ucla student essays

18 UCLA Essays That Worked (and Why) for 2023

Do you want to write strong essays that'll help get you into UCLA?

In this article, you'll read and learn from 18 essays written by students who got recently accepted into UCLA and see how they did it.

If you're trying to get into the University of California, Los Angeles, these essays are a valuable resource and give you a peek into UCLA admissions.

Whether you're a student or parent of an applicant, you'll see what to do—and what not to do—when writing your UC essays.

How important are the UCLA essays?

And as of 2022, the UC system no longer uses your SAT and ACT scores to decide whether or not to admit students.

With no more test scores, that means your UC essays are even more important for your application. Besides your grades (GPA) and coursework, your essays are the most influential factor for your UC admissions.

Plus, UCLA is the most applied to school in the world, with well over 100,000 applicants each year. The University of California-Los Angeles acceptance rate is lower each year, which makes your essays even more important.

Since your UC essays matter so much, it's important to get them right.

What are the UC Personal Insight Question Prompts for 2022-23?

It's a mistake to think of the UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) as typical essays you'd write for a class.

Rather, the PIQs are a set of eight open-ended questions asked by the UC app. You must choose exactly four questions to respond to, and each response should be no more than 350 words.

Let's go over the UC Personal Insight Question prompts:

• Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
• Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
• What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
• Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
• Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
• Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
• What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
• Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

It can be helpful to see how other students responded to the UC Personal Insight Questions.

And since UCLA is one of the hardest UC's to get into, along with UC Berkeley , students that get accepted tend to write outstanding essay responses to the PIQs.

18 UCLA Personal Insight Question Examples

Here are the 18 best UCLA accepted essays that worked written by accepted students for each Personal Insight Question prompt #1-8.

• UCLA Example Essay #1
• UCLA Example Essay #2
• UCLA Example Essay #3: Violin
• UCLA Example Essay #4

UCLA Example Essay #5: Team Player

• UCLA Example Essay #6: Flute
• UCLA Example Essay #7: Optimism
• UCLA Example Essay #8
• UCLA Example Essay #9
• UCLA Example Essay #10
• UCLA Example Essay #11
• UCLA Example Essay #12

UCLA Example Essay #13: Computer Science

Ucla example essay #14: korean big toes.

• UCLA Example Essay #15

UCLA Example Essay #16: LGBT

• UCLA Example Essay #17

UCLA Example Essay #18: Being Short

Ucla example essay #1: orchestra leadership.

UC PIQ #1: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (350 words max)

In my freshman year of high school, I had enrolled in the String Orchestra Advanced Class which was mixed in with the Beginning class. I was the only person with experience, seven years in the Violin at the time, while most of the students in the class were beginners. I got class elected, then re-elected as President my Freshman and Sophomore years, and was First Violin, then First Viola Chair.

My first year consisted of myself and the instructor teaching the basics of each instrument. Learning a new instrument is frustrating, and there were times where older students in the class would get frustrated and unhappy that a Freshman knew more than they did.

As a leader I had to make sure I did not keep a separation between myself and my classmates. Therefore, my Sophomore year, I changed my instrument to the Viola.

By showing my classmates that I too was a beginner, and that I too had to learn because I had a new instrument -inspired the class to learn as well. My classmates no longer saw me as someone who told people to practice and not give up, yet did not have to practice or struggle themselves, but instead, as someone who was there practicing, and struggling along with them.

The Orchestra program at my school started my Freshman year as an experimental class, but the school ended the class after my Sophomore year. Though unfortunate, in the two years of its existence, my classmates went from being novices, to performers, where in the last year of the program, we performed many times for school events and finally in an orchestra conference in my Sophomore year, where judges praised our Orchestra's technique and cohesiveness.

After the class got cut, many of my classmates continued to pursue music independently, or in the District Orchestra. It is a wonderful feeling for me to see my former classmates -to this day- performing, and even teaching others, knowing that I was there when their journeys in music first began, and I look forward to seeing their musical pursuits in the future.

Why This Essay Works:

• Tells a Story: Gives context and explains how you got this leadership position. By explaining a backstory, it reveals your motivations and what drives you.
• Shows Takeaways and Lessons Learned: It's not enough to just talk about your achievements. Admissions officers are more interested in why they matter to you, and how you had an impact on others.

What They Might Improve:

• Fix Capitalization: It's not necessary to capitalize improper nouns like "violin", "viola", and "orchestra".
• Sentence Flow: Make sure your sentences aren't too long and don't have unnecessary breaks, which can interrupt the flow.

UCLA Example Essay #2: Volunteer Leadership

My group and I spent a total of seven hours preparing five hundred bagged lunches for the extensive homeless community at Oakland. Out of all the obstacles that could have halted our progress, rain was the last thing on our minds. We were lucky enough to distribute three hundred lunches before the rain began to relentlessly pour down on us. There were a few hours left of daylight before we would be able to eat Iftar for Ramadan, so, an overwhelming majority of our group wanted to call it a day. However, there was still a large number of unsheltered and hungry homeless people throughout the city, and I could not bear to let all that food go to waste. So, I raced to one of our nearest vans, grabbed a bullhorn, and yelled to gather the attention of as many people as possible. I instructed them to form lines in front of our eleven vans in order to take everybody to the nearest homeless shelters with the promise of food and entertainment. We went to six other heavily concentrated areas to do the same thing, and within just five hours, nearly five hundred homeless individuals were transported.

This event is one of the dozens of community service projects I’ve performed in my role as vice-president of the youth faction of the Sudanese Association of Northern California (SANC). This Oakland food drive has left me with a sense of clarity of what it takes to get a project, event, or any other endeavor accomplished. The food drive was obviously a success, but what made this particularly memorable is the email the president of SANC sent me the following day: “You have a keen ability to synthesize and communicate anything quickly and effectively.” I realized the explicit connection between my forensics (speech and debate) career and my community service: the power that I carry in my voice can motivate others to do good. I have tried to apply this insight into each new endeavor since.

• Specific with Numbers: Use exact numbers whenever you can to create authenticity and make it realistic. In this essay, saying "three hundred" lunches makes things concrete.
• Connects to Academic Interests: Show how your past leadership achievements relate to what you want to do in college.
• Stronger Conclusion: Make sure your conclusion isn't vague and has a concrete takeaway. Don't just use words like "this insight". Rather, rephrase that insight or draw a new idea from it.
• Sentence Structure: Having too long of sentences is a common mistake students make. Instead, splitting up complex sentences can make it easier to read.

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UCLA Example Essay #3: Violin Creative Side

UC PIQ #2: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. (350 words max)

I express my creative side by playing the violin and other musical instruments. Ever since I was a younger child, music had always been a part of my life. The first instrument I remember playing is the piano when I was four years old. My school had a music program, so I went and learned how to read music and play the Recorder. Though it was a simple instrument, it was to prepare us students for the more complex instruments that we could choose to play after completing the Recorder lessons.

I took this class all of first grade, and in second grade I was ready to choose the instrument I wanted to specialize in. I chose the Violin, and now -ten years later- I am still playing it. Throughout the years I have learned to play other instruments as well, such as the Piano, Trumpet, Viola, and more. During that time I have also been able to play those instruments in different styles of music.

From second to seventh grade, I played the Violin and sung in my elementary school district's Mariachi and my middle school's Mariachi even when I did not know how to speak Spanish. I have been playing the Violin at my church's choir almost every Sunday since Seventh grade. I played the Violin and Viola in my high school's Orchestra class in Freshman and Sophomore year, and since my Junior year I have played the trumpet in my school's Jazz Band and Trumpet Choir.

My siblings have also been inspired to be creative musically, and together we perform at our church and other places, and music has become an important part in their lives as well.

Throughout my life I have been able to express my love for music in many different ways. Whether through playing with a group, doing a solo in front of an audience, composing my own music, or teaching my younger siblings how to read and play music the way I was taught many years ago, music has always been a large way that I could express my creative side.

• Clearly Answers Prompt: For UC essays, being straightforward is not a bad thing. This essay starts off by clearly answering the prompt, before elaborating further.
• Fix Capitalization: It's not necessary to capitalize improper nouns like "freshman" and "sophomore". An easy fix is to only capitalize proper nouns, like names of people and places.
• Explain What's Meaningful: Admissions officers want to know more than just "what you did," but also why it was meaningful to you. Try to focus on the impact of your achievements more than just what you did.

UCLA Example Essay #4: Improvised Comedy Creative Side

I was brought into this world with an overactive imagination and an absence of siblings. My abundance of boredom and lack of playmates was solved by creating multiple characters, drawing them, and pretending to be them. When I joined theater my freshman year, I quickly fell in love because it brought me back to that childhood innocence of carelessly being someone else It was an opportunity to evaluate how I could incorporate my personality, experiences, and charisma into a character and to turn my visual concepts into a reality through doing makeup.

I was also introduced to improvised comedy. where I presented my witty and quirky side. On the other hand, working with a cast and crew was something I was unaccustomed to. but I soon saw myself becoming inspired by the surrounding creativity of others. Whether we were doing a dramatic or comedic play, we worked together to evoke an emotional response from the audience. It’s an honor to see people laugh and cry during our performances because I've connected with hundreds of people by putting my heart on a stage. In contrast, painting has been a private indulgence. Every feeling and thought trapped inside becomes free on that canvas into a beautiful visual creation. Like my mood, my paintings aren't uniform and consistent; they range from iridescent beaches to scattered splotches, yet every stroke, color. and mistake had a reason.

