UC Transfer Admission – Extracurricular Activities


Why Extracurricular Activities?

While completion of required coursework and GPA are the most important criteria for transfer admission evaluation, UCs prefer to see a demonstrated interest in your field of study and/or leadership potential. Having extracurricular achievements can also help you distinguish yourself from other highly qualified transfer applicants in competitive majors, where completion of required coursework and high GPA are the norm. To gain experience in your major or develop leadership abilities, you may join college clubs or student government, volunteer with community, nonprofit, or faith-based organizations, or work as an intern or at a job.

If you are unable to participate in extracurricular activities related to your major due to issues such as the need to work full-time to support yourself or your family, or hardships that restrict your ability or schedule, make sure you explain your situation in the UC Application and find other ways to show your interest in your field of study.

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What is Leadership?

So what exactly is leadership? Below is an old guideline from the UCLA Alumni Scholarship Program defining different aspects of leadership. Use the list to identify situations where you have exhibited leadership qualities.

Individual Leadership Qualities

Group Leadership Qualities

You don’t need to achieve EVERY quality, but be sure to MENTION every quality you did achieve in your UC Application!

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Activities and Programs

Below is a selection of activities and programs I have come across over the years. Broaden your search beyond the internet; check with your community college career center or transfer center for local opportunities and browse the library reference section for guidebooks on summer programs and internship opportunities.

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Community Service and Volunteering

You can search for volunteer opportunities using the vetted volunteer matching service providers below. Sign up to receive email notifications when volunteer opportunities in the areas you are interested in become available. Most of these are national listings with opportunities in every interest area you can imagine.

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Educational Preparation Programs

You may have heard of “educational preparation programs” and the UC Application even has a place just for them (part of the “Activities & awards” section). So what are these programs?

Well, according to the UCs, educational preparation programs are “programs or activities that have enriched your academic experiences or helped you prepare for college” and may include “counseling, tutoring, research opportunities or special study opportunities, such as study abroad.”

Below is a list of the educational preparation programs that are available to college students (discontinued programs and programs targeting only high school students are omitted). Look for them at your college and do your best to participate in them.

Berkeley
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
Merced
Riverside
San Diego
San Francisco
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz
All UCs
Additional Programs

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Internships

Check with your college career center for local internship opportunities and browse the library reference section for guidebooks. Most large companies will post internship opportunities on their company website. If you are interested in a particular profession, you may also consider calling businesses in your neighborhood and inquiring about internship opportunities.

Here are some resources and ideas to help you get started with your internship search:

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Summer Programs

Below are summer programs I have come across over the years and most are academic in nature.

Berkeley
Davis
UCLA
Merced
Riverside
Santa Barbara
Other Colleges
Additional Summer Program Resources

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UC Transfer Programs

You may have seen a long list of programs in the “Support program involvement” section of the UC Transfer Admission Planner (many are also listed as Educational Preparation Programs in the “Activities & awards” section of the UC Application). Wonder how you can get in on the action to better prepare for transfer? Check out the program list below and do your best to participate in the programs available to you (including programs that are open to community college bound high school seniors; discontinued programs and programs targeting only high school students are omitted).

Berkeley
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
Merced
Riverside
San Diego
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz
Additional Programs

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Other Ideas

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