Insights on UCLA's college application process?

For those who've applied to UCLA, what did you find most challenging about their application process? Were there any unexpected components that I should prepare for now as I start thinking about my application?

Many students mention that one of the most challenging aspects of the UCLA application process is the University of California's Personal Insight Questions (PIQs). UCLA, like all the University of California schools, uses the UC application and requires responses to four out of eight PIQs within 350 words each. What makes these daunting for many students is the unclear structure and a significantly smaller word count compared to the common application essay. Unlike traditional essays that build up to a conclusion, you want to get straight to the point with PIQs due to the word count constraint.

Each PIQ aims to understand a different aspect of you - your leadership skills, creativity, service to others, or dealing with challenging situations, for example. It's not just about stating what you did, but also diving into why you did it, how you felt, how you handled it, and importantly, what you learned from it.

Remember that these questions are an opportunity for the admissions officers to get to know you beyond your grades and test scores. They're interested in hearing about everything from major achievements to small personal moments. Make sure that your responses provide some new information or perspective about who you are that isn't already clear from other parts of your application. You should use them to show how you would contribute to the diversity of the University and what unique aspect you would bring.

Also, unlike other applications where you may spin your essay to fit the school, the UC application is used for every UC school, so you won’t be spending space talking about why you fit at a specific UC campus.

In short, start early on your UC PIQs. Feel free to craft, revise, and get feedback. Read each prompt carefully and choose the ones to which you believe you can provide fruitful answers - the ones that will best enable you to share your life experiences, goals, and what you can bring to the UC network. Remember, all questions are equal. All are given equal consideration in the application review process, which means there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others. Good luck!