Ask Yourself:

·         What one word best describes my family, my community, or my school?

·         What opportunities have been available to me in my community or at my school?

·         What is the major issue confronting my family, school or community and what has been my role in addressing it?

·         How have I changed as a result of addressing this major issue, and what impact has that change had on my dreams and aspirations?

·         Why did I choose to do what I did to address this issue?

Prompt #2

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?

Ask Yourself:

·         What one word describes me best and captures my most important personal quality? Why is this the appropriate word to describe me?

·         What talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience has best allowed me to express my most important personal quality?

Exercise:

Look at each prompt, and write down a quick answer to each of the "Ask Yourself" questions. When you are finished, consider your answers. What was the most compelling information you came up with in your answers? Which questions led you to offer important information that was not covered in your application?

Writing for College

The UC personal statement is a preview to the kind of writing you'll be doing in college and on college placement exams.

·         Unknown Audience: You will be writing for a community of strangers.

·         Writer-Determined Topic: You will pick the topic for your response.

·         Dig Deeper: Analysis and reflection are key.

Ask Questions Before Writing

The Levels of Questions strategy described below can help you ask the kinds of questions to ask about your completed UC application that will give you insight into the how to approach your personal statements.

Step One Activity: Ask Questions

As you read through your UC application, write down questions about yourself that apply to the information you've included. Try to find a variety of questions of all levels. For example:

·         What sorts of classes do I get the best grades in? (Level 1)

·         Why am I interested in science? (Level 2)

·         How can I use my interest in science to make a contribution to our understanding of the health care needs of the elderly? (Level 3)