Written by Lauren Fletcher
So you want to go to college, and you know it’ll help you achieve your goals, buuut your parents didn’t go to college (as in, you’re first-generation), and you’re worried about not being successful in college without support or guidance.
Maybe you identify as a minority, and/or low-income, and have taken all the classes your counselor told you to, and gotten pretty decent grades, but you still fear you don’t belong in college.
Great news … the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) was designed with you in mind!
No idea what EOP is? No problem. That’s why we’re about to walk you through it.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
What is an EOP application?
What are the requirements to apply to EOP?
How does EOP determine who will be accepted into the program?
When are EOP applications due?
3 important things to know about completing the EOP application
Sample essays from students accepted to EOP
Links to good EOP programs, and resources for CSU GPA eligibility
What is an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) application?
First, the basics.
California’s public higher education system is essentially split into three categories: the UCs (btw, you can get free access to our full UC course by asking here), the CSUs, and the California Community Colleges. The UCs and the Cal States have their own EOPs (UCs here, CSUs here), while the CA Community Colleges have a similar program (with a slightly different name) here.
The CSU EOP application is what this crash course will be covering; our hope is to take some of the fear out of the process, and get you to college.
Here’s how CA College Pathways describes the CSU EOP:
“EOP in the CSU system was designed to improve access and retention of historically low-income and educationally disadvantaged students.
EOP students have the potential and demonstrated motivation to perform satisfactorily at a CSU, but they have not been able to realize their fullest potential because of their economic or educational background.”
EOP students receive some great resources to support their education, like advising, mentoring, tutoring, grant money, priority registration, workshops, leadership conferences, and access to summer programs, to help them adjust to a college environment and develop a sense of belonging and community.
This next detail is so important, we're writing it in
The EOP application is embedded in the CSU application for admission, and students must be evaluated and admitted prior to beginning classes—this isn’t a program you can participate in after you’ve enrolled.
So to apply, in your CSU application, select “yes” for the question asking whether you’re interested in EOP, and fill out the information. There, the application will have you answer a series of questions about yourself, and ask you for financial information.
This worksheet is incredibly useful, and we’d recommend saving that link and looking through the document in detail after you’ve read through this guide.
What are the requirements to apply to EOP?
The CSU EOP has a few student eligibility criteria. The student must:
Have a history of low family income
EFC of $1,500 or less (Detailed income criteria is here.)
Be enrolled as a full-time student (Part-time students require program director’s approval.)
Be an undergraduate (first degree)
Get admission assistance as an exception admit, OR meet regular admission requirements but in the opinion of EOP personnel will require a full range of assistance to succeed
Have been nominated by an appropriate state agency, a California high school or community college, the Veterans Administration, a campus president, or a designee of the California State University
How does EOP determine who will be accepted into the program?
In the Cal State system’s own words:
Students are evaluated based upon motivation, past academic performance, need for services and potential for success in college. A committee reviews and evaluates complete applications. An applicant's complete file consists of a CSU application and EOP supplementary forms:
1. Applicant Information
2. Autobiography
3. Recommendations (2 required)
4. Additional requirements
This committee makes a recommendation to the EOP Director for acceptance or denial.
Here’s a resource breaking down how a student’s GPA affects what CSUs they should apply to.
When are the EOP applications due?
You’ll find the EOP application deadlines here, and note that different campuses have different deadlines. We’d recommend checking wherever you’re applying, and writing down the various dates on a doc or spreadsheet, so you have everything in one place.
3 important things to know about completing the EOP application:
Answer every part of each biographical question—students will sometimes make the mistake of reading the question and only answering the first part, but neglect the rest of the information that the EOP readers need. Make your answers short, straightforward, and super clear—you don’t want the reader to be confused and not understand why you should be a part of EOP.
Make sure to ask your 2 recommenders for their support early (as in, at least mid-October) in the application process—recommenders often get dozens of requests, and will need plenty of time. Also, provide a brag sheet so they’re able to speak to your situation in as much detail as possible. Here’s a sample brag sheet.
Have a counselor or trusted teacher review your application, especially your biographical questions, before submitting.
