University of California Essay Guide

The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S.

  state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, along with numerous research centers and academic abroad centers.  

The University of California currently has 10 campuses, a combined student body of 285,862 students, 24,400 faculty members, 143,200 staff members and over 2.0 million living alumni.Its newest campus in Merced opened in fall 2005. Nine campuses enroll both undergraduate and graduate students; one campus, UC San Francisco, enrolls only graduate and professional students in the medical and health sciences. In addition, the UC Hastings College of the Law, located in San Francisco, is legally affiliated with UC, but other than sharing its name is entirely autonomous from the rest of the system. 

Collectively, the colleges, institutions, and alumni of the University of California make it the most comprehensive and advanced postsecondary educational system in the world, responsible for nearly $50 billion per year of economic impact Major publications generally rank most UC campuses as being among the best universities in the world. Six of the campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Diego are considered Public Ivies, making California the state with the most universities in the nation to hold the title. UC campuses have large numbers of distinguished faculty in almost every academic discipline, with UC faculty and researchers having won 69 Nobel Prizes as of 2020. 

Number of applications have increased in 2021. UCLA got 140K applications while Berkeley got 113K applications.

University of California schools uses a “holistic” review process to evaluate applicants -- this means they will consider your application essays (known as “personal insight questions”), recommendations, extracurricular activities, rigor of high school classes, GPA, test scores, personal qualities, and talents. Less important (but still considered!) are the interview, first-generation or legacy status, geographical residence, racial/ethnic status, volunteer work, and paid work experience. 

The schools do not conduct interviews. One important note when applying is that you will choose your prospective major or department at the time of applying, and admission will be to that specific department (such as the College of Engineering, or College of Letters and Sciences). Additionally, some majors are “High Demand” or “Impacted” -- admission to these programs and departments is traditionally more difficult. For example, although admissions to UC Berkeley as a whole are around 16%, the acceptance rate for Berkeley EECS (Electrical Engineering/Computer Science within the College of Engineering) is around 6-8%. 

There are a few main sections to the UC Application. They are as follows: 

About you: This first section has several pages asking about information about you and your family, such as your personal information and parents’ academic history. 

Campuses & majors:  Here, you’ll select which campuses you’re applying to and the majors you’re interested in. If you aren’t sure what you want to major in yet, you can choose “Undecided” or “Undeclared.” 

Academic history: Here, you'll enter the courses and grades from all schools you've attended while in high school. If you took high school-level math or language other than English in middle school (7th and 8th grades), you will have a chance to report those courses and grades in this section. Make sure you refer to your transcripts (or academic records) as you fill out any information — don't enter information from your memory. It's important to report all of your schools, courses and grades exactly as they would appear on official transcripts or academic records. 

Test scores ACT & SAT: UC will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding Regents and Chancellor’s scholarships. 

AP exams, IB exams, TOEFL or IELTS and International exams: You will be asked about each of these exams on separate pages in the test score section. You’ll need to report yourscores if you’ve already taken an exam or indicate if you’re planning on taking an exam in the future. 

Activities & awards: This is your opportunity to tell the UC’s about what you're most proud of outside the classroom. We're looking for quality, not quantity – so make sure to focus on the activities and awards that are most important to you. 

You’ll need to classify each activity/award as one of six categories: Award or honor, Educational preparation programs (any programs that have enriched your academic experiences or helped you prepare for college), Extracurricular activity, Other coursework (courses other than those required for UC admission/courses that do not fit in UC’s A-G subject areas), Volunteering/Community service and Work Experience. 

Scholarships & programs: You should select any and all scholarship categories that apply to you (there’s no limit on the number of scholarships you can select). You can also indicate if you’re interested in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), which provides support services when you’re at UC. 

Personal insight: This is the section where you’ll need to answer the personal insight questions. You’ll have 8 questions to choose from, and you must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions. 

Now that we’ve covered the main components of your application, it’s time to talk about the essays! Again, there are 8 personal insight questions to choose from when you apply. Out of these 8, you must choose 4 to write about and respond to. Here is the list and some preliminary tips as given by the UC’s own application site .

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? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 

Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill?If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem? How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 

Things to consider: If there’s a talent or skill that you’re proud of, this is the time to share it. You don’t necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you? Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom?If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 

Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that’s geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you — just to name a few. If you choose to write about educational barriers you’ve faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today?

Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone? If you’re currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, “How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family?” 

Things to consider: Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can’t get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom — such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs — and what you have gained from your involvement. Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that? 

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place — like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community? Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community?

Things to consider: If there’s anything you want us to know about you, but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better? From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don’t be afraid to brag a little. 

Again, this particular prompt is looking for any form of leadership -- it doesn’t necessarily have to be about what you did as the president of a certain club or how you started your own company. Don’t be worried if you don’t have any explicit leadership roles to talk about! Leadership can be implicit as well, through the ways you’ve influenced others or contributed to a larger cause. Think about things that you have done that you have created positive change in. How have you left your mark on people, places, experiences, etc? Tell them about the process and reflect on lessons that you learned and how this experience has helped shape you too.

