Understanding UC Apply

Webinar Transcription

2021-10-12 Understanding UC Apply

[00:00:00] Welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s webinar on understanding UC apply. To orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’ll start off with a presentation, then answer your questions in a live Q and a on the sidebar. You can download the slides and you can start submitting your questions in the Q and a tab. Now let’s meet our panelists.

Uh, hi everyone. Uh, good afternoon. Good evening. Wherever you’re joining us from. Uh, my name is Feiyang Liu, uh, use he, him, his pronouns, and a little bit about, uh, my background can see, I did my undergrad at UCLA, uh, graduated in 2017 of my bachelor’s in political science and minored in global studies and kind of a little bit after, after college, you know, uh, currently I am, uh, one of CollegeAdvisor, senior advisors.

So I am working with, uh, high school students as they are preparing to apply or, or, or in the current, um, current stages of applying, uh, to university. In addition to that, uh, I’ve [00:01:00] also read applications for UC Berkeley this past year. Um, as well as, uh, right now I’m pursuing my master’s in education for enrollment management and policy at USC.

So with that, it’s really, um, an honor. And, uh, I really appreciate this privilege of being able to speak to you today and hopefully provide some good information and, uh, answer some questions that you may have.

All right. So we would love to know what grade you’re in so that we can get a good sense of who we’re talking to today and tailor the presentation towards that.

All right. So numbers are starting to come in and as you might expect, uh, about half of students are in 12. A little more than half actually, but we have a few nine, 10th and 11th graders as well. [00:02:00] Okay. So it looks like we have about 3%, ninth graders, 9%, 10th graders, 29%, 11th graders, 57%, 12th graders, and 3% other, I don’t know, I’m going to close the poll now,

uh, for the record I, I voted as others, so I I’m sorry if I messed up the data or statistics at all. I’m glad to hear that. There’s, there’s a little bit of a range and props too. Um, I’ll, uh, the ninth, 10th graders and even 11th graders for kind of getting a head and trying to understand, you know, what the UC apply system is like.

Um, so on that note, um, you see, apply is as many of you probably already, uh, have a feeling for is a universe of California’s applications. So through UC apply, students are able to, uh, apply to a nine out of 10 UC campuses. Um, just to let you know that [00:03:00] UCF is graduate level only. Um, so you’re not able to apply there for, for your undergrad.

And there is a $70 application fee, uh, per campus. Uh, just, just so that, you know,

when does UC apply go live? So you see apply goes live on August 1st of every year. So for those that are seniors, uh, it’s already open. So feel free to go in and take a look at the different sections. Um, and just, just to be aware, uh, even though it opens, uh, at the beginning of August, you’re only able to submit between November 1st and November 30th.

So for all intents and purposes, November 30th is the deadline for the UCF.

What are the different sections of UC apply? Uh, so we have a list here. I’m going to go through them and just give a brief tidbit on, you know, what each section entails about you. That’s kind of your, your background information, [00:04:00] uh, and a little bit more about, uh, the schools that you go to so that, uh, UCS, they get a little bit more context into what kinds of students are applying year after year, whether the, uh, demographics are changing.

Uh, this information is not used for admission purposes. It’s just for statistical, uh, uh, accounting. Uh, campus and majors. So here you get the, uh, the very convenient, uh, you know, opportunity to just check off, you know, which, which different campuses, uh, on UC that you, that you want to apply to. Um, and when you do, uh, most, most schools will give you an option to list both, uh, first choice major as well as an alternate, uh, some schools, uh, for example, Berkeley specifically, uh, will, um, will, will not get the option to listen to alternate.

So. The, the majors you pick or just, you know, your, your intended major. Obviously once you get into school, you get the opportunity opportunity to switch around and explore different majors as well. But that’s just something, [00:05:00] um, that you see as like to account for, um, on, on the front end academic history.

So this includes classes that you take in, uh, I was your coursework, your grades, um, as well as any, uh, classes you’ve taken at community colleges or online classes, things like that. So your total, uh, academic history and coursework. Yeah. Test scores. So test scores, you know, for those that may be following it, this seems like a growing trend, the number of tests that you can list, just start to shrink year after year and with UC is it’s it’s, uh, it’s no exception.

So, uh, so this year, uh, the standardized test scores are essentially just going to be your APS, your, your IB, uh, exams, and then maybe a TOEFL or out, um, or other international, uh, exams for, uh, rigid international students. Um, there’s an important note that you see as no longer using a sat, uh, one or two, um, uh, tests, test scores, as well as act and admissions [00:06:00] decisions.

Uh, so just something to keep in mind. Activities and awards. Uh, I know, uh, of the, you know, 58 attendees here tonight, and many of the students applying to UCS, you have a wide range of interests, hobbies, and involvements. So activities and awards is a great opportunity for you to share more about your responsibilities and you know, what, what that looks like, scholarships and programs.

So here you get an opportunity to, uh, to check, uh, look at some, some potential scholarships that you see as our offering. Um, there is there isn’t a separate, a separate application in place, um, but you just kind of check off, you know, what you, um, uh, personally may qualify for, or identify with. We’ll talk a little bit more about, uh, that, uh, in, uh, later in this presentation and then personal insight questions.

This is the free response section of the application, where you have an opportunity to really dive in and share the way you think, the way you view, uh, your [00:07:00] activities and what, uh, what activities are particularly impact and impactful for you and formative. And then finally you have the review and submit section where you get a chance to review everything that you’ve, uh, you put in, see if there are any areas that you need to shore up or, or, uh, if any sections are missing, that you can go back and, uh, and, and tie those pieces together.

