In the hyper-competitive world of California college admissions, students often feel pressured to build the perfect resume and check all the right boxes. But what if the secret to getting into your dream UC school isn't about conforming to a template, but rather embracing what makes you unique?
In our recent Dewey Smart Coach Spotlight featuring Mia Avila, a second-year UCLA student studying cognitive science with a specialization in computation, we uncovered valuable insights into how authenticity and genuine passion can be the key differentiators in your UC application.
🎓 Before you dive in, watch our “Secrets to California College Admissions: Mia's Story to UCLA” webinar, hosted by our CEO, Michael Gao and a UCLA Student Mia Avila. In just 50 minutes, you’ll get a sharp understanding of rocking your UC applications
✅ Be Authentic
✅Make Your PIQs Concise but Powerful
✅ Discovering Personal Passion
Like many students from competitive California high schools, Mia felt the intense pressure of being surrounded by high-achieving peers. "My high school was very, very competitive," she shared. "It was like a lot of schools now. Um, it seems like everybody's doing everything. Everybody's taking, you know, 10 AP classes, maybe even more."
This environment naturally led to comparison: "I would see my peers and be like, 'Oh my gosh, they're doing so many things. They're doing this internship, they're in this many clubs,' and I was constantly kind of comparing myself to them."
The pressure to keep up with others can be overwhelming, especially when it seems like everyone else has their future mapped out perfectly. But Mia discovered something important: finding her authentic passions was far more valuable than trying to match her peers' achievements.
For Mia, the breakthrough came when she stopped trying to do what everyone else was doing and instead focused on what genuinely interested her:
"As I got older and as I was kind of going through high school, I started to realize that what was most important was kind of finding my passion."
She found her identity through soccer, which she played all four years, and a media club that she founded. These weren't just resume-builders—they were genuine interests that helped her develop confidence in who she was.
"Once I found exactly what I was passionate about, I was able to kind of develop who I was and kind of veer away from the comparison of myself with other students because I was no longer insecure in who I was and what I was doing."
This genuine passion and self-assurance became evident in her college applications, which Mia believes was "the main driving factor of how I was able to get into the schools that I did get into."
One of the most powerful messages from Mia's story is the recognition that it's perfectly normal not to have your entire future planned out when applying to colleges:
"You have to recognize how young we are. You know, when you're applying to colleges, you're maybe 17-18. You don't have to have everything figured out. You're not expected to, but it may feel like the world expects you to know exactly what you want to do."
The reality is that most high school students haven't had enough exposure to various career paths to make definitive decisions about their futures. Mia herself entered UCLA as a pre-med biology student but later switched to cognitive science with a specialization in computation and changed her career trajectory from pre-med to pre-law after gaining more exposure to different fields.
When it comes to extracurriculars, Mia emphasizes that there's no magic formula for success. Instead, she recommends focusing on activities that genuinely excite you:
"Do something that you're passionate about. If you're passionate about music, play an instrument. If you're passionate about sports, play sports. It doesn't have to be a passion that you directly want to translate into a career. Just do stuff that you enjoy."
This authenticity shines through in college applications. Mia's media club, started during COVID to help struggling small businesses with advertising through her passion for photography, wasn't just another extracurricular—it was a meaningful project that showcased her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
"When you enjoy doing something, it doesn't really feel like work. So I was able to really embrace my passion, find an outlet for my passion, and I was able to take that and, of course, talk about it on my college application, which I think colleges really love to see."
Rather than following the crowd, Mia recommends finding unique ways to stand out: "I think colleges want to just see something different. It doesn't have to be anything major, just something that maybe they haven't seen before."
When it comes to the UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs), Mia emphasizes the importance of using these four essays to showcase different aspects of your personality and experiences:
"You want to give colleges the most holistic view of yourself, kind of hitting every mark possible and talking about every facet of yourself... whether that be kind of an aspect of your education or a personal struggle, or maybe even career goals and personal unique experiences."
She recommends diversifying your PIQs—perhaps writing about academics in one, sports in another, club involvement in a third, and a personal struggle in the fourth. This approach gives admissions officers a well-rounded picture of who you are beyond your transcript.
For more specific advice on crafting standout UC PIQs, check out our comprehensive guide: Mastering the UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs).
One of the biggest challenges in writing UC PIQs is fitting meaningful content into just 350 words per essay. Mia's approach to this challenge is methodical:
Most importantly, include a resolution in each essay that shows personal growth: "I've seen with a lot of college application essays is students kind of just write the story and don't elaborate on what it means or how it affected them or what they learned from it, which is what the colleges want to see. They want to see kind of personal development."
Perhaps one of the most valuable pieces of advice from Mia's experience is to remember to enjoy your senior year once applications are submitted:
"Looking back on my senior year, I was very, very stressed... That stress kind of tainted my senior year because I wasn't fully enjoying just my last year in high school."
Her advice to current seniors? "Once those applications are done, have fun, just enjoy yourself. Don't worry about whether or not you're gonna get into college, the applications are in. Just enjoy your senior year, hang out with your friends, and just make the most of your time."
The journey to UC admission doesn't have to be a soul-crushing race to accumulate the most impressive resume. Mia's story demonstrates that authenticity, passion, and personal growth are qualities that make applicants stand out in the competitive California college admissions landscape.
By focusing on what genuinely interests you rather than what you think colleges want to see, you can create a more compelling application that truly represents who you are. After all, colleges aren't just looking for students with perfect transcripts—they're looking for diverse individuals who will contribute to their campus communities in meaningful ways.
Looking for more guidance on navigating the UC application process? Check out our related article: Cracking the UC Code.
Want personalized guidance on your UC application? At Dewey Smart, our coaches—including UCLA students like Mia—can help you craft a standout application that showcases your unique strengths and passions. Contact us to learn more about our college counseling services.