Guide to the EOP biographical questions
Here’s a brief guide to how to approach each EOP question, followed by examples with analyses of what the students did well and how they could improve (and then more examples).
Responses to each question have a
1. Briefly describe your family's economic background. Include information about your financial challenges.
2. Why would you like to attend college? Discuss your career and personal goals. Are there any particular circumstances, school experiences, or persons that influenced your preparation or motivation to attend college (e.g., cultural/financial background, family, teachers, schools you attended)? Please explain.
3. Briefly discuss your academic background. Did you utilize any additional support at your high school, such as tutoring? Do your grades in high school and/or college reflect your academic ability or potential?
4. List any volunteer, extracurricular activities, or work experience in which you are or have been involved in the past two years.
5. Is there any additional information you would like EOP to consider in determining your admission to the program?
Question 1
You can think of offering 3 basic parts in your response:
Describe your family’s economic background, then write about the challenges you faced (and their impact/effects).
Get detailed and specific. Did you have to get a job to help cover bills? Did you worry about losing your home? Could you not do certain activities because you had to help care for siblings? Did you feel isolated? Help the reader understand your circumstances and their impact on you.
What did you do about them?
Are there actions you took to work through those challenges? Think in terms of verb phrases: worked at A to support my family, taught myself B, cared for C, cooked for D, self-studied E, took on F responsibilities, etc.
What did you learn?
What did those challenges and your actions teach you about yourself? About what you value? About how you want to live your life, or why you want to go to college?
Question 2
Be clear, direct, and specific: You can begin your response by directly discussing why you want to attend college. To help get more specific with your phrasing and focus, think about what your goals are for your career, for your personal growth, for your family, for stability, for curiosity—how does college help you work toward these various goals?
Then, be sure to address the second half of the question: Are there specific people, circumstances, or experiences that have influenced your desires? Offer some detail about who or what these people or experiences are, and how/why they influenced you to want to attend college. Did a sibling’s journey inspire you? Did a teacher motivate you? Did an academic experience intrigue you? Have your economic circumstances influenced what you want to do and why?
Question 3
Again, be clear, specific, and direct in responding to the questions, and be sure to address each part of the prompt. What has been particularly important or interesting to you academically? What resources have you taken advantage of in trying to support your academic development? Were there resources you couldn’t take advantage of due to specific circumstances?
In particular, be sure to respond to the second question: If you’re applying to EOP, it’s almost guaranteed that your grades don’t reflect your academic potential—that’s why you’re applying. So what are the specific reasons why? For example, did caring for siblings or working to support family limit your time for studying, or for taking advantage of other resources or opportunities?
Question 4
Pay attention to the “list” and “past two years” parts—you don’t need to write a paragraph on a single activity. Rather, list out different activities and discuss briefly what you did in the activity (responsibilities, actions, impact). And think broadly about “activity”—this doesn’t just mean clubs at school.
Question 5
You can treat this as both an additional info section and a conclusion to the previous questions. If there’s anything important for them to consider that isn’t covered in the other questions, be sure to add it here. You can also use this to discuss/reflect on why EOP is important for your success heading forward, and to wrap your application to a close.
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EOP Examples + Analysis
Below you’ll find some examples of what other students wrote, and analyses of both what worked and what could be improved.
Question 1: Briefly describe your family's economic background. Include information about your financial challenges.
Example 1:
Both of my parents are from Mexico and came to America to look for a better future. They had both of my older sisters in Mexico before coming here and had me shortly after they arrived. My little sister was born when I was 4, and when I was about 8 my parents separated. My mom then became a single mother of 4 girls, and this was hard for her because she was a housewife and didn't know how to work so we are not financially stable. As a single mother she struggled to get where she is, but we are making it work one at a time. One major financial challenge we had as a family was when my sister got accepted to Mount St. Mary’s college which is a private university, and because my sister is undocumented she couldn’t get student loans so my mom had to pay for her tuition and books. We had less money than normally and my mother had to work extra hours to earn enough money to support the household. Soon she started to work more and I started to see her less and less. Seeing my mom so little also meant that instead of her bringing me to school I would need to take the bus every morning to school. Since I go to a dual enrollment high school, I take college classes at the college after school, so I would have to wait an hour at the college campus until my mother came out of work. I was challenged on how I will get home when my mom wouldn't be able to pick me up or if I did come home early I will try to cook since my mother didn't have time to cook This may not seem like difficult challenges to others but for me they were challenges I thought I would never get through.
