uc berkeley admissions essay

Freshman requirements

Subject requirement (A-G)
GPA requirement
Admission by exception
English language proficiency
UC graduation requirements

Additional information for

California residents
Out-of-state students
Home-schooled students

Transfer requirements

Understanding UC transfer
Preparing to transfer
UC transfer programs
Transfer planning tools

International applicants

Applying for admission
English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS)
Passports & visas
Living accommodations
Health care & insurance

AP & Exam credits

Applying as a freshman

Filling out the application
Dates & deadlines

Personal insight questions

How applications are reviewed
After you apply

Applying as a transfer

Types of aid

Grants & scholarships
Jobs & work-study
California DREAM Loan Program
Middle Class Scholarship Program
Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan
Native American Opportunity Plan
Who can get financial aid
How aid works
Estimate your aid

Apply for financial aid

Cal Dream Act application tips
Tuition & cost of attendance
Glossary & resources
Santa Barbara
Campus program & support services
Check majors
Freshman admit data
Transfer admit data
Native American Opportunity Plan
You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.
Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you. However, you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

Keep in mind

All questions are equal. All are given equal consideration in the application review process, which means there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others.
There is no right or wrong way to answer these questions. It’s about getting to know your personality, background, interests and achievements in your own unique voice.
Use the additional comments field if there are issues you'd like to address that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss elsewhere on the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to note unusual circumstances or anything that might be unclear in other parts of the application. You may use the additional comments field to note extraordinary circumstances related to COVID-19, if necessary.

Questions & guidance

Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC.

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. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 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. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 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? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider: Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. 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? Things to consider: If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

Writing tips

Start early..

Give yourself plenty of time for preparation, careful composition and revisions.

Write persuasively.

Making a list of accomplishments, activities, awards or work will lessen the impact of your words. Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make.

Use “I” statements.

Talk about yourself so that we can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

Proofread and edit.

Although you will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling or sentence structure, you should proofread your work and make sure your writing is clear. Grammatical and spelling errors can be distracting to the reader and get in the way of what you’re trying to communicate.

Solicit feedback.

Your answers should reflect your own ideas and be written by you alone, but others — family, teachers and friends can offer valuable suggestions. Ask advice of whomever you like, but do not plagiarize from sources in print or online and do not use anyone's words, published or unpublished, but your own.

Copy and paste.

Once you are satisfied with your answers, save them in plain text (ASCII) and paste them into the space provided in the application. Proofread once more to make sure no odd characters or line breaks have appeared.

This is one of many pieces of information we consider in reviewing your application. Your responses can only add value to the application. An admission decision will not be based on this section alone.

Need more help?

Download our worksheets:

English [PDF]
Spanish [PDF]

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the University of California Essays 2023-2024

The University of California (UC) school system is the most prestigious state university system in the United States and includes nine undergraduate universities: UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and UC Irvine.

The University of California system has its own application portal, as well as its own deadline of November 30th—a full month before the Common Application is due. All nine universities use one application, so it is easy to apply to multiple UCs at the same time.

The application requires you to answer four of eight personal insight questions, with a 350-word limit on each prompt. This may seem daunting at first, but we provide this guide to make the prompts more approachable and to help you effectively tackle them!

University of California Application Essay Prompts

Note: There is only one application for all the UC schools, so your responses will be sent to every University of California school that you apply to. You should avoid making essays school-specific (unless you are applying to only one school).

You might want to start by deciding which four of the eight prompts you plan on answering. The eight prompts are:

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.

As you begin selecting prompts, keep the purpose of college essays at the forefront of your mind. College essays are the place to humanize yourself and transform your test scores, GPA, and extracurriculars into a living, breathing human with values, ambitions, and a backstory. If a specific prompt will allow you to show a part of who you are that is not showcased in the rest of your application, start there.

If nothing immediately jumps out at you, try dividing the prompts into three categories: “definites,” “possibilities,” and “avoids at all costs.” “Definites” will be prompts that quickly spark up a specific idea in you. “Possibilities” might elicit a few loose concepts, anecdotes, or structures. And “avoids” are prompts where you honestly cannot see yourself writing a convincing essay. Next, take your “definites” and “possibilities” and jot down your initial thoughts about them. Finally, look at all of your ideas together and decide which combination would produce the most well-rounded essay profile that shows who you are as an individual.

Of course, this is just one way to approach choosing prompts if you are stuck. Some students might prefer writing out a list of their values, identifying the most important ones in their life, then figuring out how to showcase those through the prompts. Other students select prompts based on what they are excited by or through freewriting on every prompt first. Do not feel constrained by any one method. Just remember:

Do not rush into prompts at first glance (though trial writing can be very valuable!).
Make sure that you consider potential ideas for many prompts before making final decisions, and ultimately write about the one with the most substance.
The prompts you select should allow you to highlight what is most important to you.

Check out our video to learn more about how to write the UC essays!

The 8 UC Personal Insight Questions

“Leadership Experience” is often a subheading on student resumes, but that is not what admissions officers are asking about here. They are asking for you to tell them a specific story of a time when your leadership truly mattered. This could include discussing the policies you enacted as president of a school club or the social ties you helped establish as captain of a sports team, but this prompt also gives you the freedom to go past that.

Leaders are individuals with strong values, who mentor, inspire, correct, and assist those around them. If you don’t feel like you’ve ever been a leader, consider the following questions:

Have you ever mentored anyone? Is there anyone younger than you who would not be the person they are today without you?
Have you ever taken the initiative? When and why did it matter?
Have you ever been fundamental to positive change in the world—whether it be on the small scale of positively impacting a family member’s life or on the large scale of trying to change the status of specific communities/identities in this world?
Have you ever stood up for what’s right or what you believe in?

Leadership is a concept that can be stretched, bent, and played with, but at the end of the day, the central theme of your essay must be leadership. Keeping this in mind, after your first draft, it can be helpful to identify the definition of leadership that you are working with, to keep your essay cohesive. This definition doesn’t need to appear within the essay (though, if you take on a more reflective structure, it might). Some examples of this include “being a positive role model as leadership,” “encouraging others to take risks as leadership,” and “embracing my identities as leadership.”

Here are some examples of how a leadership essay might look:

You’ve always loved learning and challenging yourself, but when you got to high school it was clear that only a certain type of student was recommended to take AP classes and you didn’t fit into that type. You presented a strong case to the school counselors that you were just as prepared for AP classes as anyone else, enrolled in your desired classes, and excelled. Since then, AP classes have become more diversified at your school and there has even been a new inclusion training introduced for your district’s school counselors.
When you were working as a camp counselor, the art teacher brought you two of your campers who were refusing to get along. To mediate the conflict, you spent long hours before bed talking to them individually, learning about their personal lives and family situation. By understanding where each camper came from, you were better equipped to help them reach a compromise and became a role model for both campers.
As a member of your school’s Chinese organization, you were driven by your ethnic heritage to devote your lunch breaks to ensuring the smooth presentation of the Chinese culture show. You coordinated the performers, prepared refreshments, and collected tickets. You got through a great performance, even though a performer didn’t show and some of the food was delivered late. You weren’t on the leadership board or anything, but exhibited serious leadership, as both nights of the culture show sold out and hundreds of both Chinese and non-Chinese people were able to come together and celebrate your culture.

Like the last prompt, this prompt asks about a specific topic—creativity—but gives you wiggle room to expand your definition of that topic. By defining creativity as problem-solving, novel thinking, and artistic expression, this prompt basically says “get creative in how you define creativity!”

Additionally, this broad conception of creativity lets you choose if you want to write about your personal life or your academic life. A robotics student could write about their love of baking on the weekends or their quick thinking during a technical interview. A dance student could write about their love of adapting choreography from famous ballets or their innovative solution to their dance team’s lack of funds for their showcase. You have space to do what you want!

That said, because this prompt is so open, it is important to establish a focus early on. Try thinking about what is missing from your application. If you are worried that your application makes you seem hyper-academic, use this prompt to show how you have fun. If you are worried that you might be appearing like one of those students who just gets good grades because they have a good memory, use this prompt to show off your problem-solving skills.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to describe any skill in creative pursuits as you answer this prompt. The prompt asks you how you express your “creative side,” alluding to creative instinct, not creative talent. You could write about how you use painting to let out your emotions—but your paintings aren’t very good. You could write about dancing in the shower to get excited for your day—but one time you slipped and fell and hurt your elbow. Experiences like these could make for a great reflective essay, where you explore the human drive towards creative expression and your acceptance that you personally don’t have to be creatively inclined to let out creative energy.

Some examples:

A math student writing about a time they devised a non-textbook method to proving theorems
A creative writer describing how they close-read the ups-and-downs of classical music as an attempt to combat writers’ block and think of emotional trajectories for new stories
An engineering student writing about cooking as a creative release where numbers don’t matter and intuition supersedes reason
A psychology student writing about the limitations of quantitative data and describing a future approach to psychology that merges humanism and empiricism.

This is the kind of prompt where an answer either pops into your head or it doesn’t. The good news is that you can write a convincing essay either way. We all have great talents and skills—you just might have to dig a bit to identify the name of the talent/skill and figure out how to best describe it.

Some students have more obvious talents and skills than others. For example, if you are intending to be a college athlete, it makes sense to see your skill at your sport as your greatest talent or skill. Similarly, if you are being accepted into a highly-selective fine arts program, painting might feel like your greatest talent. These are completely reasonable to write about because, while obvious, they are also authentic!

The key to writing a convincing essay about an obvious skill is to use that skill to explore your personality, values, motivations, and ambitions. Start by considering what first drew you to your specialization. Was there a specific person? Something your life was missing that painting, hockey, or film satisfied? Were you brought up playing your sport or doing your craft because your parents wanted you to and you had to learn to love it? Or choose to love it? What was that process like? What do these experiences say about you? Next, consider how your relationship with your talent has evolved. Have you doubted your devotion at times? Have you wondered if you are good enough? Why do you keep going? On the other hand, is your talent your solace? The stable element in your life? Why do you need that?

The key is to elucidate why this activity is worth putting all your time into, and how your personality strengths are exhibited through your relationship to the activity.

Do not be put off by this prompt if you have not won any big awards or shown immense talent in something specific. All the prompt asks for is what you think is your greatest talent or skill. Some avenues of consideration for other students include:

Think about aspects of your personality that might be considered a talent or skill. This might include being a peacemaker, being able to make people laugh during hard times, or having organization skills.
Think about unique skills that you have developed through unique situations. These would be things like being really good at reading out loud because you spend summers with your grandfather who can no longer read, knowing traffic patterns because you volunteer as a crossing guard at the elementary school across the street that starts 45 minutes before the high school, or making really good pierogi because your babysitter as a child was Polish.
Think about lessons you have learned through life experiences. A military baby might have a great skill for making new friends at new schools, a child of divorce might reflect on their ability to establish boundaries in what they are willing to communicate about with different people, and a student who has had to have multiple jobs in high school might be talented at multitasking and scheduling.

Make sure to also address how you have developed and demonstrated your selected talent. Do you put in small amounts of practice every day, or strenuous hours for a couple of short periods each year? Did a specific period of your life lead to the development of your talent or are you still developing it daily?

The purpose of college essays is to show your values and personality to admissions officers, which often includes exploring your past and how it informs your present and future. With a bit of creativity in how you define a “talent or skill,” this prompt can provide a great avenue for that exploration.

This prompt offers you two potential paths—discussing an educational opportunity or barrier. It is important that you limit yourself to one of these paths of exploration to keep your essay focused and cohesive.

Starting with the first option, you should think of an educational opportunity as anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for life and your career. Some examples could include:

participation in an honors program
enrollment in an academy geared toward your future profession
a particularly enlightening conversation with a professional or teacher
joining a cultural- or interest-based student coalition
plenty of other opportunities

The phrasing “taken advantage of” implies the admissions committee’s desire for students who take the initiative. Admissions officers are more interested in students who sought out opportunities and who fought to engage with opportunities than students who were handed things. For example, a student who joined a career-advancement afterschool program in middle school could write about why they were initially interested in the program—perhaps they were struggling in a specific subject and didn’t want to fall behind because they had their sights set on getting into National Junior Honor Society, or their friend mentioned that the program facilitated internship opportunities and they thought they wanted to explore therapy as a potential career path.

On the other hand, if an opportunity was handed to you through family connections or a fortuitous introduction, explore what you did with that opportunity. For example, if a family member introduced you to an important producer because they knew you were interested in film, you could write about the notes you took during that meeting and how you have revisited the producer’s advice and used it since the meeting to find cheap equipment rentals and practice your craft.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you have faced, consider the personal characteristics and skills you called upon to overcome the challenge. How did the process of overcoming your educational barrier shape you as a person? What did you learn about yourself or the world? An added plus would be talking about passing it forward and helping those in your purview obtain the knowledge you did from your experiences.

Some examples of educational barriers could include:

limited access to resources, materials, technology, or classes
lacking educational role models
struggles with deciding on a passion or career path
financial struggles

One example of an interesting essay about educational barriers:

As a student at a school that did not offer any honors classes, you enrolled in online lectures to learn the subject you were passionate about — Human Geography. Afterward, you spoke to your school administrators about high-achieving students needing higher-level courses, and they agreed to talk to the local community college to start a pipeline for students like you.

Either way that you take this prompt, it can be used to position yourself as motivated and driven—exactly the type of student admissions officers are looking for!

This prompt is three-pronged. You must 1) identify a challenge 2) describe the steps you have taken to overcome the challenge and 3) connect the challenge to your academic achievement.

When approaching this prompt, it is best to consider these first and third aspects together so that you identify a challenge that connects to your academic life. If you simply pick any challenge you have experienced, when you get to the third part of the prompt, you may have to stretch your essay in ways that are unconvincing or feel inauthentic.

That said, remember that “academic achievement” reaches far beyond grades and exams. It can include things like:

Deciding your career goals
Balancing homework, jobs, and social/familial relationships
Having enough time to devote to self-care
Figuring out how you study/learn best
Feeling comfortable asking for help when you need it

You should begin brainstorming challenges and hardships that you have experienced and overcome. These could include financial hardships, familial circumstances, personal illness, or learning disabilities. Challenges could also be less structural—things like feeling like you are living in a sibling’s shadow, struggles with body image, or insecurity. While it is important that your challenge was significant, it matters much more that you discuss your challenge with thoughtful reflection and maturity.

Some ways to take this prompt include:

Writing about how overcoming a challenge taught you a skill that led to academic success — for example, a high-achieving student who struggles with anxiety was forced to take time off from school after an anxiety attack and learned the importance of giving oneself a break
Writing about a challenge that temporarily hindered your academic success and reflecting on it — for example, a student who experienced a death in the family could have had a semester where they almost failed English because reading led to negative thought spirals instead of plot retention
Writing about how a challenge humbled you and gave you a new perspective on your academics — for example, a student with a part-time job who helps support her family missed a shift because she was studying for a test and realized that she needed to ask her teachers for help and explain her home situation

As you describe the steps you have taken to overcome your selected challenge, you will want to include both tangible and intangible steps. This means that you will need to discuss your emotions, growth, and development, as well as what you learned through overcoming the challenge. Was your challenge easy to overcome or did it take a few tries? Do you feel you have fully overcome your challenge or is it a work in progress? If you have fully overcome the challenge, what do you do differently now? Or do you just see things differently now? If you were to experience the same challenge again, what would you have learned from before?

