ATTENTION!! VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE
Don't wait to submit your application on November 30! Every year the system crashes due to students trying to submit their application all at the same time. To be SAFE submit one week before the deadline or at least two days before! If your application crashes and doesn't go through, you may be emailed that it did was not submitted and ask to follow further instructions BUT many students don't read their emails and missed the chance. So to avoid the system crash, SUBMIT EARLY!
UC Application: University of California
I would recommend giving yourself at LEAST one month before the deadline (November 30) because the UC application will take longer than expected due to the Personal Insight Questions and the activities section. Also, be sure to allow time for any questions or confusion that you may run into. While filling out the application, I would recommend keeping a small notebook to write down any questions that you need to ask you councilor or places that you skipped and still need to complete. UC wants students who are well rounded therefore consider student grades, and extracurricular activities.
Transcripts: Don't worry too much about transcripts at this point. Focus on completing the application on time. Transcripts will be submitted by high school counselor on either December or after you've determined your college (around March) If you took summer school at a college and have college credit, you will need to get an official transcript from the college and submit it yourself (Ask your counselor for further instructions)Personal Insight Questions:
Prompts will occasionally change so be sure to find the most updated prompts. Eight prompts are given but you're only required to answer any four of the eight prompts. PIQ has 350 maximum word count. This paragraph should be written as if you were telling a story. Set a strong tone throughout the story, start with a problem, a solution, and always end with a lesson or how you will improve to learn from that experience. I strongly recommend multiple people proof-read your PIQs because they may help catch silly mistakes or provide some valuable suggestions. Teachers and councilor are very kind and are willing to help in any way they can. Here are great examples of PIQs
Extracurricular activities:
The activities section will require a brief description of the activity, your role and hours. There will be different questions depending on whether it's an award or educational program so be sure to carefully read the instructions on the top of the section page. The descriptions are 500 characters (very limited) and should be written in phrases like on a resume. Here are some examples
*Friendly Note: Sports counts as extracurricular and if you were to earn an award from that sport, don't combine the two. Also, be sure to clearly state any leadership roles (very appealing to UC)
Recommendation letter: NOT required except in rare cases form Uc Berkely or UCLA.
PREP: makes application process faster if you already have these on hand
- Transcript or grades from 9th-present
- Personal Statements or Personal Insight Questions (PIQs)
- Have selected school and major
- List of Exreacaricular (sports falls here)/awards/ programs/ jobs/
- Social Security Number
- Household Income
CSU applications are wayyyyy easier compared to UC applications. The state colleges focus strictly on your academics and you will not provide any Personal Insight Questions or Extracurricular Activities. It's possible to finish the CSU Application within a day.
Transcripts: Don't worry too much about submitting your transcripts at this point. Focus on completing the application on time. Transcripts will be submitted by high school counselor on either December or after you've determined your college (around March) If you took summer school at a college and have college credit, you will need to get an official transcript from that school and submit it yourself (Ask your counselor for further instructions)
Recommendation letter: NOT required
PREP: makes application process faster if you already have these on hand
- Transcript or grades from 9th-present
- Have selected school and major
- Social Security Number
- Household Income
Common Application: Private University
Recommendation letter: Required
(I did not apply to private schools so unfortunately, I don't have information in this section. Ask your Councilor for further instructions)
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