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Tips + Analysis
Use direct language and clear detail. The language is nice and straightforward. The author does a nice job of clearly and directly walking us through background information a reader needs to understand the student’s financial challenges. The first few sentences lay out history and context. The author offers clear details (single mother, lack of work history, example challenge of paying for Mount St. Mary’s) and clarifies the impact of those challenges and details (saw mom less, had to take the bus, etc.).
Challenges + Effects, What I Did, What I Learned. Structurally, it can be useful to answer this prompt by thinking in terms of these three sections: the challenges you faced and their effects, what you did about them, what you learned. (The author of the sample essay maybe could’ve expanded a little bit on the “What I Learned” part, but it works as is.)
Show, then tell. Rather than just “show, don’t tell,” we’d recommend showing first (give us examples and specific details), then telling (explain why these things matter to you). Here, the author uses those details to show us the different challenges they faced and the effects of those challenges, then uses the final lines to tell us about the impact/scope (“thought I would never get through”).
Below is another example for this prompt.
Example 2:
Coming from a low income family has opened my eyes on the struggle my mom has gone through and what I don’t want to go through. Also being a first generation is hard for your parents to understand the importance of finishing homework, staying after school when needed, and studying for important tests. Seeing my mom struggle with needing the money she was working for, but still wanting to spend time with her 6 kids. My sophomore year we got the news that my mom was pregnant and that the baby had down syndrome. Due to this, when the baby was born she had to go to many appointments with him, causing her to miss work. Her missing work put a burden financially with all of my and my siblings’. She works so hard to make money to support us, even if she doesn’t see us as often, she tries to give us what we need, and sometimes what we want. She always reminds me that college is the way out of the struggle, so we won’t worry about where we will get the money to pay the bills and the rent. Seeing her struggle so much makes me motivated to do great in college, so one day I could help her out and won’t see her so stressed.
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Tips + Analysis
Your financial struggle is more powerful than you think. Remember that what you’ve struggled with financially has created resiliency in you that other, more privileged students don’t have. Your parents’ financial situation says nothing about you as a person, so don’t get caught up in your feels on this one. Describing the challenges you’ve faced sheds light on your circumstances at home and how they contribute to your ability to concentrate, do homework, focus, etc.
Share some examples of financial challenges. Those may include how your parents struggled to pay rent at times, moved multiple times, food wasn’t always plentiful, phones got cut off for not paying bills, parent lost their job, parent’s job is seasonal (i.e., painters typically have a tough time finding work in the winter/rainy months), you had to cook and care for siblings because parents worked long hours, your family has had to move in with someone else’s family to live temporarily …
Here’s another example for this question, without the analysis:
Example 3
Work has been scarce due to issues that have led to financial instability. Having low paying jobs and having to pay for a lawyer so my sister could migrate to the U.S legally, made it difficult for my parents to pay for bills and rent. My dad also had to pay $300 a month for child support for my step sister. Having to pay these large amounts of money has left my parents struggling to get us a meal. As time went by my parents started to have well paid jobs, but it did not make us financially stable. They were able to provide for my siblings and I with the most basic necessities.
However, things changed in 2018 when my mom was diagnosed with depression. With this diagnosis, my mom was not mentally and physically stable to go to work so she said home for six months. Within those six months and after I was able to receive free lunch as I qualified. Having said this, I have taken a role which is to support my family in the only way I know how to by taking care of my little brother after school every day. This has allowed both of my parents to go to work. In light of the economic impacts of COVID-19 my parents struggle more now than ever to find stable work. We currently receive help from the government so we could have food on the table and a safe home.
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Question 2: Why would you like to attend college? Discuss your career and personal goals. Are there any particular circumstances, school experiences, or persons that influenced your preparation or motivation to attend college (e.g., cultural / financial background, family, teachers, schools you attended)? Please explain.
