Transcript The UC Personal Statement: Strategies for Students

The Personal Statement:
Strategies for Supporting
Freshman Applicants
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Overview

Purpose of the
personal statement in
UC admissions

Instructions and
questions

Writing strategies for
students
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Purpose of the Personal Statement
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Part of UC’s comprehensive review process
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Opportunity to provide information that supports
and augments the review process
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Helps readers know and understand applicants
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Purpose of the Personal Statement
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Adds clarity, depth and meaning to
information collected in other parts of the
UC application
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Completes the application for admission
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An admission decision will never be based
on the content of a personal statement
alone
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A Message From UC Faculty
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While it is acceptable
to receive feedback or
helpful suggestions,
applicants’ personal
statements should
reflect your own
ideas and be written
by them alone.
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Instructions and Prompts
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Instructions
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Two questions
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Students respond to both questions.
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A maximum of 1,000 words total
If you are even one word over, you cannot submit
your application.
Students choose length of each response.
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If you choose to respond to one prompt at
greater length, they suggest the shorter answer
be no less than 250 words.
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Prompt #1
[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.
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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?
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Additional Comments
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Use Additional Comments box for
clarification, expansion on important details:
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Additional names
Visa issues
Additional IB exams
Describe anything else that you have not had
the opportunity to include elsewhere in your
application.
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500-word limit
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Writing Strategies
for Students
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Steps to Writing an Effective Personal Statement
Draft, Get Feedback, Revise
Develop Topic and Thesis
Read Critically
Gather Information
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Personal Statement: Writing for College
Personal Statement
College
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Unknown audience:
Students write for a
community of scholars.
Writer-determined
topics: Students choose
the topics.
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Unknown audience
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Writer-determined topics
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Analytical and reflective
response
Dig deep: Analysis and
reflection are key.
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Important Strategies
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Students are encouraged to write about special
circumstances that have influenced their educational
experience:
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Re-entry
Small or alternative learning environments
Learning and/or physical challenges
Veterans
Read critically and write analytically.
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Think like an admissions reader by capitalizing on the
relationship between readers and writers.
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Use a writing process.
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Get good feedback.
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Think Like an Admissions Reader
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All readers have expectations of writers, revealed in
readers’ questions, observations and interpretations of
the application.
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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.
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Writing Process
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Read the application critically using levels of
questions.
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Draft.
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Get feedback — give readers at least a week to
respond.
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Revise for organization, clarity and meaning.
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Proofread.
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