So you’re applying to the University of California (UC) schools and writing the UC Personal Insight Questions?
Rad. You’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through:
Heads-up: This is basically a crash course on the UC application. For the longer version, check out my actual course, linked below. Like all my courses, it’s pay-what-you-can, which means you can literally pay anything you want.
Or get it for free. Really.
Speaking of paying what you can, one last thing before we dive into the UC PIQs: I want to make sure that you know this UC Financial Aid Calculator exists, since paying for college is (obviously) a really important part of the process to consider.
Alright, let’s jump in.
First, you’ll notice the UC calls these “Personal Insight Questions” as opposed to “essays.” That’s a heads-up that these should be treated differently from your personal statement (i.e., college essay).
In fact, the UC admission office has asked us counselors to please refer to the writing parts of the UC application as “Personal Insight Questions” (which I’ll do throughout this guide), so that students don’t think of these as essays you’d write for a class—they’re pretty different, as you’ll see in a minute.
But for the purposes of this guide, you’ll see me alternating between “Personal Insight Questions” and “essays” because, to be honest, people Google both.
You’ll choose four prompts, and your answers can be up to 350 words each.
The UC system details what it’s looking for on its website in the 13 points of comprehensive review. These are the elements that UC readers are looking for when they evaluate your application. In case you don’t feel like clicking on the link above, here they are:
More detail on these here.
The golden question. Your goal with these prompts is to do three things:
Your UC Activities List is a great place to start. If you haven’t created your list yet, do that now.
Really. Your UC Activities List, in my opinion, the best place to find your topics.
You can do that by clicking here.
It’s so important—and useful—that, yes, I really just linked it three times.
Once you’ve created your UC Activities List, your goal is to pick 4 or 5 prompts that might help you show different sides of yourself. For example .
I’ve also included the prompt numbers (UC1, 2, etc.):
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
Junior Statesmen of America
Mock Trial Club
Model United Nations
Music (piano, violin, flute)
Should you avoid these topics? Not necessarily, especially if you’ve devoted a lot of time to them. Having said that, here are .
If you can’t think of any activities, here’s a list of 80+ activities.
Still not sure which topics to pick? Here are some .
Prompt: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
Tip: Writing for this topic is a strong way to start your application. If you’ve shown leadership in high school, write about it. And leadership doesn’t necessarily have to mean you’re the founder or president of something. There are so many ways to show leadership—maybe you took on huge responsibilities in your family, for example, or maybe you identified a need in your school or community and worked to do something about it. If you’ve ever been called a leader, consider writing for this prompt.
Prompt: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
Tip: You can either describe one way you’re creative (like dance) or multiple ways (perhaps you play multiple instruments). The UCs are interested in more than just your academics, and this can be a great chance to bring variety to your application.
Prompt: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Tip: Don’t choose an abstract quality that’s already clear from your application. If you say something like “I’m hard-working,” it’s likely to be redundant. Why? Because chances are your GPA and course rigor already show that.
Another tip: Make sure you connect your quality (whatever it is) to specific things you’ve done. Otherwise, your PIQ may sound super general. How will you know if you’re being specific enough? Read your PIQ and ask, “Can I visualize this as I read it?” If not, brainstorm more specific examples of how this quality manifests itself in your life.
One more tip: If you pick a sport for this prompt, it can lead to a PIQ that’s bland/basic. Saying, for example, that volleyball is their greatest talent can lead students to write about how it’s taught them things like “discipline, hard work, and perseverance.” Instead, I recommend that you consider describing a talent or skill you’ve learned through volleyball—looking out for others’ needs, for example, or the ability to think critically. Show how volleyball has taught you that. Then, if you do end up mentioning how volleyball has helped you learn this, you can maybe even segue into how you’ve been able to use this skill elsewhere in your life (at home, for example, or in class).
Prompt: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced?
Tip: If you’re considering writing about an “educational barrier,” ask yourself: Is this something I could briefly describe in my Additional Comments section? If you’re unsure what that section is or what kind of information can go there, check out this link. If you can describe it briefly there, don’t waste one of your PIQs on this prompt.
Prompt: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
Tip: Some topics are stronger than others when it comes to this prompt.
