Congratulations! We want you in our school… except. Not really. Sort of. You can only attend our school if you can write the UC waitlist essay and get accepted.
Hearing that news can be a real bummer, especially since not everyone even knows how to write the UC waitlist essay, let alone have the energy after anticipating admissions results for so long. Is it worth applying to a school you were waitlisted for? Well, you already know that it’s worth it –there’s not much else to do in the final years after college admissions anyway.
Here at PenningPapers, we agree. You should write the UC waitlist essay to see if you can get accepted.
Here’s how it works: The waitlist requirement is usually either an essay or letter; you typically need to write to express why you are a “perfect fit” for the school. In those writings, you need to stand out above the rest since, unlike the personal statement, these are way shorter. So you need to prioritize the things that make you unique compared to the other waitlisted applicants.
In this article, we will give a brief overview of the UC waitlist essay prompt and what it’s asking. Then, we will show you how to write the UC waitlist essay and cover some important points and tips to keep in mind. We’ll also provide you with a rough essay structure on how to tackle it. Here’s what we have as an example waitlist prompt.
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UC Waitlist Essay Prompt
The odds may be in your favor if you put in the effort to send in the essay or letter. For example, UC Davis has been sending this prompt:
“Please briefly tell us why you feel UC Davis is the right place for you to continue your education. Please limit your response to 200 words. Note that you will only be able to submit your essay once, so please review it carefully before submitting.”
We know, it’s cruel to have to complete yet another writing prompt after having anticipated the admissions results for so long. To add salt to the wound, you’re limited to 200 words. That’s going to keep your writing at a stranglehold.
For other schools like UC Berkeley the word count is within 500 words which, even though it is a bit more, is still daunting. As we said –and we say it a lot because it’s true—the essay must stand out above the rest if you want to be move from waitlisted to enrolled. Here are some tips that can help with the writing process for you to stand above the rest:
Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the official University of California website and their page on waitlists! You can find their page here.
UC Waitlist Essay Tips
Demonstrate Passion And A Will To Commitment
If you haven’t done this in the regular UC admissions essay, we highly recommend that you do this in the waitlist essay. Make sure that you write your admissions essay with a tone of seriousness and commitment. Showing that you’re dedicated to one school will prove that you’re worth getting put off the waitlist and they will know that they can make use of a student who actually wants to attend.
Take Your Time To Organize Your Thoughts
Even though the deadline for theses essays or letters are usually very short, you shouldn’t be rushing your waitlist essay. Remember: you can’t afford to be sloppy, especially when admissions officers are trying to finalize their class size and the number of students to admit to the school. Also be sure to be more specific with your points whilst organizing the structure of your waitlist essay, you don’t want to leave any of your admissions officers in obscurity. They should know why you’re competent and why you’re a good fit and why you will commit to their school.
Prioritize Why You Deserve To Be In This School
This is very short. Make sure that you are concise with this part because details that don’t add to anything will ultimately fog up the clarity of the waitlist essay. Waitlist essay are short, so your admissions officers will be swift with it; they need to get the main point and fast. Also make sure to look for other reasons you may be qualified or worthy of attending the school, whether it be achievements or experiences. Look for more reasons, but not too much; there’s still only about 200 words for most waitlist essays.
Use Your Experience
Make sure if you’re adding worthwhile experiences you’ve made in the waitlist essay that they are not only a good sign of your capability, leadership, or character, but they are also within the past few years and relatively recent. Keep in mind that you also want to make sure that these experiences are aimed toward your intended major or field of study. An obvious example would be talking about your internship at a lab and how that contributes to your passion for a career in biology.
It is possible the write about experiences that are not directly related to your intended major and still make a good waitlist essay, it just must be done right. If you don’t have any experiences relevant to your field of study, talk to us and we can show you what to write in our free consultation!
Do Some Research.
Though this is NOT always necessary, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing background research about the school and its possible research or ongoing projects. Schools love to know about the value that you can directly provide for them; the more obvious the benefits are for them, the better. Perhaps you admire one of the professor’s work and would love to contribute to it in the near future. It may also be the case that the school has a strong program in a certain field that is very much relevant to a side project that you yourself have been working on.
Proofread (The Right Way).
Yeah, we know. Giving advice like “proofread your work” is like advice from an IKEA manual. It’s true, but not very helpful. If you want to know how to write the UC waitlist essay effectively, you’re probably looking for that “one cool secret” right?
Sadly, that doesn’t exist. But hey! we’re not leaving you empty-handed!
That’s why we’re not just telling you to proofread like you would with any essay. We’re asking that you proofread the most effective way.
You first need to run your waitlist essay through a grammar corrector to sieve out all the mistakes. You should then only have your eyes proofread your work briefly before having at least three outside sources proofread your work. This is to avoid writer’s tunnel vision.
We highly recommend you speak to at least one college admissions professional, as teachers and counselors may always be preoccupied with other things in mind to provide 110% of their efforts.
Also remember that this is your last step before you press the submit button and damn yourself to the admissions officer’s judgment with no turning back!
How to Structure Your Waitlist Essay
When considering how to write the UC waitlist essay as well as possible, remember that the structure should be straightforward and more precise than the admissions essay. That doesn’t mean powerful language is not advised, but the essay will be more of a strict demonstration of your skills and how it separates you from the rest.
- Start with some experience or update about yourself that you did not include in the personal statement.
- Mention how the school and you are a good fit with each other.
- Provide some details and explain how you will fit into the environment of the school.
- Conclude with being direct in how you want to attend the school. This can more like a commitment that you want to go to this school
Even though these waitlist essays are short, you still need to take your time with them since these will give you a small chance to open the doors to your dream school.
Yeah. We know the questions usually only ask, “Why do you want to go here?”, but it’s usually more than that. It usually also their way of asking you, “what qualities have you not told us yet that make you a great fit for our school?”
Still unsure how to write the UC waitlist essay? Not sure if your waitlist essays have what it takes to beat out the competition? Afraid you won’t get accepted into a UC school? You might want to consider talking to us for a free essay analysis and review session! Our expert advice and review will pinpoint the critical mistakes you’ve made in the essay!