Example 1:
The reason why I would like to attend college is because I see myself having a future after I graduate college such as having a job that I love and pays well. It is very common for people to look forward io the how much a job pays you but I am also looking for a job that I know will suit me best and one I will enjoy doing. I find criminal justice interesting and would like to study it and the reason for this is because having a job like this would feel relieving to have accomplished a goal - not only for myself, but for the victim’s family. I want to have a reason to wake up everyday and go to sleep knowing that I accomplished something today. Just like my sister who is currently in college is my motivation to attend college; she works hard everyday to get up early in the morning and go to school, taking care of me and my sister but finishes her homework and turn it in on time and I strive to be like her knowing she is putting in her all.
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Tips + Analysis
Clearly, directly address the prompt. The author directly addresses the career/personal goals and the circumstances/persons elements of the prompt.
Show your values. One nice, effective way to clarify for a stranger why you want to attend college is to connect to details and phrasing that shows your values (some values we see in the essay above, for example, include meaningful work, engagement, security, family, responsibility). For an exercise that walks you through clarifying some of your values, you’ll find a 5-minute Values Exercise here.
Have a counselor/mentor give you some extra eyes. These aren’t make or break, but notice there are a few grammar/spelling errors (ex: “forward io the how”) and phrasing that could’ve been a little smoother (ex: “the reason for this is because having a job like this would feel relieving to have accomplished a goal”). Again, not the end of the world—you don’t have to be perfect—but like we said, maybe just have someone look it over before you submit.
Here’s another example for this prompt.
Example 2:
I would like to attend college to further my education and actually get a career in something I'm passionate about. Seeing my mom struggle waking up early in the morning to go to work and just to make minimum wage makes me realize I don’t want that type of lifestyle. I would rather go to school for a couple of more years and have a better paying job instead of struggling to support a family of 6. Hearing my family’s experiences about not going to college and how hard it was to support themselves and eventually their kids motivates me to go to college since it’ll be the only way to be successful. After graduating college my goal is to be financially stable and not live paycheck to paycheck.
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Tips + Analysis
Opt for being concise and to the point. We really like that this student doesn’t try to add flowery language or use words they only sort of know the meaning of—that directness makes for authentic and effective writing. So, as you’re approaching these, answer each part of the question directly, and move on to the next one.
Here’s a third example for this question, without the analysis:
Example 3
I would like to attend college to major in history in order to go to law school. My passion for law and systemic change has encouraged me to become a human rights and immigration lawyer. As a person of color and product of immigration, I have seen how the system fails to serve justice for people of color. Becoming a lawyer will give me the opportunity to be able to change legislation in which all individuals will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their race or gender
My parents are the main reason why I would like to attend college as they migrated from Honduras to the United States and are constantly working day and night for their children. Having my mother being mistreated and having racist slurs screamed at her because she was an immigrant has sparked a light in me to pursue in law. Many immigrants aren’t given a second chance or opportunity to a better life due to our government as they have been constantly been portrayed by our society and media that they are a menace to us.My second older sister migrated to the United States at the age of 10 and was able to learn English within six months and is currently in her third year of college. She encourages me to put my full potential in order to obtain a college degree because if she was able to do it I am.
With the killing of George Floyd and of many other black people, I have re-evaluated how important it is to fight for justice so that one day our system will view us as equals. With the killing of each black person by the police, the system has turned their backs on those people and has instead protected the murders. As a lawyer I will change legislation in which police officers are held accountable for their actions without any special privileges. I dream of a world in which we won’t be judged based on our skin colors, but rather the type of person we are.
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Question 3: Briefly discuss your academic background. Did you utilize any additional support at your high school, such as tutoring? Do your grades in high school and/or college reflect your academic ability or potential?
