Common Application #3 Prompt (challenge a belief) and the UC App Essay similarities

College Essays
1

I have written my Common Application essay on my time volunteering and interning which I found to have revealed a personal challenge. I also mention how this challenge galvanised my interest and how it defines my aspirations. So I think that my Common App essay answers the prompt quite well.

However, as I looked at the UC App essay prompts, I noticed a similarity in that the UCs could be asking me to write similarly:

Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us >how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations<.
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, >accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you<. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

So my question is: would it be fine for me to use my Common Application essay (word for word) for the UC App?

2

My son used his common app essay for his UC essay - challenged a belief (CA)/personal experience that is important (UC). He found that the CA essay did not completely answer the UC question, so he changed the last paragraph to better answer the prompt.

Does your essay actually answer the prompt? If it does and it answers all the things the prompt is asking, then go for it. If not, you may need to tweak it before calling it complete.

3

@LKnomad I think the fact that the prompt asks about personal experience makes my common application essay quite relevant to the UC prompt. So my CA essay, IMO, does answer the second prompt but I may need to write a new answer for the first prompt (describe the world you come from).

Thanks for your reply!

4

I suspect it would fit the second prompt but not the first