Politics and UC schools?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>I have written for several popular conservative/republican magazines published online and in print. as i am originally from SF this might seem kinda shocking. </p>

<p>Now, I’m hesitant to put these on under “activities and awards” for fear of offending an admission officer’s political sensibilities. from what i gather most universities are generally liberal in nature? the articles themselves are about corrupt ngos and left-wing politics. </p>

<p>would i gain anything from citing articles i wrote (unpaid) in Educational Preparation Programs section or do i risk offending someone’s politics?</p>

<p>serious question.</p>

<p>applying to ucla ucsb ucd fyi.</p>

2

<p>If the articles are written in a temperate tone, are well researched and documented and contain well supported conclusions they would probably help you. On the other hand, if the articles are simply emotional, ideology based rants against ngos and what you believe are left wing politics they should probably not be cited. </p>

<p>You have to remember that most people, including admissions officers, generally have moderate views that fall somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum and are likely to react negatively to anything they perceive as extremist, whether it is written from a left or right wing perspective.</p>

3

<p>Well, at the time I probably felt the essays were “thoughtful” but i was so much more immature in high school than today. </p>

<p>assuming you aren’t affiliated with any school admissions program, do you mind if i message you a brief excerpt of one my essays?</p>

<p>the reviews are opinionated in tone and somewhat reactionary. most of its commentary.</p>

4

<p>Yes, you should put it in your application. That is a major achievement that will offset any political bias IMO.</p>

5

<p>From what I’ve seen at UCLA, the administration seems fairly moderate. It’s the teaching faculty that leans to the left, if not unabashedly Marxist.</p>

6

<p>so is it worth the risk?</p>

<p>keep in mind these are partisan conservative magazines</p>

7

<p>it shouldn’t be a risk at all…but in reality a lot of things are. I was contemplating mentioning my mental diagnoses but after much consideration I decided not to. Who knows who reviews your app, you know? I would like to think they are judicious and fair but even judges(!) can make decisions based on personal opinions and biases instead of the law. With that said I included on my app that I volunteer with a local democratic party chapter. Even putting this I was a little apprehensive for it being partisan AT ALL. So is it worth the risk? I would say if you truly learned and gained from the experience, it is. But I would imagine that if I wrote for a liberal magazine and was applying for, say, Tex A & M I would have to seriously weigh the pros and cons.</p>

8

<p>First things first - hooray for NorCal conservatives! I’m a UC Berkeley Republican and it can get rough sometimes lol. Aside from that, of course you should list any published articles or general life events/situations that you are proud of and consider relevant to your path to academic success - relevant being the operative word. It’s a good thing to talk about your passions, but only as long as it is within the context of how they’ve helped you become a better student or person, etc, or how they fit into your overall path to grad school or a career and why they would make you a valuable UC candidate.</p>

9

<p>well, i won’t be talking about it in my personal statement or essays (UCSB doesn’t put too much weight on those anyways). It’s just one thing to list because I don’t have a lot for that section. </p>

<p>This was in high school, more than two years ago. I was a totally different person then.</p>