Here are some detailed examples:

Your parents underwent a bitter, drawn-out divorce that deeply scarred you and your siblings, especially your little brother who was attending elementary school at the time. He was constantly distraught and melancholy and seemed to be falling further and further behind in his schoolwork. You took care of him, but at the cost of your grades plummeting. However, through this trial, you committed yourself to protecting your family at all costs. You focused on computer science in high school, hoping to major in it and save up enough money for his college tuition by the time he applies. Through this mission, your resolve strengthened and reflected in your more efficient and excellent performance in class later on.
Your race was the most significant challenge you faced growing up. In school, teachers did not value your opinion nor did they believe in you, as evidenced by their preferential treatment of students of other races. To fight back against this discrimination, you talked to other students of the same race and established an association, pooling together resources and providing a supportive network of people to others in need of counseling regarding this issue.

The first step for approaching this prompt is fun and easy—think about an academic subject that inspires you. This part of the essay is about emotional resonance, so go with your gut and don’t overthink it. What is your favorite subject? What subject do you engage with in the media in your free time? What subject seeps into your conversations with friends and family on the weekends?

Keep in mind that high school subjects are often rather limited. The span of “academic subjects” at the university level is much less limited. Some examples of academic subjects include eighteenth-century literature, political diplomacy, astronomy, Italian film and television, botany, Jewish culture and history, mobile robotics, musical theater, race and class in urban environments, gender and sexuality, and much more.

Once you’ve decided what subject you are most interested in and inspired by, think about a tangible example of how you have furthered your interest in the subject. Some common ways students further their interests include:

Reading about your interest
Engaging with media (television, film, social media) about your interest
Volunteering with organizations related to your interest
Founding organizations related to your interest
Reaching out to professionals with your academic interest
Using your interest in interdisciplinary ways
Research in your field of interest
Internships in your field of interest

While you should include these kinds of tangible examples, do not forget to explain how your love for the subject drives the work you do, because, with an essay like this, the why can easily get lost in describing the what . Admissions officers need both.

A few examples:

You found your US government class fascinatingly complex, so you decided to campaign for a Congressional candidate who was challenging the incumbent in your district. You canvassed in your local community, worked at the campaign headquarters, and gathered voter data whilst performing various administrative duties. Though the work was difficult, you enjoyed a sense of fulfillment that came from being part of history.
Last year you fell in love with the play Suddenly Last Summer and decided to see what career paths were available for dramatic writing. You reached out to the contact on your local theater’s website, were invited to start attending their guest lecturer series, and introduced yourself to a lecturer one week who ended up helping you score a spot in a Young Dramatic Writers group downtown.
The regenerative power of cells amazed you, so you decided to take AP Biology to learn more. Eventually, you mustered up the courage to email a cohort of biology professors at your local university. One professor responded, and agreed to let you assist his research for the next few months on the microorganism C. Elegans.
You continued to develop apps and games even after AP Computer Science concluded for the year. Eventually, you became good enough to land an internship at a local startup due to your self-taught knowledge of various programming languages.

With regards to structure, you might try thinking about this essay in a past/present/future manner where you consider your past engagement with your interest and how it will affect your future at a UC school or as an adult in society. This essay could also become an anecdotal/narrative essay that centers around the story of you discovering your academic interest, or a reflective essay that dives deep into the details of why you are drawn to your particular academic subject.

Whatever way you take it, try to make your essay unique—either through your subject matter, your structure, or your writing style!

College essay prompts often engage with the word “community.” As an essay writer, it is important to recognize that your community can be as large, small, formal, or informal as you want it to be. Your school is obviously a community you belong to, but your local grocery store, the nearby pet adoption center you volunteer at, your apartment building, or an internet group can also be communities. Even larger social groups that you are a part of, like your country or your ethnicity, can be a community.

The important part of your response here is not the community you identify with but rather the way you describe your role in that community. What do you bring to your community that is special? What would be missing without you?

Some responses could include describing how you serve as a role model in your community, how you advocate for change in your community, how you are a support system for other community members, or how you correct the community when it is veering away from its values and principles.

Here are some fleshed-out examples of how this essay could take shape, using the earlier referenced communities:

A student writes about the local grocery store in his neighborhood. Each Sunday, he picks up his family’s groceries and then goes to the pharmacy in the back to get his grandmother’s medication. The pharmacist was a close friend of his grandmother’s when she was young, so the student routinely gives the pharmacist a detailed update about his grandmother’s life. The student recognizes the value in his serving as a link to connect these two individuals who, due to aging, cannot be together physically.
An animal-loving student volunteers one Saturday each month at the pet adoption center in their city’s downtown district. They have always been an extremely compassionate person and view the young kittens as a community that deserves to be cared for. This caring instinct also contributes to their interactions with their peers and their desire to make large-scale positive social change in the world.

Your response to this prompt will be convincing if you discuss your underlying motives for the service you have done, and in turn, demonstrate the positive influence you have made. That said, do not be afraid to talk about your actions even if they did not produce a sweeping change; as long as the effort was genuine, change is change, no matter the scale. This essay is more about values and reflection than it is about the effects of your efforts.

Lastly, if you are discussing a specific service you did for your community, you might want to touch on what you learned through your service action or initiative, and how you will continue to learn in the future. Here are a few examples:

Passionate about classical music, you created a club that taught classical and instrumental music at local elementary schools. You knew that the kids did not have access to such resources, so you wanted to broaden their exposure as a high school senior had done for you when you were in middle school. You encouraged these elementary schoolers to fiddle with the instruments and lobbied for a music program to be implemented at the school. Whether the proposal gets approved or not, the kids have now known something they might never have known otherwise.
Working at your local library was mundane at times, but in the long run, you realized that you were facilitating the exchange of knowledge and protecting the intellectual property of eminent scholars. Over time, you found ways to liven up the spirit of the library by leading arts and crafts time and booking puppet shows for little kids whose parents were still at work. The deep relationships you forged with the kids eventually blossomed into a bond of mentorship and mutual respect.

Be authentic and humble in your response to this essay! Make sure it feels like you made your community a better place because community is a value of yours, not just so that you could write about it in a college essay.

This is the most open-ended any question can get. You have the freedom to write about anything you want! That said, make sure that, no matter what you do with this prompt, your focus can be summarized into two sentences that describe the uniqueness of your candidacy.

The process we recommend for responding to open-ended prompts with clarity involves the following steps:

1. On a blank piece of paper, jot down any and every idea — feelings, phrases, and keywords — that pop into your head after reading this prompt. Why are you unique?

2. Narrow your ideas down to one topic. The two examples we will use are a student writing about how her habit of pausing at least five seconds before she responds to someone else’s opinion is emblematic of her thoughtfulness and a student whose interest in researching the history of colonialism in the Caribbean is emblematic of their commitment to justice.

3. Outline the structure of your essay, and plan out content for an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

4. Before you start writing your essay, write one or two sentences that summarize how you would like the admissions officers to perceive you based on this essay. These sentences will not be in your final product, but will help you to maintain a focus. For our examples, this would be something like “Natalie’s habit of gathering her thoughts before responding to other people’s opinions allows her to avoid undesired complications and miscommunications in her social interactions. This has not only helped her maintain strong relationships with all the staff members of the clubs she leads, but will also help her navigate the social environments that she will face in the professional world.” A summary for the student writing about their interest in the history of colonialism could be “Jonathan has always been highly compassionate and sympathetic by nature. When they found out about the historical injustices of colonialism in the Caribbean through the book The Black Jacobins , they realized that compassion is what is missing from politics. Now, they are inspired to pursue a political science degree to ultimately have a political career guided by compassion.”

5. Finally, write an essay dedicated to constructing the image you devised in step 4. This can be achieved through a number of different structures! For example, Natalie could use an anecdote of a time when she spoke too soon and caused someone else pain, then could reflect on how she learned the lesson to take at least five seconds before responding and how that decision has affected her life. Jonathan could create an image of the future where they are enacting local policies based on compassion. It is important to keep in mind that you do not want to be repetitive, but you must stay on topic so that admissions officers do not get distracted and forget the image that you are attempting to convey.

As exemplified by the examples we provided, a good way to approach this prompt is to think of a quality, value, or personality trait of yours that is fundamental to who you are and appealing to admissions officers, then connect it to a specific activity, habit, pet peeve, anecdote, or another tangible example that you can use to ground your essay in reality. Use the tangible to describe the abstract, and convince admissions officers that you would be a valuable asset to their UC school!

Where to Get Your UC Essays Edited

With hundreds of thousands of applicants each year, many receiving top scores and grades, getting into top UC schools is no small feat. This is why excelling in the personal-insight questions is key to presenting yourself as a worthwhile candidate. Answering these prompts can be difficult, but ultimately very rewarding, and CollegeVine is committed to helping you along that journey. Check out these UC essay examples for more writing inspiration.

If you want to get your essays edited, we also have free peer essay review , where you can get feedback from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by editing other students’ essays.

You can also receive expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers. Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

Give to Haas

Your investments drive excellence

Full-time MBA Program

Essays help us learn about who you are as a person and how you will add to our community. We seek candidates from a broad range of industries, backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences.

Our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles - Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. We encourage you to reflect on your experiences, values, and passions so that you may craft thoughtful and authentic responses that demonstrate your alignment with our principles.

Below are the required essays, supplemental essays, and optional essays for the Fall 2023-2024 application cycle.

Required Essay #1

What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)

Required Essay #2

How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? (300 words max)

Required Essay #3 - Video

Required Essay #4 - Short Answer

Optional Essays

The admissions team takes a holistic approach to application review and seeks to understand all aspects of a candidate’s character, qualifications, and experiences. We will consider achievements in the context of the opportunities available to a candidate. Some applicants may have faced hardships or unusual life circumstances, and we will consider the maturity, perseverance, and thoughtfulness with which they have responded to and/or overcome them.

Optional Information #1

We invite you to help us better understand the context of your opportunities and achievements.

Optional Information #2

Supplemental Information

If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain. If not applicable, enter N/A.
Name of organization or activity
Nature of organization or activity
Size of organization
Dates of involvement
Offices held
Average number of hours spent per month
List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree.
If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended, or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.)

Video: Extracurricular Supplement Tips

Senior Associate Director of Full-time Admissions, Cindy Jennings Millette, shares how we look at, and evaluate, extracurricular and community involvement.

REQUEST INFO
EVENTS NEAR YOU

Admissions overview

The University of California, Berkeley, is the No. 1 public university in the world. Over 40,000 students attend classes in 15 colleges and schools, offering over 300 degree programs. Set the pace with your colleagues and community, and set the bar for giving back.

Undergraduate

Find out about application deadlines, student profiles, the academic setting and what it takes to “Be Berkeley.”

Explore graduate programs, research and professional development opportunities and funding options for your graduate education.

Financial aid

Get step-by-step guidance through the application process, discover scholarships and grants, and walk through the Cal-culator to estimate your financial aid eligibility.

Itemized breakdown of costs for undergraduate, graduate and professional programs.

UC Berkeley Extension

Browse courses, online learning opportunities, certificate programs for continuing education, and personal and professional development.

Summer Sessions

Choose from over 600 courses, take a class online and find out about session dates and deadlines. International students welcome.

Study Abroad

Discover programs abroad, find out how to fund your study, review application deadlines and more.

What does it mean to Be Berkeley?

“I love Berkeley. Our students give me hope for the future.” Robert Reich, professor of public policy and former U.S. secretary of labor

18 UC Berkeley Essay Examples that Worked (2023)

If you want to get into the University of California, Berkeley in 2022, you need to write strong Personal Insight Question essays.

In this article I've gathered 18 of the best University of California essays that worked in recent years for you to learn from and get inspired.

What is UC Berkeley's Acceptance Rate?

UC Berkeley is one of the top public universities and therefore highly competitive to get admitted into.

This past year 112,854 students applied to Berkeley and only 16,412 got accepted. Which gives UC Berkeley an overall admit rate of 14.5%.

And as of 2022, the University of California no longer uses your SAT and ACT when deciding which students to admit.

UC Berkeley Acceptance Scattergram

This means that your Personal Insight Questions are even more important to stand out in the admissions process. That is, your essays are more heavily weighed.

If you're trying to get accepted to UC Berkeley, here are 18 of the best examples of Personal Insight Questions that got into Berkeley.

What are the UC Personal Insight Question Prompts for 2022-23?

The Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) are a set of eight questions asked by the UC application, of which students must answer four of those questions in 350 words or less.

Here are the Personal Insight Question prompts for this year:

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
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 would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
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?
Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
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?

18 UC Berkeley Personal Insight Question Examples

Here are the 18 best Berkeley essays that worked for each Personal Insight Question prompt #1-8.

If you're also applying to UCLA, check out more unique UCLA essays from admitted students.

UC Berkeley Example Essay #1

Uc berkeley example essay #2, uc berkeley example essay #3: clammy hands, uc berkeley example essay #4: memory, uc berkeley example essay #5: chemistry class, uc berkeley example essay #6, uc berkeley example essay #7: debate, uc berkeley example essay #8, uc berkeley example essay #9, uc berkeley example essay #10, uc berkeley example essay #11, uc berkeley example essay #12, uc berkeley example essay #13, uc berkeley example essay #14, uc berkeley example essay #15, uc berkeley example essay #16, uc berkeley example essay #17, uc berkeley example essay #18.

UC PIQ #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. (350 words max)

From an early age I became a translator for my mother anytime we went out in public. This experience forced me to have conversations with adults from a young age. It made me become a great communicator, while helping my parents overcome their language barrier.

Being a communicator has allowed me to lead. When I joined my school’s National Honor Society I was given the opportunity to lead. Applying the skills I used from being my mother’s translator I was able to do what no one else could, make the calls and start the club’s most successful event to date an annual Food Drive at a local Albertson’s, which collects over one ton of food every November. Also developing events like an egg hunt at the local elementary school, a goods drive for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and stabilizing a volunteer partnership with a local park. I have been able to grow as a leader, who actively communicates and brings parties together, planning events and having them run smoothly with minor issues. For instance, last year there was an issue with the homeless shelter not picking up the food for the food drive. In a spur of the moment solution I managed for club member’s parents to collectively deliver the food. My ability to communicate benefited me allowing me to find a solution to an unanticipated problem.

Throughout the four years I have been in journalism I have led; mentoring younger writers and improving the way the paper operates. Staying after hours, skyping with writers about their articles all helped establish my role as a leader, who is always supporting his team. I have done this while writing over 100 articles, editing tons of pages, and managing deadlines. I learned that while being a leader requires effort, it is the passion like I have for journalism that motivates me to lead in my community.

Being a leader so far in my life has taught me that I need to communicate, be passionate, and pass on my knowledge helping cultivate future leaders, who can expand and supersede my work.

UC PIQ #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. (350 words max)

Video games have cultivated my creative thought process. When I was a toddler I invented a game I would play with my brothers. It was nothing along the lines of Hide-and-Seek or Tag, but rather, it was meant to mimic a role-playing video game. It was called "Guy" and came with its own story, leveling system, and narrative story. While seemingly impossible to translate the mechanics of a video game into real life, the "Guy" trilogy provided hundreds of hours of fun to pass hot summer days and escape the harsh reality of our parents arguing and eventual divorce.

