University of California (UC) Personal Insight Questions

The UC Personal Insight questions are a unique genre and critical part of the college application. It involves a tremendous amount of work and your child will be required to invest a substantial amount of time writing them to be successful.

We can work with your child no matter where he/she/they are in the process, from proofreading a draft your child has already started to creating a final essay.  

In the UC application, you are provided with 8 questions and asked to choose 4 topics and write 350 word per essay. It is important to select questions that work together to tell your unique story and are on-brand. You decide which questions to answer. I will help guide you toward the options that best highlight you!

The UC Insight Questions are an opportunity to speak directly to the admissions team and should reveal something that is not reflected in other parts of the application.

Who are you beyond your grades and test scores?

Let’s work together to help your child:

• identify admissions theme and brand story (critical for the most competitive schools)

• understand UC Insight questions –learn more about their importance and how they impact your candidacy

• determine which of the 8 questions presented are best for your child to answer and work together to best tell his/her/their story

• brainstorm to find powerful, personal, and appropriate stories to share and incorporate into essays

• learn how to tell your story in a persuasive and convincing way

• work through multiple drafts to completion and submission

• get organized and create a tight schedule to stay on top of critical deadlines