Big Change to UC Application Requirements Stressing Students Out

As the school year was about to end, three friends gathered in the college counseling room at Foshay Learning Center, a K-12 public school near the University of Southern California. Dozens of college pennants hung from the ceiling and the walls were plastered with posters with tips on how to prepare for and apply for college.

The friends talked about one of the biggest headaches on the University of California undergraduate application: the personal statement essay.

Senior Jocelyn Sandoval took hers out of her backpack.

"I think it showed my leadership, and I think it showed how I react to certain situations and it kind of showed my potential, my ability to move on and work within certain circumstances," she said.

She must have nailed it: She'll be attending UCLA in the fall.

Her friend, 11th grader Ariana Reyes, looks up to Sandoval's accomplishments because she also wants to attend UCLA, to study biology. But Sandoval's tips on how to write her personal statement won't help Reyes much: This year, the UC system announced that it's completely overhauling the essay section of its application.

While Sandoval wrote two essays when she submitted her application last year, Reyes and the hundreds of thousands of other high school seniors preparing their applications for this fall must write four.

Read the full story via KPCC