As my only patron, my mom couldn't always afford painting supplies, so occasionally I had to improvise with tools like spoons, paper towels, and erasers. Regardless of the tools I was using, my paintings were reflection of myself. The progression of my work is an exhibit of my struggles, success, and how I became who I am today. Painting is not about the finished product; it's about the journey and the lessons I've learned to get there. My creativity is not limited to the arts, but is embedded my appearance, mindset, and career path in solving mental health issues. Creativity, to me, is putting bits and pieces of myself into doing what I love.

• Strong First Sentence: Starting off with interesting ideas is the best way to get the reader hooked. It doesn't need to be complicated, but find your most interesting idea and start there.
• Connects Multiple Extracurriculars: Finding multiple examples in your life to explain your answer can make your essay stronger. Rather than focusing on just one activity, how do your activites relate with a common theme?
• Great Conclusion: A strong conclusion is often one that expands on your ideas or connects to something more universal. Try restating your main idea and add a twist or expand on it.
• Make Each Paragraph Distinct: Each paragraph should have one central idea or topic. It's better to split up your essay into many paragraphs because it makes it easier for the reader and better organized.

UC PIQ #3: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? (350 words max)

My greatest talent would be relating to and inspiring others. Throughout my time in school I have demonstrated that talent by becoming a leader where I was trusted by my teachers and peers. It began in 5th grade when I was voted to become Student Council for my class, where my peers knew that I related well with them and that I would do my best to use my position to fix their issues.

In middle school, I became the Knowledge Bowl team Captain. There was a new coach, so the program was small, about five students. There were many students who wanted to join the team but felt that they were not "smart enough" to join. I recognized this and encouraged those students to join and they succeeded. By the end of the year, our team was 3rd in the district overall statistically standing, our highest ranking in a while.

In high school I joined JROTC as a Freshman, and I became a Platoon Sergeant my Junior year. My job for the semester was to teach and motivate cadets in the program. Some cadets did not do well with authority, and felt attacked when other class leaders would be assertive. As a leader I took a different approach, and related to my cadets. My platoon was constantly noted as being a well-rounded platoon by our instructors, and I received the Non-Commisioned Officer Leadership Award.

In Academic League, motivation was key to our team's success. Sometimes personal problems would affect a member of the team, so I showed them I could relate to their struggles and still believe in their ability to help the team. In times when we would be losing in a match, I would inspire the team to keep pushing on, and to remain positive. That year our team placed 5th in the district -again a highest ranking in a while- and I was voted as "Most Inspirational" by the team.

Throughout the years, relating to and inspiring others has been a skill that has allowed me to make great connections with so many people.

• Uses Multiple Examples: Backing up your answer with various examples from your life makes your case stronger.
• Unique Take: Rather than thinking of a skill in the literal sense, this author uses a more abstract skill. Sharing your unique perspective is key to having interesting ideas.
• Show Why It Matters: In addition to explaining your greatest skill or talent, you should tell why it is meaningful. What are the takeaways and how will you use this skill going forward in college?

UCLA Example Essay #6: Flute Greatest Talent

Just when we think we figured things out, the universe throws us a curveball. So, we have to improvise. The universe is funny like that. Sometimes it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong.

When I first started playing flute, I probably looked like a pufferfish choking on a clump of wasabi, but that didn't matter. Blasting deep breaths into my flute, I blew voraciously as I tried to produce a B-flat; but all I could muster was a raspy whistle.

6 years later, I was filled with pride knowing that I had worked hard enough to be selected as the concert soloist for the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County. My moment had arrived; I stand center-stage and begin Chaminade's Concertino Op. 107. Recognizing the minor scales and arpeggios, my fingers glide through the measures with absolute certainty; and with each successive measure, my breathing, tone, and articulation seemed to increasingly synchronize. Before long, the piece came to an end. Holding the D-natural farmada as long I could, I let the note fade into submission and lowered my flute. Taking a bow, I reveled in the magnitude of my hard work.

As I grew older, it became evident that I would need orthodontics and jaw reduction surgeries. With my face full of rubber and metal, I couldn't form a tight enough valve to sustain notes. I was officially back to square one. The following months were brutal, I had to put away Tchaikovsky and go back to the basics; but my effort was genuine and I gradually regained my ability to play.

Today, I consider playing flute my greatest skill. Not because I can play complex scales or win competitions, but, instead, because through the horrors of braces, learning how to double-tongue, and impossibly fast measures, I never gave up. Playing flute had crafted in me the relentless determination which I've exhibited over the past 8 years. I may not know what curveballs life will pitch to me next, but I have confidence knowing I will persevere regardless of the circumstances.

• Strong Hook: Use your best idea at the start to immediately make the reader interested. First impressions matter, and by having a compelling first paragraph, the tone of your essay is immediately better.
• Specific in Naming Things: Say the names of groups, places, and other things whenever you can. Being specific whenever possible makes you seem more relatable and makes your essay more interesting.

UCLA Example Essay #7: Optimism Greatest Skill

Life can be an overwhelming obstacle course, but my ability to get over any bump with a smile on my face has been my greatest strength. Maintaining an optimistic outlook has introduced me to new opportunities, made me a better leader, and helped me get through everyday life. Although my determination to get back up was built by a couple scrapes and falls. I learned about the impact of a positive attitude on others through my experience on the tennis team.

The motivation and bond my team had because of the encouragement and support from our captains has influenced my approach to interacting with others. For instance, while working with my peers, I always praise them for the effort that they put in and patiently help them. When applying this to class projects and theater productions, I saw an improvement on our performance and our accomplishments felt more satisfying and meaningful. My positive attitude is also influential during my job at a convalescent home. As an activities assistant, my objective is to get residents to participate in activities and to make them fun.

At times, it’s difficult to convince residents that a macaroni necklace is worth getting out of bed for, but I am always that friendly face that cheers them on and picks them up. Knowing that my happiness is brightening someone else's day is extremely valuable and is the fuel to my enthusiasm.

Preserving my optimism is not always easy; however, my excitement for the future retains my drive to overcome any challenge. Every opportunity given to me is taken advantage of, and if something doesn't go as planned. I am confident another door will open. Even though I enjoy focusing on the bright side of life, I'm aware that some people feel like they cant overcome their challenges alone. I recognized that I can be a hand to help people up, someone to believe in them, and a friend to conquer obstacles with. Using this positive influence is the very reason why I am looking forward to a career in psychology.

• Shows Impact of Your Skill: Whenever possible, try to show how your skill/talent has impacted others. Why is your skill important? And how will you use it going forward in life?
• Uses Humor: Having small moments of natural humor, when appropriate, makes for a more enjoyable essay. Even a small remark like "it’s difficult to convince residents that a macaroni necklace is worth getting out of bed for" is powerful.
• Recognizes Challenges: Nobody is perfect, and even with your greatest skill or talent there are likely still shortcomings. Recognizing your challenges is important to humanize yourself and shows self-awareness.

UCLA Example Essay #8: Significant Educational Opportunity

UC PIQ #4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. (350 words max)

I was going to University of Southern California for three weeks, and that was all I could think about as the school year came to a close. After finding out that I had been accepted into the Bovard Scholars program, along with one of my best friends, I could not wait for the upcoming summer. As July 16th neared, I became more and more anxious,as I did not know what to expect, but I was looking forward to this new opportunity.

The program had just been launched this year and 49 of around 500 applicants were accepted. Over the course of three weeks, the 48 other people from all over the country would be my new friends. During my time there, I would be assigned a coach who would help with the college process, whether it be working on the college application as a group or having one-on-one sessions to work on personal statements. Outside of working on college applications and essays, we had guest speakers from admissions offices, student panels where we could ask questions, career panels, and workplace visits. We also had many presentations on financial aid, fields of major, jobs, and interviews which, most of it, I did not know beforehand.

Along with all this help, we also dormed at one of the residence halls, which allowed us to experience what college life might be like. I was amazed by the diversity of people that were attending the program, and I was shocked to find out that my roommate from New York was Egyptian. We even had Resident Assistants who planned evening activities for us to further stimulate college life. However, they were not just our Resident Assistants; as we grew closer we were able to gather information from them about college.

As the program came to its end, I did not want it to stop. I had such an incredible experience and learned so much about college. I knew that the program will never truly end, though, as our coaches will continue to work with us until Spring when we are accepted into colleges.

• Specific in Achievements: Being specific and saying "49 of around 500 applicants were accepted" creates credibility. It also helps admissions officers have context about your achievements and be able to infer how significant they really were.
• Stronger First Sentence: Try starting your essay with ideas, rather than retelling events. Starting off with interesting ideas helps hook your reader, and you can later support those ideas with your experiences and achievements.
• Focus on Meaning: Emphasize what your takeaways were from this educational opportunity or barrier. Admissions officers are looking for what you learned, how it affected others, and how you'll use those lessons moving forward.

