UC Essays Question

2018collegebound
Mon, 09 Apr 2018 21:32:31 +0000

I’m not an expert on the process, but I have attended several UC events and was accepted into the five UCs I applied to (including Cal and UCLA). The essay is one of the most important parts of your application, as it is the opportunity to go beyond just GPA and test scores and to talk about what is meaningful to you. While I can’t say for certain, I believe that my essays were the reason I was admitted to the top UCs. Be sure to write about things you feel passionate about, not just things that sound good on paper. All of the college admissions officers I have met say that they weed out any applications that seem fabricated or forced.
To answer the second part of your question, schools like to see varied interests. One of my essays was about how I brought together my passions for STEM, the arts, and the humanities in a recent project. Even though I plan on being a Biology major and pursuing a medical career, I believe that talking about other subjects that inspire me helped my application. If you feel more strongly about a different subject that isn’t your major, I would say to write about this instead of what you think would sound better. Passion and commitment are what admissions officers are looking for, not necessarily major choice. In fact, I think variety would help your application: candidates applying for popular majors may stand out more if they are interested in more than one subject, showing that they can be successful in several areas.
Overall, my one piece of advice is to write about what you feel matters to you. I wish you luck in your college search!

EDIT: I just realized that this thread is from 2017 (I’m new to the site and a bit unfamiliar with its layout). However, if anyone applying for a future academic year stumbles upon this thread in the same situation, I hope this advice will still be helpful. Sorry about that!