UC Essay 6 – An Academic Subject Inspires (Vlog)
by Kathleen M.
So by now you have recognized the pattern and know we will be discussing UC PIQ number 6 this week: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside the classroom.
If your first impulse is to wax poetic about what you love about calculus… I am here to remind you that this UC essay 6, like all of the personal writing you are doing for college applications, is supposed to be about you and not calculus!
On the UC admissions webpage, below each prompt, there are suggestions for how to proceed. Use these as a brainstorming exercise! When it asks how your interest developed, remember to show and not tell us a story. When did you become interested and how? Why are you pursuing this major and what else could we learn about you in the process of learning about your interest? Do you want to talk about a course or an internship or a family moment? There are many avenues you could pursue.
For example:
I love calculus. I have taken all of the courses my high school and local community college offer in mathematics, and I can’t wait to explore theoretical mathematics in the university classroom. I love thinking about abstract mathematical concepts and writing up proofs.
This would be better if:
I love calculus. I first fell in love with the study of math when my grandfather introduced me to an abacus that his grandfather had used to do math in school. The idea that this tool could help with counting and simple math was fascinating to me and felt like magic. Then, one of my aunts introduced me to theoretical math problems, and we would work together to solve the problems. Through their examples and the intellectual fun we had, I learned that not only was math for me, but the challenge of learning new things could be fun.
See how the second example is more personal and reveals something about the student and doesn’t just focus on the subject matter? This is the sort of thing you will want to try to do. There is not really a wrong way to do this – find your own way in! But remember to talk about you and not the subject.
