1. The Personal Statement

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. Purpose of the Personal Statement
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

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. Questions to be answered
The evaluators will ask themselves these questions of your statement:
What’s important to this applicant?
What qualities/characteristics define this applicant?
Which of these qualities/characteristics is most prominent?
Do these qualities appeal to me? Why?

6. Instructions Two questions: See Apply Online to UC
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. Before You Start Writing
Critically review a copy of your transcript
Have an adult who doesn’t know you or your family well review your transcript and ask if they have questions
Address in your essay anything on your transcript that might cause the evaluator to think: “I wonder what happened there?”
Did you have a quarter or semester with lower grades than typical? Why?

8. Before You Start Writing
Complete, copy and critically read over your UC online Application.
List schools you have attended
List activities, sports, awards, other classes taken that were not “a-g” approved, such as ROP classes, Summer Enrichment Programs.

9. Additional Comments
Use Additional Comments box for clarification, expansion on important details:
Additional names
Visa issues
Additional IB exams
Describe anything else that you have not had the opportunity to include elsewhere in your application.
550-word limit
The University of California gives priority consideration to qualified veterans who apply for admission. Applicants are encouraged to use the personal statement to:
(1) describe how military service has been instrumental in developing their educational plans
(2) indicate if s/he is entitled to educational benefits as a result of military service or the service-connected death or disability of a parent or spouse, or
(3) indicate if applicant is affiliated with the military such as, but not limited to, the spouse or dependent of someone who is on active duty or a current participant in an ROTC-type program.

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

11. Important Strategies Read critically and write analytically.
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.

12. 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.