Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If you enjoy gardening, describe the plants, their qualities, and how you make your horticultural choices; are you drawn to the aesthetics or are you botanically inquisitive? Click here to read yesterday’s post about UC Prompt #7. You can learn more about the University of California testing changes here, and keep up to date on how the coronavirus is affecting SAT and ACT test dates. But in reality, there is creativity in all fields. From developing your talents and skills, to making a difference in your community, to preparing for your major: everything you’ve done has led you here. Often, when we talk about a talent or skill that we have honed over the course of a lifetime, we’re inclined to describe it as an art — a creative extension of who we are. Luckily, we Prompt have some tips for you — form our long experience helping applicants succeed.. We’ve listed the prompts below, adding a category for each in bold. "And that's the last time I went to a psychic.". So first break the question down: You can write about either A.) There are many experiences in all of our lives that make us feel elated, accomplished, and extremely competent, that are also near-universal. Deciding on concrete ideas. It's helpful to remember that you are not writing this for you. There is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain prompts over others, and each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words. Get professional help from PrepScholar. We have some secrets to share. #5: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity OR B.) You're writing for an audience of people who do not know you, but are interested to learn about you. Its broad description of "creativity" gives you the opportunity to make almost anything you make that didn't exist before fit the topic. This is noteworthy because 99% of the time, I see a lot of overly formal language in college application essays which gives off a stuffy, boring feel. How you made the best of it: It's one thing to get the opportunity to do something amazing, but it's another to really maximize what you get out of this chance for greatness. The most exciting part of this essay should be watching you struggle to find a solution just in the nick of time. The challenge can be a wide-reaching problem in your educational environment or something that happened specifically to you. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Because this essay will necessarily have to spend some time on other people, you need to find a good proportion of them-time and me-time. Every applicant to one of the University of California campuses must write four short essays in response to the UC application's Personal Insight questions. Don’t start with the action and end with what you learned. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your ambition and highlight the kinds of challenges that engage and excite you. The prompt asks you to point at something that could have derailed you, if not for your strength and skill. 1. It's time to draw back the curtains and expand our field of vision, because this is going to be a two-part story of overcoming adversity against all (or some) odds. If your particular experience doesn't quite fit under the rubrics of the other essay topics, or if there is something the admissions officers need to understand about your background in order to consider your application in the right context, then this is the essay for you. Likewise, an essay describing amazing opportunities can quickly become an exercise in unpleasant bragging and self-centeredness. Instead, you have to realize that in this essay, like in all the other essays, the how matters much more than the what. These very broad categories will help when you're brainstorming ideas and life experiences to write about for your essay. 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. But of course, more traditionally, college is the place to find yourself and the things that you become passionate about. What have you been able to do with that skill? The last thing you want is for you to not actually be the person responsible for overcoming the obstacle. The Eight UC Essay Prompts. Here’s how I would start to brainstorm ideas to write about an educational barrier: Think of a time in school, or during any school-related activity, where you faced some type of problem. How did you make the difference in your community? But UC wants to go deeper, to find out how seriously you take your academic career, and how thoughtfully you've approached either its ups or its downs. Instead, pick one event that crystallized your passion for a subject, or one telling moment that revealed what your working style will be, and go deep into a discussion of what it meant to you in the past and how it will affect your future. We can help. The UC Personal Insight Question Prompts Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or … If you need to reach us, please submit an inquiry online by going to Contact Us. In this video course, you'll learn all you need to know to write your answers to the University of California personal insight questions! Sure, everyone can understand the drawbacks of having to miss a significant amount of school due to illness, but what if the obstacle you tackled is something a little more obscure? How to Write a Perfect UC Essay for Every Prompt, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, University of California testing changes here, detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application, our article on coming up with great ideas for your essay topic, Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now, how to write about your extracurricular activities, detailed explainer on studying for the SAT, comparison of subsidized and unsubsidized loans, The prompt itself and any accompanying instructions, What each part of the prompt is asking for, Why UC is using this prompt and what they hope to learn from you, All the key points you should cover in your response so you answer the complete prompt and give UC insight into who you are, That you have the maturity to deal with groups of people, That you can solve problems with your own ingenuity and resourcefulness, That you don't lose your head and panic at problems, That you have actually created something in your life or academic career, That you consider this an important quality within yourself, and that you have cultivated your skills, That you can see and have considered the impact of what you've done on yourself or on the world around you, How you participated or were involved in the situation, How the experience will be reflected in the point of view you bring to campus, It gives context to applications that otherwise might seem mediocre or even subpar, It can help explain times in a transcript where grades significantly drop, It creates them the opportunity to build a lot of diversity into the incoming class, It's a way of finding unique talents and abilities that otherwise wouldn't show up on other application materials. Or do they agree that you truly lived a life less ordinary? Eight essay prompts (which the UC application calls “personal insight questions”) are offered. How you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity OR B.) So first, figure out something that interfered with your creative expression. UC PERSONAL INSIGHT QUESTIONS. These lessons would be useful in any field you pursue and could easily be said to help you achieve your lifetime goals. UPDATE: No major changes to the essay prompts this year! Whatever you write about, picture yourself talking about it with a glowing smile on your face. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. UC wants to see that you are up to handling whatever setbacks may come your way with aplomb rather than panic. What are they asking you for? Luckily we at Prompt have spent enough time giving feedback on college essays to know what to do and what to avoid. Make sure you stay grounded—rather than dwelling at length on your accomplishments, describe the specifics of what you learned and how. This essay wants to know whether this mindset of out-of-the-box-ness is something you are already comfortable with. How can you really show that you are committed to being a creative person? What do they want to know about you? Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone? "I realized that if I wanted to become the Junior Champion Snake Shifter, I would have to do something drastic. At the same time, they are looking for a sense of maturity. The Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) Your project arrives fully formatted and ready Uc Prompt 2 Essay Example to submit.