Notes from Dr. Rebecca Joseph’s UC Personal Statement Seminar Feraco Myth to Science Fiction 16 September 2011

 The UCs allow you to split the word count between your essays however you wish, but Joseph says they prefer the essays to be roughly equal in length – , or at the most.  (There’s an exception for extraordinary circumstances – if you participated in something that disrupted your time in high school, for example.)  Also, if you go too far over the 1,000- word limit – Joseph recently said up to 1,090 words, which is actually much higher than she’s said in the past – a red sign will pop up on the site, and you won’t be allowed to proceed.

 Here is a list of the criteria the UC system weighs while considering you for admission:  1) GPA: 10th- and 11th-grade marks for initial admissions decisions, with 12th-grade mark checks prior to matriculation  2) Rigor of Academic Workload  3) Test Scores  4) Essays* and Activities  * Essays often ultimately make or break admissions decisions, particularly when candidates are grouped closely together.

 Your senior-year grades are just as important as those from your sophomore and junior years, but they won’t see those until after you’ve been accepted.  Note, however, that universities tend to accept more candidates than they can ultimately take.  Admissions officers understand that some students who are accepted will not attend, and thus try to admit enough students to leave behind a solid class after attrition.  If they end up with more people who intend to attend than they expected, you can be at risk if your marks fall.  You are not officially at a university until you have matriculated; when the schools check your grades in June, they reserve the right to revoke your admission.

 Ask yourself: What do I need to explain about myself that will result in my being desired by a campus?  What do I have to contribute, and what are my best qualities?  What are the two stories that wouldn’t be apparent from my transcript that could make a difference to an admissions official?  It’s important to remember that, although an interesting topic is advantageous, there’s no topic they get bored with; all that matters in your ability to tell the tale.  That said, you want to choose a topic that allows you to tell said tale; don’t settle or overextend.

 These aren’t just stories you’re telling, although the stories are important; the qualities you choose to display to a college (through showing, not telling) are just as critical.  If you don’t know what you want to do, you can say what kind of person you are.  But you have to talk about who you are now...no matter what.  They’re looking for truth, unique stories, and writing skills.  You have two to five minutes to grab a reader’s attention, so be aware of your audience.

 Think of Prompt #1 as an “Outside-In” essay – start from outside yourself to show how you became the person you are – and of Prompt #2 as an “Inside- Out” essay.  For each one, Joseph suggests using an Into – Through – Beyond approach:  Into  Be as specific as you can while “hooking” your audience.  Through  Specify the context – who, what, where, when, how, why – and show what developed over time. What’s the overall experience? What does this reveal about you?  Beyond  Connect to your present and future. How has this strengthened your life? The ending should convey characteristics – the summary statement or “moral.”

 Note: The Common Application does NOT want a moral at the end; Joseph advises deleting your last paragraph of the UC essay if you’re reusing it for that purpose.  Joseph advises that you re-use your essays: if you’ve written an excellent one for the UC application, for example, use it again for the common application.  Finally, the “Activities” field shifts from year to year.  If you’re given a box rather than a simple field, you owe it to yourself to use that space to your benefit.  Describe all your activities – highlighting leadership and initiative – as insightfully as you can.