加州系列（UC）文書到底要怎麼寫到招生官的痛點？
[2018-紅石解析最新UC招生政策/申請策略。直擊申請UC的痛點]
紅石最新作成了今年給申請學員指導性/參考性的申請UC建議。
以下是Dave Lough給的最新今年申請UC該注意的提示。
其中1,2項是申請學生往往會忽略UC文書題目組合的”均衡性”。
Top
8 UC Application Tips:
1 -
Balance your essay topic choices. Some questions are strictly personal; others
are strictly academic; and others combine the two. A combination of essays 1,
4, 6, and 7 would be too one-sided. 1, 2, 3, and 6 would give a complete
picture. UC gives you a chance to show many different sides of yourself, both
as a student and as a person. Successful applicants take advantage of this
opportunity.
2 -
Look into the strengths of each UC campuses before assuming that you must get into
Berkeley or UCLA. UC-Riverside isn't ranked as highly as the others, but has
one of the most prestigious entomology programs in the country. UC-Santa Cruz is the number one UC for video game design and one of the
top three for environmental engineering. Even UC-Merced has been developing a strong
reputation for psychology.
3 - Be
aware that trendy doesn't always mean better.
4 -
Back to the application questions: because your answers are judged relative to
other applicants', most students should NOT answer essay prompt 5. Many local
applicants come from disadvantaged backgrounds: serious learning disabilities,
poor schools, broken families, abusive parents, parents in jail, even
homelessness. If the biggest challenge of your life was a hard science class in
junior high, count yourself lucky: you're extremely privileged.
Talking about it as though it is the most dramatic thing that could ever
happen: not so good.
5 - What matters more, fit or ranking? Well, it depends. You can reasonably break
UC schools into three to four tiers by reputation. The top tier is UCLA and UC-Berkeley.
The second tier includes Santa Barbara , San Diego , Davis , and Irvine Santa Cruz and Riverside Merced
Generally
speaking, unless you have an extremely specific interest that one school excels
at, choose the best fit within the highest tier. The ranking differences
between second tier schools change from year to year, but in the real world
nobody cares whether Irvine is two spots ahead
of Davis
6 - A
note on personal fit. UC schools are huge and diverse, so anyone can find a
place to fit in at any of them. However, each one has its own general
personality.
BerkeleySanta
Barbara Irvine Davis San Diego Santa Cruz
Berkeley
7- What
if you don't get into the school you want? IT'S OK! Make the most of where you
are and you'll succeed. One of the top students in my class at UC-Davis started
out in a local community college and transferred to Davis Riverside
will help you more than a 3.0 GPA at Berkeley
8- What
UC wants to see from your extracurricular activities - Self-motivation, passion,
commitment, and improvement. A quick volunteer trip abroad or two years of MUN
with no leadership role isn't as impressive as you think; rather, these things
look like cynical resume building. On the other hand, three years of consistent
volunteer work helping rescue pets demonstrates real heart. Three years on the
student newspaper with an editorial role looks like interest. Ten years of
piano that gets you to Suzuki book 9 looks like passion and dedication.
Dave