UCLA Example Essay #9: Working at Health Clinic

I worked in a health clinic in the impoverished village of Amara in Sudan this summer, expecting to be assigned general administrative duties during my internship. However, those expectations were tossed out the window within the first week. I consider myself a pretty squeamish person, so the thought of blood oozing from any injury disgusts me in ways that I cannot describe in words. So naturally, I was shocked when I didn’t flinch or faint as I held the retractors of a ravaged knee during surgery. I can’t say that I confronted the daunting tasks I was given with complete confidence, but I learned from the experiences nonetheless. At times, I would question the challenging orders given to me by the faculty, but I later realized that it was due to the lack of qualified doctors and nurses at the village.

I observed eleven surgeries, ranging from liver disease to a gruesome foot infection. The clinic worked under severe pressure, as basic resources and equipment were scarce, which ended badly for some patients. There was one particular patient who did not survive a disastrous bus crash due to the unavailability of ambulances. He was laying on the floor in agonizing pain for a lingering six hours. As the viscous blood stained the white cloth that covered him when he was brought to the clinic, I felt a surge of sorrow, anger, and helplessness. It was difficult for me to come to grips with the reality that some things cannot be undone. The emotions I felt that day slowly faded, but never completely receded. I left this internship satisfied with the invaluable knowledge I obtained, but I still feel like I needed to do more. I live a relatively privileged life, and don’t have to spend each day worrying about a measly injury that could end my life. At the time, even though I thought I was worked too hard for a high school student, I now know I didn't do enough. I’m eager to return to the clinic soon, and have hopes of gaining more experience and knowledge.

• Emphasizes the Impact: After talking about what opportunity you had or what barrier you overcame, focusing on the impact of that experience is what matters. Describing your emotions and lessons learned makes the significance of those events more clear.
• Strong Hook: Focus on finding your best idea and using that as your first sentence. Often, starting off with a story or retelling what you did can come later and isn't as important.

UCLA Example Essay #10: Most Significant Challenge

UC PIQ #5: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? (350 words max)

Education has always been important in my household, but never paramount. We were always taught to put familial needs first—even before our own. My parents always emphasized the lesson that selfishness leads to bitterness and loneliness. That value is why six new members were added to my family when my father’s brother died two years ago. I did what was expected and shifted my focus from school to helping my kin.

I remember feeling a mosaic of emotions—apprehension, prudence, and displacement—as I greeted them at the airport. The five-hour-long ride back home was awkward and somber, and the complete silence said so much more than words could. We were all just afraid of what the future had in store for us. My step aunt, my two older cousins and the three younger ones were all compassionate, loving people. Yet, I couldn't seem to shed this foreboding feeling the first time we all entered our house. Every passing week made our financial situation more tenuous. So, my brother and I volunteered to help our dad at his small pharmaceutical wholesale business after he laid off two employees. We worked after school three days a week and would return home around 8:30.

That year of juggling school with my new obligations at home and my father’s business was emotionally and physically wrenching. However, I don't pity myself and I wouldn't go back to change anything because I learned so much about my character in that year. I realized that my parent’s belief in selflessness had shaped me into a more capable person because I was able to sacrifice time from socializing and classes to contribute, in some way, to my family. And even though I was concerned that I would hurt my academic performance, I stuck to my promises. That inexplicable sense of uneasiness I felt at the airport was caused by anxiety in anticipating the new demands that could potentially exhaust me. Thankfully, the challenges prepared me for the academic rigor for my junior year, my senior year, and hopefully, for university.

• Vulnerable and Authentic: Talking about personal stories can be difficult, but often your vulnerable experiences have a lot of meaning. Being vulnerable also makes you more personable and relatable.
• Explains Realizations: Rather than focusing on what happened, focus on the impact of it and why it's meaningful. How will these past experiences and academic challenges affect you going forward?
• Stronger Conclusion: Try to connect your ending back to the beginning while expanding on it or connecting it to a universal idea. Alternatively, leave your conclusion more open ended.

UCLA Example Essay #11: Educational Challenge

Growing up, I tackled the challenge of school without much guidance from anyone other than my older sister, who is one grade higher. When I was at the young age of just five, my parents divorced and my sister and I were left with our dad, who we did not see often. Because our time with him was limited to driving us to school and home and dinner, we could not ask him for much help with homework or projects. Most of the time, we did the work ourselves or asked our uncle and aunt for help when they came on Saturdays. By the time we reached middle school, I was in more advanced classes, and although my dad had received an Associate’s Degree, he did not take advanced classes like I did, so he was unable to provide much help. My dad only took math up to geometry, and his English was not as fluent as mine, preventing him from providing much help.

Once I enrolled in high school, I was able to get help from teachers, programs, and even my sister. With this newfound help, I overcame the struggle of not knowing what to do in school and life, and I learned that help is always there, but I just needed to ask. Throughout my time in high school, I became more motivated than I was before to do the best I can and overcome anything that comes my way. I was able to do this with help from others, and I will continue to strive for greatness, overcoming any obstacles. Without the help of others, I would not have had the success that I have had in school. My good grades are a testament to the help that I have received in order for me to be where I am now. Although I can say that I have overcome this challenge, there is still one last hurdle, which is to graduate from high school, attend college, and apply everything I have learned to the real world.

• Honesty: Authenticity is most important for your essays. By revealing personal details such as your family life and struggles, you can bring admissions officers into your world.
• Sense of Gratitude: Showing a sense of appreciation and self-awareness makes you immediately more likeable. Nobody succeeds alone, so how did others in your life help you overcome difficulties?
• Provide Clarification: Some parts could be given more context, such as "why is your dad not as fluent in English?". You could use this as an opportunity to talk about your cultural background and create a more clear picture of yourself for the reader.

UCLA Example Essay #12: Self-Improvement Challenge

The saying "you can be your own worst enemy" was the embodiment of the time I hit lowest point. Finishing my 22-hour days, I expected to lay down in bed close my eyes, and smile: thinking about all my accomplishments. Instead, I was sleep deprived, rapidly losing and gaining weight, and unhappy.

As a result, I stopped being able to focus and my grades began to fall. I lost motivation and the only reason I did anything was because of my obsession with completion. In this vulnerable state, I would tell myself I was useless and shy away from taking opportunities. I started to question if could get out of the hole I dug. Ironically, I have always been an optimist. I thought about the many things I wanted to do and I wouldn't be able to do any of them from a hospital bed.

Seeing the bright light ahead of me, I moved forward to a journey of self-improvement. First, I isolated myself from things that were affecting my happiness through finding a place where I could peacefully think about why I was enduring so much pain, regularly eat, and get some sleep. When I came back from my retreat, I continued my routine which improved my health and performance in school. The greatest outcome was my realization that I was compensating for my lack of self-esteem, I've been trying to get validation from my parents and peers by trying to be perfect, but when my friends left me and my parents didn't notice my efforts I overworked myself.

It was hard to stop searching for approval, yet the support of close friends and acknowledging that I'm doing everything I'm capable of, revealed to me what its like to love yourself. From then on, I determined my self worth, no one else. Now that I found my own drive and am confident, I don't have to beg for friends. struggle to maintain grades, skip meals, or lose sleep. Presently, I can say I am no longer my worst enemy: we're like friends that get closer every day.

• Vulnerability: Showing your shortcomings and difficulties is important to reveal how you've grown and changed. Revealing your perspective and emotions also shows that you have self-awareness.
• Provide More Explanation: Don't assume that the reader will remember everything about you. For essays like this, give more context. Answer questions that will come up in the reader's mind, like "Why did you have 22-hour days?".

UC PIQ #6: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. (350 words max)

An academic subject that inspires me is Computer Science. Computers have fascinated me ever since a young age. I used my first computer when I was 4 years old- the Apple Macintosh Performa. I began learning about how computers worked in first grade, where I had my own Windows XP computer. I did not know what I was doing when I clicked through the thousands of files that made the computer run, but it was fascinating, and almost seemed like magic. I knew that a career with computers had to be in my future.

My fascination with computers took a new meaning in freshman year, when I decided to learn how to program. I did not know where to start, so I just typed in the search browser, "how to start programming". That day, I started with the Processing Language. It was a simple language to learn, but it built the foundation for my furthered interest in the computer programming aspect of Computer Science. After a couple months of using Processing, I learned HTML/CSS and JavaScript. These languages would allow me to program a wider range of applications. Soon enough, I became bilingual in the languages of computers. As time went on throughout my freshman and sophomore years I exposed myself to more languages like SQL, Batch Scripting, and in junior year, Java.

In my junior year I took AP Computer Science A, and finally after all the years of loving computers, I was able to take Computer Science as a class where I learned the Java language. I also furthered my interest in Computer Science by integrating it with the Engineering club on campus, using the Arduino and Raspberry Pi.

This year I am in Computer Integrated Manufacturing, where I can implement my knowledge of Computer Programming into Engineering, through the use of Corel Draw with the Laser Cutter Printer and AutoDesk Inventor and OpenGL C++ Code with the CAD 3-D Printing machine.

Computer Science has always been a part of my life inside and outside of the classroom, and I seek to continue pursuing it as my major.

• Connects Interests to Extracurriculars: Showing how your activities relate to your passions reveals your motivations and what drives you. By connecting to extracurriculars, it also creates a more complete picture of your application.
• Specific In Naming Things: Whenever you are able to, being specific is better than being vague. By naming programming languages and classes, the story becomes more compelling.
• Explain Why These Things Interest You: What is the root aspect of your interests that intrigue you? Try explaining how you feel when doing these activities and what motivates you. Admissions officers want to know how these interests developed, and more importantly, why they developed.