Okay. Uh, what different essays do you submit and you see apply? So I’m going to run through these quickly because I know we could do an entire webinar just on . Uh, so, um, and, but really quickly, I want to just mention, uh, you notice in the top left corner, um, you know, essays are, uh, the word essays is in quotations.

And, uh, the reason for that is because you, uh, UC actually tries to discourage the association with their and essays. Um, number one, because of, uh, the length, uh, [00:08:00] 350 words, I don’t know about you guys, but that’s probably the shortest essay, you know, I would ever have to write, uh, and, and to, uh, stylistically.

Uh, the PIQ are going to be very different from, uh, from essays, you know, um, you’re, you’re not really going to have a thesis, you know, introduction right at the beginning. Um, you’re really kind of just cutting to the chase and really focusing on the, uh, the most important aspects of your activities and how the impact.

Uh, so with that, you know, run through them really quickly, just give a little bit more context about, you know, what, what types of examples my might qualify for, or a B be good examples to, uh, to bring up. So, number one, describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, help resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

So leadership is fairly self explanatory. Um, but I do want to encourage you to think of slightly more, uh non-traditional um, examples of leadership, for example, um, your involvement with your [00:09:00] family, you know, uh, taking care of a sibling or, or, um, maybe you don’t have a, necessarily a role in, in an organization, but you’re still leading by mentoring others or teaching others.

Those are great examples of leadership too. Um, and I would, uh, encourage you to explore that. Um, every pertinent. So number two, um, oh, by the way, there are eight prompts total, and you choose any of the four. Um, and you, there there’s no, you know, best combination or, you know, what, what prompts it better than others.

You just choose, which four kind of resonate with you the most. It’s going back to number two, every person has a creative side and can be expressed in many ways. Problem solving, original, innovative thinking and artistically to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. So we just want to know what lights your fire, you know, um, if you have a creative outlet, um, how you, how do you express that?

How do you develop that? And you know, what are your plans going forward? And, and, and, and, uh, uh, and how, [00:10:00] how, how, uh, you’ll continue to develop it, or it’s impacted. Uh, the third question, what would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

Again, you know, this, this takes a little bit of, you know, self-awareness and thinking about, um, maybe your, your strengths and kind of the steps that you’ve taken to, uh, to develop that a UC wants to hear about that. You know, it’s, it’s like math, right? Show your work, how you got to a certain, uh, certain answer and then kind of going forward, how are you planning to continue to develop that skill and the impact that you’re planning to make, whether that’s on others or on, on, on the future, uh, teachers campus that you bet you attend.

And so on, describe how you’ve taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or work to overcome and educational barriers you’ve faced. So these are intentionally vague because. There are a [00:11:00] lot of things that can be either educational opportunity or educational barrier. Um, I encourage you to just think of it in the framework of, uh, something that’s kind of supported you on your path to college.

Um, maybe that’s maybe that’s attending an academic program or summer program. Be able to take a class that really ignited your fire and helped you realize, wow, this is something that I want to explore further. Uh, or on the other side, you know, something that’s really set you back. Something that maybe, um, there’s a class that you really wants to take, but because you’re, you’re so far away or you have like a scheduling conflict that it was, um, that it was very difficult.

You don’t tell him until you see about that. And, and, you know, um, what you, what you did, um, it in, in place of that, or how you kind of work to overcome that.

Okay. All right. Describe the most significant challenge you faced and the steps that you’ve taken to overcome this challenge. [00:12:00] How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Right. So in terms of there are many forms of challenges, um, the most. Uh, I would say most responses to this question tend to be some form of personal challenge, personal circumstance.

So a really, obviously it varies from student to student, but think about if there is something that, uh, has really impacted you and kind of affected your ability to, um, uh, to maybe go to school or perform at your best and then, and talk about it. And then, um, but the key is, you know, uh, I think a mistake, a lot of students make, or I wouldn’t say a mistake, but a missed opportunity is they spend most of the essay talking about the challenge, but then don’t spend enough time talking about, you know, what they’ve learned and how they, um, how they’ve worked, uh, because of that or, uh, or, um, coming out of that challenge, what they’ve done.

Um, so really, uh, something to keep in [00:13:00] mind is if there is a challenge, what have you done in spite of that to, uh, to come out. Think about an academic subject that inspires you, describe how you further this interest inside and outside of the classroom. So this is a really great time to talk about, um, if you, if you are declaring a certain major and that aligns with your interests, um, or your academic interests mentioned that, you know, have you taken advanced coursework, have you, um, there wasn’t an advanced coursework at your, um, at your school available.

Did you go outside of it, go to community college or go to a online classrooms in order to learn more is a great time to bring it up. What have you done to make your school, your community, a better place? So I think the first thing that comes to mind is volunteer work that you’ve done. Um, but it can also be a community is a very broad term.

It could be any, any group or any type of activity that you identify with. Um, [00:14:00] you know, what have you, what have you done, have you noticed there was a problem and what were the steps you did to maybe resolve it or, or help, um, help work towards a solution? And then finally you have this kind of wild card, um, uh, prompts, which is beyond what you’ve already shared in your application.

What do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to university of California? Uh, so for this one, I recommend students, um, you know, think through and, and, and be very intentional when you use this prompt. Um, I like to advise my students, if you’re gonna use this, make sure you showcase a side of you that isn’t already, um, uh, in the application, you know, um, I, I, well, I want my students to make sure that what their four prompts that they’re showing kind of a different side of themselves, um, you know, 4, 4, 4 angles, you know, all four sides of, you know, who they are.

