50 Successful University of California Application Essays: Get into the Top UC Colleges and Other Selective Schools

This book appears to be very informative and useful for UC applicants working on their essays. The variety of comments and analysis by experienced advisors who contribute to the book are perhaps the best part. The UC admissions essay readers have a tough job sorting through them and looking for something of distinction. As a parent reading through these essays, one does get a bit jaded about the process, however, which seems in part geared toward rewarding (or at least admitting) those kids who write about their assorted disadvantaged backgrounds and how they overcame them. The "disadvantaged" are sort of at an "advantage" here. Of course, the UC brochures and websites, as well as those of other many institutions, also picture such well-intended policies, so it makes sense to use this theme in one of the essays. We were also surprised that a few of the other "successful" essays displayed self-confidence to the point of arrogance, which in my opinion has no place in a teenage kid with little world experience trying to get into college. It won't write your essays for you, but this book is thought-provoking and worthwhile. Thanks

This book goes through list of 25 common essay mistakes and then interviews a few people who have been UC admission officers with few questions for Q&A and then has 50 sample essays that analysis of each. It just provides overall generalization about how to approach the college essays for UC schools but may not be helpful to those who don't know how to go about writing the actual essay.