<p>How important is the essay for UC's? O_o</p>
<p>The Personal Statement is less important in most cases than the academic factors, i.e., GPA and test scores. </p>
<p>For the most selective UC campuses, they will always get far more eligible/qualified applicants than they can accept, so they apply a "comprehensive review" process. This process can vary in weighted factors from one campus to another. See the following website for a description of the comprehensive review factors; scroll down to the bottom of the page to click on selection process by individual UC campus:</p>