And, you know, if you’ve already. Um, uh, spoken at nauseum about your leadership experience, you know, maybe pick [00:15:00] something else for that, for this last one. Um, and, and showcase, uh, showcase another aspect that maybe doesn’t fit quite as neatly into, uh, one of the other prompts. All right. What other materials are included in UC apply?

So first off in the application, uh, there’s going to be your coursework and grades. Uh, as, as I mentioned, you’re going to, you’re going to want to input the, uh, uh, all the classes and, and that you’ve taken, whether that’s in high school or, um, and for the seventh and eighth grade, I want to clarify that’s if you’ve taken high school, uh, uh, coursework in seventh, eighth grade, I know some students take advanced math or science classes.

So, um, so there is an option to, to list that if you have taken, uh, some UC approved, uh, high school coursework, um, at that time, Uh, standardized tests. Uh, so, uh, that along with coursework and grades for all, self-reported, um, I do want to make an important [00:16:00] note. So when you’re putting this information in, um, do you make sure that you have your transcript next to you and, and that you’re doing it, uh, doing your due diligence?

Don’t, don’t do it off memory, um, because, uh, so it is, self-reported when you apply, but if, and when you are accepted, uh, late spring, the UCS do go in and verify your information. So don’t give them any reason to doubt your intentions or, or, or, um, even as a, if it was just an innocent mistake, don’t give them any reason, um, to, to doubt you, uh, academic and extracurricular activities.

Um, so that’s, that’s other, uh, that’s also a self-reported, uh, on, onto your application. And then post submission. So after, after you submitted, you know, congrats on November 30th, you can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Um, but after that, if there is a change in your academic record, say you reported your senior year, uh, coursework, but [00:17:00] now, but maybe you, you, uh, changed, uh, changed the class or dropped a class, make sure you go ahead and update that.

Um, as well as, um, you know, any, any grading changes that that may have happened. And then by July of the following year, uh that’s when you’re submitting your final, uh, full high school transcripts, as well as your standardized, uh, exam scores. So, um, for, for verification,

Okay, so letters or recommendation? Um, well, uh, this, this slide is about what, what other materials, um, but specifically, um, uh, the focus is on letters of recommendation and this is, uh, it’s fairly straightforward. So you see doesn’t require letters of recommendation, but there’s a caveat. And I want to, um, try to explain this as, as concisely as possible, because a little it’s a little funky, um, [00:18:00] So individual campuses may invite some students to submit letters of recommendation.

Um, and this is, uh, this is, this happens after the application deadline. Um, and this is only value added. This is just an opportunity for students if they want to, to provide a little bit more additional context about, um, say a extracurricular activity or, or, uh, academic subject that they’re particularly passionate about.

Um, so students are able to submit up to two, um, and the deadline for this is generally around mid January or so. Uh, and the, uh, and then one of the two letters, um, must be from academic teacher. But the key point here is that these are totally optional. They’re only value added, and applicants will not be penalized if they choose not to submit a letter.

Um, this is just an opportunity for, uh, for students to share a little bit more about, about themselves. Um, if they will.[00:19:00]

How do you keep track of your applications? So after you apply, uh, around December, um, it varies from school to school, but each campus you apply to, it’s going to email you, uh, an, uh, an account to create an applicant portal. So this is where you’re, you’re tracking your, your updates to your admission status.

Um, this is where you’ll receive some communication. Um, if you. And if they’re, uh, if they’re requesting some, um, some additional, uh, uh, paperwork or are there, if there were a, if there’s an update, this is also the, um, the area where you can update your contact information. Um, so if you want to update your email or if you want to, uh, update, say an exam score or, uh, or notified them of a change in your academic record, um, a key point, uh, I just want to also know is, um, these [00:20:00] portals, you’re not able to update your UC application themselves, so you can’t go in and kind of, um, edit a PIQ or something like that.

So that’s, um, that’s already, uh, over and done with.

Okay. What is in the UC applies section on financial aid? Um, so under the scholarships and programs section, um, students are able to select from different scholarship categories, um, that may apply to them. So, uh, some of these might be by, by major or interest or, or different groups that students, uh, kind of identify with and, uh, the cool thing and, or rather a recent changes that there’s, there’s no limit on the number of scholarships that students are able to select.

So you can go ahead and see, you know, what, uh, what you, uh, what you identify with and you want to, uh, have included with your application after, with your application. And there’s no additional say, you know, essay writing or [00:21:00] things like that associated with that. Um, applicants will also have a chance to, um, To check a box for what’s called education opportunity program.

Uh, what that is. It provides some additional support for students as they’re transitioning to campus. So, um, uh, I’m particularly for maybe a first gen students who, uh, uh, would like, uh, maybe a little bit more counseling or support, so that that’s an opportunity to, uh, to, uh, explore that as well.

Oh, okay. We’ve got another poll and we would love to know where you are in the college application process.

Okay. Numbers are starting to come in. Um, it [00:22:00] looks like a lot of people are researching schools and working on their desks. Um, a few haven’t started yet. Well, you have started you’re here. You’re learning things. Um, and uh, a lot are also getting their application materials together. Okay. Looks like they’re starting to, even out.

We have 14% who haven’t started 28% who are researching schools, 34% working on their essays. 22% who are getting their application materials together. And one awesome person. Who’s almost done. Congratulations to that person. I’m going to close out the poll.