In the past, I’ve seen students write successfully about challenges such as:
I’ve found that these tend to be less successful topics:
Another tip: If you’re considering writing about something from this second list, ask yourself: Is there a different UC prompt that might help me more effectively address one of the points of comprehensive review? I say this because I’ve found that even a “just-okay” PIQ on a community service project, for example, can improve a student’s chances of acceptance more than a PIQ about a break-up.
One more tip: If you’ve faced challenges, but aren’t sure if a topic will work or not, consider this three-part structure:
Then spend 15 minutes working through the Feelings and Needs Exercise (explained in more detail in the next section) and ask yourself, could I expand on the “what I did” and “what I learned” sections enough to fill ⅔ of the PIQ? More on this in the next lesson.
One final tip: Make sure to address how the challenge impacted your academics, since the prompt asks about this. If you experienced big challenges but were still able to maintain good grades, you can say simply, “Despite these challenges, I was able to maintain my grades” or something similar.
Prompt: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
Tip: This is a great prompt to consider. Why? It’s a solid way to demonstrate your intellectual side, plus you can pack in a lot of information. More on this in the next lesson.
Another tip: If you’re planning to major in engineering or computer science, you should definitely consider it, as those are often impacted majors (which means that a lot of students choose them) and you really want to show the UCs you have what it takes to excel in those fields.
If you’re applying as a transfer student, you must write it as one of your four choices.
Prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
Tip: This is another prompt to strongly consider. Why? The UCs love to know whether and how you’ve made an impact on your community. Can you think of any ways you have? Or several ways?
Another tip: If you don’t choose the UC7 prompt, it’s a good idea to demonstrate impact on your school or community in two of the other prompts.
Prompt: Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
Tip: This is kind of like the “topic of your choice” prompt on the Common App. Use this one if you have something you definitely want to include but aren’t sure which other prompt it works for.
Once you’ve generated 4-5 possible ideas for topics, zoom back for a second to think about how your topics are (or aren’t) working together.
Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 1:
2. Decide on a structure
Does your BEABIES content focus on a particular challenge you faced, what you did about it, and what you learned?
Use Narrative Structure.
Does your content focus on a few different experiences and problems that taught you different values and insights about leadership?
Try Montage Structure.
3. Build an outline
To outline a narrative, organize your BEABIES content into three sections:
To outline a montage, you can take a couple approaches:
4. Write a draft!
If you’re writing a narrative (i.e., challenges-based) story, try devoting about ⅓ of your PIQ to each of the following:
If you’re writing a montage (i.e., not challenges-based), write a very brief intro that gets right to the point, then divide your word budget among the different examples you have. So if, for example, you write a 50-word intro, you have 300 words left. If you have 3 paragraphs or examples, that’s 100 words each. If you have five examples, that’s 60 words each. Obviously, the fewer examples, the deeper you can go. The more you have, the wider you can go (in other words, you can show more variety).
UC Prompt 1 example essay: Ming Ji Restaurant
Since 5th grade, I have been my parents’ right hand at Ming Ji Restaurant in our hometown of Zacatecas, Mexico. Sometimes, they needed me to be the cashier, other times, a dishwasher or chef’s assistant in the kitchen, and eventually I was expected to interact with customers as the youngest waiter on staff.
As I developed more in this role, I became a keystone piece for the waiters. I taught them how to properly attend groups of unsatisfied customers and the fundamentals of customer service. Consequently, I acquired organizational habits and dialogued more fluently to resolve problems. I developed better strategies to speed up home-delivery and in restaurant service. Through this, I achieved not only a better rapport with my colleagues but also a more honest and enjoyable relation with my dad’s employees. It implanted a strong work ethic in me that reminds me of the hardworking farmers of my past generations.
I believe that to achieve efficiency and productivity in the working environment between employees and the manager, it requires not only the firmness and attention of a boss, but also the empathy and vision of a leader. These were the very qualities I developed as my dad’s assistant.
Working through the many facets of a small business has taught me the key role of small groups in a system, and I applied this beyond the walls of the restaurant. In school, you will see me managing and organizing one-on-one mediations with peer counselors, and at the same time, earning myself a leading position in my school’s British English Olympics team.
As a result of my years laboring for my family restaurant, you might think that I would like to become an entrepreneur. But in actuality, I picture myself as an engineer, as I believe both require the adaptability, perseverance, dedication, and strategy to succeed in this field.
