Manuel Nunez UC Santa Cruz Educational Partnership Center.

Manuel NunezUC Santa Cruz Educational Partnership

Center

OVERVIEW• Purpose of the personal statement

• Case Study (two parts)• Instructions and Prompts• Writing Strategies for Students

Purpose of the Personal StatementPart of the UC’s Comprehensive review processOpportunity to provide information that supports

and augments the review processHelps readers know and understand applicantsAdds clarity, depth and meaning to information in

others parts of the UC applicationCompletes the application for admissionAn admission decisions will never be based on the

content of a personal statement alone

Message from UC FacultyWhile it’s acceptable to receive feedback or helpful suggestions, applicants’ personal statement should reflect their own ideas and be written by them alone.

Case Study: Part 1Read the personal statementThink about these questions:

What’s important to this applicant?What qualities/characteristics define this

applicant?Which of these qualities/characteristics is most

prominent?Do these qualities appeal to you? Why?

INSTRUCTIONTwo QuestionsStudents respond to both questions

A maximum of 1000 words totalStudents should stay within the word limit as

closely as they can. A little over 1012 words, for example is fine.

Students choose length of each responseIf they choose to respond to one prompt at

greater length, we suggest the shorter answer be no less than 250 words (1/4 of a page)

Prompt #1Describe 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 #2Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contributions 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?

ADDITIONAL COMMENTUse additional comments box for

clarification, expansion on important detailsAdditional NamesVisa IssuesAdditional IB ExamsAsking for admission by exception

Use this to describe anything else that you have not had the opportunity to include elsewhere in your application

4 Steps to the Personal Statement

Gather informationRead criticallyDevelop Topic and ThesisDraft, Get Feedback, Revise

Personal Statement: Writing For College

CollegeUnknown Audience: students write for a community of

scholars

Writer-Determined Topics: students choose the topics

Dig Deep: Analysis and reflection are key

Personal StatementUnknown audienceWriter-determined

topicsAnalytical and

Reflective response

Important StrategiesStudents are encouraged to write about special

circumstances that have influenced their educational experience:Re-entrySmall or alternative learning environments, home

schoolLearning and/or physical challenges that have

influenced who they areVeterans

Read critically and write analyticallyUse a writing processGet good feedback

Think Like an Admissions ReaderAll readers have expectations of writers,

revealed in readers questions, observations and interpretations of the application.

Writers fulfill readers’s expectations by addressing these questions, observations and interpretations in the personal statement.

Writers can anticipate readers’ expectations by completing and critically reading their application prior to writing a personal statement

Critical Reading and Analytical WritingLevel one: Facts

Level Two: Interpretation

Level Three: Meaning and Significance

Answers to L 1 questions provide details in paragraphs

Answers to L2 questions are topic sentences of paragraphs

Answers to L3 questions are thesis statements of essays

Case Study: Part IIStudent Profile: Use the Levels of Questions

strategy with this profileWhat data do you find?What patterns do you see?What questions would you ask?What inferences would you draw?How well does the essay align with the profile?

How would you advise this student to proceed?

Writing ProcessRead the application critically using levels of

questionsDraftGet feedback- give readers at least a week to

respondRevise for organization, clarity and meaningProofread