<p>It seems like the UCs want more of an essay that's clear and straight to the point than a truly creative personal statement. Am I wrong in thinking this?</p>
<p>How many of you are doing narratives and how many essays?!</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree. I'm having trouble with topic 1. When I finished mine it sounded more like a narrative of the different courses/EC's I've done that pertain to what I want to major in. How can you do this topic without kind of listing information that's in other parts of your application?</p>
<p>I made mine like a typical 5 paragraph essay. On the website it goes into all this stuff about having level 1, 2 and 3 questions (which translates into thesis, topic sentences and details). So I figured a narrative would be hard to mix with those level things. I picked only a few of the activities listed elsewhere in the app and really discussed them (my contributions, my motivations, what I learned, etc.). Not sure if this is the right track though...!</p>
<p>I'm wondering if I should balance out the dullness of my standard 5 paragraph essay with more creative, freelance stuff in my shorter essays...</p>
<p>What website are you talking about? The UC website? Where does it mention level 1, 2, 3?</p>
<p>On the 5th page they actually break down the components of a thesis for you. So I figured they'd be sticklers for directness.</p>