1 The Personal Statement: Strategies for Supporting Freshman Applicants UC Counselor Conference 2008

2 Purpose of the Personal Statement Part of UC’s comprehensive review process Opportunity to provide information that supports and augments the review process Helps readers know and understand applicants

3 Adds clarity, depth and meaning to information collected in other parts of the UC application Completes the application for admission An admission decision will never be based on the content of a personal statement alone Purpose of the Personal Statement

4 A Message From UC Faculty While it is acceptable to receive feedback or helpful suggestions, applicants’ personal statements should reflect their own ideas and be written by them alone.

5 Instructions and Prompts

6 Instructions Two questions Students respond to both questions. – A maximum of 1,000 words total – Students should stay within the word limit as closely as they can. A little over—1,012 words, for example—is fine. Students choose length of each response. – If they choose to respond to one prompt at greater length, we suggest the shorter answer be no less than 250 words.

7 [Freshman Applicants] Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Prompt #1

8 Prompt #2 [All Applicants] Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

9 Writing Strategies for Students

10 Steps to Writing an Effective Personal Statement Gather Information Read Critically Develop Topic and Thesis Draft, Get Feedback, Revise

11 Personal Statement: Writing for College College Unknown audience: Students write for a community of scholars. Writer-determined topics: Students choose the topics. Dig deep: Analysis and reflection are key. Personal Statement Unknown audience Writer-determined topics Analytical and reflective response

12 Important Strategies Students are encouraged to write about special circumstances that have influenced their educational experience: – Re-entry – Small or alternative learning environments – Learning and/or physical challenges – Veterans Read critically and write analytically. – Think like an admissions reader by capitalizing on the relationship between readers and writers. Use a writing process. Get good feedback.

13 Think Like an Admissions Reader All readers have expectations of writers, revealed in readers’ questions, observations and interpretations of the application. Writers fulfill readers’ expectations by addressing these questions, observations and interpretations in the personal statement. Writers can anticipate readers’ expectations by completing and critically reading their applications prior to writing a personal statement.

14 Writing Process Read the application critically using levels of questions. Draft. Get feedback — give readers at least a week to respond. Revise for organization, clarity and meaning. Proofread.

15 The Educator’s Role Help students: Understand the role of the personal statement in the admissions process Recognize the relationship between reader and writer Understand the reading and writing tasks of the personal statement Use a writing process Obtain appropriate feedback

16 How to Give Feedback to Students Request the application and the personal statement, not just the statement. Ask students to provide you with a list of questions they would like you to answer. Comment on ideas and the level of persuasiveness, not grammar. Help students find readers who resemble their target audience.