Application Strengthening 101

To simplify the Application Strengthening 101 workshop, we will focus on the UC application as PASS is in affiliation to UC Berkeley. To find out more about other applications, please visit the General Information Page.

Part 1 : Understanding Holistic Review

Definition is the overall explanation. Translation is what this means for you as a transfer student.

Definition :

Holistic review is an admissions process where colleges evaluate applicants as a whole person rather than just focusing on academic metrics like GPA and test scores. This approach considers multiple factors, including personal experiences, leadership, challenges overcome, and contributions to the community.

Comprehensive review is an admissions process similar to holistic review where UC campuses consider other things other than GPA such as factors mentioned in holistic review. Key difference between comprehensive review is more weight and emphasis on academic results such as GPA or coursework rigor (ie ; honors).

*UCs do not discuss with one another about each applicant.

Learn More About Holistic Review Here!

Tip : Consider doing Tranfer Admission Preparation (TAP) , an honors coursepath that makes your application more competively when being comprehensively reviewed!

Learn more in the Course Mapping Page!

Translation :

For community college students, a holistic review in college admissions means that transfer applications are evaluated beyond just GPA for UCs other than UC Riverside and UC Merced - but transfer applicants will be reviewed more comprehensively! UCs do comprehensive review for their transfer applicants as they look for major preparations as students are entering upper division courses by the time they transfer . However, each UCs prioritize review factors differently from one another!

For example : UC Berkeley emphasizes leadership and intellectual curiosity, while UCLA prioritizes wellrounded applicants in both academics and extracurriculars!

See chart below for more information on each UC's factor prioritization!

UC Campus Holistic Review Chart

Part 2 : Personal Information

Personal Information

Tip : To simplify the process of inputting personal information or if you plan on doing other types of application (ie. CSUs), create a document including all your personal information. This can include all your extracurriculars you'd like to talk about or test scores, or explaining circumstances.

Tip: Prepare all your information ahead of time! Gather high school transcripts, gather community college transcripts (can be unofficial), and financial documents from family.

Disclaimer - DON'T PUT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ON PERSONAL DOCUMENT (ie Social Security Number or Addresses)

Part 3 : Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) & Comments

What are PIQs?

The Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) for UC transfer applicants are a critical part of the application process. They help the University of California understand your personal background, academic journey, and readiness for your intended major.

As a transfer applicant, you must respond to three (3) out of seven (7) prompts.

However, one of your responses must be the mandatory question about your major preparation. The remaining two responses can be selected from the other six options. Each response should be no more than 350 words.

Tip : Brainstorm on a document with PIQs that resonate with you. Don't be too harsh on yourself when trying to think of a story to write about.

For more insightful guidance on PIQs, go to the PIQs Advice Page.

Commentary Page

An underrated tool while doing UC applications is the comments page. This page can be used to explain circumstances that are occurring or occurred in your life that may have affected outcomes of a better grade or lack of time spent on extracurriculars. You can explain the grades or W's (dropped classes) in your transcript.

For example : Explaining that you look after a family member is one of the reasons why you may have been unable to spend more of a time commitment in school. Or if you had gotten an injury which resulted in a bad grade.

Part 4 : Revise and Submit!

Revise your application - double check all information is correct!