uc davis waitlist essay

How to answer the personal insight questions

Your responses to the personal insight questions are an important component of your freshman or transfer application. Your responses allow us to get to know you through your experiences and accomplishments.

Freshman Personal Insight Questions

Freshman applicants must respond to four short-answer prompts chosen from  eight options . There is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain prompts over others, and each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.

Transfer Personal Insight Questions

Transfer applicants must respond to four short-answer prompts—one mandatory prompt and their choice of three from the other  seven options . There is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain prompts over others, and each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.

Writing a Successful Response

Your responses should elaborate upon any insights you gained or how your outlook, activities, commitment or goals have been influenced.

• Provide specific examples of experiences, accomplishments, etc. that occurred during or after high school that weren’t captured in your application.
• Keep your responses focused on conveying your strengths and positive qualities.
• Write a first draft, leave it for a day or two, and return to make revisions. Read each draft aloud to catch misspellings or awkward or inappropriate wording.
• Review your responses as if you were making the final decision. Is this the application of a future leader?
• Have your responses checked by a teacher, counselor or other advisor for clarity.

Common Pitfalls

• Writing about events that are long past
• Reiterating information listed elsewhere in the application
• Listing accomplishments without explanation or detail
• Rambling, unfocused thoughts
• Being overly humorous, self-deprecating or glorifying

Instructions for Scholarship Applicants

Some scholarship committees review your responses to the personal insight questions while other scholarships, such as the  Cal Aggie Alumni Association scholarships , may require separate applications and essays. Please visit our  scholarships  page to learn more about scholarships available at UC Davis.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, uc davis waitlist acceptance rate.

Does anyone have any idea about the UC Davis waitlist acceptance rate? I've been waitlisted, and I'm trying to gauge my chances of getting in. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

While the acceptance rate for waitlisted students at UC Davis can vary from year to year, it's helpful to consider some historical data. In the past, the reported waitlist acceptance rate has been around 30%. It's important to note that the number of students accepted from the waitlist can vary widely from year to year, though, based on factors such as the number of admitted students who enroll or the university's target size for the incoming class.

In the meantime, it's a good idea to have a backup plan in case you're not accepted off the waitlist. Make sure to secure a spot at another school where you've been accepted, and continue to explore your options. You can also take this time to evaluate whether you'd like to pursue any additional opportunities, such as a gap year or an alternative program.

Remember that being waitlisted means the admissions committee saw potential in your application, so don't get discouraged. Keep an eye on any communications from UC Davis, as they may provide updates or additional information about your waitlist status. And finally, sending in a letter of continued interest can help you maximize your chances of getting in off the waitlist - you can read more about how to write this letter on CollegeVine's blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/deferred-or-waitlisted-tips-for-writing-a-letter-of-continued-interest.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

How To Write The UC Waitlist Essay

Congratulations! We want you in our school… except. Not really. Sort of. You can only attend our school if you can write the UC waitlist essay and get accepted.

Hearing that news can be a real bummer, especially since not everyone even knows how to write the UC waitlist essay, let alone have the energy after anticipating admissions results for so long. Is it worth applying to a school you were waitlisted for? Well, you already know that it’s worth it –there’s not much else to do in the final years after college admissions anyway.

Here at PenningPapers, we agree. You should write the UC waitlist essay to see if you can get accepted.

Here’s how it works: The waitlist requirement is usually either an essay or letter; you typically need to write to express why you are a “perfect fit” for the school. In those writings, you need to stand out above the rest since, unlike the personal statement, these are way shorter. So you need to prioritize the things that make you unique compared to the other waitlisted applicants.

In this article, we will give a brief overview of the UC waitlist essay prompt and what it’s asking. Then, we will show you how to write the UC waitlist essay and cover some important points and tips to keep in mind. We’ll also provide you with a rough essay structure on how to tackle it. Here’s what we have as an example waitlist prompt.

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The odds may be in your favor if you put in the effort to send in the essay or letter. For example, UC Davis has been sending this prompt:

“Please briefly tell us why you feel UC Davis is the right place for you to continue your education. Please limit your response to 200 words. Note that you will only be able to submit your essay once, so please review it carefully before submitting.”

We know, it’s cruel to have to complete yet another writing prompt after having anticipated the admissions results for so long. To add salt to the wound, you’re limited to 200 words. That’s going to keep your writing at a stranglehold.