Example 1
My high school has been very helpful since the beginning of ninth grade. Some support that I have utilized is AP readiness held at UCLA. Since freshman year I had AP classes and AP readiness has guided me to try in classes by being more involved to do better in the class. Ever since I started attending I tried my best to attend as much as I can so I can be prepared for the AP test. My high school has other resources that help us for free such as free printing, tutoring, and free books not only for high school but also college. In college I utilize their support such as their student center where they help out with your homework such as revising essays. The student center was very helpful especially when it came to my english class and taught me how to format my essays in MLA format. I always tried to use all of these as an advantage whenever I could but the only thing holding me back was time. I couldn't stay after class for long because no one else would be able to pick me up after and I had to help my sister take care of my younger sister because she has a lot of college work to do and my mom was always working.
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Tips + Analysis
Show how you’ve been active in pursuing your education. Notice that the first part of the response offers details that show ways in which the student tried to take advantage of whatever resources were available, such as AP Readiness, tutoring, free books, etc.
Clearly, directly address the prompt. The last part of the question is key: EOP wants to know if you feel that your grades are a true reflection of your abilities. For this student, they’re not! Spend some time and detail reflecting on your own educational journey and specific things (such as having to care for family) that might have affected your ability to reach your potential. And, again, not a make or break thing, but the author above could have been even more specific in responding to the second half of the prompt.
Here’s another example for this prompt.
Example 2:
Throughout my high school journey, I’ve done my best to not only keep up with the assignments, but actually learn from the assignments. I have also struggled through many classes, but I never gave up until I knew I was giving my best. When not understanding a topic in my math class, I would stay for tutoring to learn what I wasn’t understanding. To further my education in math, I came during the summer of my sophomore advancing to my junior year to take Integrated Math 3. Taking Integrated Math 3 helped me take calculus my junior year, and now my senior year, I’m taking AP calculus. Taking calculus stressed me out, but I understood that I needed a lot of patience because it takes a lot of knowledge to carry out calculations in just one single problem. Taking Integrated 3 in the summer gave me more time to practice getting better at reading word problems. Giving up four weeks of my summer to come to school helped me to be academically better in math. I believe my grades in high school don’t reflect my full potential because I know I could have done better earlier in high school if I truly understood how important grades were then.
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Tips + Analysis
Make sure to “show” how you advocated for yourself. EOP’s program is designed for those who weren’t able to reach their full potential due to circumstances out of their control. With this question, program officials want to know that you’ll reach out for help when you do have available resources. Help them to see that you’ll do so by showing how you’ve already done so, and/or what you’ve learned about reaching out for help.
Your grades most likely don’t show your full potential, and that’s ok. If your grades did show your full potential, then you wouldn’t be applying for EOP. You’re applying to the program because you need support when you get to college, so show how, if you had a support system to tap into when you were struggling, you could reach your full potential.
Here’s a third example for this question, without the analysis:
Example 3
At the beginning of 11th grade I started to utilize additional support such as tutoring as I was taking three advanced placement classes. The past years I didn’t attend tutoring because I feared my friends would make fun of me and would think less of me. Attending tutoring was the best decision I ever made because I learned how to use support provided to me at school and was able to succeed in my classes.
Being a part of these college courses meant more work than usual, I was struggling in most of my classes until I sought help by attending tutoring sessions. With the grades I was able to get because of tutoring and my high school grades overall reflects my academic ability and potential. With putting a lot of effort into doing homework, studying and attending tutoring I was able to grow as an individual and challenge myself. I have challenged myself by taking multiple advanced placement classes and joined many clubs on campus such as Associated Student Body, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Link Crew, Class Committee, and Mental Health Awareness. My grades reflect my ability and potential as I take responsibility, commitment, and hard work to make sure to get succeeding grades in all my classes.
The GPA I have reflects my academic ability and potential as I am hardworking beyond the surface, I overcome obstacles every day and my education is my top priority. The level of dedication that I put in to have the grades I have is the same for every club or class that I take. As my older sister is in her second year of college she has encouraged me to keep my grades up because she was able to obtain a full ride through her good grades. With seeing how college is through her I have set goals to always obtain good grades and to not fear any obstacles that come my way.
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Question 4: List any volunteer, extracurricular activities, or work experience in which you are or have been involved in the past two years.
