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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
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What exactly are the UC college essay prompts for this application cycle?

Hey everyone! I'm just starting to look at the UC applications and I'm kinda confused about the personal insight questions. Can someone who's applied to the UCs before break down the essay prompts for this year? And, if possible, can you give some advice on how to approach them? Feeling a bit overwhelmed here, thanks!!

9 months ago

Hey there! I totally get why you might be feeling overwhelmed; the college application process can be a lot to take in. But no worries! The UC personal insight questions ask you to choose four out of eight prompts to respond to, each with a 350-word limit. The prompts typically cover topics like your leadership experience, any skills or talents you have, how you've overcome a significant challenge, and how you've contributed to your community, among others. It's a chance to showcase different parts of your personality and experiences.

As for approaching them, my advice is to be authentic and reflective. Choose the prompts that resonate the most with you and that allow you to share stories that illustrate who you are beyond just grades and test scores. Start early so you can draft and revise several times. My child found it helpful to create an outline for each question before writing to ensure their responses were clear and focused. You've got this!

9 months ago

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