[KC]: Details about PERSONAL STATEMENT CHOICES

There have been a lot of questions about personal statements this week, many of which I haven't answered clearly. And many of you had no idea today which option you needed/wanted to choose for this assignment. I met with Mr. Garcia, and a handful of other senior teachers, and we were all able to gain some clarity. So here it goes...

1. If you are applying to a UC, you will need to answer personal insight questions, which are listed on the UC website (link below). This is the first option on the handout.

2. If you are applying to a CSU, you are NOT required to write anything for your actual application. However, you still need to write a personal statement for our class. Therefore, you can choose any of the options listed on the handout. The UC option would be a good opportunity to build something that you could potentially use in the future because those personal insights will hit key topics that many scholarship and internship applications ask for. 

3. If you are planning on attending a school that accepts the Common Application (600+ schools), you'd be smart to complete the second option on the handout. To find out if your school of choice accepts a Common Application, conduct a search on their website (link below).

4. If you are planning to go to a junior college or join the military and/or the workforce, you can choose any of the options or complete a letter of introduction. 

Today, I showed you some of the University of Chicago prompts and we noted how open-ended and slightly crazy they are. Don't think of this as an impossible task. I want to encourage you to try one if you're in a position to choose any option. This is a perfect opportunity to take Angel Perez's advice that we talked about today: don't shy away from failure. You're in a spot where you can choose this challenging option and you will be rewarded for it as you work through the process. 

Hopefully, you understand a little more about the spot you're in and what you should be choosing. We can talk more about it tomorrow if needed :)

Here are the links for the options (which are also on the handout linked to the agenda):

University of California Admissions

The Common Application

University of Chicago