All right. Uh, for the 14% that have not started you’re in good company. I definitely was, was, uh, was in, uh, in that category, uh, back when, back when I was applying. So no worries, wherever you are is, is just fine. So how can students start to get [00:23:00] familiar with UC apply? So the first thing I’d recommend is just taking a look at the website itself, uh, go in and play around with it a little bit.

Um, as I mentioned, it does open in, in August. So a students that are, uh, for, for the students that are juniors and kind of coming into the next year and, you know, for sure that you’re going to, you know, apply you see, um, go ahead and take a look. Um, you know, during, during summer, if you have some downtime, go ahead and take a look at the, uh, the application and, um, make an account.

So it’s ready to go. Um, you know, when, when you are. And then for, uh, freshmen and sophomores who are a little bit earlier, I encourage you to talk to friends and family who have applied or also attended UC, uh, get, get their, get their thoughts. You know, the, the application, um, has, has changed a little bit over the years, but, um, but overall, you know, especially recent grads, it’s, it’s still extremely similar.

Um, and also feel free to ask them about their [00:24:00] experiences on campus as well. Um, I think that’s a, that’s an overlooked part of the process, um, because it’s so easy to apply to different schools. Uh, um, I, I, a lot of students will, will be included. We’ll just kind of check off at different campuses, but I encourage you to take a look and, and, and, uh, look into different activities and clubs and organizations that you can potentially join, um, at each school.

So where you see apply, uh, does, do students have a chance to shine and unequivocally I say it’s the personal insight questions. Um, you know, when, um, when done effectively, um, you know, you seas don’t have, uh, an interview process, but the personal insight questions when done effectively, uh, kind of serves that role it’s, it comes off as, uh, it has the potential to come off as a really insightful conversation between you and the mission’s reader [00:25:00] about, you know, your experiences, what, what lights your fire and what you’re passionate about.

So here’s some tips to just kind of help help you as you’re, as you’re keeping in mind, um, uh, what, what to watch out for. So first start early again, um, you know, if you have the chance to start as early as possible, uh, just. Yeah, get some ideas down, start brainstorming, think about what you’ve done and, and, uh, how that kind of fits into the, um, into the context of, uh, each prompt, uh, write persuasively.

So really dig in and bring up specific examples. Um, you know, I would rather have students, you know, focus on just one or maybe even two examples rather than just kind of regurgitating their resume a little bit and talking about everything that they’ve involved, been involved with, uh, use I-statements keep the focus on, keep the focus on you.

Um, you know, uh, it’s, it’s great [00:26:00] that, you know, you spend time describing a circumstance, but I want to know, you know, how did that impact you? Like, what were you feeling? What were you seeing? Um, a good exercise that I do with my students is, um, Kind of the five senses, right. Because everyone, everyone, uh, uh, kind of defaults to see, you know, what, what did I see in this moment?

But in reality, there’s, there’s so much more, you know, there’s things you hear, there’s things, you feel the, um, sometimes the things you taste and that all informs, uh, kind of your, your ex your experience. And if you kind of dig into that, uh, it, it paints that much more vivid of a picture for, uh, for your reader, proofread and edit.

So a fun fact, the, uh, UC readers, um, aren’t grading on grammar, you know, we’re, we’re, we’re, we’re not, uh, uh, we’re not looking for a, uh, you know, AP conflict worth a worthy essay. Um, but with the caveat that your, your grammar and your writing [00:27:00] style shouldn’t, um, interfere with the content, you know, it shouldn’t, uh, if, if there are grammatical errors that, um, kind of.

Make it a little bit harder to understand your, your message or what you’re, uh, or what you’re trying to convey, that that can be an issue. So make sure that you’re spending time and kind of linking to the next one, seek feedback, you know, um, ask, ask friends, family, um, you know, if you have, uh, a trusted confidant or, or, or, uh, or counselor, um, I get feedback from, uh, from them and, uh, it might be a little nerve wracking, but try to get feedback from someone that you don’t quite know as well, because, um, at the end of the day, these admissions readers don’t know you at all, but you know, they’re going to be reading your essays.

So getting that insight from someone who doesn’t know you and you know, can give you feedback on how your essay comes off and what they’re seeing can be really bad. Uh, [00:28:00] work on your drafts, uh, offline. So, uh, speaking from experience, you know, I know the capacity for, for high school students to bust out an essay and, and, and, you know, one night would not recommend for, for, for, uh, for this.

Um, and, and, uh, and, and all college essays, uh, just because, you know, you might understand what you’re trying to convey, but it really takes that time to refine and kind of go through, um, go, go through it or iteratively and let the drafts kind of breathe and, and, and, and, and, and, uh, Make sure that you’re conveying what you want to wants to convey.

So, um, I recommend working on it on a word doc, and then at the end of the day, you know, um, kind of pasting it in to the, uh, the application, uh, and then these last two kind of go together, relax and also enjoy this process. Um, I, uh, I I’m definitely dating myself a little bit, but, um, [00:29:00] you know, 10 years ago when I, when I applied for, uh, for college, um, I didn’t know how, uh, how cool that experience it was or how important it was.

Right. And since then, I’ve, I’ve never gone through something like it. So, um, really try to enjoy it as much as possible. Um, I know it’s stressful and it was, you know, a little, a little anxiety inducing, but, you know, uh, it’s, it’s, it’s a one of a kind experience, so definitely try to soak it in if you can.

