UC's do not read college application essays

IvyNYC2013
Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:09:55 +0000

That’s not really true. From talking about it with a friend’s older sibling who works for the UC system, it’s the sort of thing where the combined GPA/SAT score automatically earns you consideration (NOT the same thing as admission), and then once you qualify as a potential applicant, they sort down that pool of applicants by reading through their essays.

In short, your personal statement won’t get you in if you absolutely don’t qualify, but it WILL separate you, either positively or negatively, from the other kids with similar numbers.