UC Admissions Guide: Top Application Tips
The University of California Application or UC Application is the common application for all 8 universities in the University of California system: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. Whether you are applying to one UC university or all 8, you will complete a single UC application. All of the UC institutions have a November 30 deadline and all only offer Regular Decision as an admissions option (so you can’t apply Early Decision or Early Action to any of the UC universities).
If you are considering any of the UC schools, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you work your way through the application:
UC APPLICATION TIP 1: Use the Essay to tell a story
While the Common App asks students to write a single 650-word essay, the UC application asks students to respond to four essay prompts out of eight total options. However, these essays are shorter than the Common App essay and have a maximum word count of 350 words. Below are the UC essay prompts for 2019-2020:
These essays give students many opportunities to tell their admissions stories. We recommend that students review all of the potential prompts and spend some time thinking about which prompts fit them best. The UC essays are great because they allow students to really align their strengths to the essays.
Choosing four essay prompts out of eight potential options can certainly be a bit overwhelming. If you are having trouble picking a prompt, you can highlight outside of the classroom involvement through essay prompts 1, 2, 3, and 7. These essays will give you an opportunity to expand upon an extracurricular activity or involvement that has been particularly meaningful to you. You should be thinking about extracurricular involvement broadly. Clubs, sports, and arts are great, but admissions officers will also want to hear about your part-time job, the business you started, or the organization you volunteer with every week. However, you do not want to simply repeat what you have already discussed in the activities section.
UC Application Tip 2: Be specific on your essays
The UC essay prompts are only 350 words, so you have to make the most of each word and sentence in your essay. One of the mistakes that students make in these essays is discussing too many topics or experiences. You are simply not going to be able to do that in a thorough way in the context of 350 words. Instead, try to focus on particular moments that highlight your specific contributions, learning, or growth. These specific instances in time will allow you to show the reader who you truly are. For example, maybe you are the captain of the cross country team and want to discuss this in the first UC essay about leadership. Instead of talking broadly about your responsibilities as captain, you can tell the story of a specific time when you helped a team member who was struggling to fit into the team. This will allow you to leverage your lived experience in a more authentic way.
UC Application Tip 3: Apply to multiple University of California schools
While the University of California at Berkeley and UCLA are the best-known University of California schools, there are some other fantastic institutions in the UC system. The UC application is great because you can apply to 8 universities with only one application. Take advantage of that and explore all of the options in the UC system. You will probably find yourself pleasantly surprised that there are a few other universities perfectly aligned to your needs and interests. When in doubt, talk to your school college counselor and get their opinion on other UC institutions that may be good fits for you.
UC Application Tip 4: Do not forget about scholarships
One of the great things about the UC application is that you can apply to University of California-specific scholarship directly through the application. In the Scholarships & Programs section, students can select all of the scholarship categories that apply to you (note that there is not a limit to the number of scholarships a student can select).
The Bottom Line on University of California Applications
Putting time and care into your college applications is essential. Admissions officers have an uncanny ability to detect whether a student is simply recycling an essay or has rushed through an application. This is why it is so important to treat each application as unique. You do not want to simply cram your Common App essay (and supplements) into the UC application. This may save you some time, but it will be quite obvious to the admissions officer. We hope that these tips will help you make the most of your UC application so that you can submit the most competitive application possible for admissions and scholarships!
© Story2 2020. All rights reserved.
Will is a veteran of the college admissions process who has read thousands of applications and successfully counseled hundreds of students through the admissions process. Story2 teaches students applying to college how to write powerful personal statements, supplemental essays, and scholarship essays. Previously, Will was the Associate Director of College Counseling at an independent school in Connecticut and a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College. Will is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Pennsylvania.