UC PIQ #7: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? (350 words max)

I am "Korean big toes", "a water panda in disguise", and "Mr. Sweatface" - these are the nicknames I happily accepted over the years. My life was a buoyant bubble, full of gratification, funny nicknames, and simple pleasures; but that changed when I was confronted with the inhumane conditions of the LGBT centers around my town.

Stepping into the stone-house building, a few things immediately caught my attention. The rooms were small, full of broken furniture, smelled of mold, and had poor lighting; moreover, there was no privacy and extremely limited resources. It was obvious that the facility didn't have the funds to sustain itself, let alone help anyone trying to assimilate back into society. My heart ached as I realized the advantages I had been taking for granted; the idealistic mirage of reality I previously held, was now replaced by an overwhelming truth: Life isn't fair. Everyone in that facility had been criminalized for their sexuality, and I was going to do something about it!

Over the next few weeks, I brainstormed ideas and eventually decided on creating a blog where I would share the stories of anyone who was willing to speak up for change. The clickety-clack of my keyboard filled the common rooms of LGBT centers around my city. I slowly-but-surely interviewed the residents of these homes, recording stories of inequality and discrimination. As I uploaded each story to my blog, I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that I was breaking down barriers and fulfilling my passions. Furthermore, reading the comments flooding my inbox, I realized that although the LGBT centers in my area still remain underfunded, I had made an impact on individuals through my blog and did something for a community I genuinely cared about. It was more than I could have ever hoped for.

In my quest to create change, I forged a new nickname for myself -- "advocate"; except, unlike the titles I was bestowed as a kid, this nickname represented my creativity, ingenuity, and passion, and for those reasons, it is more precious than anyone will ever know.

• Vivid Descriptions: Painting a picture can make your stories immediately more interesting. By using descriptive language and word choice, your stories have more life to them.
• Conclusion That Connects to Beginning: Try connecting your ending back to the beginning, but with a new perspective or take. By bringing your essay full circle, it creates a sense of cohesiveness.
• Name Things Specifically: Rather than being general and saying "LGBT centers", the author could name one specifically. Since not everyone may be faimilar with the concept of "LGBT centers", it helps make your essay more concrete and easier to interpret.

UCLA Example Essay #15: Empowering Others Through Peer Tutoring

I never thought that I would tutor other people after school, but that was what I did my junior year and now in my senior year. During my freshman and sophomore years, I was the one being tutored by upperclassmen who had taken my classes before. Receiving help from others inspired me to become a tutor my junior year so I could give back and share the opportunity that I had. At first, I was not sure if I would be up to the task, as I did not feel confident in my teaching abilities in various subjects. As time went on, however, I became at ease and comfortable tutoring anyone the more I tutored along with my peers.

Every day from Monday through Thursday, I went to library as much as I could to help tutor with others from 3 to 4 o’clock, and it slowly became a part of my daily schedule. To begin with, I was not the greatest teacher, but as I helped more and more, I gradually became better at it due to teaching the same concepts repeatedly. Not only was I helping the person I was tutoring understand the subject, but I also was becoming better at the subject by teaching it. Teaching a subject allowed me to relearn concepts and ideas that I had forgotten, as well as studying for a subject if I was tutoring a classmate.

Motivated by wanting to help other students, I was able to be at tutoring most days, and this led to me receiving a tutoring award at my school’s California Scholarship Federation banquet at the end of the year. It was a surprise to me as I was not expecting to be honored. To me, the best award was the satisfaction of helping others understand how to do homework questions and them being grateful for the help. Although this year tutoring is not being held in the library yet, I joined another club that tutors after school for the time being so I can continue helping others and spread my knowledge.

• Shows Their Realizations: Realizations and new understanding are how people change. That's why its important to look for what lessons you learned, and what you took away from your activities.
• Explain Why: Try to predict what questions will arise in the reader's mind, and answer those questions. For this essay, one question that is unanswered is "Why did you never think you would tutor other people?".

UC PIQ #8: Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? (350 words max)

This was the night. Clenching my fists, I called my dad over. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through my veins or maybe just suspense, but time seemed to freeze as anxiety washed over my consciousness. A million doubts flooded my mind as I dreaded what would come next. The pitter-patter of his feet hitting the tile floor brought me back to reality. My dad had always loved and supported me, I just had to trust that things would be alright.

In a quivering voice, my hands shaking, I explained to my dad that I was gay. After a brief moment of silence, my dad said ten words that completely changed my life: "I raised you completely wrong, get out of my house". I was devastated, but I wasn't surprised. This was the same person physically forced pork down my throat when I told him I wanted to become a vegetarian; who would hit me and my mom if either of us voiced dissenting opinions; and the same person who would come home drunk and threaten to kill us. With tears running down my cheeks, I packed my belongings and drove my 98' Nissan Pathfinder away from my home. From that night on I learned to be brave, to follow my dreams, and to fight for what I believe in.

The next few years were tough. In my community, being gay was unacceptable and embracing my identity meant enduring the consequences. I will never forget being dragged into a storage room and choked or hiding the bruises I got from being pelted by textbooks. But looking back, I realize that the lessons I learned drove me towards success. They inspired me to be relentless and graduate early, to surpass expectations by doing college-credit classes, and remain strong in the face of oppression and adversity. Moving forward, as I look to broaden my education horizons, I know that I have the emotional vitality to success wherever I go. So I want to dedicate this essay to my dad and to everyone who made me strong, thank you.

• Honest and Vulnerable: Talking about personal stories can be impactful. Often the most difficult stories are the ones that need to be shared.
• Explains Your Perspective and Emotions: Sharing how you felt in a certain moment can allow the reader to "be in your shoes." By telling your perspective, you allow admissions officers to better understand your experience.
• Focus On Takeaways: Although stories are important, what matters more is the lessons and takeaways from those stories. The majority of your essay should be focused on those ideas, with a smaller portion where you talk about what actually happened.

UCLA Example Essay #17: Fostering Inclusive Leadership

All around us, the world is dominated by big voices, people who can present themselves positively and effectively elaborate on their opinions. Many of our most successful politicians carve their paths to the top through their charisma and articulate language. Unfortunately, while many of them possess a strong voice, many of them don’t possess that same strength in listening. While their job is to represent the people, there is a large disconnect between their perspective and the perspectives of their citizens. Even in Congress, civilized debate has transformed into a shouting battle, where both parties attempt to push their ideas, but neither side is willing to listen.

In contrast, a leader with an open ear, an open mind, and an open heart is exactly what I bring to the table. I believe that everyone has a unique story to share. From the most flamboyant billionaires to the people living on the streets, every single person possesses their own unique set of skills, perspective, and knowledge that can be useful to learn from. Because of this, I make it my priority to listen to and understand the human behind each team member I work with. In recognizing each person’s strengths and weaknesses, I’m able to build a positive environment in which every person is able to reach their maximum potential.

For example, when it comes to group projects, I always make sure to know the personalities of those I’m working with and create a transparent and inclusive environment that is conducive to productivity. Rather than dishing out assignments and deadlines, I make sure everyone is able to contribute in a way that matches their strengths and skills. Furthermore, by creating such a transparent atmosphere, group members are able to understand each other’s situations and help each other out like an actual team, allowing everyone to be both productive and pleased.

With all the divisiveness that is taking place in the country today, it is more necessary than ever to have open-minded leaders such as myself to help bring this campus and this nation together.

• Strong Hook Sentence: Using a thought-provoking idea to start your sentence immediately draws the reader in. By having a unique take on the world, people want to read more and are interested by your thoughts.
• Using Examples to Explain: For abstract ideas and concepts, try using a real life example to make things more clear. Capture the essence of your ideas and find what is at the core of them.

Stepping foot in public has been like opening a floodgate to questions and comments about the one thing that I've been looked down upon my entire life for - my height. Standing out because I was 4'9" wasn't something I was proud of; I was picked last for sports, not taken seriously, and often used as a human arm rest. My mom warned me life was going to be hard if I didn't drink my milk. However, people aren't aware that my appearance is a deception and what makes me extraordinary is that I've outgrown myself. People should be asking me how a person so "big" can fit into a girl so tiny. I have a huge personality, dreams, goals, and a plethora of talent. My achievements earned me such a high standing that I do know what the weather is like up there, yet, my head is never in the clouds because my distance from the ground makes me down to earth.

My only oddity is that my anatomy has grown out of proportion. It's hard to believe that with such short arms, I can extend them long enough to touch hearts with my art and performances. I have been devoted to helping people and educating myself ever since I was young, but who knew that my brain and heart would become so gigantic? Despite my how big my brain is, I keep my head as small as my body because I value letting others know that I'll never overlook them.

Although I haven't hit as many significant growth spurts as the average person. I grow with ambition every day, considering every moment a step closer to success. Being able to pursue my passions at a university will allow me to continue maturing into a person who will one day be looked up to by many. The reader of my response cannot see the facade that has been the subject of many peoples first impressions of me. instead, they will observe that even though I can't reach the top shelf, I can still reach my goals in life.

• Using Metaphors: Explaining something ordinary (like being short) in an unusual or not-so-common way can show your unique take on it. By using metaphors, you can connect seemingly unrelated ideas together.