This thought process translated into my educational career. have always thought of a tough class or test as a video game. This mostly due to my excessive amounts of video games I played as a child through middle school (especially 7th grade). Each year comes bigger and "stronger" challenges, bigger and stronger bosses to defeat. My senior year will have me face the most powerful boss yet; full AP course load on top of heavy club involvement and community college classes.

Many thought of this "secret boss" as an impossible challenge; something that could never be beaten. No one from my school has ever attempted to take on such a challenge, let alone defeat it. That is probably what excites me about it. In a game, messing around with lower level enemies is fun for a while, but gets boring when it is too easy. The thought of a challenge so great and difficult makes the victory even more rewarding. Stormy skies, heavy rain, and epic boss battle music; I'll take that over a peaceful village any day. In the future, I seek to use this thinking to drive research. I think of abstract physics concepts like secret door and levels that need to be proven true or just a myth in the game. One day, I can make my own discovery of a secret "cheat code' that can help everyone who plays a little game called life.

UC PIQ #3: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? (350 words max)

I’ve always hated the feeling of clammy hands, the needless overflow of adrenaline rushing through my veins, and the piercing eyes that can see through my façade—the eyes that judge me. I felt like this debilitating anxiety that I suffered through was something I could not avoid when doing the thing I was most afraid of—public speaking. I still felt every sweat droplet run down my skin before each speech, and this anguish never completely dissipated. Fortunately, I learned to moderate my fear in high school when I decided to join the speech and debate program. My anxiety has slowly faded in intensity as I’ve gained certitude and poise with every tournament, and every chance I’m given to speak on behalf of others; this talent has allowed me to be a voice for the voiceless.

Out of all the national tournaments that I’ve competed in, the MLK invitational holds a distinct place in my heart. It was my first invitational tournament in which I competed exclusively in Lincoln Douglas debate. I only had two weeks to prepare myself since it was finals week, while my competitors had upwards of two months to prepare. I was fortunate to break into the final round, as my years of experience helped me to articulate and explain my few arguments more effectively, while also refuting my opponent’s.

I realized that the extent of one’s knowledge is useless if it cannot be made known in a way that is clear to others. I learned that preparation is necessary, but one can be so focused on what they are going to say that they don’t hear the arguments presented. I kept an open and ready mind for various claims and strategies which left me free to adapt to the opponent’s argumentative style each round. This ability to think on my feet has served me well in countless debates, speeches, and presentations. I continuously use these skills to become a better and more active listener in my daily interactions as well.

Learn the secrets of successful top-20 college essays

Join 4,000+ students and parents that already receive our 5-minute free newsletter , packed with top-20 essay examples, writing tips & tricks, and step-by-step guides.

My greatest skill is my ability to remember things really well, whether they be minute details or important information that should not be forgotten. Over time, I’ve had a knack for remembering details most people would not even bother to remember, such as old test scores, atomic masses, and other details involving numbers. My friends have always marveled at my ability to remember all these numbers. When I was in chemistry class, we used the periodic table so much that I soon began to remember the atomic mass of the more common elements, and even the molecular mass of common compounds like glucose or water. One of my best friends, who is undoubtedly the smartest person in our class, even finds it crazy that I can remember all these numbers and always tells me that my memory of numbers is amazing. I also used my memory to learn and remember how to solve the Rubik's cube, which amazes my friends, as they find it to be complex with many different, possible combinations.

This skill that I have developed, however, isn’t completely under my control, as sometimes I just remember random and irrelevant facts without really trying to do so. I recall one weekend when my eight-year-old cousin was attempting to memorize the digits of pi: I remembered them along with him, learning up to forty digits in just one day. The skill is seemingly natural and not something I have worked hard to develop, as I may be able to use my memory to my advantage, or it can be a disadvantage. It helps when I have multiple tests in one day, or a test with many questions where I have to remember a lot of information, such as finals. Sometimes, however, it is a disadvantage when I remember information during a test that is not relevant to the topic, such as random dates, names, or song lyrics, to name a few. This skill is very important to nonetheless, as it has assisted me all throughout my life in many tests and challenges involving memory.

UC PIQ #4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. (350 words max)

At 10:30 pm on a hot, summer, Wednesday night, you would expect my friends and me to be having the time of our lives and going out on crazy high school adventures— but instead, we were actually stuck in a chemistry laboratory trying to map out the Lewis structure of sulfuric acid.

Over the summer of my sophomore year, my friends and I enrolled into ‘Introduction to Chemistry’, an evening course at our local community college. As a six-week summer course, I spent two hours in lecture, two hours in the laboratory, and another two hours studying on my own for four days a week for six weeks. It was evident that I struggled with adjusting to the pace of college when I received 19% on a quiz. I felt left behind, exhausted, and overall pathetic. No matter how many hours I spent studying, I couldn’t keep up. But instead of giving up, I picked up certain strategies like reading the material the night before, rewriting my notes, and joining a study group; eventually working my way up to a B.

At the end of that summer, I learned so much more than just chemistry. On top of having the raw experience of what college is like, my chemistry experience taught me that it is okay to fail. I discovered that failure is an essential part of learning. Coming to this realization inspired me to take more college courses and rigorous courses in high school. I transformed into a hungry learner, eager to fail, learn, and improve. By seizing the opportunity to take this course, I pushed myself beyond my limits. This experience and realization changed how I wanted to pursue the rest of high school, college, and life in general.

I walked into my first day of the chemistry class expecting to walk out with an A; but thankfully, I didn’t. Instead, I walked out of that class with a taste of the college experience and a principle that I now live by-- that it is okay to fail, as long as you get back up.

The relationship I cultivated with my school's college center, by simply being inquisitive, has been most significant. Over my years in high school the college center became my 2nd home, where I learned about extra opportunities and triumphed with help from counselors.

For instance, with help from my school’s college center I applied and was accepted as an LAUSD Superintendent Summer Scholar this past summer. The program selected 15 juniors out of over 450 applicants to work in one of 15 departments, and I was chosen to work for the communications department, which received over 70 applications – making me 1 of 70. Interning for LAUSD at their 29 floor high rise was very eye-opening and exposed me to working in communications alongside seasoned professionals. The opportunity gave me the chance to meet the Superintendent and school board members, who are politically in charge of my education. As part of the communications department I learned how the district operates a network of over 1,300 schools and saw how the 2nd largest school district shares info with stakeholders through universal press releases, phone calls, and the district homepage.

I wrote several articles for the district publication and worked with public information officers who taught me the principles of professionalism and how to communicate to over 1 million people. Recently, I was called from the district to become a part of their Media Advisory Council working alongside district heads, representing the students of LAUSD.

Working for LAUSD furthered my passion to pursue careers in both communication and education. I have always had a desire to be a journalist and the internship assured me of that. I want to write stories bringing student issues from areas like mine to light. Being exposed to the movers and shakers that control education in Los Angeles has heavily motivated me to become an educator and at some point become a school board member influencing the education students like me receive.

Support from the college center has spawned opportunities like a life-changing internship and set me on course for a future full of opportunity.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!”, I proudly exclaimed, finishing up a speech during my first Individual Event competition for Speech and Debate, also known as Forensics Workshop. Public speaking was always one of my shortcomings. During countless in-class presentations, I suffered from stage-fright and anxiety, and my voice always turned nervous and silent. I saw Speech and Debate as a solution to this barrier that hindered my ability to teach and learn. With excessive practice, I passed the tryout and found myself in the zero-period class. All of my teammates, however, joined because they loved chattering and arguing. I had the opposite reason: I despised public speaking.

I was definitely one of the least competitive members of the team, probably because I didn’t take the tournaments very seriously and mainly worried about being a better speaker for the future. Throughout the daily class, I engaged in impromptu competitions, speech interpretations, spontaneous arguments, etc... Throughout my two years on the team, my communication, reciting, writing, and arguing skills overall improved through participation in events such as Impromptu, Original Oratory, Oratorical Interpretation, Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Congress. I even achieved a Certificate of Excellence in my first competition for Oratorical Interpretation -- where we had to recite a historical or current speech -- for Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death.”

I decided to quit Speech and Debate because I felt as if it has completed its purpose. After this educational experience, my communications skilled soared, so I could perform better in school, especially on essays and presentations. Leaving this activity after two years gave me more time to focus on other activities, and apply communications skills to them. In fact, I even did better in interviews (which is how I got into the Torrance Youth Development Program) and even obtained leadership positions in clubs such as Math Club and Science Olympiad Through my two years in Speech and Debate, I believe I became a much better thinker, speaker, and leader. Taking advantage of this opportunity boosted my self-esteem and overall made high school a better experience.

UC PIQ #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? (350 words max)

Although many would say that hardships are the greatest hindrance on a person, my hardships are my greatest assets. The hardships I have overcome are what push and drive me forward. If I had not gone through the failures of my 7th grade year I may have been satisfied as a B or C student. It is easy for us to use our hardships as excuses for not doing work, however, this is a mistake that many people make.

Through my struggles and failure, I have realized an important truth: I am not special. The world will continue to go on and expect me to contribute no matter what I have gone through. Everyone endures some type of obstacle in their life; what makes people different is how they handle them. Some sit around and cry "boo-hoo" waiting for people to feel sorry for them. Others actually take action to improve their situation.

Through hard work, I have been able to outperform my peers, yet I know there is still room for improvement. The thought of actual geniuses in top universities excited me; I long to learn from them and eventually surpass them, or perhaps enter a never ending race for knowledge with them. I used to live an hour away from school. I would have to wake up and be dropped off at a donut shop at 4 in the morning and then walk to school at 6:30 am. After school, I would have to walk to the public library and stay for as long as it was open then wait outside and get picked up around 9:30 pm. I am reluctant to retell this story; not because I am ashamed, but because it is not important. It doesn't matter what hardships I have endured, they do not determine who I am. What matters is what I have done.

At the start of high school, I saw nothing but success. From grades to extracurricular activities, everything seemed to be going smoothly. However, as my sophomore year progressed, this wave of success was soon swamped by a wave of disillusionment. I struggled to perform in Calculus and as a Vice-President, but instead of looking for a solution, I looked for excuses. Ultimately, when I was forced to face my two F’s and my lost elections, the world came crashing down. The vision I had meticulously planned out for the future seemed to shatter before my eyes. My self-confidence plummeted to an all-time low. I thought my life was over.

However, my response to this failure was what would ultimately determine the direction my life would take. In the end, I made the right choice: instead of continuing to blind myself with a false narrative that cast all the blame off my own shoulders, I admitted to my own shortcomings and used this experience as a lesson to grow from.

In doing so, I learned to focus on the aspects of my life that I was truly passionate about instead of spreading myself too thin. I learned to face challenges head-on instead cowering at the first sign of difficulty, even if it meant asking others for help. I learned to accept and utilize my own differences to create my own unique leadership style. Most importantly, rather than letting this mistake define me, I ignited a sense of determination that would guide me back on the right path no matter how many obstacles I encounter.

Looking back, this tragic mistake was a double-edged sword. While it definitely leaves a stain on my record, it is also likely that I wouldn’t have been able to find the same success a year later without the lessons I gained from this experience. At the end of the day, while I still grimace every time I contemplate my sophomore year, I understand now that this mistake is what has allowed me to develop into the person I am today.

Throughout my childhood, I grew up in a nine-person household where the channels of our TV never left the Filipino drama station and the air always smelled of Filipino food. But the moment I left home, I would go to a typical suburban elementary school as an average American kid at the playground. I grew up in a unique position which I both love and hate: being a second-generation Filipino American.

I love being a second-generation immigrant. I have the best of both worlds. But I also hate it. It chains me to this ongoing struggle of living under the high expectations of immigrant parents. How could I hate the part of me that I loved the most?

Growing up, I lived under the constant academic stress that my parents placed on me. Their expectations were through the roof, demanding that I only bring home A’s on my report card. My entire academic career was based on my parent’s expectations. Their eyes beat down on every test score I received. I loved them so much, but I could only handle so much. The stress ate me alive, but I silently continued to work hard.

Living under this stress is the biggest ongoing challenge of my life thus far. Until last year, I never understood why my parents expected so much from me. Finally being old enough to understand my parent’s point of view, I realize that they set these high expectations in the hopes that one day, all of the pain and struggles it took to get to America will pay off. Since then, I’ve overcome the high expectations of my parents by converting their pressure into a fireball of ambition and motivation, deeply ingrained in my mentality.

This intense desire to succeed in America as a second-generation immigrant is something that has and always will fuel my academic drive. As the first person in my family to go to college in America, I’ve made it my life aspiration to succeed in academics in the honor of my family-- a decision made by me.

UC PIQ #6: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. (350 words max)

Understanding the past helps us make better choices in today’s society. History provides us with the views of people and politics, the ethnic origin of people, and much more. At the base of all history, there is an intensive culmination of research which hopes to address or bring light to a story.

My passion for history began while digging deep into own family’s story, researching the history of Latin America, and the origins of the city I was raised in.

For example, when I first saw my favorite show Avatar The Last Airbender, I spent hours researching the mythology of the show which in the process made me learn about the philosophy of China: daoism, Confucius, and the mandate of heaven. Anything can be put within a historical framework to understand the context; every decision, tv show, and law has a history and that is exactly what I love. History forces us to take into account the voices of the past before we can attempt to plan for the future.

History has helped me become a more effective writer for the school paper. It has made me think like a attorney, revisiting old cases, and writing up a winning argument in a mock trial. Thinking like a historian has helped me make sense of the current political climate and motivated me to help start Students For Liberty, at my school’s campus where political ideologies are shared respectfully.

Learning, about history drives my inquisitive nature — I demonstrated this desire by volunteering at a local museum to learn more about the origins of my community in Carson. Ultimately, learning about the Dominguez family who established the Harbor Area of LA.

In terms of academics and performance, I have passed both of my history AP exams in World and U.S. history — being the 2nd person in my school’s history to do so. Studying history in highschool has nurtured my love for social science, which I hope to continue in college and throughout my life.

Ever since I was little, I have possessed a unique fascination for nature and the way it interacts with itself. As I sat in the prickly seats of old tour buses and the bilingual tour guide has silenced himself for the dozens of passengers that have closed their curtains and fallen into deep slumber, I would keep my eyes glued to the window, waiting to catch a glimpse of wild animals and admiring the beautiful scenery that mother nature had pieced together. At Outdoor Science Camp, while most of my friends were fixated on socializing and games, I was obsessed with finding every organism in the book. Nothing else caught my attention quite like ecology.

As high school dragged on and the relentless responsibilities, assignments, and tests washed away the thrill of learning, ecology was one interest that withstood the turmoil. At the end of a draining day, I would always enjoy relaxing to articles detailing newly discovered species or relationships between species.

