Fall: It’s the time of year in which you hear the leaves crunch on the bottom of your shoes, all of the sweaters come out, and everyone starts cramming to get their applications done.

The University of California application for Fall 2017 has opened up and students can start submitting their applications to their dream schools from November 1st to November 30th.

The UC system introduced one major change in the application process: They implemented the Personal Insight Questions to replace the personal statements. The Personal Insight Questions consist of four prompts that you choose out of eight given. For transfer students one of these prompts are mandatory and it is the one that talks about what a student has done towards their intended major to prepare. Each of the four prompts allocate 350 words.

The new system has many pros and cons. The pros include that through having a variety of prompts to choose from, someone can choose one that can express themselves the most. Also since there’s four different items that are talked about, the UC system sees students as more well-rounded candidates.

The cons of this new system are that when students start writing the essays they come to realize that 350 words is too short of a word count to get into any depth of what they have done in their life. Making it more challenging to express why they’d be the best candidate for a university.

Some of these questions include “What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?”

This question baffles me, because it’s too narrow and is targeting a specific person. The prompts become a problem when all the questions start to target certain types of people. If you do not fall under that demographic you end up being unable to write a powerful essay. I for one have not accumulated a talent throughout my college career, much less my life, so it makes it harder to answer.

Another challenge that is faced is the fact that this is a new system. As a result, there’s a bit less guidance, mostly because no one knows what to expect. We’re basically the guinea pigs of the new system.

Some of us who are more concise, and to the point, will love it. But the people who take a bit longer to get to the point will struggle. Either way, it is happening and we will get through this one together. Happy applying.