(October 27, 2003) — Senior Victor Constantinescu, stressed about the work senior year has put upon him, finds information regarding applications for the Universities of California buried underneath a large pile of applications. On top of the burden of filling out applications, Constantinescu has homework, volunteer work and SATs to worry about. After hearing the UC system is changing its personal statement portion from the two-page essay to the three short-answer questions, Constantinescu was relieved. “It’s so much more specific. [UCs] are actually telling us what they want us to write.” This is how most of this year’s seniors feel about changes in the UC applications. The alteration in the personal statement section is requiring three short answers that consist of a total of 1000 words, two with 200 words and one with 600. According to a September UC Notes, a newsletter for high school counselors, the change allows applicants to express themselves about various issues and improves the process of reviewing applicants. University of California Director of Undergraduate Admissions Susan Wilbur said that the questions selected for this year’s applicants were chosen in favor of the applicants “to allow them to have greater control over their application.” Counselor Linda Doll said these personalized questions give more flexibility to applicants and helps them avoid “tragic essays.”