University of California Irvine

Tell us about a talent, experience, contribution or personal quality you will bring to the University of California. To finish off the junior year, our English instructor told us to compose one last piece concerning our personal beliefs, and I worried about the consequences of reading my controversial paper on homosexuality in front of the … Read more A Pebble on the Beach

Is there anything you would like us to know about you or your academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in this application? Rationale: This question seeks to give students the opportunity to share important aspects of their schooling or their lives that may not have been sufficiently addressed elsewhere … Read more I Know What I Want

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. The external reflections of my admiration are subtle. A red and blue toothbrush, its handle laced with white plastic webbing, stands among bottles of makeup remover … Read more Spiderman

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? I had heard it all before: life comes with no guarantees, no time outs, and rarely any second chances. Yet … Read more A Second Chance

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. People often tell me how much I look like my grandmother. They say we share the same eyes, the same nose, and the same eager smile. What they … Read more Mother’s story

How have you taken advantage of the educational opportunities you have had to prepare for college? I was thirteen when I knew. After the first grade report came in, my “A’s” gleaming gloriously, a testament to my perseverance and academic achievement, I decided to seek this “education thing” with all that is in me. There … Read more I was thirteen when I knew…

Describe the world you come from—for example, you family, community, or school—and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. I’m a surfer, which means I spend many hours a week in the vast Pacific Ocean that meets the San Francisco County shoreline. I know my coastline like the back of my … Read more Surfing

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. I stared deep into the dark green eyes of the seal that was lying on my surf board. She looked as if she were trying to tell me something. Her glossy grey coat glowed in … Read more The Surfer and the Seal

Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. Tell us about an external influence (a person, an event, etc.) that affected you and how it caused you to change direction. It was a less-than-exciting afternoon in … Read more Debate Struggle

Open-Ended This question seeks to give students the opportunity to share important aspects of their schooling or their lives – such as their personal circumstances, family experiences and opportunities that were or were not available at their school or college – that may not have been sufficiently addressed elsewhere in the application. Open-Ended This question … Read more The Perfect Role Model