Okay. Uh, so how does students submit fairly straightforward? Um, at the end of the year, there’s going to be a review and submit a section where you can review your application. You’re going to get a chance to, uh, pay your application fee. And then you submit, again, this, this, uh, this page is going to call to attention, any areas that are maybe missing, missing something or that that’s required.

And it’s going to kind of bring you back. And once you take [00:30:00] care of that, you’ll be able to submit,

okay, my, my experience navigating UC apply. So a lot of this is actually my, uh, my experience. Uh, I remember it being my impressions from 10 years ago, but as I was, you know, reviewing and kind of going into it now, it’s still the case. So it’s, uh, stood the test of time, which is just great. I think. It’s really straightforward.

You know, everything is, um, laid out very, very easily and, and even the, uh, uh, the directions and the way things are phrased is straightforward as well. And I think you see, does a great job of being intentional about that, um, and trying to make their application more conversational and, and, and make them make it seem more, more approachable.

Um, and this is a personal opinion. Uh, I think it’s a little less intimidating than the common application. There’s, there’s a lot going on there. A lot [00:31:00] of, you know, a lot of windows, a lot of, uh, a lot of back and forth. Um, so in, in my opinion, I definitely love the UI, the user interface. Um, you see, apply a lot.

Um, it’s very easy to apply to different campuses. You don’t have to, uh, submit different essays for, for UC San Diego as opposed to UC Berkeley. Um, uh, but one thing to note is that when you do apply for UCS D uh, we’ll ask you to rank the residential college. It doesn’t affect, you know, your, your admissions and, and each college, uh, has students from all different majors, but just something to keep in mind.

And, you know, if you are applying UCS D it’d be worth looking into to familiarize yourself with what each residential college, uh, kind of brings to the table. And the last thing, aesthetics, uh, I don’t, I just like blue as a, as a, as a color. So I, um, that [00:32:00] was a lasting impression for me, you know, you see, apply has a lot of blue and you CS in general have various shades of blue.

So that was a lasting impression that I think maybe, uh, subconsciously at the time, like influenced me, like thinking that this was the right move for me.

And then last advice. Um, I put start early again, just because it, I can’t understate how important that is. Um, but I also wanted to kind of throw in a, what I call the next chapter mentality. Um, and kind of speaking from experience is, um, when I applied for, for college, I, I viewed my admissions as a, you know, the, uh, the grand goal, the ultimate goal, and I’ve dedicated my entire life, countless hours of my activities and my application to it.

Um, but I never put in too much thought, like what comes after, you know, after I get into a school and, uh, or [00:33:00] got to UCLA, you know, what clubs am I going to join? Or, you know, what, what, uh, types of connections and, and, uh, are going to happen after that. So, um, and what I found is I. Uh, I became a little lost, you know, I, I was, I wasn’t sure you know what to do and, and, and, uh, it took a while to figure that out.

So that’s why I just want to encourage you, you know, to, um, think of college admissions, whether that’s, you know, to UC or any other school as more of a next chapter, as opposed to the ultimate goal, you know, put some time in now and think about, you know, what you want to do after you get there, what types of connections you want to make and, and, you know, uh, hope, hopefully you can avoid some of the searching and the frantic searching that I did.

Um, you know, after, uh, after I got to, uh, got school.

Okay. So this is the end of the presentation part of the webinar. We hope you found this information helpful, and remember, you can download [00:34:00] the slides from the link in the handouts tab. Now, moving on to the live Q and a I’ll read through questions you submitted in the Q and a tab, paste them in the public chat.

So you can see and then read them out loud before our panelists gives you an answer as a heads up, if your Q and a tab, isn’t letting you submit questions, double check that you joined the webinar through the custom link in your email and not from the webinar landing page. Okay. Our first question is if you score well on the sat, is there any place you can show your score in the application?

So great question. Um, there is no place in the application itself. Um, so as, as I mentioned, uh, UCS are no longer using sat or act test scores for admission purposes, but with the caveat when you, um, uh, when you enroll there, uh, there’s an opportunity to share your score for, um, for merit aid purposes. And, [00:35:00] but that’s that deals with the specific school and less so with a UC apply.

So kind of a funky situation, but that’s, uh, that’s the opportunity for you to share your score? I will say having worked with many admissions officers on this, please don’t add things to your application that they say that they do not want. They don’t necessarily take that the best way. Yeah. This is what my like first, I guess like, uh, like whoa moments, like when I was reading for Berkeley.

Um, and you know, we, we had a lot of students that, um, a lot of amazing students that, you know, and I’m sure a lot of you are in attendance tonight that do amazing things. Whether that’s, you know, are interviewed for some, some activity or, you know, a win these, uh, amazing competitions. And, uh, sometimes they’ll list a bunch of links at the bottom of like interviews, things like that.

And it [00:36:00] breaks my heart, but I have to be honest, we never looked at them. So, so save yourself that, like that time and that, um, that energy and, you know, um, focus on the things that will be we’ll be red. Okay. Okay. Our next question is, if you are in the top 1% of your class and you have applied only to three campuses, are you guaranteed in one of the campuses that you applied to.

Uh, also a great question and the answer is no. Um, so the, uh, the UCS have a, um, but the, I think the, the closest, um, comparison would be what’s called ELC and that stands for eligibility and local context. And so it’s this system that you see has for California residents only. So if you finish your UC a through G approved courses and, uh, your school, uh, qualifies [00:37:00] for, for ELC consideration, if you’re in the top 9% going to be guaranteed admission to one of, uh, at least one of the UC campuses.

