UC Prompt #3: How to Show Your Greatest Talent/Skill
by Lillie W.
UC Prompt #3: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Chances are, you know very well what your greatest talent or skill is. What popped into your head when you read this prompt? Likely, that’s your answer. But if this question intrigues you yet you’re wavering on what to name as your niftiest gift, one quick reality check is simply to ask someone, preferably someone who knows you well.
As with all the other PIQs, it’s best not to fall back on virtues already evident from your transcript or board scores. You may well be a math whiz, but the admissions officer can see that from your AP Calculus exam. More importantly, the college wants to know what you’ve done with that gift.
It’s the second part of this prompt that will impress the admissions reader. By this time, you’ve learned that talent without hard work rarely leads to success, and educators are especially sensitive to the role of tenacity in personal growth. How you’ve worked to increase or apply, for instance, your computer skills will show the commitment and discipline that colleges want to see. Maybe you helped design a website or fixed a buggy program for your favorite non-profit. That shows not only your digital expertise but your generosity and work ethic as well.
There are of course many talents with little utilitarian application, including artistic pursuits such as dance, music, and painting. In such cases, just tell the story of your immersion in that pursuit and how it led to your current level of proficiency or finesse.
You needn’t have won any major competitions. You do however need to show you can commit to a discipline and learn through its process. That’s a key feature of any successful student, as admissions committees are all well aware.