Example 1
I have been in a club called Girls Build LA(GBLA) for three years, this club is an organization run by girls of all types to encourage other girls that we have a voice. We have meetings almost every Friday to discuss when the next event will be held up or what event we will participate. One event we do every year is the annual health fair where we encourage people to live a better lifestyle; we have yoga sessions, give fruit, and have an extra activity such as making stress balls and give facts on how they can help you with your health. Throughout the years we have been to many conventions and they motivate us to speak up for our rights and that we all have a voice and we should use it. In the club we try to encourage others to join so they get to see what they are capable of. Ninth grade year was the only year I wasn't enrolled in this club because the transition from middle school to high school was tough but adding college classes to the side made it tougher. I was settling in trying to get used to the schedule of my college classes not only that but I wasn't aware of the clubs that were happening within the school.
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Tips + Analysis
“List.” Remember to pay attention to the prompt’s phrasing: Since it directly says “List,” you can treat these similarly to an activities list. What the author above does can work, but you can also create clear, separate entries for each activity, with brief descriptions of your actions/involvement/impact, that will likely be easier for your reader to understand.
For example:
Girls Build LA (GBLA): 3 years. Meetings weekly to discuss/plan events. Annual health fair to encourage people to live better lifestyles. Offer yoga sessions. We attend conventions and speak about … (you can continue adding detail like this).
If you decide to write in paragraph form, be sure to include clear detail on several examples, showing the values and experience you’ve gained.Think broadly. Remember that things like caring for siblings can count as an activity. And it’s useful to clarify whether things like that prevented you from joining other clubs, sports, etc., due to time commitments.
Here’s another example for this prompt:
Example 2:
To volunteer to help my community, I spent each Sunday making lunch bags for my church to benefit the local homeless population. I also help babysit my baby brother when my mom has to work or had school meetings for my other five siblings. I also tutor my younger brother each night in order to fulfill my older sister responsibilities.
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Tips + Analysis
Help us see your experience. There’s some useful stuff to learn from here: Make sure to develop an answer like this more fully—if your after-school activities included child care and or elder care, add it! Remember, the reader doesn’t know that you take an hour bus ride home, and because you live in a dangerous area, your parents tell you that you need to catch the first bus home daily. The details of your life matter, and you can use your response to this prompt to offer your reader that context. Remember, you’ve got 2,500 characters—don’t feel like you have to use every last one, and don’t just type to fill space, but do make sure to offer details that help us understand your life experience.
Here’s another example, without the analysis:
Example 3:
During high school, I have participated in various extracurricular activities and volunteer opportunities. I have participated t in extracurricular activities such as the Associated Student Body, Class Committee, and Mental Health Awareness club. I have also volunteered as a peer tutor for English and History. Additionally, I am my brother's caretaker.
In the clubs that I have participated in have taught me how responsibility, commitment, communication, reliability, creativity, accountability play important roles in every position I have taken. In the Associated Student Body I have taken the roles of Student Relations and Pep and Spirit in which I hosted events that have executed the ASB Mission and Vision. I was able to execute the ASB Mission and Vision by making sure that every event was inclusive, promoted school spirit,but most importantly made all students feel welcomed and safe. In the Class Committee as a general member I have come up with fundraiser ideas, created flyers, sold tickets for events and sold food. Throughout each event I have successfully been able to have other grade levels support our events and even help us promote our events. In the Mental Health Awareness Club as a general member I attended weekly meetings, promoted events and created events. I take mental health seriously. I have shared my story with other members, have encouraged others to take care of their mental health and helped create events for students to destress. Additionally, I volunteered to be a peer tutor in order to help my peers succeed academically. As a tutor in both subjects I reviewed over any lesson or any assignments my peers were having trouble with and made sure they were able to understand it. Lastly, I take care of my 12 year old little brother when my parents are at work. During this time I provide homework support, dinner, and bedtime routines.
With every extracurricular activity and volunteer work I have participated in has taught me the most important lesson of my life which is learning from one’s mistakes. Being able to learn from one’s mistakes leaves a lot of room for growth and improvement. Within these experiences I have been able to grow as a person and continue too.
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Question 5: Is there any additional information you would like EOP to consider in determining your admission to the program?