Um, but there’s no guarantee that’s going to be, um, your top choice or any of the schools that you applied to. So, um, that’s, that’s kind of, um, the, uh, I guess the, the comparison, but there’s nothing. From, you know, top 1% to your top three choices or anything like that. Unfortunately, that’d be nice. That’d be very, that would be nice.

Okay. Our next question is, uh, there’s a 5% acceptance rate for UC residents. So what exactly is admissions based on now that the UCS are test blind?

So there is a for UC residents, are, is that meaning in California, California residents. Okay. Um, so I, [00:38:00] I, I’m not totally sure where you’re getting the 5% acceptance rate. Um, but that varies from schools from school to school. But I can almost guarantee, I can guarantee that it’s much higher than 5%. Um, it’s probably somewhere, you know, like 30, 40 range or, um, or something like that.

So, um, the missions is based on a what’s called comprehensive review, and those are 13 different factors. Um, uh, for the sake of time, I won’t run through all of them, but it goes through your, your academic, uh, history, uh, uh, personal characteristics, um, uh, activities, um, you know, special involvements, things like that.

So, um, the whole concept of comprehensive review is that, um, no one factor is going to be dominating all else, you know, so, and, uh, the understanding is that, you know, everything is taken into consideration, um, uh, you know, where [00:39:00] students are coming from. So, um, so to answer your question, those are the 13 factors, um, and you can, you can find it on the UC UC website.

Um, it’s on there, uh, backlash in time. I’ll, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll put in the, uh, in the chat as well. Um, but those are the factors that are used in admissions. Uh, Okay, our next question is, do any of the UCS have an option to create your own major?

Yes. So, um, it definitely, uh, I, I believe, um, that you see, uh, you see Berkeley has, uh, the opportunity to, uh, create, uh, create a major that if it doesn’t already exist, um, but, uh, it, it varies from school to school. Um, I think I would definitely, um, uh, I would definitely just keep that in mind as you’re researching.

Um, [00:40:00] I personally don’t know of any, uh, students that have kind of gone that route, but it is, it is an option that some schools offer. So, um, it’s worth looking into. Okay, so we’re going to take a quick break and I’m going to let you do let you know what you can do. If you want to work one-on-one with an advisor from our team of over 255 advisors and admissions officers, you can sign up for a free consultation with us by going to CollegeAdvisor.com and clicking the green chat button in the bottom, right of the screen from there, just write in consultation and the lab team member will get back to you to help coordinate your free consultation with us.

All right. And back to the Q and a, our next question is, um, do I really need to meet academic requirements? Because my school only offers one course of history. [00:41:00] Ah, thank you. Fan. Yes, no problem. So that is a, uh, a great question. Um, And I, uh, and that’s a great place to mention that in, uh, when in your academic history, uh, there, there’s a, there’s a section for additional comments.

Um, so that’s a great place to mention that, um, you know, you do have, um, w what is it your, your, your school only offers one course of history. Um, however, uh, you know, the, the, uh, the hope is that if that is the case, that you’re looking at, say a local community colleges or things like that, that where you’re able to get that additional coursework to meet that minimum requirements, um, because, uh, the, so the, a through G requirements, as well as the, uh, 3.0 GPA minimum for California [00:42:00] residents, and then 3.4 for.

Well, that’s fairly, um, ironclad is a little bit of wiggle room, but, um, I would say, um, for, for your, uh, for your purposes, try to see if there are, uh, other options where you can fill that requirement. Okay. Okay. Our next question is do the, do the UCS, let us apply for a double major,

so great question. When you, uh, when you apply the UCS will only give you an opportunity to list your, your first major, first choice major, and then alternate major, um, the double major, uh, that that’s something, you know, once you, once you get in, you can have those discussions with your advisor and, and, uh, kind of see that, uh, see if there are any other majors that you’re interested in.

Uh, and frankly, I think that’s, um, the [00:43:00] recommended way to go about it. Um, Yeah, it gives you time to kind of adjust to college coursework, explore different majors, different offerings, um, because, uh, you know, you, you may have an idea of, you know, what to expect, but nothing beats the experience of actually being on campus and, and, and, and going through that yourself.

So, um, I try try that out. That’s that’s the course of action I’d recommend. Okay. Our next question is, is the selection criteria different for international students?

So it is a little bit different. And a lot of that is, um, uh, by necessity because, uh, some of the, uh, grading, grading scales are different. Uh, some of the, uh, the, uh, the standardized, um, uh, testing sent in, like the TOEFL, um, are, are different, but, uh, it still follows the comprehensive. [00:44:00] Uh, the 13 factors of comprehensive review that I, uh, linked the above, um, and everything is taking in context.

Um, just so for example, you know, a lot of international students, um, don’t have as many opportunities to participate in, um, uh, participate in extracurricular activities. So that’s all taken into consideration and, uh, that’s, that’s something that, um, that, uh, the, the admissions readers are aware of. So, you know, by, by necessity is different, but it’s to the benefit of, uh, international students.

Okay. Our next question is how do you write about the PIQ about academic subject areas that interest you, but that you see might not have is an exact major, for example, cognitive science or neurosciences and behavior.

Great Hannah. I was, I was wondering when [00:45:00] we’d get one of these questions. So, um, that’s definitely a question that I, I, that’s definitely a, um, a topic. I, I encourage you to explore more, you know, uh, with, uh, uh, as, as you’re kind of planning out your essay or kind of working with, uh, you know, whoever, uh, you’re, you’re working with to, to, to plan out your essay, but in general, I’d say just if cog, if cognitive science is something that, you know, ignites your passion, you know, write about that.