This past summer, I was able to further this interest when a unique opportunity to volunteer abroad caught my eye. Flying over to the beautiful tropical shorelines of the Dominican Republic, I was able to dive into the frontlines of the battle against climate change, dwindling populations, and habitat destruction brought about by mankind, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

While everyone was obviously ecstatic about snorkeling in the crystal blue waters, only I was able to retain that same excitement about trekking through knee thick mud and mosquito infested forests to replant mangrove trees. While tracking animal populations, my heart leaped at the sight of every new species that swam right in front of my eyes. Even when it came to the dirty work of building structures to rebuild coral and picking up trash along the beach, I always found myself leading the pack, eager to start and do the most.

From this experience, I realized that pursuing the field of ecology was what I could picture myself doing far into the future, and this was how I was going to impact the world.

UC PIQ #7: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? (350 words max)

Originally I saw volunteer work as a nuisance. I felt that it was an unnecessary "requirement" for college. I felt that someone decided to do volunteer work while in high school and now it has become the norm and is essentially required for college. Once I began to get involved, however, I found a true appreciation for the work I was doing.

I loved helping people and, as always, wanted to challenge myself. I worked at the Bellflower Volunteer center and tutored kids every day available, as well as helping out with large special events put on by the city. I then joined Key Club and made it my mission to attend every single event no matter what; even going to the lengths to walk for 4 hours starting at 5 in the morning (it was still dark outside) for a 2-hour beach clean up. I then became Service Event Coordinator and also made it my mission to have an event every week, while attending all of them, while still working at the Volunteer Center. I also started a tutoring program in math at my school as I really enjoy helping my peers academically.

It always warmed my heart to see fellow ninjas( our division mascot) at events I had planned, friends and neighbors at Bellflower events, and CSF members at tutoring.I am always willing to help people with anything. If someone needs my help I will stop whatever I am doing to help in any way that I can. Lending a helping hand is an important part of our society; however, a helping hand cannot do anything if the other hand does not reach for it as well. We need to be able to help ourselves first before others can help us. I tried to create a community where I could help people, but also people could help themselves so that there is no reason for anyone to not be able to achieve their goals and aspirations.

Throughout my childhood, the phrases “get good grades” and “make money” constantly harassed my every waking moment. Life seemed pointless, a never-ending cycle of trying to make more money to create artificial happiness. However, through partaking in my middle school’s ASB, I discovered my love for helping others, and I realized that I wanted to make my life about changing the world and leaving behind a better future for the generations to come.

In an attempt to live up to this philosophy, I have performed hundreds of hours of community service. From volunteering at a senior home to distributing food to the homeless, there is no doubt that I have made a substantial impact on those around me.

Despite all this, my most significant contributions are the ones that take place every day and are often undocumented. Picking up trash, staying long after my job is complete to help other groups, or even saying, “Thank you. Have a nice day,” to anyone who has provided a service for me are just a few examples. While they seem insignificant, these small actions add up.

However, above all, my biggest contribution is building meaningful connections with the people around me and making sure they realize how special and important they are to me and everyone else. In nurturing those who are less experienced, assisting those who are struggling with their emotions or their studies, and inspiring those who have untapped potential, I am not merely applying a band-aid on a wound, but elevating a whole community around me to tackle and prevent ailments the next decades will bring.

Years from now, I will likely have forgotten about my modest academic achievements. However, the memories of seeing someone I had mentored blossom into a strong leader and the smiles and laughter of someone I’ve helped battle through depression will forever be ingrained in my mind.

Serving food at school carnivals, embellishing the local marsh, tutoring students after school, and discharging patients at my local hospital were some of the ways I actively supported my city. However, a distinct way of being engaged in my community involved being selected for the Youth Development Program last summer. This organization works with the Torrance Refinery and selects thirty out of hundreds of applicants. The first week of this program involved activities that trained students for college and eventually their careers by making them adept in communication, leadership, and teamwork skills. For the next four weeks, students were assigned a specific job around the City of Torrance and Torrance Unified School District (TUSD).

I was placed in the TUSD Information Technology Department, along with six other students, and we essentially helped deal with technology-based issues around the district. Even though my professional desire incorporates biology and chemistry, I had a compelling interest and math and technology. I gave back to my community by utilizing the technological skills I gained at work. My colleagues and I traveled daily to several schools around the district and assisted in technological advancements: testing network ports and preparing schools for newer phones, imaging and updating new laptops and desktops, and arranging and setting up new computer labs and Chrome book carts.

Today, many people globally use technological and visual aids to assist their education. My summer job also allowed me to make a difference in the education of others. With the faster internet, newer telephones and computers, teachers could instruct more efficiently and students can be educated more effectively, thus improving their academic performance in the future. This program helped me a lot by boosting my teamwork and leadership skills, which will be extremely valuable as I will be pursuing many president/vice-president positions in my senior year. However, this program has allowed me to make a stronger impact on other people rather than myself; I feel delighted that my work in summer will be beneficial to twenty-thousand students across Torrance.

UC PIQ #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? (350 words max)

In 2011, I started at a newly built school spanning sixth to twelfth grade. The school’s inception was not the greatest with gang culture and issues plaguing the school and nearby community. From this moment I knew wanted to make a change, improving the school and local community.

For example, two years ago a bicyclist was crushed by a container truck across the street from my school, several peers of mine and I advocated for a bike lane to get installed on the street to protect cyclists from the busy traffic. I worked day and night for three weeks using my connection with the city’s public works director to meet with city officials and make a change. I looked for solutions and ways to improve my community and lead the charge to better our street. When we met with city officials they agreed and ultimately approved our bike lane proposal. This civic action started with a group of three concerned high school students, in which I helped facilitate the conversations resulting into a bike lane project, that will be built the summer of 2018 after I graduate high school. Ultimately helping solve an issue in my community.

Using my influence as part of the Associated Student Body I advocated for a new medical academy on my school’s campus to address the growing interest in medicine and health careers of many students at my school. While I am not personally interested in a health related field, I recognized that many students at my school did and teachers agreed. I came in as an intermediary, who because of my position in ASB was also a member of my School’s Shared Leadership Council (SLC), through these means I motivated other ASB officers to support the academy’s inception and after a grueling amount of meetings in which we went through logistics the academy was approved for the benefit of students.

I am a student who will attend a UC pursuing my passions in journalism, education, and history; while being an involved student making the campus a better place than when I first arrived.

Rather than relying on pure intellect, I choose to excel through continual self-improvement, my ability to overpower obstacles, and an unrelenting force of determination. There are thousands of students smarter than me, students with better test scores, students with more volunteer hours, and quite possibly, a more socially acceptable sense of humor. I can assert, however, that my determination and ambition is hard to match.

I am willing to look in the face of the impossible without fear; in fact, the only emotion flowing through my body would be excitement. There are thousands of intelligent students, however many are unable or are unwilling to utilize their full potential. Although not a genius, I have shown my ability to improve drastically in capability over time.

At some point in my middle school career I was not technically supposed to still be enrolled because my grades were too low; now I'm on track to be valedictorian of my class. I am willing to do whatever it takes to meet my goal; if there were a service event across the country I would be willing to walk the entire way; if I could take a million AP's I would. I understand that it is a big jump to go from Bellflower High School to a UC in terms of academic difficulty; however, that is part of the excitement. I am not afraid of failure, it does nothing but make me stronger. Am I capable of making a jump of such a magnitude? It is not my judgment to make; I am only here to try.

The spin-the-wheel slows down and eventually stops at ‘try again next time’. That is, until I secretly push it one slot over to ‘princess tiara’. As the child hurries away to the next carnival game with the tiara in her hair, her mom turns back at me with a warm smile and mouths the words “thank you”. Seeing genuine happiness in the people of my community while volunteering at events such as my school carnival always remind me why I love my community so much.

I hold a lot of pride in how I’ve become a prominent figure in my community. From volunteering at festivals for my local elementary school to becoming employed by the City of American Canyon Parks and Recreation Department, I relish being in the hub of the community. I love our annual Fourth of July parades and Easter egg hunts, where I am stopped every 15 minutes to catch up with the crazy kids I worked with at summer camp or even just with the staff I’ve met from school. Growing up and connecting with such a diverse community is and will always be a large part of who I am. From kindergarten up until my senior year of high school, both my small community and I as an individual have grown immensely. By volunteering at local events, connecting with the people of my community, and finally getting employed by my city, I know that I have contributed to the successful growth of my community.

Although I really love my community here in the small town of American Canyon, I cannot help but think of the other great communities that I can potentially be a part of as well. I believe that by going to the University of California, I will be able to thrive in the liveliness of the communities that the campuses are well-known for. A major contribution I believe that I can bring to the University of California is integrating, being involved in, and building the school’s community so that both I and the school can grow together for each other.

What can you learn from these UC Berkeley essays?

If you want to get into UC Berkeley in 2022, you need to write great essays that help make you stand out. From these 18 Berkeley essays that worked, here are some takeaways:

Use specific examples of places and events (name them) ( #8 , #17 )
Tell a story ( #6 , #18 , #7 )
Demonstrate your background, identity, or culture ( #3 , #15 , #4 )

If you enjoyed these UC Berkeley essays, you'll also like reading our top UCLA essays that worked. They answer the same PIQ prompts, but quite differently.

Applying to other public universities? Check out these awesome University of Michigan essays.

Let me know, which UC Berkeley essay was your favorite and why?

Ryan Chiang , Founder of EssaysThatWorked

Want to read more amazing essays that worked for top schools?

Hey! 👋 I'm Ryan Chiang, the founder of EssaysThatWorked.

Get our 5-minute free newsletter packed with essay tips and college admissions resources, backed by real-life examples from admitted students at top-20 schools.

Meet the Author

Ryan Chiang

I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked - a website dedicated to helping students write college essays they're proud of. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.

You might also like:

18 UCLA Essays That Worked (and Why) for 2023

18 UC San Diego EssaysThatWorked

18 UC Santa Barbara EssaysThatWorked

12 Best Stanford Supplemental Essays That Worked 2023

What do outstanding essays have in common? Here are our 23 most effective strategies based on lessons from admitted students.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

By signing up you agree to Terms and Privacy Policy

Now available for November 2023 ...

The College Essay Workshop

Join my on-demand step-by-step course for crafting outstanding college admissions essays, plus 1-on-1 help.

Here's everything needed to write essays worthy of Top-20 colleges.

Google Rating

Join our students who have earned acceptances to schools like...

See exactly how students wrote admitted essays for top schools.

Our 231 essay examples show you how ordinary students wrote outstanding essays that helped their applications - all in their own words.

These aren’t just essay examples - but real acceptance stories, from real students who share their most intimate details with you - down to their real essays and exact profiel stats.

How do I find a unique topic? How do I write a great essay? And how do I stand out?

Our 231 essay examples break down these exact questions. Every type of essay prompt, student, and school.

You’ll realize these students are just like you - and that, deep down, you can do it too.

Princeton Admitted Essay

People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is... uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable...

MIT Admitted Essay

Her baking is not confined to an amalgamation of sugar, butter, and flour. It's an outstretched hand, an open invitation, a makeshift bridge thrown across the divides of age and culture. Thanks to Buni, the reason I bake has evolved. What started as stress relief is now a lifeline to my heritage, a language that allows me to communicate with my family in ways my tongue cannot. By rolling dough for saratele and crushing walnuts for cornulete, my baking speaks more fluently to my Romanian heritage than my broken Romanian ever could....

UPenn Admitted Essay

A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...

Over 200 more admitted essays like these...

Learn the secrets behind outstanding application essays.

College essays are confusing. And it's not your fault. You're not taught how to write them in school.

How should I structure my essay? Can I use humor? What makes a truly great essay?

There's so much conflicting advice out there.

And with people selling "magic formulas" and "structures" to follow... it's easy to be led astray.

You’ll get access to courses, live events, a dedicated essay coach, and countless resources to help you write your best essays.

You finally have a place where you can ask these questions, get advice, and see exactly how admitted students before you did it.

You’re no longer figuring out everything on your own. You're no longer stuck wondering.

Everything you get

231 essays analyzed

Explore our database of 200+ admitted essays from top-20 colleges. Filter by prompt, school, topic, word count, and more. Get expert insights into why they worked and what you can learn from them.

Exclusive access to essay editing

You'll get access to our essay editing services, which is only offered for members. You can get your essays reviewed personally by me (Ryan). I'll give you detailed feedback on how to improve your essays and make them stand out.

Dedicated essay coach & support

You'll get access to our private community, where you can ask questions and get help from me directly. I'll be there to answer your questions and provide unlimited personalized advice.

44 in-depth video lessons

Learn the secrets behind outstanding essays. We break down the entire process, from brainstorming to writing and editing. You'll learn how to write amazing college essays for any prompt, with step-by-step guides and actionable tips.

26 downloadable guides

Get our best tips and tricks in easy-to-read guides. Learn what makes great essays, how to brainstorm your best topics, and how to write specific parts like a powerful hook and memorable ending.

Tons of bonuses

Get the Ultimate College Application Planner, my 154-Point Essay Checklist, and more. You'll also get a free copy of my eBooks, including 23 College Essay Tips to Stand Out and more.

Don't take our word for it

Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of our students and parents.

" Ryan, I want to express our great appreciation to you for your help on George's application essays. You have provided invaluable resources! P.S. I will certainly recommend you to our friends. "

" Ryan—David got into The University of Michigan!!! Only 4 kids got in out of 200 that applied at his school!!! Thank you so so much for everything "

" Thank you for the incredible help Ryan - both Hannah and I have said repeatedly that we could not have done it without you! "

" Thank you for your help with my essays back in November, including my Yale supplements. Just wanted to let you know I ended up getting into and committing to Yale! "

" I feel so much more reassured to press the submit button now. I wish I knew about your site sooner! "

" ... Invaluable to me during the college admissions process! It gave me a different perspective to look at my essays. "

" Initially I was skeptical about my essay's idea and whether it was properly reflected in my writing. This gave me a clear direction! "

Don't miss out on writing your best college essays.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions , Privacy Policy , and Cookie Policy .

We have no affiliation with any university or colleges on this site. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Apply to Berkeley

How to apply to uc berkeley.

Apply to Berkeley by filling out the UC application . You can begin working on the application as early as August 1, and must submit the application October 1 – November 30. You can apply to as many UC campuses as you like with one application, and each campus will receive your application and official test scores. If you have difficulties, contact the UC Application Center at [email protected] or (800) 207-1710.

Application fee and fee waivers

The application fee is $80 for each UC campus ($95 for international and non-immigrant applicants). Application fee waivers are available to students who can’t afford to apply. You can apply for fee waivers for up to four UC campuses through the UC application . Application fee waivers are available for students who are permanent residents, eligible for AB540 benefits or U.S. citizens. Your family size and income must fall within specific guidelines to be eligible.

The admissions process

Admission to UC Berkeley is a two-step process: satisfying requirements and selection. All achievement—both academic and nonacademic/personal—is considered in the context of your educational circumstances, with an emphasis on the opportunities or challenges presented to you and your response to them. No single attribute or characteristic guarantees the admission of any applicant to Berkeley.

All UC Berkeley applicants must meet University of California admission requirements:

First-year requirements and selection
Transfer requirements and selection

Students should refer to their transcript(s) as they fill out the application to ensure the information they enter is accurate. Applicants should not submit transcripts at this point in the process. Please do not submit supporting documentation such as awards, photographs, poetry, etc. with the application. They will not be forwarded, returned, or retained. Learn more about transcripts, exams, and documentation .

