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November 2006 | UC Notes Home | |||
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A Question Of Strategy: The Personal StatementHow to approach one of the most critical and often least understood parts of the UC applicationA high school senior sits at his desk, face reflecting the glow of a computer screen. His fixed stare, as blank as the page in front of him, doesn't begin to hint at the anxiety within. He's working on his personal statement, and he's not sure where to start.
He's not alone. Most applicants understand that the personal statement is a critical part of the UC application, but they also need to know that it plays a very particular role in the admission process. With the huge number of applicants to UC — more than 100,000 for fall 2006 — the university relies on the personal statement to help see a student more clearly. In the absence of a face-to-face interview, the personal statement can bring to life the person behind the application. That doesn't mean it needs to entertain or tug at the heartstrings. Its essential goal is to showcase a student's talents, achievements, experiences and points of view in ways the rest of the application cannot. Answers, Please: Two Short, One LongAs in past years, the application presents three prompts to prospective students. The applicant chooses two prompts to answer in 200 words, and one to which he or she will give a 600-word response.
The different lengths call for different approaches. There's not a syllable to spare in the 200-word answer, which should get to the main point in the first sentence. The longer response allows for a more traditional essay approach with a thesis statement, topic sentences supported by well-chosen examples and a well-focused conclusion. Prospective students should read the prompts carefully, because they hold clues to what should be in the essay itself. For instance, the rationale statement on the first prompt says: "The University seeks to enroll students who take initiative in pursuing their education. … This question seeks to understand a student's motivation and dedication to learning." If the answer doesn't mirror the prompt by addressing those key words — initiative, motivation and dedication — it has missed the point, says Yvette Gullatt, systemwide director of UC's Early Academic Outreach Program. "I would argue that this is as much about following instructions as it is about anything else," Gullatt says. The open-ended prompt asks students to share "anything" they would like UC to know. "Anything" does not mean "everything," Gullatt says. Some students are tempted to write about what they're interested in, though it may not advance their case that they should be admitted. "Anything," she says, "means one really strategically chosen topic." A strategic answer highlights or explains what's in the application itself. One example: A young mother's community college grades were lower one year because her husband was unemployed and she had to work full-time to support her family. The next year, with her husband employed again, she could work fewer hours and study more, and her grades rose dramatically. The bare facts are there in her transcript. But the personal statement gives significance to the transcript, telling the story of a young woman with a high level of self-discipline and sense of responsibility: obviously desirable qualities in a UC student. A Early Start
Gullatt strongly encourages prospective students to complete the rest of the application before starting the personal statement, because the answer to the open-ended prompt should address a question or issue the application brings up — for example, that young mother's disparity in grades. "They need to respond to what's in the application," she says. "They need the text." The work must be the student's own. Parents should not help and counselors, Gullatt says, should resist the urge to word-edit, which tends to freeze the statement in first-draft form, as the student concentrates only on correcting marked errors in spelling and grammar, rather than analyzing its ideas and arguments. If possible, the student should give the application and the personal statement together to a counselor or teacher he or she doesn't know — in other words, someone like those at UC who will be reading the statement. Above all, students should start early. The application itself opened in early October, so students have time to work on it before the submission period, Nov. 1–30. Starting as early as possible gives an applicant time to brainstorm ideas, write a draft and get feedback from a teacher or counselor. One thing to avoid is using anyone else's work as a model. Only the student can write his or her own story. "The best personal statement," says Gullatt, "is your personal statement." |
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also in this issue:UCLA Adopts Holistic Review of Freshman Applications |
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© 2006 Regents of the University of California Last Updated: October 31, 2006 |
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