Personal Statement
Help & Tips
Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) Prompts
What are the personal insight questions?
These questions are about getting to know you better — your life experience, interests, ambitions and inspirations. Think of it as your interview with the admissions office. Be open. Be reflective. Find your individual voice and express it. While this section of the application is just one part they consider when making their admission decision, it helps provide context for the rest of your application.
It’s important to note these are Personal Insight Questions, not essay prompts. They are not looking for thesis statements or topic sentences. Rather, they seek focus and clarity; a direct response to the question. These responses are not read for style or grammar, though proofreading helps. Aligning with the 14 comprehensive review factors helps UC understand the full context of the student, including personal background, personal characteristics, their school, the environment at home, and their community.
Basics
Each question aligns to one or more of the 14 comprehensive review factors for freshman admission.
Freshman applicants must respond to 4 of the 8 questions.
Maximum of 350 words for each response.
Students should select questions that are most relevant to their experiences and best reflect their individual circumstances.
All questions have equal value; there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others.
Example Questions
1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
2. 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.
3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
5. 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?
6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
How to Effectively Write College Personal Statements
PIQ Purposes
Allows the student to tell their own experiences
Most UC campuses don’t conduct interviews or accept letters of recommendation—this is the student’s opportunity to self-advocate.
Beyond academics or what is already listed on the application, allows students to express who they are, what matters to them, and what they want UC to know.
Keep in mind that most students who apply to the UC are already academically selective, so they are looking for students to go beyond that. Context is key in the UC application because we are not comparing student to student, we are looking at each student’s individual experiences and environment.
14 Factors of Comprehensive Review
Recommendations
Have multiple people read your responses; a person you know, another person from class or club that you don’t know well, and an English teacher (for grammar only.)
Use concrete, specific examples in the response to show what you are trying to convey.
Avoid descriptive, general language in favor of speaking in detail about you experiences
