UC Application Personal Statement Facts and Tips

Comprehensive Review The process campuses use to select students for admission when the number of eligible applicants exceeds available spaces. During evaluation, all campuses place high importance on academic achievement. Evaluation process and weight of each factor vary by campus.

Instructions Respond to both prompts, using a maximum of 1,000 words total. Allocate word count as desired. An applicant may wish to respond to one prompt at greater length; suggest that shorter answer be no shorter than 250 words. Stay within the word limit as anything over 1,000 will result in an error message. Use a word processing program to compose essays, then copy and paste them into the form fields. Remove any special formatting before you copy and paste. Only use standard American English characters (numbers 0 through 9 and letters a through z) and symbols found on a standard English keyboard. No accented characters or foreign language characters are allowed.

Personal Statement Prompt #1 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.

Personal Statement Prompt #2 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?

Additional Comments (Optional) Use this space to tell us anything else you want us to know about you and your academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in this application. Limit your response to 550 words or less.

Other Tips Keep records of resume, awards, certificates accessible for reference. Ask people that know you and don’t know you proofread and provide feedback. Be genuine - your tone and “voice” will show Utilize resources(College Counselor/Office)

The Personal Statement: Final Thoughts Start early, get feedback, and REVISE! Define your motivation/momentum in topics you are passionate about Decisions are never made on the personal statement alone