Quick Check List for UC Applications | Thinking About College | John Raftrey And Lori McCormick | Mountain View Online |

Local Blogs

Thinking About College

By John Raftrey And Lori McCormick

E-mail John Raftrey And Lori McCormick

About this blog: We are writing this blog to give practical advice to students and parents, to reflect on issues affecting college admissions, and to provide a platform for a robust community discussion on post-secondary choices. We occasionally f...  (More)

View all posts from John Raftrey And Lori McCormick

Quick Check List for UC Applications

Uploaded: Nov 21, 2014
(Written by John Raftrey)

1) Double check all your spelling. Do not misspell your parent's occupation as one of my students did.
2) Match your classes with your transcript. Exactly. If you don't see your class in the drop down menu, ask your school counselor where to put the class.
3) The Essay is a tell essay. "I saved my grandmother from drowning." The Common App is a show essay, "My heart was pounding as I dove into the frigid surf."
4) The essay is graded on your ability to illustrate that you have the following attributes: Initiative, motivation, leadership, persistence, service to others, special potential and substantial experience with other cultures. Make sure you include as many of the points as you can, even if it makes for a choppy essay. The UC essay is not graded on writing style.
5) Students who need help on their application can call the UC Application Center at (800) 207-1710
Nov. 1-23: Monday-Friday 8am-10pm PST
Nov. 24-26: 8am-11pm PST
Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day): Closed
Nov. 28-30: 8am-Midnight PST
6) UC FAQ's UC FAQ's
7) The UC application does not indicate which answers are mandatory. If you don't want to answer a question leave it blank. If the application lets you move to the next page it is not mandatory. If it says there is an error on the page, then it is mandatory.
8) For UCSD colleges check the General Education requirements closely. They are all a little different. Also check the location of each dorm. Some are near the center of campus, some are farther from the center. Do not list them randomly!
9) Check out the SAT subject test recommendations for each school. There is still time to take the December test and get it to the UC's on time.
UC Subject Tests
10) For a look at what happens to your application at Berkeley, check out this article, Confessions of an Applications Reader. It is a bit disheartening, but shows that there is a very random factor in deciding who gets in and who doesn't. Confessions of an Applications Reader
Democracy.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

There are no comments yet for this post

Follow this blogger.
Sign up to be notified of new posts by this blogger.

Email:

SUBMIT

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Mountain View Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

New artisanal croissant shop debuts in Santa Clara
By The Peninsula Foodist | 3 comments | 3,574 views

Marriage Interview #17: They Renew Their Vows Every 5 Years
By Chandrama Anderson | 9 comments | 1,704 views

Tree Walk: Edible Urban Forest - July 8
By Laura Stec | 4 comments | 1,216 views