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
Prompt: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 2:
For Prompt #2 I recommend the Uncommon Connections Exercise:
Here’s a good general rule: A boring essay discusses a common topic and makes common connections using common language, while a stand-out essay discusses an uncommon topic, makes uncommon connections, and uses uncommon language.
IMPORTANT: I know what you’re probably thinking. “I don’t have an uncommon topic!” Or, “I’m not a writer!” Either is okay. Really. You can write a great essay still. How? Use your brilliant, infinite brain to make several uncommon connections. In fact, the more common your topic, the more uncommon your connections will need to be.
Here’s an essay that demonstrates lots of variety:
UC Prompt 2 example essay: Drumming
Some time during middle school, I began my journey to establish a rock band, become its drummer and, most importantly, grow magnificent long hair. I enrolled at a local music institute for drum classes twice a week. I didn’t have a drum-kit at home, so I’d eagerly wait for those two one-hour sessions of smashing cymbals and double-kicking bases every week. I was having a great time, but some part of me always felt that I was not exploring my musical creativity as much as I could.
Over the next few months, as I continued to develop my mastery of the drum-kit, percussion became a part of my everyday life and soon I could sense rhythmic patterns in ordinary sounds. When no drums were available, I’d start finger-tapping in synchronous rhythms on any rigid surface and, before long, finger-tapping became an integral part of my rhythmic intelligence.
Unlike drumming, finger-tapping allowed me to incorporate melody into standard grooves by tapping on surfaces that had varying degrees of hollowness. Since it was a percussion style that I instinctively developed by myself, finger-tapping gave me the artistic freedom to create something new.
But I didn’t want to shape my spontaneous finger-tapping artistry to master another percussion instrument like the Tabla or Maschine.
Therefore, I decided to invent my own instrument. Equipped with my expertise in robotics and coding, I used electronic items like piezoelectric sensors, pcbs, and transistors to build an instrument that reflected my own finger-tapping habits and patterns. It had ten small pads for my fingers and two large pads for my palms. I chose a raspberry-pi as its CPU and programmed it to play all kinds of melodies and beats. In this way, I learned how to coordinate my different talents and skills to amplify my total creative output.
My friends and family suggested that I name and advertise my invention and maybe sell it to a company. But if I did that, I would lose the essence of why I built it. I built it not to master its musical capacity but to develop my own musical creativity.
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
Prompt: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 3:
As with Prompt 2, I recommend completing the Uncommon Connections Exercise. How? Like this:
Simple outline example:
UC Prompt 3 example essay: Finding connections among the dissimilar
I’ve always strived to find connections among the dissimilar.
It started when I was a kid and my dad taught me Sudoku. As he explained the rules, those mysterious scaffoldings of numbers I often saw on his computer screen transformed into complex structures of logic built by strategy. Gradually, puzzles became a constant in my life. In elementary school, I began searching for patterns in the world around me: thin, dark clouds signaled rain, the moon changed shape every week, and the best snacks were the first to go. I wanted to know what unseen rules affected these things and how they worked. My parents, both pipeline engineers, encouraged this inquisitiveness and tried explaining how they solved puzzles in their own work. Their analytical mindsets helped me muddle through homework and optimize matches in Candy Crush.
In high school, I threw myself into all my classes and studied by linking concepts across subjects. Mathematical syntax transitioned easily to English grammar, and the catalysts for revolutions resembled isomers of the same element, nominally different with the same properties.
As I grew older, my interests expanded to include the delicate systems of biology, the complexity of animation, and the nuances of language. Despite these subjects’ apparent dissimilarity, each provides fascinating perspectives on the world with approaches like color theory and evolution. Unsurprisingly, my career aspirations changed every week: one day I wanted to be an illustrator, the next a biochemist, then a stand up comedian. But when I discovered computer science, something seemed to settle; I had finally found a field where I could be creative, explore a different type of language, and, yes, solve puzzles.
Best of all, I believe my superpower has helped me knit together my identity. Although my relatives’ rapid Mandarin escapes me, in them I recognize the same work ethic that fueled me through marching band practices and late nights. My multicultural friend group is linked by our diverse passions: k-pop, hockey, Hamilton. While to others my life may seem like a jumble of incompatible fragments, like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece connects to become something more. (350 words)
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
Prompt: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 4:
There are a couple possibilities for this essay, and note that you don’t have to write about both a significant educational opportunity and an educational barrier—just write about one. For the “significant educational opportunity,” you could write about anything from an internship experience, a challenge you faced that taught you something, or something else entirely. For the “educational barrier,” you could write about the fact that your school dropped 50% of its after-school offerings due to budget cuts or didn’t offer AP Computer Science, and describe what you did to overcome that challenge.