For other schools like UC Berkeley the word count is within 500 words which, even though it is a bit more, is still daunting. As we said –and we say it a lot because it’s true—the essay must stand out above the rest if you want to be move from waitlisted to enrolled. Here are some tips that can help with the writing process for you to stand above the rest:

Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the official University of California website and their page on waitlists! You can find their page here.

UC Waitlist Essay Tips

Demonstrate passion and a will to commitment.

If you haven’t done this in the regular UC admissions essay, we highly recommend that you do this in the waitlist essay. Make sure that you write your admissions essay with a tone of seriousness and commitment. Showing that you’re dedicated to one school will prove that you’re worth getting put off the waitlist and they will know that they can make use of a student who actually wants to attend.

Take Your Time To Organize Your Thoughts

Even though the deadline for theses essays or letters are usually very short, you shouldn’t be rushing your waitlist essay. Remember: you can’t afford to be sloppy, especially when admissions officers are trying to finalize their class size and the number of students to admit to the school. Also be sure to be more specific with your points whilst organizing the structure of your waitlist essay, you don’t want to leave any of your admissions officers in obscurity. They should know why you’re competent and why you’re a good fit and why you will commit to their school.

Prioritize Why You Deserve To Be In This School

This is very short. Make sure that you are concise with this part because details that don’t add to anything will ultimately fog up the clarity of the waitlist essay. Waitlist essay are short, so your admissions officers will be swift with it; they need to get the main point and fast. Also make sure to look for other reasons you may be qualified or worthy of attending the school, whether it be achievements or experiences. Look for more reasons, but not too much; there’s still only about 200 words for most waitlist essays.

Use Your Experience

Make sure if you’re adding worthwhile experiences you’ve made in the waitlist essay that they are not only a good sign of your capability, leadership, or character, but they are also within the past few years and relatively recent. Keep in mind that you also want to make sure that these experiences are aimed toward your intended major or field of study. An obvious example would be talking about your internship at a lab and how that contributes to your passion for a career in biology.

It is possible the write about experiences that are not directly related to your intended major and still make a good waitlist essay, it just must be done right. If you don’t have any experiences relevant to your field of study, talk to us and we can show you what to write in our free consultation!

Do Some Research.

Though this is NOT always necessary, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing background research about the school and its possible research or ongoing projects. Schools love to know about the value that you can directly provide for them; the more obvious the benefits are for them, the better. Perhaps you admire one of the professor’s work and would love to contribute to it in the near future. It may also be the case that the school has a strong program in a certain field that is very much relevant to a side project that you yourself have been working on.

Proofread (The Right Way).

Yeah, we know. Giving advice like “proofread your work” is like advice from an IKEA manual. It’s true, but not very helpful. If you want to know how to write the UC waitlist essay effectively, you’re probably looking for that “one cool secret” right?

Sadly, that doesn’t exist. But hey! we’re not leaving you empty-handed!

That’s why we’re not just telling you to proofread like you would with any essay. We’re asking that you proofread the most effective way.

You first need to run your waitlist essay through a grammar corrector to sieve out all the mistakes. You should then only have your eyes proofread your work briefly before having at least three outside sources proofread your work. This is to avoid writer’s tunnel vision.

We highly recommend you speak to at least one college admissions professional , as teachers and counselors may always be preoccupied with other things in mind to provide 110% of their efforts.

Also remember that this is your last step before you press the submit button and damn yourself to the admissions officer’s judgment with no turning back!

How to Structure Your Waitlist Essay

When considering how to write the UC waitlist essay as well as possible, remember that the structure should be straightforward and more precise than the admissions essay. That doesn’t mean powerful language is not advised, but the essay will be more of a strict demonstration of your skills and how it separates you from the rest.

• Start with some experience or update about yourself that you did not include in the personal statement.
• Mention how the school and you are a good fit with each other.
• Provide some details and explain how you will fit into the environment of the school.
• Conclude with being direct in how you want to attend the school. This can more like a commitment that you want to go to this school

Even though these waitlist essays are short, you still need to take your time with them since these will give you a small chance to open the doors to your dream school.

Yeah. We know the questions usually only ask, “Why do you want to go here?”, but it’s usually more than that. It usually also their way of asking you, “what qualities have you not told us yet that make you a great fit for our school?”

Still unsure how to write the UC waitlist essay? Not sure if your waitlist essays have what it takes to beat out the competition? Afraid you won’t get accepted into a UC school? You might want to consider talking to us for a free essay analysis and review session! Our expert advice and review will pinpoint the critical mistakes you’ve made in the essay!