Early Action / Early Decision : Berkeley does not offer early action or early decision.

Applicant information

For more information on the admissions process beyond the requirements, don’t forget to review the following resources.

Learn more from our First-year policy updates – including information on letters of recommendation
Follow the First-years Applicant Checklist
Explore the First-year pathways that you may choose from if you are admitted to Berkeley.
If you are interested in applying to another UC, review the UC First-year Requirements
Follow the Transfer Applicant Checklist
Learn about the Transfer Resources available for prospective transfers interested in applying
If you are considering transferring, but not attending a California Community College, review the Transfer Reading and Composition Information to ensure you have the required classes for that requirement.
If you are interested in applying to another UC, review the UC Transfer Requirements

Personal Insight Questions

How Berkeley Selects Students

Student Profile

Notice of Availability:

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the University of California, Berkeley publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes current security policies plus crime and fire statistics for the previous three calendar years. The body of the report also contains contact information for various campus and community resources related to crime prevention and survivor assistance. A digital copy of the report can be accessed via the link below, or paper copies are available free of charge at 1 Sproul Hall.

UC Berkeley Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

Personal Insight Questions

Personal Insight Questions are about the most important component of your application . It's reviewed by both, the scholarships and admissions offices, and is your opportunity to share your story, while making your case for tuition money.

We have a proven 3-step process to help you choose the best questions, and answer in a compelling format.

3-Step Process:

Step 1: outline and choose 4 questions.

Use an outline to strategically choose 4 personal insight questions

There are 8 Personal Insight Questions that are provided to you for you to choose from, and you can respond to only 4 of them.

A few things to keep in mind when considering which 4 questions to choose:

Your goal is to choose the 4 questions that let you demonstrate diverse aspects of your personality, in a complementary manner.
An outline allows you to efficiently cycle through all 8 questions, making a list of all of the potential stories, experiences, accolades, etc. you have per question
There is no "right answer" or "perfect essay" - it doesn't exist, period.

Your application is an opportunity to tell your unique story, and building an outline for each question is a great way to pick and choose the stories that flow seamlessly.

Forcing myself to write an outline really helped to structure my thoughts. Everything started to slowly click together.

Strategy tip: pick your 4 piq questions wisely.

Selecting the right personal insight questions can be the difference between a successful application and a missed opportunity. Build an outline to flesh out your story , and optimize for the 4 questions that best communicate that story.

Step 2: Craft Your Story

Personal Insight Questions - Share Your Compelling Story

Write for the admissions counselor reading your essay, not your English teacher.

Share compelling and connected stories, designed to engage and impress

Your goal is to highlight the stories that you would share with an admissions counselor in an interview. Each story is your opportunity to show how you are different from your peers, and why that difference is an asset to the university.

Here are a few examples of themes that you can communicate in your essay:

Entrepreneurial spirit
Self-starter and independent learner (ie. self-taught programmers)
Inspiring leader with accolades
Optimism, channeling major setbacks into opportunities

Writing Tip: Use More "I" Statements

Optimize for the number of "I" statements in your PIQ responses ( even the college admissions office says you should ). When used correctly, "I" statements give you the power to connect with your reader, reducing the "distance" between you and the admissions officer.

Step 3: Tie it All Together

Tie it all together with one central message

Through your essays, your goal should be to communicate a very clear vision as to what differentiates you from the rest of the applicants.

There are a few common, underlying traits with some of the better personal insight question responses:

Thought-provoking - share your way of thinking in a unique manner
Engaging - write like you speak - if you're considered a funny person, showcase that humor with some well-timed wit
Authentic - try to stay away from embellishing your stories, and stay true to yourself

Make sure to leave enough time to brainstorm, write, explore, and re-write some more, when planning for your college essays.

Personal Insight Questions - Personalized Help

I would have never thought to add that into my essay. Thank you for helping me revise and being patient. This was very helpful.

Strategy tip: ask alumni to review your essays.

Optimize for actual alumni of the university to read and critique your essays. Most students have a tendency to ask people who have never applied or been admitted to the university, (ie. teachers, peers, parents) to review their essays.

While helpful for a first draft, we have found that most students find greater benefit in having real alums to review their essays. Alumni have the unique benefit of being able to add "little nuggets" into your personal insight question responses.

Need help with your application?

Frequently asked questions about college essays, why are college applicatoin essays important.

In the essay section of the application, each school's admission office is looking to get to know your individual life experience, interests and aspirations. While it is just one part of the decision, it helps provide context for the rest of your application.

Improves your chance of admission
Tells the admissions office about you
Gives context for your application

How long should your college application's essays questions be?

For most applications, there is a word limit you must follow, for each one of the prompts. We optimize for maximizing the story, in a concise, clear manner.

How do you write a college application essay?

We think the best way to write your essay responses is to use our 3 step process:

Step 1: Outline and strategically choose which questions to answer
Step 2: Draft a compelling story, connecting it across all questions
Step 3: Revise and rewrite until your polished, final version is ready

What do you write in a personal statement?

Your goal is to communicate why you're a valuable addition to the specific college's community - both, as a student, as well as an alumni.

Creating an outline is a helpful first step, in determining exactly what themes you would like to focus on.

What should you not do on a personal statement?

Here are a few, common mistakes that students make, which you can avoid:

Wasting words on unimportant details: Every single word of your 350 word count should serve a purpose. Don't waste words overexplaining things, embellishing details, etc.
Starting with a quote: the "Be the change you wish to see in the world..." essay days are long past us, unfortunately.
Staying high-level: get specific within your essays, hammering in (but from a different angle) your "differentiating factor"
Creative writing: stick to the traditional writing style, avoiding poems, haikus, and any other creative apparatus. Short, sweet sentences, with a clear point are most effective.
Lacking clarity: avoid hedging across your 4 different essays, and stick to 1 or 2 themes/ideas, which you'd like to communicate to the admissions officer

Have a question not answered here? Send us a message here.

The Ivy Coach Daily

College Admissions
College Essays
Early Decision / Early Action
Extracurricular Activities
Standardized Testing
The Rankings

September 12, 2023

2023-2024 University of California Essay Prompts: Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD

A tower is featured, standing above a red-roofed building at the University of California, Berkeley.

The University of California schools have released their 2023-2024 essay prompts for applicants to the Class of 2024. Unlike most highly selective universities, the UC schools are not members of The Common Application — the school has its own application .

Just like in previous years, applicants to the University of California, Berkeley , the University of California, Los Angeles , the University of California, San Diego , and the seven other UC institutions must answer four essay prompts out of a batch of eight options. So, what are this year’s essay prompts? Let’s dive in!

2023-2024 UC Essay Topics and Questions: Personal Insights

Below are the UC essay prompts for applicants to the Class of 2028, along with the guidance issued by the UC admissions committee. These essays apply to all UC schools — including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Diego, the University of California, Santa Barbara , the University of California, Davis , the University of California, Santa Cruz , the University of California, Irvine , the University of California, Merced , and the the University of California, Riverside .

Applicants have up to 350 words to respond to four of the eight prompts. And, yes, applicants should go to the maximum word count to make their case!

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.

Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Applicants should share one small story here to demonstrate their leadership. Rather than tell the UC admissions committee about what great leaders they are, they can show it through one specific example. And it doesn’t even need to be a successful example of leadership. Instead, students can highlight what they learned from the scenario to be even better leaders.

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.

Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career?

Even in an essay that could lend itself to silliness, applicants must showcase intellectual curiosity. So, suppose a student expresses their creative side by tie-dying t-shirts and their singular hook in their activities section that they’ll be contributing to schools like UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD is math. In that case, they can write about the mathematics behind the patterns they love to create on clothing.

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

Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you’re proud of, this is the time to share it. You don’t necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Too many students choose to write about awards and honors they’ve received in this prompt. Some sneak it into the essay, thinking it’s a subtle way of reinforcing their success. What a mistake! Doing so will only render them unlikable, which should be the precise opposite of their objective.

Ideally, an applicant will share a skill related to their singular hook. If their hook is poetry, let’s hear all about how they became passionate about performing spoken word at open mic nights at a local establishment.

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

Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that’s geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you’ve faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today?

If students have yet to face a genuine academic barrier, such as the ones many students in low-income communities face, it would behoove them to focus on the significant educational opportunity they’ve encountered. Was it the chance to perform research on Russian literature with a local professor? Was it a chance to do an archaeological dig in a student’s hometown? The opportunity will ideally fit with the student’s singular hook.

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?

Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you’re currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family?

Unless a student comes from an underprivileged background, we at Ivy Coach would encourage them to avoid choosing this essay prompt since there are going to be students who have faced significant obstacles and writing about how a school ran out of math courses while another student writes about the evictions their family has endured isn’t going to sit well with UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, and other UC admissions officers.

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

Things to consider: Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can’t get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Ideally, a student will choose an academic subject that aligns perfectly with their hook. If their activities reflect a passion for physics, they should share the origin story of their interest in the discipline — as a high schooler rather than a child. What made them fall in love with matter and energy? What made them want to better understand our universe?

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

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

An applicant’s answer should align with their hook as articulated in their activities section. Suppose a student’s hook is political science. In that case, they should write an essay that shares one small story about how their political activism created the change they wished to see — or failed to create the change they hoped to see, only further motivating them to agitate for further change.

Maybe they wanted to stop developers from razing affordable housing communities. Perhaps they tried to fix un-level sidewalks. Whatever it is, applicants should share an anecdote here about their activism — whether successful or not.

8. 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?

Things to consider: If there’s anything you want us to know about you but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don’t be afraid to brag a little.

Since the University of California has a unique application and is not a member of The Common Application, this essay prompt presents a perfect opportunity for applicants to include an abbreviated version of their 650-word Personal Statements from their Common Applications.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with the University of California Essays

If you’re interested in optimizing your chances of admission to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, and other UC institutions by submitting the most compelling essays possible, fill out Ivy Coach ’s free consultation form , and we’ll be in touch to delineate our college counseling services for applicants to the Class of 2028.

You are permitted to use www.ivycoach.com (including the content of the Blog) for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not copy, download, print, or otherwise distribute the content on our site without the prior written consent of Ivy Coach, Inc.

Using A.I. to Write College Admission Essays

October 13, 2023

Word and Character Limits in College Essays

September 27, 2023

What English Teachers Get Wrong About Writing College Essays

Bragging in College Essays: Is It Ever Okay?

September 26, 2023

What Not to Write: 3 College Essay Topics to Avoid

September 24, 2023

2023-2024 Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompts

September 14, 2023

TOWARD THE CONQUEST OF ADMISSION

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s college counseling, fill out our complimentary consultation form and we’ll be in touch.

Fill out our short form for a 20-minute consultation to learn about Ivy Coach’s services.

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, uc berkeley essay examples and tips.

Hey everyone, I'm applying to UC Berkeley and I was wondering if any of you might have some essay examples or tips to help me with my application. I want to make sure I'm putting my best foot forward. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Hello! I'm glad to see that you're eager to craft a compelling UC Berkeley application. While I cannot provide specific essay examples, I can certainly offer some tips and guidance to help you create an outstanding application.

1. Understand the essay prompts: Familiarize yourself with the Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) provided by the UC system. There are eight prompts in total, and you are required to choose four and write essays with a maximum of 350 words each. Make sure you understand what each question asks and think about how you can best address them in a clear and compelling manner.

2. Showcase different aspects of yourself: When selecting which prompts to answer, aim to demonstrate a variety of skills, interests, and experiences. This will help you present a multidimensional picture of yourself, showing that you are a well-rounded applicant with diverse interests and passions.

3. Use clear and concise language: Since each essay has a tight word limit, it is crucial to convey your story in a clear and impactful manner. Avoid using overly complex language or unnecessary filler words. Get straight to the point and ensure that every single word you use adds value to your essay.

4. Be authentic and personal: Share real, genuine experiences and insights from your life. Your essay should reflect your unique personality, values, and aspirations. Be honest and open, as this will help you connect with the reader on a deeper level.

5. Include specific, detailed examples: Rather than discussing broad concepts or experiences, dive into specific anecdotes or examples to illustrate your points. This will make your essay more engaging, relatable, and memorable.

6. Proofread and revise: Make sure to proofread your essay multiple times to catch any mistakes, ambiguities or repetitions. Seek feedback from teachers, family, or friends who can offer a fresh perspective and help you identify areas for improvement.

7. Think outside the box: Do not shy away from discussing unusual or unconventional experiences or passions. These may set you apart from other applicants and capture the attention of the admissions officers.

For more information on these essays, click here: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-university-of-california-essays

Remember, when it comes to UC Berkeley, competition is high, so taking the time to craft thoughtful, honest, and well-constructed essays may give you an edge over other applicants. Good luck with your application!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

UC Berkeley
Sign Up to Volunteer
I School Slack
Alumni News
Alumni Events
Alumni Accounts
Career Support
Academic Mission
Diversity & Inclusion Resources
DEIBJ Leadership
Featured Faculty
Featured Alumni
Work at the I School
Subscribe to Email Announcements
Logos & Style Guide
Directions & Parking

The School of Information is UC Berkeley’s newest professional school. Located in the center of campus, the I School is a graduate research and education community committed to expanding access to information and to improving its usability, reliability, and credibility while preserving security and privacy.

Career Outcomes
Degree Requirements
Paths Through the MIMS Degree
Final Project
Funding Your Education
Admissions Events
Request Information
Capstone Project
Jack Larson Data for Good Fellowship
Tuition & Fees
Women in MIDS
MIDS Curriculum News
MICS Student News
Dissertations
Applied Data Science Certificate
ICTD Certificate
Citizen Clinic

The School of Information offers four degrees:

The Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program educates information professionals to provide leadership for an information-driven world.

The Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) is an online degree preparing data science professionals to solve real-world problems. The 5th Year MIDS program is a streamlined path to a MIDS degree for Cal undergraduates.

The Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) is an online degree preparing cybersecurity leaders for complex cybersecurity challenges.

Our Ph.D. in Information Science is a research program for next-generation scholars of the information age.

Spring 2024 Course Schedule
Summer 2024 Course Schedule
Fall 2024 Course Schedule

The School of Information's courses bridge the disciplines of information and computer science, design, social sciences, management, law, and policy. We welcome interest in our graduate-level Information classes from current UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students and community members. More information about signing up for classes.

Ladder & Adjunct Faculty
MIMS Students
MIDS Students
5th Year MIDS Students
MICS Students
Ph.D. Students

Publications
Centers & Labs
Computer-mediated Communication
Data Science
Entrepreneurship
Human-computer Interaction (HCI)
Information Economics
Information Organization
Information Policy
Information Retrieval & Search
Information Visualization
Social & Cultural Studies
Technology for Developing Regions
User Experience Research

Research by faculty members and doctoral students keeps the I School on the vanguard of contemporary information needs and solutions.

The I School is also home to several active centers and labs, including the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) , the Center for Technology, Society & Policy , and the BioSENSE Lab .

Why Hire I School?
Request a Resume Book
Leadership Development Program
Mailing List
For Nonprofit and Government Employers
Jobscan & Applicant Tracking Systems
Resume & LinkedIn Review
Resume Book

I School graduate students and alumni have expertise in data science, user experience design & research, product management, engineering, information policy, cybersecurity, and more — learn more about hiring I School students and alumni .

