University of California, San Diego supplemental essays

The prompts, one by one

1. PIQ 1: Leadership (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Leadership

   “Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.”

   What it's really asking

   Not your title but a moment where you changed what a group did. California, San Diego reads "leadership" broadly; the youngest sibling organising a family can answer this as well as a club president.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the role instead of a decision. "As president, I led the team to success" contains no information. Taking credit for a group's work.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One situation, one decision you made that others didn't have to accept, how you got them to, and what happened. Include what it cost you or what you'd do differently.

2. PIQ 2: Creative side (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Open 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.”

   What it's really asking

   Whatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. California, San Diego is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Using the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.

3. PIQ 3: Greatest talent (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Open prompt

   “What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?”

   What it's really asking

   Whatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. California, San Diego is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Using the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.

4. PIQ 4: Educational opportunity or barrier (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Challenge

   “Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.”

   What it's really asking

   How you behave when something goes wrong. The challenge itself matters less than the steps you took and what you now do differently.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Spending most of the words on the problem and two sentences on the response. Picking a tragedy for weight when a smaller, more honest problem would show more of you. Tidy endings where everything was fixed.

   The shape of a strong answer

   State the problem in two or three sentences. Then the specific actions, in order, including the one that didn't work. End with what changed in how you operate, with one example of it since.

5. PIQ 5: Significant challenge (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Challenge

   “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?”

   What it's really asking

   How you behave when something goes wrong. The challenge itself matters less than the steps you took and what you now do differently.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Spending most of the words on the problem and two sentences on the response. Picking a tragedy for weight when a smaller, more honest problem would show more of you. Tidy endings where everything was fixed.

   The shape of a strong answer

   State the problem in two or three sentences. Then the specific actions, in order, including the one that didn't work. End with what changed in how you operate, with one example of it since.

6. PIQ 6: Academic subject (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Open prompt

   “Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.”

   What it's really asking

   Whatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. California, San Diego is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Using the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.

7. PIQ 7: Community contribution (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Community

   “What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?”

   What it's really asking

   Two things at once: which community actually shaped how you think, and what you will bring to California, San Diego because of it. The second half is where most drafts stop short.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Describing the community instead of your role in it, or choosing the one that sounds impressive rather than the one that changed you. "Diversity" as an abstraction, with no scene.

   The shape of a strong answer

   Pick a community you can describe with a scene, not a label. Show one moment where it taught you something or asked something of you. Spend the last third on what that means you'll do at California, San Diego: a specific contribution, not "bring my perspective."

8. PIQ 8: Strong candidate (choose 4 of 8)up to 350 words · Open 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?”

   What it's really asking

   Whatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. California, San Diego is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.

   Where drafts go wrong

   Using the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.

   The shape of a strong answer

   One subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.

Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Don't repeat it here; the supplements are for what the statement didn't show.

A self-check before you submit

Cover the school name and read the essay. Then cover your name and read it again. It should fail the first test (it only makes sense for California, San Diego) and pass the second (only you could have written it). If it passes the first test, it's a brochure. If it fails the second, it's a template.