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The Ultimate Guide to the UC Application
Charlie Nguyen/Flickr/CC BY 2.0 Read time: ~ 6 minutes   Navigating the University of California (UC) system can seem daunting to those who have not grown up in the Golden State with the presence of the 9 behemoth schools serving as a hallmark of educational culture. However, these schools are largely recognized as the go-to public universities for college hopefuls looking for some sunshine and a quality education. The campuses span the state, and branch off into Medical Centers, Research Labs, and Educational Outreach Programs, among other things. There are 9 UC campuses (all of which have undergraduate and graduate programs): Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz; there is also UC San Francisco, which is solely a graduate school with professional courses.    The UC campuses are ranked among the nation’s top universities – in both the public and private sector: 
UC Application requirements: 
The UC application is its own entity – completely separate from the Common App. It has its own list of requirements and its own personal statement section with prompts that are just unique enough that you will likely need to write new material from your Common App. The UC App also requires the following elements to be submitted: 
  • Official Transcripts
  • Standardized test scores (ACT or SAT)
  • Any advanced class exam scores (AP, IB, TOEFL, IETLS)
  • Annual income
  • This is contingent upon your dependency status – you will need to provide your income if you’re an independent, or your parent’s income if you’re a dependent
  • Social security number
  • Citizenship status
Personal Statements: 
Much like the Common Application, the UC application has a section for a personal statement. The UC Application Personal Insight Section comprises of 2 essays – one standardized and one that varies depending on whether or not you are a transfer student or an incoming freshman. Each essay must be less than 1,000 words total, and are to be guided by predetermined prompts. Though the prompts can seem very abstract, and thus a bit daunting, here are some tips to help with the writing process:   
    1. Know your audience: Compose your stories using language and verbal skills that are appropriate for a college admissions committee. Use elevated language when appropriate and avoid casual sentences.
    2. Compose with Quality in mind: Since there is a word cap, you need to ensure you are conveying your story efficiently and effectively. Make sure your essays are concise, while also taking the time to paint a colorful picture with your descriptions. This may be a difficult balance to strike so being mindful of it from the beginning can help ensure the quality you are seeking. 
    3. Put your heart on paper: The mark of a truly incredible personal statement is emotion. This is your chance to tell your story – with all the trials and tribulations that go along with it. Don’t be afraid to lay it all out there. Imbue your story with as much emotion as you can. 
  Students often find the essay portion of their applications to be the most daunting. If you find yourself in this position, it is wise to get some professional help, as colleges are increasingly putting more weight on the personal statement portion of applications. 
Important UC Application Deadlines:
  • October 1: Application for fall of the following year becomes available.
  • November 1-30: Submission window for applications for the upcoming fall term.
  • January 1: Filing period for FAFSA and Cal Grant Verification Form begins.
  • March 1: Notification of admission for the fall term begins.
  • March 2: Deadline to submit FAFSA and Cal Grant Verification Form
  • March 30: Notification of admission for the fall term ends.
  • May 1: Deadline to submit Statement of Intent to Register for incoming freshman.
  • June 1: Deadline to submit Statement of Intent to Register for transfer students. 
  • July 1: Last day to submit an official transcript for incoming students for fall term. 
Things to Consider When Applying to a UC:
The great thing about the UC Application is that you can apply to one or ALL the UCs with the click of a button. However, while the schools are grouped together in their own system, the average test scores and GPA, and the competitiveness of entry to the schools vary significantly. For example, for incoming freshman the average SAT composite score at UCLA is 1365 and the average GPA is 4.3. At UC Riverside, the average SAT of an incoming freshman  is 1179, and the average GPA is 3.6. When applying, it is important to keep this variance in mind, as your chances of admission into the UCs will vary by school requirements.    Just as each campus has its own level of academic competitiveness, each campus has its own specialty, research opportunities, and general ambiance. Hamada Zahawi, Founder and CEO of Write Track Admissions, attended UCSB (then transferred to UCLA) and UC Berkeley Law. He advises students to keep in mind that just because you like one campus does not mean you will like them all, as they vary by climate, vibe, specialty field(s), diversity, sports programs, location etc. So it is important to gauge your compatibility with each UC campus separately, and treat them as individual schools (not one big conglomerate). To this end, it’s a great idea to take a trip and visit each school – what better excuse to see the beautiful Golden Coast of California!    Aly Hartman | Write Track Communication Officer Write Track Admissions
FOR PARENTS: 5 guidelines on how to be the BEST advocate for your child during the College Admissions Process!
Reading Time: 7 minutes –  Parents, are you facing these challenge? If so, this is FOR YOU!  
      1. You and your child have conflicting ideas regarding colleges, ideal locations, and majors
      2. Your child cannot make a decision on what college to attend
      3. Your child is considering colleges that are far too expensive
      4. Your child has lost confidence and motivation and doesn’t want to apply to college
Speaking as someone who just went through the college application process, I can assure you it is just as stressful as it is made out to be – on both the student and the parent. I was fortunate enough to have an incredible experience with my parents when I was applying to college. Even though I was the first in my family to apply to college, my parents still managed to strike a perfect balance of guiding me when necessary but also ensuring that the process was entirely my own. I am now writing this for all the parents struggling to find that balance, with the hope that you too can be your child’s greatest cheerleader during this otherwise very stressful process. 
Here are my 5 critical tips on how to help your child:
1. College applications are a strategic process – start planning your strategy early.
As early as a student’s freshman year of high school, they should start visiting college campuses. Frame it as an opportunity to go on little vacations! It is very likely that the student will find at least one campus that speaks to them on these visits. Though it is important to recognize their passions for a particular school(s), as a parent, it will be on you to keep your child grounded and not overly attached to a school that may not become a reality. A parent should be as pragmatic and rational as possible. On the flip side, you should also recognize that there is no sense in forcing a school on a student if they hate it, just because that school has a really good XYZ program or it is ranked #whatever in ABC. There is no success to be found in forcing your child down a particular path!
2. Have an open and candid conversation about your expectations for colleges.
This goes hand in hand with being pragmatic. More often than not students want different college experiences for themselves than their parents have envisioned. Communicate what you are hoping as just that – YOUR desire as a parent – NOT a hard expectation that is a non-negotiable. Be candid about what kinds of colleges you would like to see your child reaching for, where you would be comfortable with your child going to school, what major you might think your child has a passion for, and what you think your child might be able to do in order to beef up their profile. However, at the end of the day, it is your child’s college journey and future, not yours.
3. Be honest about what you can contribute as a parent (to yourself and your child).
The aforementioned openness should always apply to finances as well. Though brutal honesty when it comes to money may be discouraging, knowing full well the financial reality is critical to empowering your child and encouraging them to find funding that exists. For instance, they can apply to a bunch of outside scholarships, using sites like:      It is also important to remember that getting into a dream school that may be too expensive is also not the end of the world. There are always more scholarships, loans, and outside grants that exist and are often not tapped into. Part of adulthood is being financially independent, and it is important to ease your child into this early on by having open conversations about what you can contribute financially to their college education. But do this sooner rather than later, and do not discourage your child from applying to certain schools simply because they are out of your price range. It never hurts to try. After all, I was in that same exact position, and was able to find funding that has not only covered my hefty private university tuition but also provided me with a living stipend!  
4. Ensure them that not getting in to a certain school is NEVER the end of the world.
Just because one door has closed doesn’t mean there aren’t millions of other open doors, leading to even brighter pathways. Be a teammate and support your child when things do not go exactly as planned. Get inventive! Create a new path! Help your child take stock of their skills, passions, and talents, and then use that to formulate a plan of action. Trade schools, community colleges, and gap years are all perfectly reasonable options that may be more beneficial in the long run. Then when they are ready, they can re-apply with a stronger, more confident application, knowing such things like high school GPA or SATs are not as important.   
5. You are NOT alone, reach out for help!
There are so many resources out there. There are a myriad of articles about college to read up on, but I caution you to use that knowledge sparingly. Encourage your student to meet with college counselors (if your child’s school offers them, great! If not, Write Track Admissions can help). During the meetings with the counselor or your child’s Admissions Expert, ask clarifying questions, or comment if your child has glanced over something major. However, allow your child to direct the process. This ensures that the student’s application process is their own, and hopefully will encourage them to apply to schools because they can legitimately see a future for themselves at that institution. Parents have told Write Track Admissions, time and again, that a balanced process brought them closer to their child than ever before. Utilizing the assistance of a college admissions consultant, they were able to defer to the Admissions Expert to work with the student on technicalities, while still functioning as a support structure when the inevitable self-doubt and stress arose in their child.    We hope this helps provide you with some options. But if you’re still feeling lost, please feel free to contact Write Track for help and guidance!   Aly Hartman | Write Track Communications Officer Write Track Admissions

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