Press Coverage
I School Voices

Hany farid in blue shirt taking to someone on his side

On the March 27th episode of PBS’s documentary series Nova titled “A.I. Revolution,” correspondent Miles O’Brien...

photo of sand with construction machines

A group of scholars from the School of Information are tackling the issue of illegal sand mining with the help of a...

ai-generated image of person on computer surrounded by stacks of papers

When the Bancroft Library received over 100,000 Japanese-American internment “individual record” forms (WRA-26) from...

view of attendees and speakers at conference

The Goldman School of Public Policy, the CITRIS Policy Lab, and the School of Information hosted the inaugural UC...

Distinguished Lecture Series
I School Lectures
Information Access Seminars
CLTC Events
Women in MIDS Events

MIMS Admissions: Essays

Crafting your essays can be challenging: What should I include? How do I craft a response that accurately describes me? How do I demonstrate that MIMS is the right program for me? If any of these questions make you nervous, don’t fear! The good news is that writing your essays is completely within your control. Regardless of your GPA, work experience, or what your recommenders say — your essays are a blank slate. This is your chance to add another dimension to your application and spark the admission committee’s interest. Who are you as an individual? What are you most passionate about? What will you bring to our community? How do your goals connect with the MIMS program and the I School?

Statement of Purpose

The Statement of Purpose is your opportunity to convince us that you belong uniquely in MIMS. This statement should focus on your preparation, experience, career goals, and reasons for choosing MIMS. The most successful statements convey strong motivation, competence, and potential as a graduate student.

Be specific. Make it clear, with examples, that you understand MIMS and that you are certain MIMS is the right program for you. Clearly define your goals and convey how MIMS will help you achieve them.

Your statement should be clear and concise. We recommend you aim for 1–2 pages with well-selected words rather than a longer essay with less clarity and poor organization.

Once you have a draft, ask for feedback from someone who knows you well.

Need more guidance? Check out Graduate Division’s Guide to Writing the Statement of Purpose , Preparing Your Application for Graduate School , and Getting into Graduate School recordings .

Personal History Essay

The Personal History Statement is a chance for you to connect with us on a more personal level. Although the content of this essay is a bit more open ended, we encourage you to address one or several of the prompts below:

How you have overcome barriers to access higher education
How you have come to understand the barriers faced by others
Your academic service to advance equitable access to high education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education
Your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality
Your leadership among such groups

The Personal History Essay is your opportunity to share any experiences that show your promise, initiative, and ability to persevere despite obstacles. It should complement, not duplicate, the content in your Statement of Purpose.

If there is something important that happened to you that affected your grades, such as poverty, illness, or excessive work, state it. Write it affirmatively, demonstrating your perseverance and determination.

If the creative juices just aren’t flowing, there’s no reason to waste your time running in place. Instead, use this time to start working on other parts of your application. Or, step away completely and take a breather.

Need more guidance? Check out the Graduate Division’s Guide to Writing the Personal Statement , Preparing Your Application for Graduate School , and Getting into Graduate School recordings .

Short Answer Essay

The Short Answer Essay is a short response to this question:

What is the most interesting information problem you have ever solved? Explain why it was interesting and how you solved it.

The most successful essays clearly illustrate candidates’ quantitative aptitude, problem solving abilities, and written communication skills.

Reflect on your professional and/or academic experiences to identify one specific, impactful example that showcases your analytical skills.

As you guessed from the essay name, this response is meant to be short! Limit your response to 300 words or less.

Getting Started
Letters of Recommendation
Academic History
Test Scores
Programming Proficiency
Application Fee Waivers
5th Year MIDS Program
MIDS Program
MICS Program
Ph.D. Program
Graduate Certificates

Last updated:

Application

Freshman Admissions

How to apply.

Thank you for considering the M.E.T. program for your next big academic and entrepreneurial step. You may want to begin by watching our informative Freshman Admissions webinar below.

Once you’re ready to apply:

Begin with a visit to admissions.berkeley.edu to become familiar with admission requirements and the selection process. From there, you can launch your UC application .
Then, visit the admissions pages of the College of Engineering and the Haas School of Business to learn what we’re looking for in applicants. Think about how your achievements and personal qualities position you for success in the M.E.T. program.
Read about the additional M.E.T.-specific admissions requirements below.

Watch Our Freshman Admissions Webinar

Note: As of Monday, October 30, 2023 video essays will be mandatory if given the opportunity to submit a video.

Additional M.E.T. Admissions Requirements

Select an Academic Track

Freshman applicants can earn simultaneous B.S. degrees in one of the following tracks:

Engineering Undeclared + Business
Aerospace Engineering + Business
Bioengineering + Business
Civil Engineering + Business
Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences + Business
Industrial Engineering & Operations Research + Business
Materials Science & Engineering + Business
Mechanical Engineering + Business

You must choose one of the eight M.E.T. engineering tracks under the College of Engineering or Berkeley-Haas. It doesn’t matter which college you select M.E.T. major offerings through – your selection will be captured.

Supplemental Essay

Once you submit your application, you’ll receive an additional email from UC Berkeley’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions asking you to write and submit a supplemental essay about your interest in M.E.T. Expect to receive this email 5-7 business days after submitting your UC application. From there, you’ll have until 11:59pm PST on December 15 to submit your supplemental essay. Failure to submit your essay by the deadline will remove you from consideration to the M.E.T. Program.

Applications for admission to M.E.T. are available beginning in October of the year prior to the year in which you’d enter UC Berkeley. The application filing period is October 1- November 30, and all applications must be submitted by November 30.

Video Essay

In some cases, additional information is needed, and you may receive a request to record a video essay. Video essay requests are by invitation only and will be requested starting in November. Videos must be submitted by 11:59 pm PST on January 12, 2024. It’s your responsibility to check your email inbox for information and if requested, be sure to submit your video essay by the deadline. Applicants who are selected for the M.E.T. program will be notified during February or March of the following year.

Student Voices

There are so many challenges within the esports industry that are either tech or business related. You need technology advancements to push the boundaries of where esports can go, but you also need to find new marketing opportunities, like expanding into new demographics. The M.E.T. dual degree trained me for both.

Lawrence Z.

Former Finance & Operations Intern

Immortals, LLC

EECS + Business ’21

M.E.T. is a group of extremely hard-working and ambitious people, combined with an extraordinary entrepreneurial network. I want to create or join a startup, and one of the things that was really attractive about the program was that I could meet and learn from all these amazing entrepreneurs who have done exactly what I want to do.

Former Intern

Area 1 Security

We are a very cooperative and welcoming group. When you walk into the M.E.T. office, there are usually people working on projects together, and you can always ask someone to read over your essay or help you debug some code. Everyone is willing to help.

Michelle L.

Technology Investment Banking Analyst

Morgan Stanley

IEOR + Business ’21

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Competitive Prize Contests 2024

The Lipson Program George Morey Richardson Latin Translation Prize Philo Sherman Bennett Prize in Political Science Owen D. Young Prize in International Relations Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation Prize Dorothy Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Lyric Poetry Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in Poetry Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes Florence Mason Palmer Prize Ina Coolbirth Memorial Poetry Prize Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize Nicola de Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies

The Prizes Program at UC Berkeley ( [email protected] ) is an important forum for rewarding creative expression and scholarly achievement by Berkeley’s finest students. Winners receive both recognition and a cash prize, which is coordinated with the winner’s financial aid package.

Below you will find all of Berkeley’s Prize contests. Please note the criteria of each contest before entering.

Note: Prize contest entries need to be submitted, via our online submission form before 4 p.m. on the contest deadline (listed on the chart below). See the General Rules for Competitive Prizes for complete submission information. Please click on the contest names below for specific details about each prize.

The Lipson Program

The Leslie Lipson Program at UC Berkeley is intended to encourage undergraduate students to study humanistic values and their practical application for individuals, societies, and states.

The program consists of the Lipson Essay Prize, the Lipson Scholarship, and the Lipson Research Grant.

Leslie Lipson Biography. The Leslie Lipson Program is endowed in memory of Professor Leslie Lipson, who taught political theory and comparative government at Berkeley for 33 years. As a professor, Lipson’s first love was the undergraduate curriculum, and undergraduate students twice selected him as the best teacher in the Department of Political Science. Berkeley honored Lipson in 1980 with the Berkeley Citation, for individuals of extraordinary achievement in their field who have given outstanding service to the campus. Lipson’s books include The Great Issues of Politics, which has been published in ten editions, translated into numerous foreign languages, and used in introductory political science courses across the country; and his seminal work, The Ethical Crises of Civilization, in which he analyzed the historical developments in world civilizations that have resulted in both better and worse ethical choices. “Humanistic values are the fundamental values of good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust, as carried out by individuals and societies in service of or against humanity” (Leslie Lipson).

Lipson Essay Prize

The Leslie Lipson Scholarship and Prize Fund (“the Fund’) will assist deserving financially needy undergraduate students enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, and is open to students regardless of race, color, national origin, or religion. The Fund is dedicated to educating outstanding undergraduate students in humanistic values and to provide the means to conduct research concerning those values.

All recipients of Leslie Lipson Prize, Scholarship and Research Awards will be known as Leslie Lipson Scholars. Lipson Prize winners will receive a scholarship only if they are scholarship eligible and demonstrate financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office. The Fund will provide all or a portion of their need-based scholarship. Recipients of the scholarship may also be eligible for the Research Award to conduct research during the summer between their scholarship terms.

Candidates shall apply at the end of the fall semester of their freshman or sophomore years, and recipients will be selected by the end of the spring semester of the year in which they apply.

Successful candidates are awarded the Lipson Prize in spring and Lipson Scholarships will be awarded for their sophomore through senior years for those who apply as freshmen, and for the junior and senior years for those who apply as sophomores.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Lipson Essay Prize, students need to be eligible freshmen or sophomores and have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (GPA). Students from any field of study are welcome to apply. Essays will be reviewed by the Lipson Committee, and the committee may award prizes for all Scholarship Winners.

Submissions need to be submitted via our online submission form by January 17th, 2025 at 4 PM.

2023-2024 Lipson Scholarship Program Essay Topics

Please choose one topic.

Currently it is often said that democracy in America is at a crossroads, in terms of its very ability to exist. Do you agree or disagree? What are the causes of such a disintegration, if indeed that is occurring?
As famously stated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “You are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts .” Has “red” and “blue” tribalism in current American culture now made it difficult, or even impossible, for people of different parties and persuasions to agree on what is reality or what is “true”?
Is America in danger of becoming an authoritarian state? Are American democratic institutions, as embodied by our three branches of government, strong enough to defeat peaceably an armed threat of civil war?
What response to terrorism is consistent with and upholds humanistic values?
Should there be any limits on political speech at universities? If you believe there should be limits, what would those be and how would they be enforced?
Explain the persistence of anti-semitism over the centuries and why there is a resurgence today.

Prize Amounts

A prize of $10,000 is awarded to students who submit winning essays on one of six topics related to humanistic values.

Essays shorter or longer than the recommended amount will not be disadvantaged by sole virtue of their length
12-point font; double-spaced with one-inch margins; numbered pages
Last 4 digits of your student identification (SID) number in top-right corner of every page
You may submit only one essay per calendar year
Your submissions need to be anonymous; please do not include your name

Please submit via our online submission form.

Competitive Prizes Online Submission

2023-24: Victoria Fan, "The Center Will Not Hold: The State of Democracy"; Sophia Martinez, "How Echo Chambers and Algorithms Have Led Americans Away from a Universal Truth"; Zoe Lodge, "Sense and Desensitivity: Polarization is Destroying the Fabric of American Political Culture"; Carmen Berry, "When Feelings Become Fact: Climate Change Denialism as a Symptom of Political Mistrust"; Grace Camperi, "In the Cave of Political Tribalism"; Connor Eubank, "State of Terror: The Ethical Cost of Legitimizing State Terrorism"; Alex Lewis Richter, " Countering Forever Wars: A Framework for Just & Unjust Counterterrorism Operations"; Alkis Loannis Toutziaridis, "Rights and Resistance: The Dual Front in Counter-Terrorism Strategy"; Viraj Roy Gupta, "Untangling the Hydra: Combatting the Many Faces of Anti-Semitism"; Guanjie Cheng, "A Historical Journey Through the Persistence of Anti-Semitism”; Chloe Sabrina Zitsow, " Money, Money, Money: How the Myth of Jews and Finances Drives Antisemitism"

2022-23: Peyton Koch, "The Democracy Camel: Has the Final Straw"; Irina Velitskaya, "The Consequences Are Clear: Social Media and the History of Human Innovation"; Agodi Okoroafor, "What do the Wealthiest 1% owe the 99%?"; Julia Gignac, "From Imperfect Progress by Unsatisfying Compromise"; Hy Nguyen, " An Invisible Hand plaguing our economy: The economics behind the Medical-Industrial Complex"; Ashley Kim, "BeReal… Let’s Be Real"; Keshwanth Babu Puligulla, "Agree to Disagree: An Examination of Political and Cultural Polarization"

2021-22: Madeleine (Maddi) Wong, "America MMXXII: The Return of Democracy- An Attack on De Jure and De Facto Democracy through the Jeopardization of Civil Rights"; Margaux Bauerlein,"Social Trust and Negative Liberty: Free to Be Me (and Suffer for It)"

2020–21: Stephan Dai, "Lies and Internet Posts, Evidence that Brandenburg’s Toast?"; Aleeza Adnan, Alxander Fung, Emma Gerson, Valmic Muking, "Culture Warn’t: The Imaginary War the 1% Wants us to Fight"; Vyoma Raman, Deborah Le-En Tan

2019–20: Evan Juan, "The Obligation of a Human Right to Health"; Aditya Varma, "American E(conomics) X(clusion) C(hurch) E(xpansion) P(rogress) T(echnology)-ionalism"; Max Zhang, "Sleeping at the Wheel"

2018–19: Hannah Herrick, "The Persistence of Racism through Colorblindness"; Vedant Kajaria, "A Consummate Relationship with Anarchy"; Karen Lee, "Condemned to Condemn"; Tara Madhav "American Democracy, Racism and the State of Exception"; Kathleen Navas, "Psychological Basis and Modern Impact of Racism on Society"; Wyatt Singh, "The Second Coming: A Century Later, W.B. Yeats' Words Are Still Relevant"; Sharon Marie Vaz, "Yeats' Spiritus Mundi and its Relevance to 2019"; Leo Zlimen, "Our Own Phantom World"

2017–18: David Olin, "The Spirit and the Machine", Nicholas Pingitore, "Wandering with Walden", Evan Schwartz, "Arguments for Disobeying Trump's order for a Preemptive Nuclear Strike: Echoes from the Nuremberg Tribunal", Talia Wenger, "How Artificial Intelligence Re-Ignites the Human Spirit"

2016–17: Alexander Casendio, "Is democracy in general, as a form of government, currently broken on an international basis?"; Daniel Rosenthal,"What are the reasons for the cultural and political polarizations in the U.S. and what is its impact on humanistic values. Is this only a national trend, or is it an issue internationally?"; Thomas Lee Kadie,"The Licensing of Right-Wing Populism"

2015–16: 1st prize: Liya Nahusenay, "Islamophobia: A Detrimental Misnomer"; Neel Somani, "Contemporary Stereotyping: Exploring the Seduction of Bias"; 2nd prize: Nina Djukic, "A Rare Drought Rain"; Suleman Khan, "The Government That Cried Wolf: Refugees and National Security"; Olivia Maigret. "The Complicity of Religion in Terrorism"

2014–15: Carter Bryce Keeling, "The People's Climate March"; Ismael Farooqui, "The Invisible Hand: The results of wealth accumulation in a democracy"; Joprdan Hyatt-Miller, "The Logic of Violence"; James Rosenberg, "Legal Accountability for Torture: Preserving a Nation of Rights and Values"; Zijing Song, "One Oligarchy, Under God"

2013–14: Elizabeth Carroll, "A Nation of Suspects: Modern Surveillance and the Right to Privacy"; Wenyan He, "The Bilateral Nature of Ethics in Economic Inequality"; Taylor Madigan, "A Rawlsian Approach to Economic Inequality"; Sharada Narayan, "The Politics of Political Ethics"; Zijing Song, "The State of Obama's Union"

2012–13: Pierre Bourbonnais, "No Excuses for Lying"; Apruva Govande, "Emotional Bridges through Empathy"; Adithyavairavan Murali, "War on Terror: The Great Game of Education, Economics and Human Dignity"; Seth Victor, "The Lies and Unethical Nature of the War on Terror"

2011–12: Adam Susaneck, "How Party Stratification Leads to Duopoly as Ideology Establishing Elections as a Script Creating Not Deadlock, Livelock!"

