The University of California system is a collection of some of the most sought-after universities in the country — all of which are state universities in California…but hopefully that last bit is obvious. The perks of the UC system for in-state students are real. You got in-state tuition, and the acceptance rates are much higher than for students applying from outside California. These schools are so popular, that tens of thousands of out-of-state students vie for a small percentage of spots, causing the acceptance rates overall to plummet. The are Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, UCLA, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, and the acceptance rates overall range from 83% (UC Merced) to less than 12% (UC Berkeley).
The nine UC schools are very diverse in their locations, foci, and communities, but something they share in common is an application. The process for applying to these schools is all the same — and it isn’t the Common App. All applicants to UC schools are required to complete the same application, and to meet that you should definitely look at if you are considering any of these schools. Be sure to note that some requirements, like the minimum GPA, is higher for those who are not residents of California. They do not, however, consider any .
Since the University of California application is unique, they call their essays something else, too: . The questions are your opportunity to give them a look into who you are in a way your transcript, activities, and scores can’t fully encapsulate. In this post, we’ll break it all down so you can present your best self to the application readers.
If you are considering a University of California system school, contact us. We can help — especially if you are from out-of-state.
The UC Schools application has four essays, selected from eight prompts. It doesn’t have a main longer essay like the Common App, so as you are looking at the prompts and approaches below you should keep in mind that you could answer one prompt by repurposing and shortening your Common App essay. We’ll break down each of the eight prompts below, and you’ll need to pick the four that work best for you. Keep in mind that these are not ranked, nor put in any particular order. What matters most is picking the prompts that are the best for you, and each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
We love this prompt, but we prefer when students take a non-linear, or non-obvious, approach to it. Sure, it would be easy to write about your experience as the head of a club or the captain of a team, but lots of students do that and it’s unlikely that your story will stand out from the pile of soccer captains and robotics club heads. Instead, look for less structured or defined leadership roles you’ve taken, especially ones that don’t elevate you to the top of a pyramid. For example, if you are an avid hiker, you could write about an experience you had hiking at the back of a group to help keep everyone together. If you have a close-knit friend group, perhaps there was a time you helps steer your peers towards kindness and acceptance. Whatever your passion, there’s probably a way you’ve helped others through it, or led them towards it to share it with you. Tell that story in a small way, zooming way in and focusing on a particular moment to tell a bigger story.
2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
We love this prompt if you dare to make it a creative exercise in and of itself. If you’re just going to answer it in a normal way with a boring few paragraphs describing how creative you are, don’t do it. Put down this prompt and back away slowly. However, if you’re ready to really have fun with this — Let’s Go! Use this prompt as an extension of your creative streak, and answer it in a way that resonates with your soul. You don’t have to be an artist to go with this prompt, either. You just need to be able to tap into how you are creative, and then share that. How? Tell a story. Zoom in close. This is going to start sounding like a broken record as we go through these prompts, but it’s real. Talk about a specific experience. A certain problem you had to solve. A moment when you had to think in an original way. A moment when your art brain and your analytical brain converged. Pinpoint one of these moments, and then use it to tell your story.
3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Ok, so if this was a prompt for a supplement on the Common App we would encourage you to really have fun with this one and not worry too much at all about school. You’re a master at cooking rice? Great. Write about it. For the UC application this becomes a bit more complex because you don’t have the Common App Essay to act as the backbone of your application that the supplements build upon. But this isn’t the Common App and you don’t have a Common App Essay, so what should you do differently? Nothing. If you are going to pick this prompt, don’t waste it writing about something overtly practical. That’s boring, and really doesn’t tell the reader anything except that you’re super organized or can rally a team or something else that you can emphasize somewhere else. Use this prompt as a place to have fun, and to make the reader really want to know you better. Perhaps, for example, there is a carnival game you are ridiculously good at, and you write about that but also use it as a way to talk about how you’re actually so good at it because you love physics and that links to what you want to study. So, it’s practical, and it’s serious, but it’s also an essay about bouncing a ball into a cup to win an oversized unicorn, and that’s just fun.