What can you learn from these UCLA essays?

These UC essays are not perfect—nor should they be—but each has interesting ideas and a unique perspective.

Compared to some private university essays , UC essays are relatively straightforward.

So focus on making each UC essay express one interesting idea as your answer.

Here's my top 4 lessons for UCLA essays:

• Avoid too much storytelling and descriptions. You only have 350 words, so focus on ideas.
• Answer every part of the prompt, clearly. Avoid implying your answer. Make sure your idea is crystal clear and relevant.
• Showcase a different aspect of yourself with each essay. Avoid re-using topics, unless you're taking a very different angle.
• Show your thinking. As with all successful essays, your thinking is most important.

Also applying to UC Berkeley?

I've collected additional essays from admitted Cal students that are completely unique from these UCLA essays.

If you're interested, check out these our essays that worked for UC Berkeley .

Which UCLA essay that worked was your favorite? Let me know!

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People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is... uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable...

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Her baking is not confined to an amalgamation of sugar, butter, and flour. It's an outstretched hand, an open invitation, a makeshift bridge thrown across the divides of age and culture. Thanks to Buni, the reason I bake has evolved. What started as stress relief is now a lifeline to my heritage, a language that allows me to communicate with my family in ways my tongue cannot. By rolling dough for saratele and crushing walnuts for cornulete, my baking speaks more fluently to my Romanian heritage than my broken Romanian ever could....

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A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...

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Successful UCLA Essays

Ucla essays →.

UC PIQ: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? | Sabria

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?  Overtime, I learned that Armani wants to be spoken to as…...

UC PIQ: Think about an academic subject that inspires you | Sabria

Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.  It was not until…...

UC PIQ: Describe an example of your leadership experience | Sabria

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.  Junior…...

UC PIQ: What do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? | Tevin

Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the

UC PIQ: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?  | Tevin

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?   “It’s near impossible, your seniors have tried”, I was told. Zhengyang…...

UC PIQ: Describe an example of your leadership experience | Tevin

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Planning…...

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Freshman requirements

• Subject requirement (A-G)
• GPA requirement
• Admission by exception
• English language proficiency
• UC graduation requirements

Additional information for

• California residents
• Out-of-state students
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Transfer requirements

• Understanding UC transfer
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AP & Exam credits

Applying as a freshman

• Filling out the application
• Dates & deadlines

Personal insight questions

• How applications are reviewed
• After you apply

Applying as a transfer

Types of aid

• Grants & scholarships
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• California DREAM Loan Program
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• Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan
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• Who can get financial aid
• How aid works
• Estimate your aid

Apply for financial aid

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• You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.
• Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
• Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you. However, you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

Keep in mind

• 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.
• There is no right or wrong way to answer these questions. It’s about getting to know your personality, background, interests and achievements in your own unique voice.  
• Use the additional comments field if there are issues you'd like to address that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss elsewhere on the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to note unusual circumstances or anything that might be unclear in other parts of the application. You may use the additional comments field to note extraordinary circumstances related to COVID-19, if necessary. 

Questions & guidance

Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider:  Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider:  If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

Writing tips

Start early..

Give yourself plenty of time for preparation, careful composition and revisions.

Write persuasively.

Making a list of accomplishments, activities, awards or work will lessen the impact of your words. Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make.

Use “I” statements.

Talk about yourself so that we can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

Proofread and edit.

Although you will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling or sentence structure, you should proofread your work and make sure your writing is clear. Grammatical and spelling errors can be distracting to the reader and get in the way of what you’re trying to communicate.

Solicit feedback.

Your answers should reflect your own ideas and be written by you alone, but others — family, teachers and friends can offer valuable suggestions. Ask advice of whomever you like, but do not plagiarize from sources in print or online and do not use anyone's words, published or unpublished, but your own.

Copy and paste.

Once you are satisfied with your answers, save them in plain text (ASCII) and paste them into the space provided in the application. Proofread once more to make sure no odd characters or line breaks have appeared.

This is one of many pieces of information we consider in reviewing your application. Your responses can only add value to the application. An admission decision will not be based on this section alone.

Need more help?

Download our worksheets:

• English [PDF]
• Spanish [PDF]

UCLA Writing Programs

Writing Programs serves Undergraduate Students through a carefully calibrated sequence of writing courses. Given the diverse linguistic backgrounds of our students, that sequence must encompass considerable breadth: ELS focused courses, first-year composition courses at varied levels, and specialized advanced offerings.

UCLA Writing Requirements

First-year students must satisfy the following writing requirements:

• Entry Level Writing Requirement  (which may include an ESL requirement for students whose first language is not English)

First-year students are placed into the appropriate sequence of courses to satisfy these requirements based on the  Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE) . Depending on the results of the AWPE, an international or multilingual freshman might be held for as many as four English Composition (EC) courses.

Undergraduate Writing Programs

Our core offerings play a vital role in preparing undergraduates to succeed in their academic and future professional work. Our work in the classroom is extended by our Undergraduate Writing Center , which aids students from all areas of study at UCLA. As a teaching and learning center, Writing Programs partners with other units across campus to strengthen or reinforce varied student success efforts.

Undergraduate Writing Center

As part of UCLA Writing Programs, the Undergraduate Student Writing Center’s mission is to enrich the education of undergraduate students in all disciplines through individualized consultations on writing.  Our goal is not only to help students with a particular writing assignment but also to help them become more effective and confident writers. This means we work on two levels at once: we help writers 1) to gain insight into how they write most productively and efficiently, and 2) to meet the intellectual and rhetorical demands of specific writing tasks or assignments.

The Undergraduate Writing Center is a free service for all UCLA students.  One-on-one appointments are available at various locations. Work on your papers with a Peer Learning Facilitator and find the help you need with:

• course papers
• capstone projects
• senior thesis papers
• application materials (resumes, CVs, statements of purpose or cover letters)
• writing personal statements for grad school

What to Expect - FAQ’s

When you make an appointment at the Undergraduate Writing Center, you will work one-on-one with a Peer Learning Facilitator (a fellow undergraduate who is trained to help with writing). Peer Learning Facilitators (PLFs) can assist with any kind of paper for any class, and at any stage of the writing process. That includes help identifying a topic, formulating a thesis, organizing your ideas, incorporating and citing sources, or learning to proofread effectively. Make an appointment for help on a particular assignment, or set up regular appointments throughout the quarter to work on improving your writing.

Student FAQS

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• CAREERS IN SCIENCE WRITING

Summer ESL Program

Our English courses are designed to help students meet their English language needs in small, intimate classrooms that facilitate the language and cultural learning experience. Our courses are taught by highly trained professionals who are certified in English as a Second Language instruction and are the only instructors at UCLA with the academic expertise to handle the unique needs of second-language speakers. From those whose goal is to attend college or graduate school in the United States to those whose aspirations are to excel at their profession, or whose wish is to enhance their overall English performance, we have something for everyone. Our ultimate aim is to take your English skills to where you need them to be, as we help you to improve your written and spoken English, as well as your reading and listening skills.

Additional Resources

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• WRITING PROGRAMS UNDERGRADUATE ESSAY PRIZES
• LIBRARY RESEARCH PRIZE

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Undergraduate Writing Center

The Undergraduate Writing Center is a free service for all UCLA students. As part of UCLA Writing Programs, the Undergraduate Student Writing Center’s mission is to enrich the education of undergraduate students in all disciplines through individualized consultations on writing.

General Info

Contact info.

• Appointment - Make an appointment with the UWC to discuss writing assignments, talk about your writing, and work on strategies for effective writing.
• Hours - Find contact information, location, and hours of the UWC here.
• Zoom appointments & Drop-Ins - Book a zoom appointment or join virtual drop-in hours with the UWC.
• Resources - Find handouts and online resources for writing at the university level.
• Email Feedback - Find information on how to ask for feedback on your paper from the UWC through email.
• Student FAQs - Find answers to commonly asked questions about the UWC.

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Writing Resources

UCLA offers many resources to all students to help with their writing assignments throughout the year so make sure you take advantage of them because they are free!

Undergraduate Writing Center

The Undergraduate Writing Center offers students free individual assistance with writing. Trained peer learning facilitators can help students generate, organize, and revise papers for any UCLA course. They also assist international undergraduates whose first language is not English with grammar, style, and structuring essays.

The Undergraduate Writing Center offers scheduled and walk-in appointments. See their website for more information.

Graduate Writing Center

The Graduate Writing Center (GWC) offers a variety of workshops and programs throughout the year. During the summer, we offer various dissertation boot camps for graduate students working on dissertation proposals and dissertations. For master's thesis writers, we offer a Master's Thesis Mentoring Program or facilitated writing groups .

• Thesis and Dissertation Writing Programs

Writing Consultation Appointments The GWC offers friendly, experienced, and FREE writing consultation appointments to all registered UCLA graduate and professional school students. Meet with a graduate writing consultant to work on writing issues ranging from style and argumentation to grammar and syntax. Please keep in mind that the consultation appointments are interactive sessions, not proofreading sessions. The goal of the writing consultation is to increase your skill level, confidence, and independence as a writer.

• Schedule an Appointment
• Graduate Writing Center Consulting Philosophy
• Graduate Writing Center Policies

How Do I Schedule an Appointment?

