California Colleges and Universities

With over 600,000 students enrolled, California colleges and universities attract a lot of interest.

They're all listed here, starting with the community colleges and then moving to the four-year schools. If by some odd chance I missed one, please let me know!

Interested in the public California Colleges:

October 1, 2008: The University of California, and the Cal State University, 2009 Applications, will be online. The application essay prompts for the UC system are found on page 16 of the applications instruction booklet.

The filing period for the University of California system is November 1 to November 30, 2008. That means 11:59 P.M., Nov. 30th.In the U.C. system, students have until December 31st to complete testing requirements.

The Cal State University system filing dates are October 1 to November 30th, with all testing to be completed by October 31, 2008.

UC Essay topics, 2009 for 2010 entering freshmen applicants

Your personal statement—consisting of responses totwo prompts—is your chance to tell us who you areand what’s important to you. Think of it as your opportunityto introduce yourself to the people readingyour application.

Be open, be honest, be real. What you tell us in yourpersonal statement gives readers the context to better understandthe rest of the information you’ve provided in your application.

A couple of tips:

Instructions:• Respond to both prompts, using a maximum of 1,000 words total.

• You may allocate the word count as you wish. If you chooseto respond to one prompt at greater length, we suggest yourshorter answer be no less than 250 words.

• Stay within the word limit as closely as you can. A littleover — 1,012 words, for example — is fine.

PROMPT #1

Freshman applicants: Describe the world you come from — forexample, your family, community or school — and tell us howyour world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Transfer applicants: What is your intended major? Discusshow your interest in the subject developed and describe anyexperience you have had in the field — such as volunteer work,internships and employment, participation in student organizationsand activities — and what you have gained from yourinvolvement.

PROMPT #2

All applicants: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment,contribution or experience that is important to you.What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proudand how does it relate to the person you are?

Following the personal statement, there’s a section called AdditionalComments. I recommend using this opportunity to tell more about yourself.

Use this space—up to 500 words—to tell us anything youwant us to know about you or your academic record that you havenot had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in the application.

While most private colleges and universities require either the SAT or the ACT, the requirements for the SAT SubSubject Matter Tests vary, so check this out carefully.

Pets and College

Please. When you arrive at your apartment at the beginning of the school year, DON'T go to the animal shelter to adopt a pet (usually a kitten.) What some students do is to indifferently care for the animal during the year, perhaps not even spaying or neutering.

Then if the animal has kittens, and you may find equally indifferent homes for them. They are left to roam and be killed, abused by others, or killed by animals or cars. IN addition, they reproduce, over and over. More sad, homeless animals that will only live long enough to reproduce.

AND, at the end of the school year, you leave the animal to fend alone at your apartment complex.

Or perhaps, you shove the pregnant animal outside, thinking it can fend for itself. (It can't.)

As a Humane Society volunteer, I cannot tell you how awful this is, and how irresponsible it is of people to do this.

BY THE WAY: If this behavior describes you: DON'T tell people you love animals, because you don't.

IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED, GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO THE ANIMAL YOU WILL BE NEGLECTING/ABUSING.

Minority Students

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