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UC Davis Waitlist Discussion Class of 2024

Please post your questions and discussion information on this thread. Best of luck to all Waitlisted students.

Here are the Waitlist numbers for 2019:

Waitlist offers: 10,641 Waitlist opt-ins: 3,458 Waitlist admits: 1,971

Hi! I got waitlisted by Davis and I applied for the major comparative literature. I was undering if majors are taken into consideration when they are admitting students off the waitlist. Since I applied for a (im guessing) pretty unpopular major in Davis it might be easier for me to get in?

@Leah0807 : UCD does not admit by major in the College of Letters and Sciences but by division so you would be competing against all the other Humanities based majors. I cannot say if it will be easier based on your major. All you can do is opt into the waitlist, get excited about the schools that accept you and hope for the best.

Okok thanks! I also wanted to ask if there is anything other than the essay prompt from davis that I can do to increase my chances. I asked my counselor and she said to send a recommendation letter through email. (even though the UCs dont accept recommendation letters). UCD is my dream school and I am really desperate to increase the chances of me getting in!

@Leah0807 : Do not send any other documentation beyond the essay since UCD will ask for additional information if they need it.

When do they usually start sending waitlist decisions? Is it around May 25 and the latest they’ll tell you is June 30? Will waitlists be delayed due to the virus?

@bethiew : Last year, waitlisted students heard around 5/6 and the year before around 5/25. No one can say how much of an impact the Covid 19 will have on the waitlists. All you can do is SIR to another school by May 1 and hope for the best.

What goes into consideration when they make their decisions on who gets accepted from the waitlist and who doesn’t?

@sjbd16 : Your waitlist essay will be the main consideration along with availability of spots.

Since UCD amits by divisions, not majors, will talking specifically about the major I applied for in the waitlist letter be a good idea? Or should I go for other points.

@Leah0807 : You can talk about your intended major and why UCD would be your top choice. I would refer to specific professor’s (if possible) or aspects of the program that you feel would benefit you academically.

Thank you!! And also do they look at my four UC application essays again when they are admitting off of the waitlist or do they only look at the new essay?

@Leah0807 : I would imagine they will re-review your original application along with new your essay to determine whom they will accept off the waitlist.

On the common data set, it says last year the number of students accepted off the waitlist was less than one percent. However, I see the numbers that you posted in some sources as well. I’m not sure which to believe… does anyone know about this?

2018 Waitlist stats (from 2018-2019 common dataset)

Waitlist offers: 9213 Waitlist opt-ins: 3207 Waitlist admits: 24

2019 Waitlist stats: (common dataset for 2019-2020 not available. Data taken from UC counselor conference link):

That’s such a huge difference! Makes me a little nervous as it’s impossible to infer how many they’ll admit this year.

I just submitted my waitlist application and the additional comments disappeared after i submitted them and re-opened the application update form. Is this supposed to happen?

Additional comments seem to disappear for everyone once we submit. I think it goes to them, it’s just not visible to us anymore. Someone else said this in a different forum btw.

I submitted my waitlist app for psych a few days ago. With my fall grades, I have a 4.12 UC GPA and a 1410 SAT. I wrote about how UC Davis is my top choice in my essay and mentioned many specific things and values that I like about the school. My extracurriculars aren’t that great (mainly art-focused) and I didn’t take a math course senior year. However, I said that I was planning on taking statistics for college credit over the summer. I’m from a competitive school in the peninsula. Do you think I have a chance?

DS got off the waitlist today.

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'Chemistry and Psychology' - Waitlist Essay for UC Davis

pttash16 1 / -   Mar 25, 2012   #1 As a young adult entering college, I have set realistic goals for myself and know exactly what I want. Since the beginning of my freshman year in high school, I have aimed to attend the University of California, Davis. As the years have gone on, my endless research only confirms my initial decision. Having an equal interest in Chemistry and Psychology, it's not difficult to understand why my number one choice is UCD. UCD's College of Letters and Science is the largest out of the four undergraduate colleges. My two number one choices coexist in this college. This year has taught me a lot about myself. I am currently taking AP Psychology and have grown quite fond of the study of mental and behavior processes. So much so that I feel it has become a passion along with Chemistry. In addition to academics, I plan to become involved in clubs at UCD. My four years in high school were enjoyable because of the many clubs I joined and new friends I made. I find that being involved in your school is very important. I am confident that no matter which path I take, I will be successful in my four years at UCD.

eftekharizade 2 / 4   Jan 29, 2015   #2 ...As the years were going on... after present perfect use simple past or past continuous.