• Meet the Graduate Writing Consultants

Appointments are limited to one appointment per week, available on a first-come, first-serve basis. You may schedule an appointment up to two weeks in advance when it becomes available using our online reservation system, Handshake . Please consult our GWC policies page for more information concerning our policies.

What Happens at a Writing Consultation Appointment?

You will have 50 minutes to talk with the graduate writing consultant at your appointment. The writing consultant will ask you questions about your writing goals and concerns. A writing consultant may not be able to read your entire paper or project, so you should be ready to indicate which sections to focus on during your appointment. Come prepared to work actively on your writing because writing consultants will not do your work for you.

Location / Hours: B11a, Graduate Student Resource Center, Student Activities Center Monday thru Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM

Phone: (310) 267-4805 / Email: [email protected]

Introduction to Writing College Essays Part 2: Structure and Review

Writing a college essay isn't easy. Learn the essential skills that students need to compose college essays. Included topics: brainstorming, identifying suitable prompts, structuring the essay, managing drafts, and final editing.

What you can learn.

• Gain an understanding of the adolescent's developmental stage of writing
• Learn the three principles of essay review: content, structure, and polish
• Understand the ethical approach to supporting students in college essay structure and review
• Understand the various types of essays such as personal statements, personal insight questions, and college-specific supplements
• Master techniques for structuring essay reviews and management
• Identify different approaches for helping students navigate and maintain their voice throughout the writing and editing process

About this course:

Spring 2024 schedule.

Summer 2024 Schedule

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Ready to Apply? Here’s How.

Discover all the information you need below to get your UCLA application going. Learn more about the qualities and characteristics we’re looking for in our review process. Also, find out about important deadlines you won’t want to miss.

You’ll be graduating from high school or you’ve already graduated but have yet to enroll in any college or university.

You graduated from high school and have completed some college-level coursework beyond the summer following graduation.

International

You’re in your final year of secondary school or you’ve already completed it but are not currently enrolled in any college or university. Your secondary credential will qualify/qualifies you to enter a university in your home country.

Application

The University of California (UC) application opens August 1 and the period of time to submit an application for admission is October 1–November 30 .

Important Dates

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UC starts accepting applications

Last day to file UC applications

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What We Look For

We value applicants who challenge themselves with a rigorous curriculum in high school or secondary school and whose personal stories, rich experiences and leadership skills enhance their perspective and potential contributions to our campus community.

Student Profiles

When reviewing applications, we consider a wide variety of factors. See how the primary academic factors, which are more easily quantifiable, help shape the profile of our students.

Personal Insight Questions

Additional Information

• First-Generation Students
• Students With Disabilities
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• Reporting Changes to Applications

Guidance for the Use of Generative AI

About this guide:

Students and instructors are embracing ChatGPT (GPT-4 as of March 2023) and similar artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across disciplines for different learning goals. There is no one-size-fits-all best practice for their use. This document is meant as a guideline for instructors on what to consider as these tools evolve. We will provide strategies for adopting AI technologies in a responsible, ethical manner, and innovating within each discipline, major, and course. Exploring and communicating about the opportunities and limitations to using these tools will allow instructors and students to critically think about how knowledge is created.

Acknowledgements: This guide was a collaborative development which included contributions from the Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences, the Bruin Learn Center for Excellence, UCLA’s Online Teaching and Learning, Excellence in Pedagogy and Innovation in the Classroom, the Center for the Advancement of Teaching along with input from members of the Academic Senate, the Center for Accessible Education, Advanced Research Computing (Privacy and Governance), and University Registrar. Special thanks to Ava Arndt, Jess Gregg, Ilana Intonato, and Rachel Kennison for leading the writing and editing process.

UCLA Virtual Town Hall: What is ChatGPT and How Does it Relate to UCLA’s Academic Mission held on March 3, 2023, featured the following UCLA faculty panel:

• Dr. Safiya Noble, Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies; Interim Director, UCLA DataX Initiative
• Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan, Professor of Information Studies; Director, UC Digital Cultures Lab.
• Dr. John Villasenor, professor of Electrical Engineering, Public Policy, Law and Management; Faculty Co-Director, UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a “chatbot” developed by a private company called OpenAI. Users can enter question prompts and within seconds ChatGPT will produce text-based responses in the form of poems, essays, articles, letters and more. It can also create structured responses like tables, bulleted lists and quizzes. ChatGPT can provide translation and copy language style and structure. It can also be used to develop and debug programming code. New and expanded uses continue to be developed and launched. A similar tool called DALL-E uses AI to create art pieces, and other AI tools have been created or are in rapid development to do even more – music, animation, multimedia video, powerpoints – and the list goes on.

Are students using ChatGPT?

Yes, students have already been exploring and using it to support completion of their coursework. Some courses explicitly encourage the use of ChatGPT for assignments. However, one concern is that students may be using ChatGPT to draft responses to homework responses without learning the material, and this presents the challenges and opportunities for reflection on teaching and learning at this time.

Explore how ChatGPT works

CEILS Education Research Talk with Jess Gregg. Demo portion starts just after the 5 minute mark.

Revolutionizing Education with ChatGPT: How AI is Transforming the Way We Learn – Learning and Technology with Frank

Dig Deeper (article): How ChatGPT Works

Try out ChatGPT and Reflect: What are the opportunities?

Recommendation: Try out ChatGPT (or other AI tech) with your own course materials and assignments

Instructors can sign up for a free account at ChatGPT (or GPT-4) on Open AI’s platform . A first step in exploring the tool may be to enter some of your assignment prompts and assess the accuracy of the output. Then reflect on how you might embrace the tool or implement strategies that make use of the tool unnecessary.

PRO TIP: Including your students in the reflective process is also a learning opportunity to help them understand the benefits and limitations of the tool.

A few things to try:

• How would you evaluate the response provided by ChatGPT?
• Try modifying the prompt and see how that changes the response.
• Ask Chat GPT to synthesize text from large documents. For example, enter a 3500 word paper as a prompt, and ask ChatGPT to create an 18 slide PowerPoint presentation, with headings and bullet points, making a persuasive case for action.
• P rompt for writing samples specific to your area of expertise. For example, ask ChatGPT to generate a nurse practitioner note for a 53 year old male with hypertension presenting with shortness of breath and dizziness. Another example is to ask for an email introducing your upcoming course to enrolled students.
• Ask Chat GPT to translate something. Together with your students examine the translation to see how well it did. Ask for improvements, or consider when such translation capabilities might be
• If you teach students how to code , ask ChatGPT to correct incorrect code (debug code). Consider ways this might help students who are learning to code in your course.
• Reflect on the potential for ChatGPT to support student writing. Which writing skills do you feel are fundamental for students to do independent of artificial intelligence? How might ChatGPT facilitate the development of writing or problem solving skills?
• Have students use ChatGPT to write a draft and then have them edit what it produces or check for errors

Note: If you do not wish to create an account, reach out to your local teaching support to set up a consultation and explore your assignments together. There are also many demonstrations of ChatGPT available online that you can search and watch.

Ideas for Updating Your Course Activities with AI in Mind

Adjusting assignments and activities

• Ask students to use ChatGPT and “fact check” the response provided by finding primary and secondary sources to back up the information provided.
• Ask students to generate a first draft using ChatGPT then keep track changes in a document to refine/edit.
• Reflecting upon prompt engineering – -use prompting logic used by students to generate information and then provide a different prompt to help guide revision. Showcase that small changes can lead to major differences in output!
• The University of Wisconsin, Madison provides some examples for how to integrate AI into the writing process in your classroom

View this collaborative Google Doc: AI Examples and Resources to see examples and resources curated by UCLA’s teaching and learning community.

• Montclair State has created a guide that include “Practical Suggestions to Mitigate Non-Learning/Cheating”
• You can watch UCLA’s Will Conley, Department of Mathematics, provide a recorded overview of how to use Gradescope (approx. 56 mins). While we have now shifted to BruinLearn so the initial steps for linking to the gradebook will differ slightly, the within Gradescope interface is the same. At the 27 minute mark you can view what it looks like to see handwritten work submitted to Gradescope for streamlined digital grading by instructors and TAs.
• Require students make a connection to class discussions: Prompt students to explicitly reference in-class discussions, lecture material and course readings in their homework assignments. (Example: Share three takeaways from our in-class discussion on the issues with how Covid-19 testing was implemented across the US at the onset of the pandemic.)

Communicate: Talk With Your Students About AI

Discuss opportunities for AI to contribute positively to your discipline

Discuss the potential: Many of our students will go on to become leaders at organizations that utilize and/or develop new AI technologies. How will these tools support advancements in your field (medicine, science, art, music, humanities, health, and more)?

Prepare students for the future when they will work and interact with AI: This technology is likely to develop and become embedded in many parts of our lives. Preparing students to thoughtfully engage with it, co-create with it and be curious about and know how to interact with other technological developments as they occur.

Seize the opportunity to center the importance of critical thinking and digital literacy. Students will have the opportunity in the future to break the cycle of spreading disinformation, lack of journalistic integrity in news, and elevating accurate and factual research and scholarship. Emphasize the importance of digital literacy, research, and writing skills with students; connect students to library resources for research and writing. As educators, we have an obligation to help guide our students through many types of literacy, including digital media and AI literacy. UCLA’s WI+RE has created the Understanding Misinformation: A Lesson Plan Toolkit, that is geared towards educators who want to prepare students to learn about misinformation. We can get students to vet information like experts .