Example Essay: 

In this essay, the student talks about some of her experiences working on a suicide hotline throughout the years as well as other ways she have tried to increase awareness and understanding of mental health within the communities.

 “Hello, this is Kana (my alias) from Teen Lifeline. What’s your name?” 

“It’s Shelby.” 

“Hi Shelby! How are you today?” I asked,surprised to hear back from her.

 “I’m good! I called to tell you that I had my firstsession with my therapist. Thanks so much for the other night. Honestly, you saved my life...” 

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I vividly remember her initial call – the desperate voice punctuated by the painful tears of a teenage girl whose world was shattering around her: a bad breakup compounded with school and family problems, ultimately culminating in a failed suicide attempt. Instinctively, my training had kicked in, and I began to take a deep-dive into her feelings and coping mechanisms before initiating an action plan, a long-term plan to help. 

Fifty heavy minutes later, we agreed that she would talk to her mother and seek professional help. During my weekly 6-hours shifts on the hotline, I encounter a myriad of callers like Shelby who battle addiction or severe mental illnesses, contemplate suicide, or are thinking of running away from home. I appreciate the intensive six months of training and plethora of practice calls that have prepared me to respond steadily, but with unconditional empathy,so I may guide each unique caller towardsthe road to recovery. 

Mental health is an issue too-often overlooked in high school. As a member of Bring Change to Mind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the stigma associated with mental illnesses, my job isto engage local organizations and professionals,such asthe National Alliance on Mental Illness, to speak atschool events and to bring increasing understanding and awareness of mental health. I have also used opportunities in my AP Psychology classto address issues concerning mental health through class projects as well as to speak of my own personal experiences with dysthymia and working on the hotline. 

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Today is a typical Friday night. The red lights begin flashing on Line 1. I reach out and pick up the phone. “Hello, this is Kana from Teen Lifeline. What’s your name? 

This prompt is the ultimate personal essay! Talk and ramble about your passions -- even if you don’t think you’re creative, I’m telling you that you definitely are! Think about your hobbies or activities or daily routines and how you bring your own unique flavor and style to everything you do. You are special and unique in so many ways, and this is the opportunity to talk about one of them! It could be anything from your morning routine, to the way you write poetry, to the thoughts running through your head as you prepare to hit the baseball flying towards you. As an extension, how have you applied that creativity, or how do you see yourself applying that creativity in your future endeavors? 

Example Essay:

In this essay, the student blends her love of superheroes and comics with her passion for computer science and research. She originally wanted to talk about herexperiences with art and music,but she decided to go with this topic because she thought it showcased how she could be creative even within a technical and academic context as well. (Referencing the tip they gave: “How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career?”) 

As a Gen Z’er, technology isintricately interwoven into my life; however, I was unaware that the clearnet, sites indexable by search engines like Google, only comprises 4% of the internet. Like Eve, who had eaten the forbidden fruit of knowledge, I devoured Python, my gateway into programming...and the dark web. 

The dark web is like Batman’s nefarious Gotham City, a chaotic and unstable network shrouded in anonymity and dominated by criminals and hackers who sell everything from illicit substances to stolen identities as well as bank accounts and malware. What occurs here, deep underneath the conventional clearnet, is deplorable and demeans humanity; the fear surrounding this murky realm derives from its mysteriousness, but to those brave enough to descend, it is a veritable mine of lucrative information. 

The unknown is only threatening while it remains unknown. 

As a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, I thrive on the insatiable thrill of adventure, eagerly venturing where most hesitantly avoid. In the unexplored depths of the dark web, I am Batgirl, the saboteur, the antagonist who hasinfiltrated the hacker-controlled forums and markets. It’s a game ofspeed and precision, of discovering and tracking which zerodays and CVE’s, the vulnerable bugs in the code, hackers intend to exploit. By utilizing specialized web crawlersthat track keywordsin their discussionsthat may preclude a threat, it is possible to intervene before those vulnerabilities can be capitulated upon. I aim to develop the infrastructure necessary to predict against attacks before they inevitably come. War in the 21st century is no longer won by tanks and nuclear bombs, but rather by the quiet clicks of the keyboard and mouse. 

Gotham City called for a Bruce Wayne; cyber wars call for a [Name] Zhang. 

It’s scary and stressful to go throughout this entire process of applying to colleges, but I know you can do it! You’ve already done the hard part over the past few years of high school -- now, it’s your time to shine and showcase everything you’ve done to the UC’s! Start your essays and application early, and iterate over multiple rounds of ideas and drafts. Have brainstorming sessions with family and friends, and don’t be afraid to ask for help with ideas and revisions and advice! However, throughout the process, remember to stay true to who you are and let your voice speak through and express yourself authentically. Think about who you are now, and the mark you can leave on the UC community, and what the UC community can bring to you as well. And above all, have fun! Good luck -- We will be rooting for you.  

Written by PathIvy Content Team