Admission to the UC’s has become daunting, but if students work HARD at making applications accurate, detailed and cohesive, the chance of getting admitted will improve significantly! We have seen it with our own students in droves.
Yesterday we met with college admissions directors from all 9 UC campuses and gleaned crystal clear tips for student success–here they are, hot off the press!
Great Applications Take Time: Don’t rush them.
Edit Your Work: Proofread for errors. (ask somebody else to proofread too)
Use Your HS Transcript: Enter classes and grades DIRECTLY onto application—they want EVERY course recorded, even repeated classes.
Dual-credit classes between a college and your high school should be listed in the college portion, even if class is listed on the HS transcript.
DOUBLE CHECK all numbers and especially Social Security – every year students have financial aid missing because their SS# didn’t match.
Personal Insight Questions: Get straight to the point & answer the prompt! (no formal essays copy pasted from Common App) and pick topics that are easy to write about. Make sure the 4 essays display different facets of yourself!
Activities/Awards Sections: Use active verbs to describe exactly HOW YOU contributed. (rather than simply describing activity or organization)
Check Stats at Each Campus -Make sure you know the GPA & Test Scores for admitted students at each campus you apply to—and apply to the right campuses (if you want UC Merced, apply there—don’t rely on system placing you there!)
After You Apply: If you earn a “D” or “F” in any class, contact them directly so they can work with you on it. (They WILL find out!)
Email Communication Critical at the UC’s: Check emails often once you apply, and open portals IMMEDIATELY if asked to—some UC’s use portals during review process and it’s the fastest way to get a response to any question you have. If your email address changes, let them know!
