UC PIQs: An Overview of Personal Insight Questions

The Personal Insight Questions are short, 350 word mini-essays that allow the UC admissions officers to get to know you better as a human being, rather than just a statistic. There are 8 prompts in total, but you will only be allowed to submit responses to 4 of the 8 questions. While you can pick any 4 prompts to write about, a strong application will have a mix of prompts that allow the applicant to showcase a wide variety of their strengths. For example, writing both the inspiring subject prompt and the educational opportunity prompt about the biology club you founded in high school wastes valuable words that could’ve been used to discuss your personal passion project. Use your prompts wisely! These mini-essays are an excellent opportunity to elaborate on a project in your activities section or introduce a new topic entirely. The PIQs should be personal, succinct, and unique. There are no formulas for an excellent PIQ, but the advice below should be more than enough to get you started. If you need further guidance, please book a meeting with me and I would be happy to help!

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.

This is a very open-ended PIQ that can be useful in highlighting aspects of your personality and interests that don’t directly align with your academic goals. I wrote my creativity PIQ about learning how to sew, then volunteering to create masks for children experiencing homelessness. This was something I hadn’t included in my activities section, so I wanted to make sure I represented this aspect of myself in a PIQ. 

Choose a specific example of a time when your creativity was key to reaching an outcome, or describe a creative passion project of yours. Allow the admissions officers to visualize your creation, or empathize with how you felt while creating. Always make sure you connect your creativity example to your future career and academic goals, even if they are seemingly unrelated. 

Pro Tip: be sure that you aren’t repeating the word “creative” throughout your essay for the sake of redundancy!

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

This prompt allows you to showcase a skill that you’re passionate about, whether it’s a traditional “talent” or something more unconventional. Describe how you developed your talent, who taught you, and what this talent allows you to express about yourself. Showcase your resilience when facing setbacks and provide an example of how your talent benefited others or made an impact on the world. 

Be careful not to brag or boast while writing this prompt!

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

Choose an educational opportunity that stands out to you and has made a significant difference in your educational career thus far. Describe the opportunity, who provided it to you, the challenge you were facing, and how you were able to overcome it.  An “educational barrier” can be interpreted in several ways, but make sure the overall message of this PIQ is positive. You want to highlight the light at the end of the tunnel and demonstrate your personal growth.

It is crucial that you explain how you responded to this educational barrier and what you learned from this opportunity, rather than focus on the barrier itself. Describe the specific actions you took and how you worked through the challenge. Be sure to include a couple sentences at the end of the PIQ to explain how this experience has prepared you to face future challenges.

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?

With this PIQ, I recommend avoiding topics about politics, religion, immigration (unless you yourself are an immigrant), death, mental health, and sports injuries. The main focus of this essay should be on how you overcame this significant challenge and what you have gained as a result. 

Make sure you are specific and can provide examples that paint a vivid picture for the admissions officers. The admissions officers know that college is hard, and want to see how you have dealt with challenges in the past to determine if you can deal with future challenges that may stand in your way. Include how your new perspective/ personal growth will benefit your future academic career.

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

It is very clear when reading inspiring academic subject PIQs whether or not the student is actually excited about this subject or not. If you choose to write this prompt, choose an academic subject that is truly inspiring to you. Clearly explain why it is inspiring to you and provide examples. The key to this essay is to take your passion outside of the classroom. For example, if you’re passionate about biology, can you write about a medical organization or a research project you’re involved in? 

Will you continue to study this academic subject in college? Showcase how you hope to continue delving deeper into this topic and how it can contribute to your future career goals.

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

This is one of the “easier” PIQs to write, but it contains some nuance. How do you define community? Who were you able to help and how? Describe your involvement in this community and what your commitment means to you. Include a specific example of an action you have taken, including numbers and statistics when relevant. Does this community exist in college? Will you be able to continue to serve this community in the future, or have you been inspired to serve others?

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?

During your brainstorming, did you come up with an essay topic example that doesn’t fit any of the other prompts? The Extra Information PIQ allows students to showcase additional qualities or experiences that weren’t included in the activities section or mentioned in other PIQs. Think about your character traits that you believe make you stand out, and consider how you have demonstrated these qualities. Can you highlight a life experience or personal attribute that has shaped you? Is there a specific unique program at the University of California schools that you’re interested in? You can use this PIQ to highlight your interest and how you would make the UC campuses a better place through your involvement.
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How to Write the PIQs

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When first approaching brainstorming for the PIQs,it’s helpful to read all of the prompts and make a note of 4-5 topics for which an idea immediately comes to mind. Writing all 8 essays will be time consuming, so I recommend choosing five prompts and developing your ideas further from there. You can then narrow your submission down to four once you have strong rough drafts written for each.

Make sure you understand the prompt you’re answering and that you stay on topic as much as possible. Take the time to proofread and edit your essays, which College Contact is an excellent resource for. 

For every PIQ, make sure you’re specific and positive, connecting your life experiences to your plans for the future.  Show that you’re a good fit for the UC system, and that the admissions officers can be confident in their decision to enroll you. Please reach out if you’re stuck on any aspect of the UC application. You have excellent resources at your fingertips; don’t be afraid to use them!