Example 1
EOP will help me so much in being successful in college because my older sister is so busy that she won’t always be able to guide me or tell me which direction to go . A lot of the free support I receive at Compton Early College are things that I know EOP will do for me as well, so that I can be a successful college student.
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Tips + Analysis
Treat this as an additional info section. If there are details that affect why you think the EOP program is right for you that haven’t seemed to fit elsewhere, be sure to include them clearly here. For example: the details on the author’s sister, and the parallels to Compton Early College, and how EOP will set this student up for success.
Use this to write the conclusion to your app. It can be useful to think of your response to this prompt as offering a conclusion to your application. So after you address any details you haven’t discussed yet, you can use language that clarifies why EOP feels important in supporting you as you navigate college, like the final line in this example.
Here’s another example for this prompt:
Example 2:
One of the biggest lessons in life was appreciating life and moving forward. I always knew school was important because that’s all I’ve been told since I was a little girl. My mom has been a single mom ever since my dad and her didn’t work out. Growing up I didn’t understand why my mom dropped out of high school, but soon realized that she dropped out because her only brother died and a month later her cousin died, she just couldn’t focus on anything else. Years later, we received a phone call saying my dad had passed away. I was about 10 years old and didn’t understand much. I always wondered why many guys in my family always died. My freshman year, my closest cousin unfortunately lost her dad as well, and at that point I didn’t care for life. Reflecting back, now I realized that all these deaths have to do with the fact that they never did anything right and took the wrong path in life. Seeing the decisions they made and seeing the way they lived makes me not want to live in the neighborhoods I grew up in. With the help of my aunts and cousins and the talks we had I knew somehow I had to overcome the fear of losing someone so close to me to move forward with my life, but strive and do great things, so that everyone I had lost in my life could be proud of me. Graduating high school and moving on to college is special because it signifies that even with loss, you are able to strive, and show your greatest potential; I believe college is the way out of struggling.
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Tips + Analysis
Basically share anything else you want EOP to know about you that you didn’t earlier. Remember, EOP wants to help the students who want the help. Writing cliché statements isn’t going to be useful here because it’s not what they’re looking for—they want the student who’s honest with themselves and wants to grow into their best selves. That takes digging a little deeper, but that kind of honest reflection is so worth it.
Here’s a third example, without the analysis:
Example 3:
The Educational Opportunity Program was created to help first generation students in low income communities succeed and provide counseling and academic support. Coming from a small school my counselor has gotten to know me on a personal level and with this program having a counselor to guide me through college will make me successful in college.
As the second person to go to college this program will make my college experience not only easier but will make sure I succeed throughout college and beyond. Having someone besides your family, with experience being there to support and guide you is something that I need in order to pursue my dream of becoming a lawyer. A more intimate support to help me throughout college is necessary for the sake of my mental health as I am a person who suffers from anxiety.
Having anxiety has led me to have days in which I am unable to eat and do work. When I have those days I fall behind in my classes and it takes me quite some time to be able to catch up on my work. At the same time that I am catching up with my work, I have to turn in the work that is being assigned to me which does not only give me more anxiety but stress. With the counseling and academic support that this program provides, it would help me in those dark days. Being able to have the support of a counselor during those days in which I find myself in a deep hole will help me stay on top of my assignments while making sure my mental health is good.
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Links to Good EOP Programs, and final thoughts:
Hopefully, with all that in mind, you’re feeling ready to tackle the EOP application, and dive head first into college.
Here are some final links to some good EOP programs, and a resource for CSU GPA eligibility:
https://www.csun.edu/csun-eop csu northridge
https://www.csusm.edu/eop/index.html csu san marcos
https://www.csuchico.edu/eop/ (gives good financial aid money) csu chico
https://www.calstatela.edu/eop csu los angeles
https://www.csudh.edu/eop/ csu dominguez hills
We wish you the best of luck on your application and beyond.
Written by Lauren Fletcher, College & Guidance Counselor.
Fletcher, as her students refer to her, loves the students she works with so much that her husband has told her she can't bring them home—no matter how great she thinks they are! She’s inspired by the young people she works with who have been left out of the conversation over higher education persistence, and she dedicates her energies to them.
Top values: empathy, humor, growth