If you’re writing about a significant educational opportunity,” you might choose to use the Montage Structure and use the BEABIES Exercise to brainstorm your content (scroll up to find that).
If you’re writing about an educational barrier, the Narrative (challenges essay) Structure works well for this. Try devoting about ⅓ of your PIQ to each of the following:
Let’s look at an example that uses the Montage Structure to discuss a significant educational opportunity. But notice that the student interpreted the prompt in an unusual way.
UC Prompt 4 example essay: Construction
Five years ago I took up a job in construction from a couple of neighbors who needed help doing a demolition job on an old house. I saw this as an opportunity to help pay bills around the house as well as cover my own personal expenses. I did a good enough job that my neighbors told me that, if I wanted, I could continue working with them.
It has been a demanding job and I made numerous mistakes at first, like using the wrong tools for different tasks or the wrong size screw. On occasion, I was scolded for my mistakes and I felt incompetent, as I wasn’t able to complete tasks as fast as my co-workers. There were even days that I considered quitting, but I stuck with it.
Since then, I've built, repaired, and remodeled numerous homes for family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. I’ve removed and replaced carpets; broken down walls as well as driveways; installed cabinets, lights, both wood and tile flooring; and painted room after room.
Working in construction has made me feel like a bigger part of society, because I’m shaping the buildings and offices my community uses. Although I don’t make the choices in design, my workmanship is reflected in every job I’ve done. Because of this, my most memorable projects are those that I’ve taken on by myself.
It has been a personally fulfilling experience—there’s just something about peeling away the last strip of tape off a new floor that’s indescribable—and getting to see hours of planning, preparation, and work come together is such a rewarding experience. The best part? Knowing that some family will get to enjoy my work.
But this is not what I will do the rest of my life.
There are other ways I can help cover my family’s expenses, and getting a degree is the next step. In fact, I have a feeling that would be an even more fulfilling journey.
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
Prompt: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 5:
Here’s a shortened version of an essay that was written as part of a four-day workshop. The student wrote this after completing the Feelings and Needs Exercise, and then shortened it from 650 words (for the Common App) to 350 words (so that I could share it with you here):
UC Prompt 5 example essay: Example 1: What had to be done (Narrative Approach, based on a challenge)
At six years old, I stood locked away in the restroom. My dad was being put under arrest for domestic abuse. He’d hurt my mom physically and mentally, and my brother Jose and I had shared the mental strain. It’s what had to be done.
For a few years the quality of our lives started to improve as our soon-to-be step-dad became part of our family. He paid attention to the needs of my mom, my brother, and me, but our prosperity was short-lived as my step dad’s chronic alcoholism became more recurrent. When I was eight, my younger brother Fernando’s birth complicated things even further. As my step-dad slipped away, Fernando’s care was left to Jose and me. I cooked, Jose cleaned, I dressed Fernando, Jose put him to bed. We did what we had to do.
I grew determined to improve the quality of life for my family and myself.
Without a father figure to teach me the things a father could, I became my own teacher. I learned how to fix bikes, how to swim, and even how to talk to girls. I found a job to help pay bills. I became as independent as I could to lessen the time and money mom had to spend raising me.
I worked hard to earn straight A’s, I shattered my school’s 1ooM breaststroke record, and I learned to play the oboe. I tutored kids, teens, and adults on a variety of subjects ranging from basic English to home improvement and even Calculus. As the captain of the water polo and swim team I’ve led practices, and I became the first student in my school to pass the AP Physics 1 exam.
I’ve done tons, and I'm proud of it.
But I’m excited to say there’s so much I have yet to do. I haven’t danced the tango, solved a Rubix Cube, or seen the World Trade Center. And I have yet to see how Fernando will grow.
I’ll do as much as I can from now on. Not because I have to.
Because I choose to.
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
Prompt: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 6:
You don’t have to go all crazy with this chart to write a solid essay—although if you want to, knock yourself out (not literally, please). Once you’ve filled in this chart:
UC Prompt 6 example essay: History
Through books like Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl about his incarceration at Auschwitz and documentaries like Enemies of the People about the Khmer Rouge, history has taught me that human empathy knows no borders.
