With Early Decision deadlines in the rearview mirror, seniors are now turning their attention to their next round of applications. For some students, that means regular-round applications for schools like Wake Forest and Emory, which require all students interested in merit scholarships to submit their applications by November 15th. For others, the next big application deadline comes on December 2nd, when all applications to the University of California are due.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: ACCEPTANCE RATES
The University of California—with nine undergraduate campuses—is among the most popular options for college applicants. Last year, UC schools received over 250,000 applications for Fall 2024 admission and accepted 167,000 of those students. The distribution of students was not equal across all campuses, though. While UC Riverside boasted a generous 76.4% acceptance rate, the more selective UC Berkeley and ever-popular UCLA admitted just 11% and 9% of applicants, respectively. For students out of state, these numbers are even lower. See our UC Admissions Trends post for 2024 here.
TACKLING THE UC APPLICATION
So, what should you consider as you are preparing to tackle the UC Application? Below, we’ve listed some key points to keep in mind:
Choosing campuses
The same UC application can be sent to all nine campuses, and when you fill out your application, you’ll have the opportunity to select which campuses you’d like to receive it. Applying to multiple campuses will not affect your odds at the most competitive campuses, but applying widely can be costly—the application fee is $80 per campus. To ensure you make thoughtful choices, take time to research each campus to figure out which ones are the best options for you.
Test scores
Unlike the many colleges that have reinstated standardized testing requirements, the UC schools remain test-blind and will not consider SAT or ACT scores. They do, however, allow students to report AP and IB exams, and non-native English speakers are required to submit an English language proficiency test.
Common App 911/UC App 911
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Activities
Did you find yourself frustrated that the Common App limited you to ten activities that could only be described in 150 characters or less? Good news! The UC Application allows you to list up to twenty activities and provides 350 characters for each description. We encourage you to take advantage of this space to describe your activities in more detail. Be sure to list jobs and family obligations in this space, in addition to traditional extracurricular activities, as admissions officers are interested in knowing about your responsibilities and how you spend your time outside of the classroom.
Essay Guidance
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Personal Insight Questions
The UC Application offers eight essay prompts, which read as follows:
- Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
- Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
- What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
- Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
- Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
- What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
- Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
TTA’S TOP UC APPLICATION PIQ TIPS
You only need to address four of these prompts. As you are debating which prompts to answer, consider the following:
- Which prompts will allow you to show your most impressive characteristics? Are you, for example, a born leader? If so, prompt #1, which asks for an example of your leadership experience, could be a great choice for you. Are you an artist or a creative thinker? In that case, lean into prompt #2. Have you overcome significant challenges during high school? You can use prompt #5 to recount this experience and highlight your resilience.
- At the same time, it’s okay to think creatively about how you approach each prompt. You might, for example, tackle prompt #2 by pointing to any number of projects, ranging from the arts (music, candle making, glassblowing) to interdisciplinary thinking (have you creatively merged computer science and history?) to unconventional problem solving (maybe you took an unusual approach to a science lab or a math problem).
- Use each essay to capture a different facet of yourself. The goal in your essays is to show the many sides of who you are, not just one side from four different angles. With that in mind, make sure each of your essays highlights different activities, lessons, and aspects of your background.
- If you can, consider adapting some of the essays you have already written for the Common App. You likely wrote quite a few essays for your Early Decision and Early Action applications. Can you expand or compress any of those essays to use here? That will save you time and energy, and when you revisit an existing essay, you may find you have ideas about how to make it stronger.
Scholarships
Don’t skip this section! The “Apply for Scholarships” page of the UC Application allows you to report interests and personal characteristics that may qualify you for need- or merit-based aid. (In addition to UC-wide financial aid programs, like the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, individual UC campuses also offer their own scholarship programs.) There is no limit to the number of items you can check off on this page. Be honest, but make sure to express your interest in and eligibility for all relevant opportunities. The end result could save you and your family quite a bit in tuition!
NEED HELP TACKLING THE UC APPLICATION?
Take advantage of our UC App 911 program, where one of our expert counselors will guide you through the application step-by-step. OR bundle the UC App 911 with our Essay Guidance Program to ensure a fully comprehensive wrap-up on the application and each of the essays.
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