2010–11: Ayden Parish, "Fundamentalism, Church and State"; Timothy Borjian, "The Problems with American Exceptionalism"

2009–10: Jasmine L. Segall, "Ethical Implications of Anonymous Methods of Modern Warfare"; Spreeha Debchaudhury, "We the People: A Colorful Portrayal"

2008–09: Alexander Setzepfandt, "Optimism: Breaking Free from the Unethical Behavior of Others"; Anirudh Narla, "The Triumph of Grey: The Importance of Indeterminacy and Complexity in Black and White"

2007–08: Danielle Rathje, "Fair Trade and Global Responsibility"; Keith Browner Brown, "Factoring in Humanity: The Failure of Population Control"

2006–07: Andrina Tran, "Varieties of Morality: William James, Pragmatism and Freedom "

2005–06: Erica Mu, "Dismantling Torture: An Examination of the United States at a Political and Ethical Crossroads"; Jillian Marks, "Torture: An Analysis of Its Evils"; Alexander H. Lau, "Revealing Racial Bias: A Case for Affirmative Action"

2004–05: Jacqueline Nader "The Greatest Danger of Our Time"; Yanpei Chen, "Morality and Political Discourse"; Charles Lin, "Avoiding a Tragedy: Reconciling International Interests in the Atmospheric Commons"

2003–04: No award given

2002–03: Jennifer Greenburg, "Women's Participation in Post-Apartheid Reform"; Sebastian Petty, "Back to the Land: Institutional Forms of Community Supported Agriculture"; Tina Sang, "Chinese Household Registration System"

2001–02: Susan Tche, "Effects of the New World Economy on Post-Embargo Vietnam"

2000–01: Cynthia Houng, "Sustainable Development? Towards a New Synthesis of Environment Ethics and Philosophy"; Joseph Kim, "Does Absentee Voting Have Anti-Social Effects on Voters?"; Pha Lo, "The Hmong of Laos: Cultural Perspectives on Implementing a Global Agenda"

Lipson Scholarship

The Lipson Scholarship, established in 2001, is a need-based scholarship awarded up to a scholar’s full financial need per year and is only available to eligible students who submit winning essays for the Lipson Essay Prize.

To receive the Lipson Scholarship, students must win the Lipson Essay Prize and be a freshman or sophomore when they apply. The Lipson Scholarship will fund the costs of the scholars’ sophomore through senior years at UC Berkeley for those who apply as freshmen, and the costs of the scholars’ junior and senior years for those who apply as sophomores, based on their financial need as determined by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

Lipson Research Grant

The third component of the Lipson Program, which is optional, is the Lipson Research Grant (established in 2001).

Lipson Scholars who wish to do research in greater depth have the opportunity to apply for funds to support their own original research project. Scholars will undertake such projects during the summer. Scholars selected for the Lipson Research Grant will receive a $5,000 stipend for summer living expenses so that they may devote their time to their summer research project; an additional $250 will be awarded in the fall semester after the scholar submits a paper about his or her summer project. Lipson Research Grant recipients may decide to develop the paper further into an honors thesis, or even a graduate-level dissertation. Projects must relate to humanistic values and their implementation, and might, for example, address such topics as human rights issues, bio-ethics, the impact on developing societies of global capitalism, or environmental concerns in the 21st century. Students will receive further details about this research opportunity following their selection as Lipson Scholars. While the Lipson Research Grant is optional, it is an important part of the Lipson Program.

Previous Research Projects add Summer 2012 Ayden Parish: Prototype Theory and the Categorization of Autism Jasmine Segall: Microfinance: Interest Rates and Social Performance in the United States and Guatemala

– Top –

George Morey Richardson Latin Translation Prize

The Richardson Latin Translation Prize is open to all UC Berkeley students. A first-place prize and second-place prize are awarded for the best translation of classical English into Ciceronian Latin.

History of the Prize: The Richardson Latin Translation Prize was established through the will of George Morey Richardson of Berkeley, dated May 16, 1896: “I give and devise to The Regents of the University of California, two lots or parcels of land, situated in Highland Trust, Oakland Township, Alameda County, State of California, to expend the income there or from the proceeds thereof, when sold, for an annual prize known as the ‘Richardson Latin Translation Prize,’ to be awarded to undergraduates (later to include graduate students) of the University of California for the best translation of classical English into Ciceronian Latin.” The prize was established in 1896.

Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes .

Contest deadline is January 17th, 2025 at 4 PM.

2023-2024 George Morey Richardson Latin Translation English Passage

2023–24: No award given

2022–23: Claire Healy ($2,000)

2021–22: No award given

2020–21: 1st prize: Joshua Benjamins ($1,900)

2019–20: 1st prize: Daniel Squire ($1,000); 2nd prize: Joshua Benjamins ($800)

2018–19: 1st prize: Daniel Squire ($1,000); 2nd prize: Joshua Benjamin ($500)

2017–18: 1st prize: Daniel Squire ($1,500)

2016–17: 1st prize: Daniel Squire ($1,400)

2015–16: 1st prize: Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($1,000); 2nd prize: Daniel Squire ($400)

2014–15: 1st prize: Michael Zellman-Rohrer ($1,000); 2nd prize: Tom Recht ($500)

2013–14: 1st prize: Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($1,500)

2012–13: 1st prize: Jared Hudson and Michael Zellman-Rohrer ($750 each)

2011–12: 1st prize: Michael Zellman–Rohrer ($2,000)

2010–11: 1st prize: Jared Hudson ($1,500); 2nd prize: Thomas Hendrickson ($500)

2009–10: 1st prize: Jared Hudson ($2,000)

2008–09: 1st prize: Jared Hudson ($1,500); 2nd prize: Antonia Pham Young ($500)

2007–08: 1st prize: Jared Hudson and Boris Rodin ($1,000 each)

2006–07: 1st prize: Jared Hudson ($2,000)

2005–06: 1st prize: Wilson Shearin ($1,500); 2nd prize: Kurt Lampe ($500)

2004–05: 1st prize: Kurt Lampe ($2,000)

2003–04: 1st prize: William Michal Short ($1,500); 2nd prize: J. C. Geissmann ($500)

2002–03: 1st prize:William Short ($2,000) 2001–02: 1st prize: Jon Christopher Geissmann ($1,000)

2000–01: 1st prize: Dylan Sailor ($1,000)

1999–00: 1st prize: Dylan Sailor ($1,000); 2nd prize: Amir Baghdadchi ($500)

1998–99: 1st prize: Dylan Sailor ($500)

1997–98: 1st prize: Dylan Sailor ($500)

Philo Sherman Bennett Prize in Political Science

The Philo Sherman Bennett Prize in Political Science is awarded for the best essay encompassing some aspect of politics other than international relations.

The prize is open to both graduates and undergraduates.

History of the Prize: Philo Sherman Bennett’s 1905 will stated: “I give and bequeath to Wm. J. Bryan of Lincoln the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), in trust, however, to pay to twenty-five colleges or universities, to be selected by him, the sum of four hundred ($400.00) each, said sum of four hundred dollars ($400.00) to be invested by each college receiving the same and the annual proceeds used for a prize for the best essay discussing the principal of free government.” The Regents Minutes of August 8, 1905 recite the following: “Mr. Wm. Jennings Bryan informed the University that he was glad to leave the decision by the college authorities the details of the Bennett Essay Prize…”

Contest deadline is December 13th , 2024 at 4 PM.

2023–24: Alyssa Rene Heinze and Eero Samuel Arum ($1,500 each)

2022–23: Teoman Tecan ($2,500)

2021–22: Kristin Zuhone ($1,000)

2020–21: Joseph Rodriquez and Shterna Friedman ($2,500 each)

2019–20: Shterna Friedman and Julia Goddard ($2250 each)

2018–19: Shterna Friedman ($4500)

2017–18: Kristin Zuhone ($1000)

2016–17: No prize awarded

2015–16: Jeremy Cynamon ($1,000)

2014–15: Jeremy Cynamon ($1,000)

2013–14: Samuel Garrett Zeitlin ($1,000)

2012–13: Samuel Garrett Zeitlin ($1,000)

2011–12: Jeremy Pilaar ($1,000)

2010–11: Sang-Hwa Sara Lee and Alyssa Beltran ($500 each)

2009–10: Huan Gao and Mikhail Guttentag ($500 each)

2008–09: Daniel Katz ($1,000)

2007–08: Daniel Katz ($1,000 )

2006–07: Nan Zhang ($1,000)

2005–06: Caitlin Rose Fox-Hodess ($1,000)

2004–05: Caitlin Rose Fox-Hodess ($1,000)

2002–03: No award given

2001–02: Anthony Chen ($1,000)

2000–01: Tony Chen ($2,000)

1999–00: Robert S. Taylor ($1,500)

1998–99: Daniel Ho ($1,000)

1997–98: James Abrams ($1,000)

Owen D. Young Prize in International Relations

The Owen D. Young Prize in International Relations is awarded for the best essay dealing with some aspect of international relations.

A minimum of 4,000 words is required with a maximum word limit of 5,000 words. Open to undergraduates only.

History of the Prize: From the Regents’ Minutes of October 10, 1933: “Mr. Owen D. Young delivered the Charter Day Address in Berkeley on March 24, 1930, returned to the Regents his honorarium as such speaker and in addition donated the sum of $250. This was intended to be used for three prizes … to undergraduate students registered in the colleges at Berkeley … who offered the best three essays on the topic, ‘What can a college student do to further good understanding among the nations and thereby promote peace?’ Mr. Young, on June 2, 1931, [amended] the conditions of this … contest, [whereby] the remainder of his donation, to wit, $900, be set up as a permanent fund, the income therefrom to be devoted to an annual prize for the best essay on some aspect of international relations. The Committee on Prizes is authorized to change the topic of the essay from time to time as they may see fit to do so.” The Owen D. Young Prize was established in 1958.

2022–23: Caitlin Barotz ($800)

2021–22: Dil Sen ($1,400)

2 020–21: Francis (Siyuan) Chen and Kaitlyn Lombardo ($600 each)

2019–20: Rosemary Yin ($1,500)

2018–19: Will Alexander and Kevin Klyman ($700 each)

2017–18: 1st prize: Sarah O'Farrell ($700); 2nd prize: Justin DesRochers and Janani Mohan ($350 each)

2016–17: Suleman Khan ($1,000)

2015–16: Madison Chapman and William Michael Morrow ($750 each)

2014–15: Cameron Silverberg ($1,500)

2013–14: Caroline McCloskey ($1,500)

2012–13: Michelle Chern ($1,500)

2011–12: Maya Yizhaky ($1,500)

2010–11: Lauren Benichou ($1,500)

2009–10: Kenneth Tsang ($1,500)

2008–09: Timothy Barry ($1,500)

2007–08: No award given

2006–07: Ben Narodick ($1,200)

2005–06: Helen Hsueh ($1,200)

2004–05: No award given

2003–04: Miya Keren ($500)

2002–03: Jeff Lindemyer ($500)

2001–02: Albert Ofrecio ($500)

2000–01: No award given

1999–00: Daniel Ho ($500)

1998–99: Christopher Maier ($500)

1997–98: No entries received

Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation Prize

The Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation Prize is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate for the best translation of classical English into an appropriate classical Greek style.

Appropriate styles include those of Plato and of the classical Attic orators, but other styles appropriate to the content are not excluded, such as the style of Herodotus, or even verse composition. The selection will normally be formal English prose and will be 350 to 500 words in length.

History of the Prize: The Rosenmeyer Prize was established in 1995.

2023-2024 Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation English Passage

2022–23: No award given

2021–22: No award given

2020–21: Joshua Benjamins ($750)

2019–20: Joshua Benjamins and Daniel Squire ($1,500 each)

2018–19: Daniel Squire ($2,500)

2017–18: Daniel Squire ($1,000)

2016–17: Daniel Squire ($1,400)

2015–16: Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($1,000)

2014–15: 1st prize: Tom Recht ($750); 2nd prize: Michael Zellman-Rohrer ($250)

2013–14: Tom Recht and Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($500 each)

2012–13: Tom Recht and Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($500 each)

2011–12: Tom Recht ($700); Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($300)

2010–11: Tom Recht and Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($500 each)

2009–10: Tom Recht ($1,000)

2008–09: Boris Rodin ($750); Honorable Mention: Joel Street ($250)

2007–08: Nardini Pandey ($500)

2006–07: Boris Rodin Maslov ($500)

2005–06: Boris Rodin Maslov ($500)

2004–05: Boris Rodin ($500)

2003–04: William Michael Short ($500)

2002–03: Jon Christopher Geissmann ($500)

2001–02: W. H. Shearin ($500)

2000–01: Dylan Sailor ($500)

1999–00: Dylan Sailor ($500)

1998–99: Dylan Sailor ($500)

1997–98: Dylan Sailor ($500)

Dorothy Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Lyric Poetry

The Dorothy Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Lyric Poetry will be awarded for composition of the best original unpublished lyric poem. Each entrant may submit only one poem; the length should not exceed thirty lines. A lyric poem is a poem that sings. It is usually quite short. When the poem is read aloud, it should inspire and delight by its heartfelt thought and feeling and the beauty of its language.

History of the Prize

When Dorothy Rosenberg died, her husband, Professor Marvin Rosenberg, established a fund to award this prize in her name.