My favorite “history nerd” moments occur when I can explain a modern socio-political phenomenon by drawing connections to a historical event, like tying the gender pay gap to the Neolithic Revolution and linking recent voting patterns to centuries of de jure/de facto racism. For my IB Extended Essay, I am writing about the Second Amendment, and I hope to elucidate the current gun control debate with research surrounding the legacy of the Glorious Revolution.
My passion for history led me to an internship at the Sejong Institute, a think-tank specializing in Korean diplomacy. While I translated Korean research publications on topics like denuclearizing North Korea and resolving the South China Sea disputes, I drew heavily from what I learned of the region’s past, coming to understand that international conflicts cannot be resolved in the absence of historical insight.
This notion also applies to my participation in Model UN. Exploring the ramifications of historical events has helped me create more comprehensive solutions; learning about the often-controversial past actions of nations has prompted me to raise ethical questions. For instance, I was appalled to learn that the Kurdish crisis, Syrian Civil War, and ISIL could be traced to the Sykes-Picot agreement, which carved up the region into ‘spheres of influence’ in 1916. In resolving these conflicts, how do we balance national sovereignty with the responsibility of former colonial powers to stabilize the region?
This summer, I enrolled in “Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology” at UC Irvine. From tracing the African exodus of Homo erectus two million years ago to examining La Bestia (Mexican freight trains used by US-bound migrants), I now understand that migration is as old as history itself.
In college, I hope to continue drawing connections between history and contemporary geopolitics as a Political Science major. Eventually, I hope to become a civil rights attorney, and the first Asian woman on the Supreme Court.
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
Prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
How to write an essay for UC Prompt 7:
I’ve saved the best for (almost) last. There’s an exercise I created based on an article I read about a pitch that Elon Musk made for the Tesla Powerwall. Here is that article (read it sometime if you have a few minutes to spare or if you end up writing a “community service” essay.)
You can totally steal this for your extracurricular essay. Shall I show you? I shall.
The Elon Musk Exercise
2. Then fill in the chart with all of these details.
3. Turn the paper vertical and notice (voila!) those six columns = your essay.
4. Write a draft using one column per paragraph (or so).
Once you’ve finished with your draft, read the first sentence of each paragraph aloud to see whether they flow together. If not, rewrite them so they do. Then rewrite the paragraphs so they connect to those first sentences.
If they do flow together, walk away from your computer, and go get a glass of cold water. Because you’re done. And because hydrating is important.
Don’t think it’s possible to fit all that content into just 350 words? Here’s an essay that does.
UC Prompt 7 example essay: Earthquakes
Last year, nearly 600 earthquakes hit my hometown of Reno in a ‘swarm’. Although the magnitudes of these quakes ranged from 2.5 to 3.7, the constant fear and anxiety of impending doom rose in the community. A disaster is unprecedented and unpredictable and, in our community, we always acknowledged their occurrence elsewhere but never fully admitted that a large-scale catastrophe may happen at our doorsteps.
Recognizing this unspoken apathy, I decided to take a step beyond my school club and get involved in the community chapter of the Reno Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services team. As I was learning the basics of preparedness i.e., general earthquake and fire safety drills, I realized that if disaster were to strike, the majority of people in my community could not confidently say that they are prepared. As part of the DCS committee, it is my goal to increase the confidence of as many youth and families as possible.
During my training, I accompanied volunteers during the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign, where we installed and updated smoke alarms and detectors in over thirty low income households in the Reno area, free of charge. I began teaching the “Pillowcase Project” in local elementary schools, leading workshops in and instilling the importance of disaster preparedness for the youngest of children.
Representing DCS on the Youth Executive Board for our local chapter, I also led a Youth in Disaster Services Seminar, where we trained young adults in CPR Certification as well as basic Shelter Fundamentals.
Through my work with the Red Cross, and in my interactions with survivors and rescuers who assisted during Hurricane Katrina, I’ve come to discover how teaching even just small preparedness procedures to individuals can help save entire communities.
The impact of disaster services reverberates throughout our communities, both at home and internationally. It is a selfless, necessary job in which youth, as the future generation of an ever-changing disaster prone world, must take urgent action.
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Some things I love about this PIQ:
