No Letters of Recommendation: In the UC Application, letters of recommendation (LoR) are not required. This means your application is evaluated solely on your “grades” and your “writing.” Since grades cannot be changed (though you can take extra courses to offset weaknesses), invest as much effort as possible into your writing.
Complete Activities & Awards First: Before writing the main essay (the core component of your application), fill out your Activities & Awards section. This helps you identify which activities you’ve engaged in so that your essay can highlight aspects (such as your background, goals, and personality) that might not already be emphasized. Avoid repeating what is already showcased in your Activities & Awards; use your essay to bring out any additional qualities supporting your application.
Maximize the Use of Character Limits: You can include up to 20 entries for Activities & Awards in the UC Application. You choose one of six categories and are given up to 350 characters to detail each activity. Use list format and descriptive text to utilize this space efficiently. In addition, the Awards section offers an extra 250 characters to explain the award's significance, and similar extra spaces are available in the Volunteer and the Work Experience sections—so make the most of these opportunities.
Essay Topic Isn’t Critical: According to the UC website, what prompt you decided to answer does not matter much. What’s important is that your essay includes content that highlights strengths or personal aspects not fully expressed in other parts of your application. For example, you might consider writing one essay for questions 1 and 7, one for questions 2 and 6, and two for questions 3, 4, 5, and 8. This approach allows you to express yourself from multiple angles.
Quality Sources:
There is a vast amount of information online, and judging which resources are the most accurate and useful can be hard. Based on our experience at Paschar, we recommend the two links below. Read them thoroughly—and if needed, read them two or three times to understand the advice fully.
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