4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
This is a great prompt if you have something important to write about. If you are scratching your head asking yourself, “what educational barriers have I faced?” this is not the prompt for you. If this prompt is for you, the story should immediately jump into your mind. If so, tell it. Be honest, and be raw. Don’t be overdramatic, but do be honest about the struggles you’ve faced and how you’ve overcome them. If you’ve had to fight for where you are, let them know. This context is especially crucial if there are blips on your transcript or other issues with your academic record that you need them to consider within the context of your life story. If this describes you, this prompt may not just be a good option — it may be a necessary choice.
5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
This prompt is a lot like the previous one, but without the specific educational focus. However, they do really only want to hear about challenges that impacted your academic achievement in some way. And it should have impacted your academic achievement in while in high school. This may mean that a very significant challenge you’ve faced doesn’t meet this bar. We’re not saying you can’t incorporate writing about that challenge into one of your essays, but this isn’t the best place to do it. Instead, if the challenge didn’t impact your academics try incorporating it into prompts 1 or 7. Those responses wouldn’t be about the challenge per se, but about your own growth and leadership. But let’s get back to this one.
If there is a significant hurdle you’ve faced, be it loss, a sudden increase in responsibility, injury, disability, neurodivergence, crisis, or anything else, and it has impacted your academics, tell that story. Don’t sit in the challenges such that it sounds like a “woe is me” supplement, but also don’t try to make yourself seem impenetrable. Your vulnerability is what makes any answer to this prompt resonate. Set the scene with a story, share the challenge in an honest and open way, take ownership of how it’s impacted you academically, then look for the future.
6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
We adore this prompt because it is about who you are now, and what drives you towards your future intellectually. Whatever subject you choose to focus on, it nearly must match the intended major listed in your application. If it doesn’t match, that should be because your intended major is not offered at all, in any way or even simple bare bones iteration, at your high school. For example, if you want to major in anthropology, you may not have an experience in anthropology, but you could write about history or literature. If you want to major in business, you could focus on economics. If you want to major in neuroscience, you could focus on chemistry or physics. Then, once you’ve picked a subject, you need to pick a story. Choose one that is really centered on your enjoyment of learning, and how that pushes you to explore deeper and strive further.
7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
This is another prompt we love, but before you decide what to write about, we need you to focus on one phrase: “your community.” You can define “your community,” broadly, but it must be a place you live or spend a significant amount of time (like a camp, or even an online forum or community). This means you absolutely should not write about trips you’ve taken to volunteer, or short-term experiences outside of your home.
Now that this is clear, it’s time to pick a story. As always, it’s better to be focused than to try to include everything. Pick a single initiative, or a theme (like climate change), and focus in on that. If you try to include everything, nothing will be memorable and it’s basically a waste of a supplement. From your single initiative or focused theme, you need to craft a story that puts you in the driver seat, and that emphasizes your true passion for the work. Basically, you shouldn’t sound like you’re phoning it in.
If you aren’t sure if you have anything to write about here, there is still time to give back to your community before submitting. Showing altruism and care for your community is an important piece of any successful application, so make sure it’s on yours.
8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
This is a “what else do we need to know” supplement, which is so open-ended that it can lead students to write silly things. Not silly as in humorous. We like humorous. Silly as in something that is really not helpful in your college admissions process. For that reason, we recommend that students skip this prompt unless they either a) are working with us or b) have something to say that is academically-relevant and that hasn’t made it onto the application yet. The most important thing to keep in mind if you choose this prompt, though, is the end of the prompt: “for admissions to the University of California.” Whatever you write must be specifically geared to what you will do in university, but shouldn’t be about a particular school unless you are only applying to one UC.
The University of California application prompts offer an opportunity to share yourself with the application readers in a way that is holistic, inclusive, and real. Before you pick the four prompts that are best for you, write a short list of four things you want to make sure they know about you. Try to match one to each prompt, and you’ll be in your sweet spot.
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