UC Personal Insight Questions

Hundreds of thousands of students apply to the University of California every year, and the Personal Insight Questions are the only essays the UC application asks for. They work differently from the Common App essay, and many students underestimate them. Our tutors went through college applications recently, and they help students with these questions every fall.

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Meet our tutors

Samantha

Samantha

Pursuing a Ph.D. inBioengineering

Tutors Biology · Chemistry · Math

  • Research in deep learning for assistive robotics
  • President’s Undergraduate Research Award
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Raquel

Raquel

StudiesBiology

Tutors Math · Spanish · Writing

  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • Bilingual teaching experience in Spanish
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Anna

Anna

StudiesNeuroscience

Tutors Biology

  • Research internship in Hamburg, Germany
  • Governor’s Scholars Award recipient
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Daniel

Daniel

StudiesElectrical Engineering & Computer Sciences

Tutors Math · Physics · Computer science

  • High-school valedictorian
  • STEM education minor and after-school tutoring
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Preston

Preston

StudiesApplied Mathematics

Tutors Math · Calculus · Computer science

  • Mathematics research fellow
  • Presented at the Young Mathematicians Conference
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Evan

Evan

StudiesPhysics & Applied Mathematics

Tutors Math · Physics · Calculus

  • Independent research in machine learning for quantum computing
  • 4.0 GPA in Physics & Applied Mathematics
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Lesly

Lesly

StudiesMathematics & Computer Science

Tutors Math · Computer science · Spanish

  • Java and Python programming
  • Game development and interactive software projects
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Kathleen

Kathleen

StudiesNeuroscience & Psychology

Tutors Biology · Chemistry · Math

  • Stroke-recovery research in a neuroscience lab
  • Dean’s Honor List
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Sophie

Sophie

StudiesChemical Biology

Tutors Chemistry · Math · Physics

  • National Merit Finalist
  • 5s on 10 AP exams, including Chemistry and Biology
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Oliver

Oliver

StudiesEnglish & Creative Writing

Tutors Writing · History · French

  • Editor-in-chief of a student literary magazine
  • Edited screenplays as a film development intern at Blumhouse
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Ruhy

Ruhy

StudiesSociocultural Anthropology

Tutors Writing · History

  • Fellow mentoring youth in environmental education
  • Camp Kesem volunteer supporting kids whose parents have cancer
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Amy

Amy

StudiesChemical Engineering

Tutors Math · Chemistry · Physics

  • 5s on AP Calculus BC, Statistics and Chemistry
  • Samueli School of Engineering Scholarship
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Connor

Connor

StudiesStructural Engineering

Tutors Math · Physics · Statistics

  • Private AP Calculus AB tutor
  • Co-directed engineering workshops for 4th–6th graders
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Eight questions, four answers

Each applicant answers four of the eight questions, in up to 350 words each, and the same four answers go to every UC campus you apply to. UC says all eight questions are weighed equally, so there’s no advantage in choosing one over another. The prompts cover leadership, creativity, a talent or skill, an educational opportunity or barrier, a significant challenge, an academic subject that inspires you, making your school or community better, and what else makes you a strong candidate. UC publishes the exact wording and its own tips on its Personal Insight Questions page.

Start with your stories, not the prompts

Make a list of the experiences, activities and parts of your life you most want UC to know about, then find the questions that fit them. The best set of four covers different ground, so readers see several sides of you: something you do, something you care about, something you’ve overcome and something you love to learn about.

Finding the right tutor, in parents’ own words

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“Our tutor was a senior at Stanford who tutored my son in English, and also SAT preparation. My son received great marks on the SAT exam and also improved his grade in AP English from B to A.”

Janet Y.Menlo Park
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The Whitfield family
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Laura T.Palo Alto
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“Fantastic tutoring service. The tutor (who was a Stanford junior) really connected with my son and inspired him to learn. He had some great study tips and was able to help my son raise his grades by quite a bit.”

Pamela T.Palo Alto
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Math · Finding a match
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Eduardo S.San Francisco
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Math · Confidence & connection
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“The tutors themselves have been great: well-prepared, thoughtful and on-time. At each level of math needed, we found these Stanford students to be not just helpful tutors but great mentors as well.”

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“The subsequent long term tutor that we had for pre calc and for ACT tutoring was amazing. She was completely professional, organized, thorough and easy to work with.”

Mel H.Redwood City
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Sharon C.Los Altos
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Math · Confidence & connection
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“We used Cardinal Tutoring again in the Spring 2018 for precalculus. Once again, she had a great tutor she really liked and who really helped her this year. My daughter is a senior so we won't need Cardinal Tutoring again, but I highly recommend them!”

Gail F.Palo Alto
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Math
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Diane W.
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Plain and specific beats clever

The PIQs are closer to short-answer responses than to a personal essay. UC readers move through a lot of applications, and they want to know what you did, why it mattered and what it says about you. Clever openings and elaborate metaphors usually eat up words without adding much. Get to the point in the first couple of sentences, then spend the rest on specific details and on what you learned or how you changed.

It also helps to answer every part of the question. Many prompts ask two things at once, such as describing a challenge and explaining how it affected your academics, and readers notice when half of the question is missing.

Three common mistakes

The first is repeating the activities list in paragraph form. Your activities are already in the application, so use the PIQs to explain what those activities meant to you. The second is choosing a question because it sounds impressive rather than because you have a strong story for it. The third is running out of time. The filing period runs from October 1 to November 30, and November fills up fast for seniors with other applications due.

Our tutors help students choose their four questions, brainstorm stories, and revise drafts until each answer is clear, specific and in their own voice. We never write essays for students. We also help with the Common App essay and other supplements, including the Stanford supplemental essays, and you can read more about our college application help.

Sessions are one-on-one, online or in person at your home.

Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.

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