Getting into a UC: Tips on applying and writing the essay
A teen explains the process of applying to a UC.
“November. It’s cold—or as chilly as sunny California gets. Your teachers are conspiring against you, overwhelming you with homework and arranging all your tests on the same day. You’re thinking of college and how to get there. Well, if you want to go to the University of California (UC), you must submit your application this month (i.e. it must be postmarked from November 1 to 30). Here are some pointers I’ve gotten from Marlborough’s counseling office, books and friends.
Some things to keep in mind:
1. Pick up your UC application from your school’s college counseling office. While you’re there, you might as well pick up a California State University (CSU) application, too.
2. You only get one UC application. Either make photocopies of it or use the sample application provided in the packet. Make photocopies of your application after you have filled it out.
3. Or, visit the University of California website (www.ucop.edu) and apply on-line via Pathways (www.ucop.edu/pathways/). Many Los Angeles public libraries and high schools have access to the Internet. Yes, hackers have broken into the White House, but it’d be pretty hard for a hacker to know at exactly what second you’re sending your article, especially because your application travels to Central Processing in mere seconds. Once your application reaches Central Processing, it goes into the same data bank that the paper applications are processed into.
4. Do not wait ’til the night before it’s due! This is your future and nobody’s going to hand things to you. Seize every opportunity out there.
5. Although nine campuses comprise UC, only eight are open to freshman: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz (the ninth San Francisco, is open to juniors and specializes in health professions).
6. Although you send only one UC application, you can apply to more than one UC campus. The more UC campuses you apply to, the more likely you’ll get accepted. If you apply to all eight and you are UC-eligible, you’re guaranteed that, space-permitting, at least one campus will accept you.
7. It costs $40 to apply to each school. If you can’t afford the fee, ask your college counselor about a fee waiver.
8. Do not send money. Send a check, because the UC will not acknowledge any cash sent.
9. If you send your application by mail, do not just drop it in the corner mailbox. Make at least one photocopy (preferably two or three) of your completed application.
Scenario one: You drop your application in a mailbox on November 1, but it never gets to central processing, because the *#?%@! post office lost your application (with your check). No UC admissions office reviews your application, so you’re shut out of UC. Don’t let this happen to you!
Scenario two: You go to the post office. (If you don’t know where your local post office is, ask!) Once you’re there, request a certificate of mailing as evidence that you sent your application on time. (It costs seventy-five cents. Not that much for peace of mind. Keep it in a safe place.) The darn post office still manages to lose your application, but you have your certificate of mailing that proves you sent your application on Nov. X. Now just re-send your photocopied application, and all is well.
10. Use the United States Postal Service (USPS), not any of those quick-service mail agencies like UPS or FedEx. The UC application goes to a P.O. box, and UPS or FedEx won’t know what to do with your application. Your application will get lost in circulation, or it will get to Central Processing too late. So just use your local, friendly post office!
11. Write a really good essay. Since the UC neither conducts interviews, your essay is your interview. If you’re on the border, the essay can get you in. It could be the clincher. Even if you have good GPA and scores, an essay written with little thought or preparation could keep you out. Keep a copy of it—you’ll want to read it again someday.
12. Finally, make a good impression by being neat and legible with all your application information.
Isolated Tidbits on the campuses:
1. UC Riverside and Santa Cruz will accept all UC-eligible students. UC-eligible means that you’re a California high school student who has completed the required courses and maintained at least a 3.3 GPA.
2. Because UC Berkeley gets so many competitive applications, Berkeley no longer caps weighted GPA’s at 4.0 as they used to. Also, Berkeley admissions officers say they will read all applications (and essays) submitted on time. Last year, they read about 50 percent of the applications.
3. All the campuses are getting more competitive, as more people apply. For example, UC Santa Barbara which didn’t use to be competitive turned away 2,500 students last year.
4. UC Davis will calculate your index with your GPA weighted at 60 percent, multiplied by 1,500 (not 1,000—as in the past—so that the maximum index is 10,000 instead of 8,000).
Tips on the Essay:
1. Write as though you were writing to a friend—a new friend, a friend that’s far away, etc. Fill that person in on what happened one afternoon, one moment of your life. What do you want your friend to know? What do you like? What do you believe in? What’s different/interesting about you? Has someone said anything that impacted your life? Start with that quote and go from there.
2. Write a rough draft and don’t read it again for a few days. When you do look at it, it’ll seem new to you, and you can better see your faults and good points.
3. Be honest. Don’t make yourself seem perfect. Readers can sense b.s. They know when your big sister has written your essay. Also, say you lie your way into a college with your essay. If you’re not the person in your essay, you may not be happy at that school. You might get into a school that’s either too hard or antithetical to your views on life. Don’t waste your time and money at a school that doesn’t really fit you.
4. Write only 500 words or two pages! UC readers/admissions officers (and those at other colleges) read thousands of applications and essays, at least 15 to 20 a day. Or rather night, because most read applications between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. They don’t want to read essays five pages long (75 to 100 pages total) when they’re supposed to read essays only 2 pages long (30 to 40 pages total). So, if you submit an essay more than two pages long, expect your reader to stop reading after two pages.
5. Your essay should include fresh information about yourself. Don’t just rehash stuff that the reader could easily see from your application form or resume. Otherwise, you are totally defeating the purpose of the essay, which is to attach a person to the numbers—GPAs and test scores.
6. If you decide to write about a person—your grandma, your dad, etc.—remember to say how that person has affected you. Readers want to get to know you, not your grandma. If anything, the essay is supposed to make sure you and your school are a perfect match, so that you don’t drop out or flunk out after your first semester. After all, universities thousands of dollars on you and vice versa.
7. Avoid offending your readers. In the past, some students have written about their first sexual experiences. Obviously, the colleges rejected them. Your essay should be something your mother could read without going into convulsions.
8. Don’t be trite or generic. Don’t write about first loves and other cheesy, teen-angst episodes of your life.
9. Employ common sense. Avoid proselytizing about politics or religion. Shun stereotypes about gender and race.
9. Sample questions I got from current applications and Do it Write, a guide to college essays:
a. Write a letter to your new college roommate introducing yourself and describing your background. (Carleton)
b. You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217. (The University of Pennsylvania)
c. “Experience is a good school, but the fees are high.” (Heinrich Heine) Overcoming obstacles and learning from mistakes can be significant parts of one’s education. Discuss an interesting setback you’ve experienced in your academic or personal life. What happened? How did it affect you and your view of the world? (Amherst)
Susie Kang, 17, of Marlborough School, wishes you luck. Okay, it’s cheesy. She takes it back.”