Writing the College Essay
Typically, our students tell us that the most difficult part of the college application is writing the essay(s)/personal statement. Here are a few useful links and resources to help students get started:
UC PERSONAL INSIGHT QUESTIONS
The UC system replaced the personal statement with the new personal insight questions. Students are required to answer four (4) of the eight published questions. Each question has a maximum of 350 words. No one question is weighted any different than others. The key is to write about what is relevant and meaningful to your experience.
The link below provides a 5 minute video presentation on how to write the UC personal insight questions. This is an excellent presentation if you have the time to watch this video in entirety.
Californiacolleges.edu is an excellent website for accessing information pertaining to California colleges and the process of admission to these institutions. This link from their website focuses on writing the personal essay, guidelines, examples and tips.
Finally, some advice directly from the mouth of an admissions representative. This piece by Tufts University Associate Director of Admissions, Meredith Reynolds, is a good, concise piece about writing the personal statement.
USEFUL DOCUMENTS