Lean in to talking to your students about how learning happens: Learning happens when actively engaging with the course material, through conversations and dialogue leading to deepening conceptual understanding.

Academic integrity: Provide clear expectations on how students should cite use of ChatGPT and AI in their work

Discuss Academic Integrity with Your Students:

One of the main concerns instructors have expressed is how to uphold academic integrity and prevent the misuse of tools like ChatGPT (intentional or not). These concerns include:

• Plagiarism (copying and pasting the response that the tool provides; running material through multiple AI generators to avoid detection)
• Lack of proper citation of sources
• Inaccurate, misleading, biased, false, or limited information in responses to question prompts. While some AI detectors have been recently developed, it is unclear how effective they will be long-term and early reports indicate that individuals can easily avoid detection through simple modifications to produced text.

The  UCLA Student Conduct Code  states, “Unless otherwise specified by the faculty member, all submissions, whether in draft or final form, to meet course requirements (including a paper, project, exam, computer program, oral presentation, or other work) must either be the Student’s own work, or must clearly acknowledge the source.” Unless an instructor indicates otherwise, the use of ChatGPT or other AI tools for course assignments is akin to receiving assistance from another person and raises the same concern that work is not the student’s own. Please communicate this to your students, and consider incorporating this language into your syllabus.

Teaching Assistants will be seeking guidance on how to discuss ChatGPT with students and what to do if they suspect submitted work may be AI generated. In addition to talking with your students, make space for conversations with your TAs and other instructional team members to explore this topic and co-construct guidelines.

The ultimate decision and responsibility for how to teach about AI and the establishment of or revision of course policies related to its use lies with the instructor.

View this collaborative Google Doc: AI Examples and Resources to see examples ( including Syllabus Language and Policy Language ) and resources curated by UCLA’s teaching and learning community.

Talk with your students about ethical issues and limitations related to AI development and use

Discuss the ethical issues and limitations  of AI

Facilitate discussions with your students on the impacts of spreading disinformation or biased information, lack of regulation of companies that develop these technologies, and other dangers. While students will likely still continue to use ChatGPT and other tools like it, it is crucial that our community has this shared understanding of both dangers and opportunities.

These technologies are not infallible and their accuracy is subject to a variety of factors, some listed below:

• Prone to filling in replies with incorrect data if there is not enough information available on a subject.
• Lack the ability to understand the context of a particular situation, which can result in inaccurate outputs.
• Large, uncurated datasets scraped from the internet are full of biased data that then informs the models.
• Data is collected from the past, it tends to have a regressive bias that fails to reflect the progress of social movements.

Our nation has yet to catch up to the regulation needed to prevent the potential for tremendous harm when false or biased information is taken as fact. Our community must continue to explore the value and innovation that can come from AI while simultaneously contributing to the dialog about these potential harms.

Share current examples of scholarly discussion on this topic.

As our own UCLA experts have shared with our instructional community during the recent UCLA Virtual Town Hall: What is ChatGPT and How Does it Relate to UCLA’s Academic Mission , there are concerns about the ethics and practices around tools like ChatGPT. Algorithms can and do replicate and produce biased, racist, sexist, etc. outputs, along with incorrect and/or misleading information.

Additional Examples:

• Educause – Special Report on Artificial Intelligence
• Noam Chomsky: The False Implications of ChatGPT
• Schools Must Embrace the Looming Disruption of ChatGPT

Be proactive in discussing concerns around privacy and intellectual property that students may have

On Requiring the Use of ChatGPT: Creating an account to use ChatGPT requires sharing of personal information. Depending on context, the use of ChatGPT may also mean sharing student intellectual property or student education records with ChatGPT under their terms and conditions of use. Individual students may have legitimate concerns and therefore may be unwilling to create an account. Discuss these concerns and consider alternatives.

• If you will be requiring use of ChatGPT, consider making this explicit in the syllabus (for a related example of considerations related to privacy, see Privacy Tips for Your Syllabus ).

Protecting student privacy as required by FERPA : Academic records, such as examinations and course assignments, are considered a student record and protected by FERPA. For example, ChatGPT should not be used to draft initial feedback on a student’s submitted essay that included their identifying information. Asking ChatGPT to respond to question prompts would not be a FERPA violation, as no student information is provided to ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is currently in the process of review through UCLA’s Third Party Risk Management to understand where there will be gaps in accessibility and security.

Ensure equity and accessibility concerns are addressed

As with any emerging technology, ChatGPT may not always be accessible by individuals with disabilities. Open a conversation with the Center for Accessible Education (CAE) for ideas on exploring accessible alternatives. As always, we encourage faculty to use this sample syllabus language to direct a student toward CAE to discuss their options for accommodations and support. Requests for support should be directed to [email protected] or the student’s listed Disability Specialist on their accommodation letter.

As the technology evolves, there may be a cost to using it, so continuing to revisit your learning goals and activities with respect to access is a critical equity issue.

Examples and Resources

Featured ucla resources.

WEBSITE: UCLA Online Teaching and Learning – Information on Chat GPT and AI – Resources from UCLA Online Teaching and Learning

CURATED RESOURCE LIST: Generative AI Tools and Resources – From Dr. Kim DeBacco, Senior Instructional Designer UCLA Online Teaching and Learning

SUBSTACK POST: “Carving out time to learn: A conversation with ChatGPT” – From Caroline Kong, Instructional Designer and Technologist at the Center for the Advancement of Teaching

RECORDED WEBINAR: “What’s All the Buzz About ChatGPT and AI in Higher Ed?”

RECORDED WEBINAR: UCLA Virtual Town Hall: What is ChatGPT and How Does it Relate to UCLA’s Academic Mission

RECORDINGS AND RESOURCES: AI in Action – Events brought to you by UCLA’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT), the Center for Education, Innovation, and Learning in the Sciences (CEILS), the Excellence in Pedagogy and Innovative Classrooms program (EPIC), Online Teaching and Learning (OTL), the Bruin Learn Center of Excellence (CoE), the Writing Programs, and Humanities Technology (HumTech)

UCLA NEWSROOM ARTICLE: “Can AI and creativity coexist?” – In a joint interview, UCLA professors Jacob Foster and Danny Snelson discuss how chatbots could be used in teaching, offer historic analogs for the current AI explosion and opine about whether technology is actually capable of creativity.

Example Syllabi Language and Activity Ideas

View this collaborative Google Doc: AI Examples and Resources to see examples and resources curated by UCLA’s teaching and learning community. This includes syllabus language, assignment ideas, and other strategies shared by instructors from UCLA and across the US.

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UCLA Law’s immigration center scores a big win in federal court for humanitarian parole

Clients of UCLA School of Law’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) earned a big win in federal court earlier this month, when they prevailed in their legal defense to uphold a Biden administration program that gives temporary legal status to certain people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV).

On March 8, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas let the CHNV program continue because Texas and other states that had sued to end the plan do not have standing. Last year, seven people – including a schoolteacher, a doctor and a retiree – joined the United States as defendants in the case , Texas v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security , to preserve the CHNV program, which allows humanitarian parole to thousands of immigrants. They were represented by CILP, the Justice Action Center and RAICES .

Monika Langarica, who is a CILP senior staff attorney, defended the program in court and co-wrote a letter to the editor of The New York Times at the start of the trial, in August 2023, which set forth the issues at stake: “Our clients span the political spectrum; they are Black, white and Latino, with diverse reasons for sponsoring their global neighbors. They are united by one thing: They recognize that communities have as much — or more — to gain by welcoming newcomers as the newcomers themselves.”

During the trial, Langarica delivered the opening argument and examined the only witness in the case. Throughout the case, she and other CILP advocates – including UCLA Law student Joshua Behrens ’24, who worked on the case as a CILP summer fellow – played a lead role in all aspects of the litigation, including trial strategy, brief writing and witness preparation.

“It was an honor to be a part of CILP’s crucial work defending the freedom to welcome, and I am heartened that thousands more Americans will get to reunite with their loved ones because of this ruling,” Behrens says.

After the judge issued his recent ruling, Langarica was again quoted in The New York Times . She said, “Today’s decision is a victory for people who have jumped at the opportunity to sponsor loved ones under this program, and it is a critical repudiation of Texas’s attempt to hold immigration policy hostage for the entire country.”

Watch a video in which Langarica explains the significance of the victory.

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A conversation with Louis Gutierrez, Chief Human Resources Officer at Los Angeles World Airports & Laura Kirrin, Head of Human Resources at Clare V.

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Five Takeaways From Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Essay on the ‘Colorblindness’ Trap

How a 50-year campaign has undermined the progress of the civil rights movement.

By Nikole Hannah-Jones

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a staff writer at the magazine and the creator of The 1619 Project. She also teaches race and journalism at Howard University.

Last June, the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action in college admissions was not constitutional. After the decision, much of the discussion was about its impact on the complexions of college campuses. But in an essay in The Times Magazine, I argue that we were missing the much bigger and more frightening story: that the death of affirmative action marks the culmination of a radical 50-year strategy to subvert the goal of colorblindness put forth by civil rights activists, by transforming it into a means of undermining racial justice efforts in a way that will threaten our multiracial democracy.

