UC Prompt #4: Embracing Opportunities, Overcoming Barriers

by Drew C.

UC prompt #4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

This one is a double prompt, so choose your own adventure.
You could write about your favorite honors course, a special trip you took, an after-school activity, or anything else that shaped you into the student you are today. On the other hand, you could write about a time you had to dig deep to achieve success despite the odds. Either path is fine.

But it might be worth considering why the UCs are inviting you to address this prompt in the first place. Think about it from their point of view: to offer someone admission to the best public university system in the country is a pretty significant educational opportunity, right? If they sense that you are someone who can take full advantage of their courses, programs, and resources, they’re more likely to let you in.

On the flip slide, first-year college students can face any number of challenges: new expectations, difficult courses, the exciting but also grueling process of choosing a different major. These universities want to know that you have what it takes to persevere in tough situations.

Here are a few tips to make your UC Essay Prompt #4 stand out:

  • If you write about an educational opportunity, be sincere. An essay that truly communicates what the opportunity meant to you will be stronger than one that simply mentions an honors course or a school trip without much reflection.
  • If you write about an educational barrier, don’t forget the part about overcoming that barrier—or at least your effort to do so. What aspects of your character did you draw on? What did you learn? How? Make sure to be specific.
  • As always, try not to repeat material from your other UC essays.
  • Remember your audience. These colleges want to know about the experiences that shaped you into the student you are today—and also the student you might become once you step foot on their campus.
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