Here you will find a collection of all articles related to the UC essay and the UC application. These may include example essays, resources from our archives, or general advice pertaining to the UC application. We based our articles and guides off of our own experience working with applicants and helping them get accepted into their target and reach schools.
We highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with what makes a good application and the work it takes to stand out before you start writing your UC essays.
Should you have any questions at all about the UC essay writing process, the UC essays as a whole, or your own applications to the UC schools, you can contact us at any time. We will get back to you as soon as possible!
“How strong do your UC PIQs need to be?” We actually get this question quite often here at PenningPapers. A lot of UC applicants are unfortunately surrounded by lots of arbitrary conjecture about the UC process. Some say the UC PIQs need to be written well to even be considered. Others say it has no … Read more
If you’re looking for how to write the UC Additional Comments section, want to know how to make the most of it, or are just generally confused by it, look no further! We’ve compiled everything you need to know to write a winning Additional Comments Section in the UC application that will portray your application … Read more
In this article, we’ll be discussing how to write the UC activities list. The UC activities list is an important element of your application. And, the right wording can help make your ECs and activities look much stronger than you expect. The University of California campuses receive many applicants every year. In particular, UCLA received … Read more
If you’ve just been rejected to the UC school of your dreams and want to appeal, knowing how to write the UC appeal letter is crucial. But first, let’s consider a few points before getting to the good stuff. As much as the tears flow heavily, please, please consider the math of the admissions appeal … Read more
We’ll be honest: UC PIQ 7 isn’t easy to answer. For starters, most people’s school or community influence isn’t that large. When you’re at the ages of 18-22, it’s difficult to make any meaningful impact without sounding cheesy. But, the hardest part about UC PIQ 7 is the competition you’ll face against other students. Compared … Read more
The UC essay prompt 7 asks you to describe your contributions to your community or school. That’s why it’s also called the “community service” essay. Chances are, if you attend a high school that requires community service hours for graduation, you qualify for this prompt! But, don’t let that fool you! PIQ 7 goes through … Read more
This year, we’ve just received great news about one of four latest clients and their UC transfer application. They got in! The school? UC Berkeley. *Cue streamers* Now, they actually got into other schools like UCLA, UC San Diego, and a few other transfer schools of their choice. This article, though, is just focused on … Read more
Update 2023-24: It’s been a while since our last update. During that time, we’ve been very fortunate to have other students who were accepted into great schools! So, we’ve added a new essay to this article to hopefully inspire you. The UC essay prompt 5 (PIQ 5) is one of the best essay prompts to … Read more
In this article, we will cover one of our successful UC Essay Prompt 3 examples. We’ll also cover some of the elements that made the essay strong and stand out from the rest. You can incorporate these into your own essay to boost its strength and, ultimately, help you stay competitive in the UC admissions … Read more
In this article, we’ll be sharing one of our successful UC essay prompt 2 example essays that got accepted into UC San Diego. Our client in question was accepted into a rather competitive major (Engineering) even with a non-competitive academic profile. Best of all, we’ll show how to write with their level of creativity! That … Read more