If your child is applying to any University of California (UC) campus, they’ll need to complete the UC Activities & Awards section. The UC application essays invite students to authentically express themselves and showcase their writing abilities in four “personal insight” prompts. The Activities & Awards section, the other key component of the application, asks students to provide a comprehensive, detailed list of the experiences they’ve had outside the classroom.
Since the UC Activities & Awards section is periodically updated, this guide covers the most current version. As of May 2024, students may include up to 20 activities and write up to 600 characters of description for each entry, depending on the category they have selected.
Selective colleges and universities, including the UC schools, want to admit students who have specialized in extracurricular pursuits and distinguished themselves among their peers. The UC Activities & Awards section helps admission officers measure the depth and breadth of activities a student has taken on and assess how a student would contribute to the culture, diversity, and community of a UC campus. It’s as important as the essays.
The UC application encourages students to include activities which show “commitment, responsibility, leadership, and most of all, genuine interest.” In this guide, we’ll unpack and explain the UC Activities & Awards section, and give concrete, specific advice, plus examples and strategies, to help your child maximize their chances of getting accepted to a UC school.
Simply put, the UC Activities & Awards section is longer. That’s why your child should complete the UC Activities & Awards section first, since they can then pick and choose which activities to include in the Common App Activities section.
| Common App | UC Application | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Activities | 10 | 20 |
| Categories | Drop-down menu with 30 categories | 6 categories: Awards or Honors, Educational Preparation Programs, Extracurricular Activities, Other Coursework, Volunteering/Community Service, and Work Experience |
| Character Count | Up to 150 characters per description | Up to 600 characters per description, depending on the category |