What do I mean by this? Here are the basic points of my essay:

The affirmative-action ruling could bring about sweeping changes across American society.

Conservatives are interpreting the court’s ruling broadly, and since last summer, they have used it to attack racial-justice programs outside the field of higher education. Since the decision, conservative groups have filed and threatened lawsuits against a range of programs that consider race, from diversity fellowships at law firms to maternal-health programs. One such group has even challenged the medical school of Howard University, one of the nation’s pre-eminent historically Black universities. Founded to educate people who had been enslaved, Howard’s mission has been to serve Black Americans who had for generations been systematically excluded from American higher education. These challenges to racial-justice programs will have a lasting impact on the nation’s ability to address the vast disparities that Black people experience.

Conservatives have co-opted the civil rights language of ‘colorblindness.’

In my essay, I demonstrate that these challenges to racial-justice programs often deploy the logic of “colorblindness,” the idea that the Constitution prohibits the use of race to distinguish citizens and that the goal of a diverse, democratic nation should be a society in which race does not determine outcomes for anyone. Civil rights leaders used the idea of colorblindness to challenge racial apartheid laws and policies, but over the last 50 years, conservatives have successfully co-opted both the rhetoric and the legal legacy of the civil rights era not to advance racial progress, but to stall it. And, I’d argue, reverse it.

Though the civil rights movement is celebrated and commemorated as a proud period in American history, it faced an immediate backlash. The progressive activists who advanced civil rights for Black Americans argued that in a society that used race against Black Americans for most of our history, colorblindness is a goal. They believed that achieving colorblindness requires race-conscious policies, such as affirmative action, that worked specifically to help Black people overcome their disadvantages in order to get to a point where race no longer hindered them. Conservatives, however, invoke the idea of colorblindness to make the case that race-conscious programs, even to help those whose race had been used against them for generations, are antithetical to the Constitution. In the affirmative-action decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, embraced this idea of colorblindness, saying: “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

The Supreme Court’s decision undermines attempts to eliminate racial inequality that descendants of slavery suffer.

But mandating colorblindness in this way erases the fact that Black Americans still suffer inequality in every measurable aspect of American life — from poverty to access to quality neighborhoods and schools to health outcomes to wealth — and that this inequality stems from centuries of oppressive race-specific laws and policies. This way of thinking about colorblindness has reached its legal apotheosis on the Roberts court, where through rulings on schools and voting the Supreme Court has helped constitutionalize a colorblindness that leaves racial disparities intact while striking down efforts to ameliorate them.

These past decisions have culminated in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which can be seen as the Supreme Court clearing the way to eliminate the last legal tools to try to level the playing field for people who descend from slavery.

Affirmative action should not simply be a tool for diversity but should alleviate the particular conditions of descendants of slavery.

Part of the issue, I argue, is that the purpose of affirmative action got muddled in the 1970s. It was originally designed to reduce the suffering and improve the material conditions of people whose ancestors had been enslaved in this country. But the Supreme Court’s decision in the 1978 Bakke case changed the legally permissible goals of affirmative action, turning it into a generalized diversity program. That has opened the door for conservatives to attack the program for focusing on superficial traits like skin color, rather than addressing affirmative action's original purpose, which was to provide redress for the disadvantages descendants of slavery experienced after generations of oppression and subordination.

Working toward racial justice is not just the moral thing to do, but it is also crucial to our democracy.

When this country finally abolished slavery, it was left with a fundamental question: How does a white-majority nation, which wielded race-conscious policies and laws to enslave and oppress Black people, create a society in which race no longer matters? After the short-lived period of Reconstruction, lawmakers intent on helping those who had been enslaved become full citizens passed a slate of race-conscious laws. Even then, right at the end of slavery, the idea that this nation owed something special to those who had suffered under the singular institution of slavery faced strident opposition, and efforts at redress were killed just 12 years later with Reconstruction’s end. Instead, during the nearly 100-year period known as Jim Crow, descendants of slavery were violently subjected to a dragnet of racist laws that kept them from most opportunities and also prevented America from becoming a true democracy. During the civil rights era, when Black Americans were finally assured full legal rights of citizenship, this question once again presented itself: In order to address the disadvantage Black Americans faced, do we ignore race to eliminate its power, or do we consciously use race to undo its harms? Affirmative action and other racial-justice programs were born of that era, but now, once again, we are in a period of retrenchment and backlash that threatens the stability of our nation. My essay argues that if we are to preserve our multiracial democracy, we must find a way to address our original sin.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice. Her extensive reporting in both print and radio has earned a Pulitzer Prize, National Magazine Award, Peabody and a Polk Award. More about Nikole Hannah-Jones

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Federal Highway Administration

Program analyst pathways student intern.

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Don’t Delay – Start Your Internship Today with FHWA!

The Office of Infrastructure is hiring a Program Analyst Pathways Student Intern (GS-0399-04/05/07 – $19.33 to $34.84 hourly) in Washington, DC. To apply, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/job/781977700 (open to U.S. Citizens). This internship announcement closes on 04/09/2024.

This is a developmental position within FHWA’s Office of Infrastructure. The position is designed to provide interns with challenging assignments that will broaden their perspectives on issues facing the government and prepare them for future positions throughout the government.

The Program Analyst Pathways Student Intern will have the opportunity to work in FHWA’s Office of Infrastructure and will assist higher-level staff with support in the coordination, facilitation, and implementation of the operations within that office. This position will provide students an opportunity to be exposed and to participate in activities, innovations, and challenges facing the transportation industry today. You will:

• Assist the Web Manager and the Marketing and Communications Specialist in the management and tracking of deliverables (reports, presentations, videos, web tasks, social media post).
• Assist in developing and maintaining documents, sites, logs, lists, and other pertinent information.
• Facilitate Section 508 conformance and remediation to ensure accessibility of work products.
• Assist team members in developing and managing web updates for the office content, including building Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), and managing the logical structure of websites.
• Use available software tools, such as Microsoft 365 Apps (e.g., SharePoint, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, Forms, PowerBI, and others) to complete work tasks.

The ideal candidate is a student dedicated to public service and working as a part of the Executive Branch.

The ideal candidate possesses strong organizational skills, attention to detail and strong technical writing and editing skills.

The ideal candidate is skilled in Microsoft Office and web work, learns quickly, and works well independently and as part of a team.

The ideal candidate is also technologically savvy and is skilled in developing and managing web content.

Jazz Violinist, Composer and Educator Regina Carter Joins Faculty at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Celebrated Musician Carter Brings Her Voice of the Violin to Students of UCLA

Los Angeles, CA, March 27, 2024

Regina Carter, the acclaimed jazz violinist who has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (2007), a Doris Duke Award (2018), and honored as an NEA Jazz Master Fellow (2023), will join The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty in 2024. Carter will teach courses in jazz performance and history and urban musical culture. Her teachings will also offer lessons and masterclasses for School of Music students.

Carter, known for her mastery of the violin across multiple musical genres, is a three-time Grammy Award nominee, most recently for best improvised jazz solo on “Pachamama,” on Thana Alexa’s 2020 album Ona . She was also nominated for best improvised jazz solo in 2018 for “Some of that Sunshine” on Karrin Allyson’s album of the same name, and for best jazz instrumental solo in 2002 for “Fragile,” on Freefall , an album she recorded with pianist Kenny Barron.

 “We are thrilled to welcome Regina Carter,” said Eileen Strempel, inaugural dean of the School of Music. “She has achieved a stellar career by pursuing her passion for excellence and forever taking musical risks. She is the embodiment of what it means to be a twenty-first century musician.”

Carter’s career has continually defied boundaries. She joined the Detroit Civic Symphony at the age of 12 and continued her studies at the New England Conservatory and at Oakland University in Michigan. She moved to New York, where she established herself as a leading jazz violinist. Her self-titled first CD, released in 1995, highlighted her virtuosic talents in R&B-inflected jazz. She has since collaborated with artists and fused styles ranging from Afro-Cuban and southern blues to bebop to European classical music. Carter has also served on the faculties of the New Jersey City University and the Manhattan School of Music.

In 2001 she became the first jazz violinist (and the first Black musician, and the first woman) to perform a concert in Genoa on Niccoló Paganini’s famed (1743) violin, “Il Cannone.” The concert’s critical and popular reception earned Carter international fame, and also led Genoa to take the hitherto unprecedented step of allowing Carter to transport the violin to New York for a concert, and to record her 2003 album, Paganini: After a Dream.  

“Regina Carter is a generational talent, and she practically reinvented jazz violin,” said Steve Loza, professor and chair of global jazz studies at UCLA. “She’s also an accomplished teacher and collaborator, so we are all excited to have her here.”

For Carter, one of the great strengths of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music is its twenty-first century curriculum. “The students explore many things in the School of Music,” said Carter. “music theory and practice, sound engineering, world music courses, jazz, all of it. The program doesn’t lock students down. It’s important to get a broad education, in order to be prepared for the real life of a musician.”

Carter believes that the opportunity to extend a hand to the next generation is one of the most important parts of joining the UCLA faculty of the School of Music. “I hope to inspire creative transformations within young musicians,” she said.

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Contact Information

Russell Kelban Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing [email protected] (310) 486-8953

For more information, visit us at www.schoolofmusic.ucla.edu . Follow us @UCLAalpert #ThisisUCLAmusic on Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn