In California, there are three major groups of public colleges: The University of California (UC) institutions, California State universities, and the California community colleges. The most popular of the three, the UC system, has nine undergraduate campuses dotted across the great state and one graduate/professional campus at UC San Francisco. With 193,873 applicants last Fall 2015, the UC employs a comprehensive review policy to help the admissions committee evaluate the applicant files. The following outlines the features of the UC online application requirements and ways to present the application favourably for the admission assessment.
“a-g” subject requirements
Every UC campus reviews the same applicant as selected on the UC online application system and begins by looking for the minimum “a-g” subject requirements from Grade 9 to 12, making sure that students have acquired academically challenging subjects, displaying a breath of knowledge and analytical skills for advanced study at the university level. The approved UC subject requirements are as follows:
- Two years of history/social science (“a”),
- Four years of college preparatory English (“b”),
- Three years of mathematics (“c”),
- Two years of laboratory science (“d”),
- Two years of the same language other than English (“e”),
- One full year of visual and performing arts (“f”)
- One year of college-preparatory elective (“g”) chosen from any other “a-f” course or elective-approved course.
In the comprehensive review process, two readers blind to each other look for 14 criteria for evaluation on the UC online application and aim to identify strong GPAs, test scores, course preparation and an inclusive educational experience:
- Grade-Point Average
- Test Scores: ACT with Writing or New SAT with Writing
- Courses completed/planned
- Honors courses
- Top 9% Local context (Eligibility in Local Context) – be a top 9 in an area within the State.
- Quality of Senior-Year Program of Study
- Academic Opportunities in high school
- Performance in Academic Subject Areas
- Achievements in Special Projects
- Improvement in Academic Performance
- Special Talents, Achievements, and Awards
- Participation in Educational Preparation Programs
- Academic Accomplishment within Life Experiences
- Geographic Location
Based on the enrolment goals in the faculty, some may admit into a campus alternatives.
The Personal Statement
The UC Personal Statement aims to clarify distinction between applicants with similar academic records and adds translucency, richness and meaning to their application. The two prompted responses allow the admissions committee to understand the student as a unique individual and provide Information that was not clear in other parts of the application. It is not an essay, nor is it a paper; it is “an interview on a computer screen.” When writing personal statements, students are recommended to get to the point and be immediate, demonstrating reflective thinking and a clear narrative voice.
