<p>so im still a high school student and i dont know what to write for my admission essay. i was thinking to write about something personal, is that ok? also does race matter when getting into ucla?
thanks</p>
<p>Race does not matter. Your school/neighborhood matters. You’re more likely to get in with lower test scores if you are from an economically disadvantaged area.</p>
<p>But if you are in an economically disadvantaged area, odds are that you are either black or hispanic. So race may be a factor indirectly.</p>
<p>its illegal for the university to consider race as an actual factor (from prop 209.) but that doesn’t stop people from mentioning it in their essays. Although there’s been some criticism of this with some people saying, i think a UCLA professor said this, that those who do that should have their applications discarded.</p>
<p>However, since i believe your application is reviewed by two different people, it’s fairly impartial.</p>
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<p>A lot of the time, yes. But I know a few white and asian people who are from really bad areas and got into UCLA with much lower than average test scores.</p>
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<p>Why so? Racial discrimination is just like any other thing that someone may have had to overcome. Obviously, saying, “I’m from a wealthy area and my dad is a doctor and my mom is a lawyer and everyone at my school is completely racially tolerant and they all love me, but you should admit me because I’m black,” is not going to help at all. But if it’s a legitimate issue that someone has overcome, then why not include it in their essay?</p>
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<p>it depends on the situation. I mean, if you had your parents deported to mexico or some other country and still persevered and graduated high school with good grades, that shows persistence, dedication, and responsibility. If you just try to game your race and think that will get you in, you are severely mistaken.</p>
<p>Essays are personal statements. So yes.</p>
<p>Race doesn’t matter. Or gender. Or religion.</p>
<p>I provide the most succinct answer possible…yes.</p>
<p>Yes it does matter. To what extent? No one here can tell you the answer to that question because the answer to that is convoluted and difficult knowing UCLA is a public institution and its previous history, but undeniably yes, it does matter.</p>
<p>Yes, race matters for admissions. That checkbox of ethnicity on the UC app is (I believe) not accessible by those reading your application and is just for statistics. That’s because it’s nominally illegal for admissions boards to consider race. However, it is well-known that you can gain an advantage by mentioning your race (if you’re a minority) on the essay portion, because then individual people on the admissions board can insert their own bias in favor of minorities.</p>