what / how can i write the UC Personal Statement

<p>Prompt #1 (freshman applicants)</p>

<pre><code>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.

Prompt #2 (all applicants)

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?
</code></pre>

<p>i get the statement.. but can i ahve tips on how to write it..
maybe some ideas (as an example)..one of my teachers said not to include "personal pronouns".. so i decided to ask the people who got admitted to UCSD for help.</p>

<p>please help</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>PS: do i mention why UC would be a good school..or would i talk about my interests, and how my culture has significantly helped me (it has but i dont know how.. lol) im really confused..</p>

<p>BTW i have learned sanskrit and hindi by myself, should i mention that? (if yes, where?)..thanks again</p>

<p>Instead of asking a forum, why don’t you ask like … your school counselor? your english teacher? (my ap lang teacher was super pro at this stuff) They probably know a lot of this kind of thing, and can help you by reading what you write + giving you advice on what you can improve</p>

<p>Like most academic matters in my life, I went into the UC Personal Statement knowing absolutely NOTHING about where to start. My family, despite being huge (you know that rule with Asians having 10 cousins each side HAHA), I am part of the first generation that’s even going to college, so I didn’t have parents/relatives/etc to help me with my personal statement either.</p>

<p>This probably sounds cheesy, but write something you have passion for. A couple of my classmates asked me to read theirs and some ended up sounding… routine/forced. Like they were just digging around for a story that would show what a good student they were (like how they found determination and hard work got that A on an essay). Don’t make it sound robotic and rehearsed; have voice in your writing.</p>

<p>For prompt #2, I wrote about playing the piano, but it wasn’t exactly an impressive accomplishment. I’m not a renowned piano player who started practicing at 4. I picked it up at 13 out of my own interest and still play a level just past elementary HAHA … imagine recitals where you play in order of level, and I would be this random awkward person in the midst of little kids. :') However it’s something I truly enjoy and love, something that made me grow as a person.</p>

<p>Don’t trouble yourself figuring out how to slip in stats about how great you were in school. They have your SAT scores, report cards, etc for that. The personal statement is for them to gain insight on who YOU are as a person. Find a story that really actually impacted you. Talk about how it affected your life and lead you to the person you are today.</p>

<p>Technicality tip, proofread over and over, and then have other people to proofread. Typos and grammatical errors aren’t so impressive.</p>

<p>Most of all, don’t expect this to just be handed to you. You can’t just give your background and hope whoever’s listening will think up a subject for you. I don’t live an interesting life LOL, I ended up rewriting one of my personal statements at least five times. Research on your own, read examples of good essays, look for your own inspiration and make your own choices on what to write.</p>

<p>well I just wrote an essay myself up there -<em>-’ good luck!
p.s. my essays were entirely in first person, so idk what’s wrong with personal pronouns O</em>O</p>

<p>thanks for your helpful comment… REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate that. im like understanding it finally… thanksss.</p>

<p>okay so lets start;
for prompt 2: i have learned the bass guitar and im , kinda like you, still a basic learner, but it has helped me understand things about myself. i had always felt i was musically-challenged. i never listened to rock music, or for that part, at least music that included the bass. one day i picked it up, and started to play it. its a great thing. i can even play the National Anthem and happy birthday, without looking at the chord or the tabs or even the guitar stings and frets!. :slight_smile: (blah blah blah!)</p>

<p>is that a good idea for prompt 2?
( also have learning sanskrit and hindi… but im thinking as leaving that as my Extra-curricular. (BTW, where do i put hindi and sanskrit in the UC application?)</p>

<p>and for prompt 1: can you give me a little idea… that idea in prompt 2 made me realize what i liked to do as a hobby (i am self learning the bass guitar)… and so i have got that down!.. but my mind still isnt fresh on what to say for prompt one…
you seem to know a lot thats why im asking you. </p>

<p>(and as far as teachers, etc go… well i have those in a nice long list for them re-read my essay again and again. lol.) :P</p>

<p>Errrr your english teacher (doesn’t matter, CP, H, AP) will go over that part (you’re most likely going to write up yours as assignments and they’re going proof read them for you too) but when the time comes later in your senior year…</p>

<p>yeah… my english teacher was talking about that… i remember… and i am taking college application seminar (helps up to know more about college) but i still want to at least understand the prompts if you know what i mean,</p>

<p>They’ll tell you that when the time comes… don’t worry… it comes together quite easily when the come comes and you start to write it.</p>

<p>@spatel23
prompt 2 sounds pretty good!
and for the UC app I don’t quite remember since this was a while ago, but I believe there was an “additional comments” box where you could add stats that didn’t fit anywhere else. also DO NOT!! SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION THE LAST DAY. LOL SERIOUSLY
so many people did this at my school, it was shocking .__. what happens is that ALL the procrastinators pile up on that day and the server plain crashes. you’ll be submitting all day trying to get that app in! submit it anytime BEFORE thanksgiving break</p>

<p>my prompt 1 wasn’t anything life-changing either, it kind of just talked about how my series of science classes led me to realizing what I want to do in life (mainly I focused on how science had a face, so to speak – strange names of diseases became more than just text in a book, they were connected to actual people). I didn’t reach that far into my community/background, just those 4 years of high school that so greatly impacted my “dreams and aspirations.”
but keep in mind this is only MY experience. there aren’t too many boundaries on the UC essay… there are people who talk about their entire childhood, or just one experience of community service. google for examples of personal statements (you’d be surprised at how many people post up their essays publicly for feedback, especially for UC prompt), and you’ll eventually get an idea of what you want to write (:</p>

<p>edit: also, kudos for starting so early on your essay! I knew people who stayed up all night on thanksgiving writing it x_x</p>

<p>oh i know … thats what pink berry told me… but it was kinda like a idea starter so i know what to write… but i guess they are kinda the same…</p>

<p>hahai know about the UCSD not giving a damn about ur application essay. haha … all they do is scan for points. LOLZ</p>

<p>^
^lol gg with assumptions there -_-</p>

<p>err if you don’t really care that much about your essay because ucsd doesn’t, then I feel like my advice went to waste, honestly. regardless, if you want to apply to other uc’s, you’d still need to put effort into the personal statement since all the prompts are the same.</p>

<p>oh pinkberry you got me all wrong… WAYY WRONG… i was just pointing out that i knew UCSD’s way of reading essays… but im still applying to UCLA and UCB. so dont worry… i am going to write the bestt application essay… :)</p>

<p>i was talking about posting this on the forum… so i was like thats what you told me… (posting this isnt that smart) so then i was agreeing with him about hte whole 95% of hte time UCSD application readers dont care about your essay and all… i have read that somewhere too, but that wont stop me… !! im still gonna write a a really good… no a really awesome application!</p>

<p>Your asking at the wrong place honestly… go use the UCLA and UCB subforums buddy…</p>

<p>^ thanks.</p>

<p>/thread</p>

<p>so for prompt one can i say
paragraph:

  1. how my mom made me study, etc
  2. my dad got me involved in my major
  3. how my school influenced me to chase my dreams
  4. umm one more random idea please?!?! (lol)</p>

<p>EDIT: my major is pharmacology
btw 2 things:

  1. i made a aspirin in one of my classes in high school. should i include that. (it was sort of a success)
  2. is biotechnology related to pharmacy? (just wondering… i think they are, but i wanted to check… ill also be googling it… but give me ur opinions!)</p>

<p>umm sorry but can you please stop PMing me everytime you make a post, because I do eventually see it … also I am not an essay coach or anything, far from it. I gave you my tips from my own, single personal experience, and that’s the most I can offer you. please don’t rely on me to continue guiding you through topics, proofreading, etc. like I suggested first and foremost, consider your counselor/english teacher for advice on this kind of stuff</p>

<p>seriously bro, go to your nearest Korean SAT Concentration Camp and ask them.</p>

<p>once again</p>

<p>/thread</p>

<p>yah… ur right pinkberry… guess i got a little carried away… im under a bunch of stress. first AP homework, then application and then SAT/sat subject… im tireddd… lol! im really sry man for the PM’s but you have really helped me … but hey im sry okay! :)</p>

<p>try searching the internet for examples of “good” essays – obviously not to copy, but to get a feel for what you should aim for. a good essay should tell a compelling story and let the reader get a good idea of what you’re like as a person. a list of achievements is boring to read and redundant after having seen the rest of your application. even if ucsd doesn’t care that much about the essay itself, it’s still good to have for the rest of your applications.</p>

<p>Here’s my take on it:
For prompt one I felt I shouldn’t write anything elaborate or designed to impress, but I wrote with complete honesty about my life so that a reader would easily catch on to my personality and characteristics. I think the essay is most used to see that a student is a unique, well rounded individual, so if you’re able to express what you’re passionate about and what drives you as a person (in both parts), they will respect it.</p>

<p>okay so this is sort of my outline (ish) for both prompts…</p>

<h1>1:</h1>

<p>i can talk about being indian, and how i always read indian newspapers and am shocked at the destruction in india. umm… there are thousands of people in india who are illiterate, hundreds of thousands are suffering from a disease, and the majority have no money to live. i visit india almost every year and i see no progress in the country. it may be rising to be one of the global powers but the nation still doesnt care for its people. i want to be a pharmacist because i want to use this knowledge in medicine to go around the world (maybe teaming up with doctors) and helping people out with the type of medication they should take. many people around the world, who suffer from a disease, cannot do a thing about it, because they have no cash. (is this a good start or is this more leaning towards prompt 2?)</p>

<p>EDIT: or since im in america should i write about america too.? i dont feel like i should mention america because they have everything, but indians dont really have much… just a group of greedy politicians screwing the country) </p>

<p>Prompt 2
i have learned the bass guitar and im still a basic learner, but it has helped me understand things about myself. i had always felt i was musically-challenged. i never listened to rock music, or for that part, at least music that included the bass. one day i picked it up, and started to play it. its a great thing. i can even play the National Anthem and happy birthday, without looking at the chord or the tabs or even the guitar stings and frets!. (blah blah blah!) </p>

<p>(also prompt 2:)
tenth and eleventh grade were the years i surprisingly shined. i never used to talk in class. i rarely raised my hand. it was just so embarrassing for me. every time the teacher called on me to read to the class or answer a question my ears would turn a shade of deep pink. i always wondered what the others would say or think about me. i never got together my own mental conscience, and never took a chance at life. however, in tenth grade i was assigned to make a video about some book we read (using a modern outtake) and show it to the class… as the movie ran on, my head was buried under my arms, shying away from the rest of the world where they would see my hideous and horrid acting. after the movie ended, everyone turned to me and said i did an excellent job, even the teacher was surprised. then for our Individual Learning Project, we each had to learn something and present it to the class. many chose dancing, or gardening, however i chose to learn a language- Hindi. We each had two practice rounds, where we would practice how to formally speak, etc. then the final presentation of what we learned. I nailed each and every presentation and shocked myself slightly more than i had shocked the class. every time i went up there i was a different person. i was no longer a shy person, but rather a public spokesman, enjoying every last bit of it. then in 11th grade we had to present a decade for US history./ my group chose the 70’s and i was appointed in charge of the entire project (overlooking it) and being Nixon. I was really nervous, my i could practically hear my heart beating and i felt like my chest would explode shooting out small confetti full of blood. when i started my Nixon speech i could see 28 pairs of eyes gleaming on me, laughing at me for the way i acted, watching me from every angle. But halfway i started gaining mental control and shocked the teacher and again everyone in the class…</p>

<p>(this is written from my heart, i dont know which category this fits, or if it even works… it sounds a bit like bragging, thats why i wasnt sure if i should use it…and thats why im asking you… ill ask my counselors and all, but wanted to know if i was on the right track…</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>tl;dr.</p>

<p>10char</p>