Hey guys. Through my college app process, I’ve visited this site a ton, and it’s been a great resource. So I wanted to give back a little bit with some research I’ve done on UC Personal Statements to hopefully clear things up. Here’s what I found.
When students are told to write a college essay they are told to write something unique, that will stand out from the crowd. They are told to entertain and interest the person reading their essay. And here’s the thing, that might be effective when you are writing a college essay that will be reviewed by an admission committee. In that environment, it helps to stand out and be memorable. But UCLA (and the other UCs) don’t look at applications that way. (You can read about this system in this LA times article from 2007: www.articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/27/local/me-admit27 )
The personal statement is NOT a college essay. It’s an interview on paper. UCLA wants you to “Self Advocate.” In other words, they want you to brag about yourself and what you’ve accomplished. On the Personal Statement Guide that UCLA has on their websites, on their tips is to “Write Persuasively” (check it out: It has some good advice and it’s a great place to start www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/PersonalStatement.pdf) If you were given an interview with a UCLA admission officers would you spend half of it talking about how making thanksgiving diner last year helped you to understand the value of patience? Then why would you write about that in your personal statement? I use that example because I’ve seen someone mention it on this forum.
Instead, your statement should do two things. 1) It should add context to your accomplishments. The first prompt is practically begging you to do this. If you couldn’t get very involved at your school because you had to at home to take care of your siblings, explain that. 2) It should add depth to your accomplishment. Sure, you may know all of the responsibilities of being in charge of the XYZ club, but your readers certainly don’t. 3) It should answer any questions the reader has. If your grades dropped during sophomore year, explain why.
In essence, all of the things you might bring up in a college interview. You need to self advocate. Talk about everything you’ve accomplished (with specific and concrete examples) and forget about making it funny.
But you don’t have to take it from me. I learned a lot about this from a video on youtube from a conference for high school counselors hosted by the University of California. To find it, just go on youtube and search for “UC Counselor Conference.” They have a number of these videos from different years, and in each one an admissions readers goes through what I’ve said with example essays, talking about exactly what they are looking for. It was a huge help when I was writing my personal statements.
If you guys have any questions or things to add please comment.
Hope it helps!