Um, and because the UC, uh, apply is a little bit more, more broad, you know, unfortunately you, you, you aren’t able to tailor it to, um, uh, to a school that, uh, that has cog psy off the top of my head, I believe, uh, UCLA is one of the schools, um, that, that does have that as a major. Um, so I would say just, just write about it.

You know, and, uh, it doesn’t doesn’t do you any, uh, do [00:46:00] you any harm and, uh, conversely if you do kind of tailor it to UCLA, it doesn’t do you much, much good either. So, uh, just, just write about it as you naturally would. And, um, that that’ll take care of itself also with something like con uh, con site or neuroscience, there’s always going to be, even if you can’t major in that specifically, there’s probably still going to be classes and a way to study that if you’re in psychology or in.

Not computer science. Exactly. But you know, different, there are different ways to study that even if that’s not a major, um, if your only academic interest is like the physics of juggling and you say, that’s the only thing I ever want to study, that might be a bit, a bit difficult. Um, still cool, but a bit difficult, but, um, there’ll be a way to study that at many different schools.

That, that is an awesome major man. If that was the thing I had stayed, stayed in physics.[00:47:00]

Okay. Our next question is, uh, this is a good one. How long did the administrators take the time to read each act application? Yeah. So this is another question that pains me to, uh, sort of report it’s, um, about, about 10, 10 to 12 minutes, something like that. Um, so, and it’s. It’s tough. I’m just speaking personally, as a reader last season, I read more than, uh, 1500, uh, applications.

Um, and yeah, and then every single application, uh, that I read is re, uh, is read by a second reader. Um, so that’s a lot of reading for, uh, for, um, a lot of, uh, uh, for the admissions officers. Um, so that’s why, as I mentioned, really being concise and, um, you know, bringing the most important details to the forefront, uh, as soon as possible.

Uh, [00:48:00] is, is that important? Yeah, when I feel like when students hear that, it’s always, but the 10 minute. Yeah. And I know, uh, admissions officers at other schools who say it’s down to seven. Um, so I think the UCS are incredibly lucky that, I mean, just the fact that two people read the applications. That’s very cool.

Um, so yeah, make sure your everything is as clean and concise, and you’re saying what you want to say. Okay. Our next question is if I get into one UC school, will I be denied some of the others? Uh, no. So each, uh, each UC reviews app, um, each student separately. So we have no idea. Um, I say we, but, uh, I’m not affiliated with you these anymore.

So you CS have, uh, have no insight into whether or not another campus has accepted a senior or not. So, um, don’t [00:49:00] worry about that. Okay. Our next question is, is UCLA need-blind for, out of state students? Yeah. So, uh, as a. As a general, uh, I guess drone guideline. I would, I would say it, it depends. Um, but I would say, um, I’m inclined to say, uh, no, um, because that, um, just as a general rule of thumb, like UCS, um, you know, are need aware, but need-blind is not, is not a policy that you see generally, uh, uh, a policy of UCS.

So, okay. Our next question is, uh, thank you for answering the question about the double major. So during the first year, can we change our major, um, like alternate to the [00:50:00] actual major or change into a different major? Yeah, so. It depends majored a major, but generally you have between one to two years as you’re, as you’re completing your prerequisites before you officially declare.

Um, so for, for a lot of students, this happens, you know, towards the end of the second year or third year, in my case, like halfway through my fourth year. Uh, so, so there’s a, there’s a wide range of, you know, when you actually, uh, um, actually complete the act of, of, of changing your major. So you have plenty of time to explore and, and do all of that.

Okay. Our next question is what are some of the key things you see as looking for in an application? Oh man. Yeah. Yeah. So. Uh, if you can scroll up a little bit to the comprehensive review link, um, that is, uh, [00:51:00] literally the 13 factors that, you know, uh, that, that, uh, you CS are looking at. Um, but, uh, you know, just to highlight a few of them, uh, definitely your, um, your, your, your passion.

Um, I, I will, uh, the personal insight questions I do want to highlight if at all possible, um, try, try, try your hand with, um, prompt number six, which is the academic subject. Uh, one, that’s going to be a great area because, uh, at the end of the day, um, all students are going to, uh, um, to university to, uh, to study first and foremost.

So if you can make that connection yeah. You know, your, um, your, your personal passion for a subject and also link it to your major. You know, I know sometimes there isn’t always that Lincoln and that’s okay. Um, but if you’re able to, that’s a great opportunity, um, to highlight that. Um, and, but yeah, go, go ahead and take a look at that link, um, that, that really lists out everything they’re [00:52:00] looking for.

And, and, but I do want to, just to say, it’s okay if you don’t hit every area and you feel, uh, that you’re not, you know, uh, batting a hundred percent for, for all of the 13. Um, I, uh, I don’t think anyone does and that’s, and that’s okay.

Okay. Our next question is, are some major courses easier to get into than others? So that’s a, uh, so the answer is no, but there are, what’s called, uh, impacted majors. Um, So, uh, what, what that means is, uh, so for example, uh, at Berkeley, it would be, uh, say engineering or other stem majors that just by nature, they have more, more applicants.

