you will need to highlight not only the ways you uc application essay, but also the qualities that helped you succeed.
How would you define yourself? Zero in on a quality that resonates with you, and write targeted descriptions that bring it to life. Lastly, reflect on how this barrier shaped who you are today, and what skills you gained through facing this educational barrier.
If you skipped question 4 or chose to write about option A, this question is a gift: a second chance to showcase your resilience in the face of obstacles. On the other hand, if you chose to write about option B in question 4, this might feel redundant. You are free to write about both, but again, proceed with caution and be sure to select a totally different challenge. What pro-active steps did you take to address the problem at hand? In facing this challenge, did you discover a courageous, creative, or hard-working side of yourself?
Did you learn something valuable about yourself or others? Highlight the upside. How did this challenge shape who you are today? And how will the skills that you gained dealing with this challenge will help you in college and beyond? To nail down a topic for this bad boy, you can work in two directions: 1 think about how your favorite academic subject has impacted your extracurricular pursuits, uc application essay, or 2 trace one of your favorite hobbies back to its origins in the classroom.
Maybe your love of languages led you to take a job at a coffee shop frequented by multilingual tourists. Or perhaps your now-extensive coin collection was resurrected when you did a research project on ancient Roman currency. Whichever way you go about it, building a bridge between the scholarly and the personal lies at the heart of answering this prompt. Some backwards advice: When writing about community service, you should always start with yourself. Community service essays are cliché minefields.
To avoid drifting into platitudes, uc application essay, you need to ground your writing in the specificity of your life, uc application essay. Instead, dig into your motivations, uc application essay. If you spent weeks petitioning your school community to raise the hourly wage for custodial staff, what prompted you to act?
What assumptions did you have about income inequality and what did you learn about your community in the process? Maybe you participated in a soccer-team-mandated day of coaching a pee-wee team. What caused your skepticism? How did you turn the experience around? Think of a moment where you felt like you made a change in your local community, uc application essay.
It can be something small; it does not have to be monumental, but it should mean a great deal to you, uc application essay. Describe the moment, using detail to bring it to life, and then reflect on what that experience taught you, and how you hope to continue these activities in the future. This question is really just what it says it is—an open-ended, choose-your-own-adventure question. Is there something that you really, uc application essay, really want to tell the UC admissions team that uc application essay feel makes you a strong and unique candidate that is not showcased in the other three personal insight questions?
As with the other questions, whatever uc application essay you choose, please use detail and description to bring this topic to life for the reader, and include thoughtful reflection on why this topic matters to you. Also, be sure to explain why your chosen topic makes you stand out as a strong candidate for the UC schools, since the question specifically asks you to do that!
View all posts by Emma Harrington ». We thought so. Sign up for free instructional videos, guides, worksheets and more! Score our Exclusive Video Brainstorming Guide and more! University of California Essay Prompt Guide. Supplemental Essay Type s : OddballCommunityActivity University of California Application Essay Question Explanations The UC application sounds like a riddle.
Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience.
What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 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. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you?
UC Personal Insight Questions / Essays: Tips and Tricks for the University of California Essays
, time: 18:18Personal insight questions | UC Admissions
5/31/ · The University of California school system covers 10 universities across the state. The UC system does things its own way—they have a separate application and (you guessed it) a separate list of essays to write. Below is a collection of some of the best UC essay examples/UC personal insight question examples I’ve seen Imagine UC was a person. If we met face-to-face, what would you want us to know about you? These personal insight questions allow you to tell us. 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 12/1/ · Every applicant to one of the University of California campuses must write four short essays in response to the UC application's Personal Insight questions. The UC essay examples below reveal how two different students approached the prompts. Both essays are accompanied by an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses
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