Um, and as a result of that, you know, um, uh, readers are a little bit more aware of, you know, what, what classes have you [00:53:00] taken, um, uh, that are, you know, stem courses or, or, um, or extracurricular activities that are stem related. Um, and so as a result of that, you know, of the 13 comprehensive, uh, factors, you know, maybe academic record or, uh, you know, it is a little bit more heavily weighted, um, but you know, and its own, um, there’s no, there’s no major that, you know, is, is, uh, you know, significantly, I would say, just inherently more difficult to get into.

It’s just a. Uh, a little bit different, a little bit different of a consideration, but with that being said, I still encourage you. Like, you know, if you’re passionate about engineering, um, don’t apply to be an English major. Like, um, because I’ve, I’ve, uh, I’ve read applications where students, uh, you know, they’re applying as engineering and then they’re, their essays are all about like English.

Um, and then that just raises the question, my head, like, you know, um, or do you really want to do, you know, [00:54:00] engineering? Um, and you want to minimize those questions in, um, in your reader’s head as much as possible. Okay. Our next question is what is typically the acceptance rate for out of state students versus in-state students?

Yeah, so that, that really varies from school to school. Um, and it varies from year to year. Um, but in general, I would say, I want to say, uh, For, uh, in general in states, something around, you know, 30 to 40, which I mentioned earlier. And then, um, and then out of state is a little bit lower than that. Maybe something, you know, 20, 20 ish range, something, something along those lines.

But again, um, I’m, I’m speaking from, uh, a perspective of, uh, UC Berkeley. Um, but, but it varies from school to school. Uh, [00:55:00] yeah. Okay. Our next question is how do you amplify your activity list in terms of what should be included in the description? Not to make them look cliche and boring. Yeah. So this, uh, you know, you might hate this answer, but it really, really depends.

Uh, and I, I, I’m going to, and I. If you had to service me to give, you know, advising without knowing the context, everything, but just some things to keep in mind. You know, if you, um, if you’re asking that question, then, then maybe you have a, maybe I’ve got feeling that certain activities are a little bit, you know, more common.

Right. Um, and that’s what. Um, because, uh, it, I don’t know if this is shopping Tyrone, but, um, you know, high school students like, uh, do a lot of similar things, you know, there’s whether that’s sports or music of volunteer, et cetera, et cetera, there’s only so many truly, truly unique, uh, [00:56:00] experiences. Um, but what I would advise is just really key in, on, um, you know, your interpretation, right?

Because everyone plays basketball. Right. But basketball means different things to different students. You know? Um, some could view it as a physical exercise. Others view it as an escape from, uh, you know, uh, whatever, uh, really key in, on its, uh, its impact on you and how that might be different than say, you know, even one of your teammates.

Okay. Our next question is, does it affect my application if I didn’t take any honors or AP classes, although I still have a hygienic. Yeah. So if that’s the case, I would definitely recommend using that additional comment section and, um, uh, and, you know, w whether that’s, uh, you didn’t take any honors or AP is because, you know, they didn’t offer, um, that, that coursework.

So if that’s the case, definitely mentioned that. Um, [00:57:00] but, uh, you know, if, if they did, and maybe there was like a scheduling conflict or something like that mentioned that as well. Um, uh, but, uh, and, but, you know, at the end of the day, you know, uh, I do want to mention that the rigor of coursework is, uh, one of the considerations.

So, you know, if, um, if that isn’t something that you you’ve kind of been pursuing, you know, maybe it’s not too late to kind of challenge yourself with, uh, next semester going forward. Um, try, try your hand with taking some more, uh, advanced coursework. Um, and then that’s also an opportunity to highlight, um, you know, that turning port and turning point and, um, having.

Did begin to, uh, to take more advanced classes. Okay. I think this is going to be our last question and it is who is the ideal UC student? Oh man. Loaded question picky sent me up there. And, uh, um, [00:58:00] so I would say, uh, would it be too PC of me to say that there’s no ideal UC student? Um, but, uh, again, for the third time I’ve got to, uh, reflect, uh, or kind of reference back to those, um, aspects of comprehensive review.

Um, you know, um, those are factors that you see are, uh, I care very much, uh, about, um, you know, when considering applicants. So, um, please refer back to that, but in, you know, w from what I’ve seen, um, UCS really want, uh, students. Um, are, are, are passionate, you know, and are able to, uh, communicate that, um, uh, that passion through, through their application, whether that’s through, you know, academic subjects or, you know, uh, a, um, a local or, or global, uh, cause that they really care about, um, and, uh, students that are.[00:59:00]

You know, uh, willing to, willing to put themselves out there. Um, so, you know, I, but in the end of the day, I definitely recommend, you know, every student here are applying to UC to, to be yourself. You know, it’s so easy to get caught up in, you know, what they, you know, they, the admissions officers, what they want.

And, um, but at the end of the day, you, you have no idea who’s going to be reading your application, you know, their background, and what’s going to resonate with them. Um, so I recommend controlling what you can control and that’s, um, being authentic to yourself. You know, if you, um, if you hate stem, don’t, don’t write about stem, write about, you know, uh, what, what ignites your fire and, um, and, uh, I’m, I’m, I’m a big believer that if you stay, stay true to that, your, your application is going to resonate with the right person and the right school.

So, um, and let the chips fall where. [01:00:00] Awesome. That feels like a great place to end. Thank you everyone so much for coming out tonight and Fay on. Thank you so much for presenting. Absolutely. All right. So this is the end of the webinar. We had a wonderful time telling you about UC apply and here is the rest of our October series.

So next week we have an insider look at Northwestern. Thank you so much for coming out. Everyone have a good night.