Contest deadline is December 13th , 2024

2023-24: Noah Warren, William James Davidson and Mary Mussman ($1,000 each)

2022-23: Emily Peng, Landon Kramer ($1,500 each)

2021-22: Mary Mussman ($1,500), Annabelle Lampson ($1,000) and John James ($1,000)

2020-21: Mary Wilson($2,000), John James ($1,500) and Mary Mussman ($1,200)

2019–20: Yujane Chen and Aurelia Cojocaru ($3000)

2018–19: Lydia Liu ($3000)

2017–18: Selden Cummings, Nina Djukic, Anthony Tucci-Berube, Claire Marie Stancek, Jennifer Lorden ($1040)

2016–17: Julie Lee, Kaisle Hill, Brianna Alleyne, Katrina Hall, undergraduate winners; Evan Klavon, graduate winner ($840 each)

2015–16: Alani Hicks-Bartlett ($1,000); Evan Bauer, Raj Bhargava, Ismael Farooqui, Carter Bryce Keeling, and Alan Xu ($800 each)

2014–15: Christopher Miller and Mary Wilson, graduate winners ($1,000 each); Lillian Berger, Andrew David King, and S. Carlota Salvador Megias, undergraduate winners ($1,000 each)

2013–14: Jane Gregory, graduate winner ($2,000); Andrew David King, undergraduate winner ($2,000)

2012–13: Rachel Trocchio, graduate winner ($850); Laura Ferris, Andrew David King, Larry Narron, and Claire Tuna, undergraduate winners ($850 each)

2011–12: Samuel Garrett Zeitlin, graduate winner ($2,400); Bryce Thronburg, undergraduate winner ($2,400)

2010–11: Jane Gregory, graduate winner ($1,600); Taylor Hickok and Kayla Krut, undergraduate winners ($1,600 each)

2009–10: Gillian Osborne, graduate winner ($1,000); 1st prize, undergraduate: Anna Reeser ($2,000), 2nd prize, undergraduate: Steven Lance ($1,500), 3rd prize, undergraduate: Emma Tome ($1,000), Honorable Mention: Teresa Jimenez ($500)

2008–09: Matthew Melnicki and Alani Hicks-Bartlett graduate winners ($2,000 each); 1st prize, undergraduate: Steven Lance ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Joe Cadora ($1,000)

2007–08: Kate Klonowski and Matthew Melnicki ($2,000 each)

2006–07: Colin Dingler, graduate winner ($2,000); James May, undergraduate winner ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Marisa Libbon

2005–06: Michael Nicholson and Elizabeth Young ($1,000 each); Honorable Mention: Diana Y. Chien

2004–05: Edgar Garcia ($500)

2003–04: Edgar Garcia ($200)

2002–03: Michael Heinrich ($200)

2001–02: Lily Dwyer ($100)

2000–01: Emily Beall ($100)

1999–00: Mandy Kahn ($100)

1998–99: Caetlin Benson-Allott ($100)

1997–98: Kimberly Johnson ($100)

Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition

The Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition is awarded for excellence of composition in poetry, story writing, drama, or another field of literary composition. Judging is based on excellence of composition. Open to all graduate and undergraduate students.

This fund was accepted by the Regents on August 13, 1929. The Corpus thereof, in the amount of $3,000, was, by Judge George E. Crothers, pursuant to an agreement dated October 13, 1921, between Judge Crothers and the late Maria Elizabeth Mills, transferred to Mrs. Mills for the support of a fellowship in music in Mills College. This agreement provided that upon the death of Mrs. Mills the fund should pass to the Regents to support the Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition at the University of California.

2023-24: Aleeza Adnan ($1,200), Ayesha Asad, Mina Choi and Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon ($600 each)

2022-22: Nina Djukic ($1,500), Sophia Egert-Smith, Mary Mussman ($750 each)

2021-22: Drew Kiser ($1,000); Ryan Lackey ($500)

2020–21: Jennifer Tamayo ($900); Ryan Lackey, Noah Warren, Nessa Ordukhani, Mary Mussman ($500 each)

2019–20: Lucy Eaton ($1,000); Mary Mussman, Noah Warren, Sabrina Jaszi ($650 each)

2018–19: Clara Jimenez, Mary Mussman, Tessa Rissacher, Noah Warren ($750 each)

2017–18: 1st Prize: Mary Wilson ($2000); 2nd Prize: Evan Bauer, Selden Cummings, Nina Djukic, Zachary Kiebach($800 each)

2016–17: 1st prize: Rosetta Young ($600); 2nd prize: Jesslyn Whittell ($400); 3rd prize: Shelby Gregg ($300); Finalists: Sheryl Barbera and Khamillah Zimmer ($250 each); Honorable Mention: Mary Wilson, Laura Ferris, Hannah Ling, Julia Apffel, Evan Bauer, Sean Dennison, and Balark Mallik ($100 each)

2015–16: 1st prize: Carter Bryce Keeling ($2,000); 2nd prize: Claire Marie Stancek ($1,000); 3rd prize: Rachel King ($1,000); Finalists: Roxanne Forbes, Griffin Morin-Tornheim, Leah Tyus, and Anthony Williams ($250 each)

2014–15: 1st prize: Andrew David ($2,500); 2nd prize: Stanford Shoor ($500); 3rd prize: Rachel Trocchio ($500); 4th prize: Mary Wilson ($500)

2013–14: 1st prize: Ismail Muhammad ($1,500); 2nd prize: Manjing Zhang ($1,000); 3rd prize: Jessica Cox ($750); 4th prize: Tara Fatemi ($500); 5th prize: Michael A. Shaw ($250)

2012–13: Allison Berke, Cora Bernard, Myles Parker Osborne, Kayla Krut, and Eli Wirtschafter ($800 each)

2011–12: 1st prize: Gabriel Thibodeau ($1,500); 2nd prize: Kayla Krut ($1,000); 3rd prize: Yi (Jenny) Xie and Zoe Pollak ($750 each)

2010–11: Kelsa Trom and Tom Recht ($150 each)

2009–10: Faith Gardner, Angelene Smith, David Krolikoski, and Natalie Tsang ($800 each)

2008–09: Mia You ($600); Angelene Smith, Jennifer Reimer, Thomas Gamburg and Natalie Tsang ($350 each)

2007–08: Joseph Cadora, Jude Dizon, Adrienne Johnson and Nalini Rae G Sareen ($250 each)

2006–07: Martine Charnow, Zachary Tomaszewski, and Sara Lahue ($300 each)

2005–06: Geoffrey Greer ($500); Joseph Scalici, Jacqueline Palhegy, Keleigh Friedrich, Trevor Adrian, Emi Ikkanda ($150 each)

2004–05: Jacqueline Palhegy ($500); Leslie MacMillan, Erica Kidder Jensen and Edgar Garcia ($150 each)

2003–04: 1st prize: Bernice Santiago and Katherine Willett ($350 each); 2nd prize: Brandelyn Castine ($200); 3rd prize: Roger Porter ($100)

2002–03: Winners for poetry: Ellen Samuels ($250), Rachel Teukolsky ($175), Laura Wetherington ($175); Winners for Prose: James Ramey ($250), Maria Elena Howard ($150)

2001–02: Jennifer Hasa and Soyoung Jung ($1,000 each)

2000–01: Jennifer Ahn and Karen Lee ($1,000 each)

1999–00: 1st prize: Azin Arefi-Anbarani and Matthew Gleeson ($900 each)

1998–99: 1st prize: Bruce Maritano, Benjamin Russack, Caleb Smith, Frank B. Wilderson III, and Lin Zou ($300 each)

1997–98: 1st prize: Jennifer Stroud ($500); 2nd prize: Asali Solomon ($300); 3rd prize: Bryce Maritano ($200); runner-up: Michael Holt and Yuval Sharon ($100 each)

1996–97: 1st prize: Caleb Smith ($400); 2nd prize: Anh Bui ($200); 3rd prize: Asali Solomon and Julia Cho ($175 each); 4th prize: Ola Metwally ($150)

1995–96: 1st prize: Judy Kemelman ($300); 2nd prize: Amy Graff and Karin Spirn ($250 each); 3rd prize: Viet Nguyen and Hamilton Tran ($200 each); 4th prize: Philip Huynh and Bryan Malessa ($150 each)

1994–95: 1st prize: Cynthia Lin ($500); 2nd prize: Elizabeth Scarboro and Karin Spirn ($350 each); 3rd prize: Lysley Tenorio, Lyn Dilorio, and Jack Wooster ($200 each); 4th prize: Cat Dale and Jessica Hahn ($100 each)

Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in Poetry

The Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in Poetry is awarded for the most outstanding single unpublished poem.

Both graduate and undergraduate students are free to write up to 26 lines in length, in any meter, and upon any subject. Up to four winners may be chosen at the judge’s discretion.

Yale University Professor Albert S. Cook, formerly on the UC Berkeley faculty, endowed this prize with $1,000. As noted in the August 10, 1909, minutes of the Regents of the University of California, Professor Cook specified that “it is highly desirable” that the prize be awarded “for a poem which reflects honor upon the University, when viewed in the light of the best precedents furnished by England and this country.” Professor Cook further specified that “the University shall be free at any time to reprint the poem as it may choose.”

2023–24: Nina Alessandra Djukic ($1,200), Mary Mussman and Naima Karczmar ($500 each)

2022–23: Mary Mussman, Jessica Laser, and Andy Choi ($400 each)

2021–22: Annabelle Lampson ($800), John James, and Noah Warren ($600 each)

2020–21: Lamiya Gulamhusein, Dominique Salapare, Madelyn Peterson, and Max Kaisler ($625 each)

2019–20: Jennifer Tamayo, Max Kaisler, Lashon A. Daley and Noah Warren ($600 each)

2018–19: Mary Mussman, Mary Wilson, and Dylan Furcall ($800 each)

2017–18: Daniel Benjamin, Anthony Tucci-Berube ($1,100 each)

2016–17: Mary Wilson and Mary Mussman ($1,100 each)

2015–16: 1st prize: Rachel Trocchino ($1,400); 2nd prize: Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton ($700)

2014–15: 1st prize: Andy Nguy ($1,000); 2nd prize: Yaul Perez-Stable Husni ($600); 3rd prize: Alani Hicks Bartlett ($500)

2013–14: 1st prize: Jennifer Lorden, Clint Anderson, Lisa Levin, Michael Shaw ($500 each)

2012–13: 1st prize: Evan Klavon ($1,000); 2nd prize: Rachel Trocchio ($500); Honorable Mention: Andrew David King and Allison Yates ($250 each)

2011–12: Darius Carrick, Andrew David King, Pamela Glazier, and Vanessa Ing ($350 each)

2010–11: Laura Ferris, Kathryn Hindenlang, Tara Phillips, and Patricia Yen ($525 each)

2009–10: Joe Cadora, Ashley Lystne, Eamon O'Connor, and Gillian Osborne ($550 each)

2008–09: Natasha Arora, Pamela Krayenbuhl, Steven Lance, and Craig Perez ($500 each)

2007–08: Meredith Higgins and Clifford Mak ($150)

2006–07: Hillary Gravendyk, Jeremy Graves, Marisa Libbon, and Yosefa Raz ($300 each)

2005–06: Olivia Friedman ($300)

2004–05: Edgar Garcia, Dorian Gesler, and Shanyin Chang ($300 each)

2003–04: Ellen Samuels , Laura Wetherington, Christine Harrison, and Jessica Zychowicz ($300 each)

2002–03: Kimberly Johnson ($300)

2001–02: Sandra Lim, Marisa Libbon, Yasmin Golan, & Lynley Lys ($300 each)

2000–01: Emily Beall ($600), David Ruderman ($400), Jasmine Bina ($200)

1999–00: Julie Anderson, Ben Chaika, Elizabeth Hillman, and Kimberly Johnson ($300 each)

1998–99: 1st prize: Kimberly Johnson ($500); 2nd prize: Gibson Fay-LeBlanc ($500)

1997–98: 1st prize: Nadia Nurhussein ($300); runners-up: Emily Abendroth, Robyn Brooks, Delphine Hwang, and Padraig Riley ($150 each)

Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes

In 1963, Samuel Marks established an endowment of $250,000 for the advancement of the arts on the Berkeley campus, in memory of his stepdaughter, Roselyn Schneider Eisner, an artist and sculptor. The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Arts recommended the money be used to establish prizes in each of the Creative Arts.

Photo Imaging

The Eisner Prizes in Photo-Imaging are open to all UC Berkeley graduates and undergraduates of any major.

Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.

Eisner Photo-Imaging Prize Rules add Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes . Additional rules for the Eisner Photo-Imaging Prize contest are listed below. Submission link: Competitive Prizes Submission You may submit 1 to 3 black-and-white or color images. Submissions must be anonymous. Include the last four digits of your student ID number on your file name and the total number of photographic images you're entering (e.g., "#1234 1 of 3," "#1234 2 of 3," "#1234 3 of 3"). Submissions may show either a body of work or 3 photos exploring 3 different themes. Judges will look for the artistic dimensions of the photos presented, including the creative uses of color ( tone values if you are showing black and white prints), lighting, graphic composition and framing .

Film and Video

The Eisner Prizes in Film and Video contest is open to both graduates and undergraduates in any department.

One to three films may be submitted, but the judges will only view up to 30 minutes of film for each applicant.

Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors page for this prize’s deadline.

Eisner Film and Video Prize Rules add Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes . The Eisner Film and Video Prize contest also has additional rules listed below. Students can submit films as a Quicktime file on a flash/thumb drive or via a working URL on either Youtube or Vimeo. The applicant must make sure the URL is open and working, and that the thumb drive is both PC and MAC compatible You may submit 1 – 3 entries but are encouraged to submit only your best work. All film submissions must be in finished form, ready for public exhibition. Unfinished works or work-in-progress will not be considered. At least one submission must have been made during the period of your enrollment as a student on the Berkeley campus. Judges will not view more than 30 minutes of film or video. All submissions must be of the entire film, excerpts will not be accepted for consideration. To be eligible, you need to be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program for at least one regular semester of the academic year (not including Summer Sessions). Filing for a degree does not constitute enrollment for that academic year. Visiting students are not eligible to apply for prizes. A previous winner of this contest may not enter the following year. Film or video submissions must be labeled with the last four digits of the entrant's student ID (SID) number, the film's title, running time and the original format of the entry (16mm, VHS, URL, thumb drive file. etc.). Also, a brief (one paragraph, typewritten) film description should accompany the submission. The maker's name must not appear on the entry or on the film credits. The Prizes Office, 210 Sproul Hall, will hold film and video entries for pickup until mid-May.

The Eisner Prizes in Poetry and Prose contests are open to all UC Berkeley graduates and undergraduates in any department.

Prose submissions may include novels, plays, or a collection of short stories. Prose submissions should be a substantial body of work with a representative 20–30 pages earmarked. Poetry submissions should be a collection of poems with a minimum of 25 pages to a maximum of 40 pages. Entries must be paginated, stapled and include a table of contents and a title page. This contest may contain submissions that have won in other contests in previous years. However, entries to these contests must consist of a majority of new work not having previously won in any campus contest or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize's deadline.

2023–24: Poetry: Andrew David King ($3,000), John James ($1,500) and Noah Warren ($1,500)

Prose: Andrew David King ($1,250) and Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon ($1,250)

2022–23: Poetry: Andrew David King ($3,000), Mary Mussman ($2,000) and Noah Warren ($1,000)

Prose: Landon Kramer ($2,000) and Andy Choi ($2,000)

2021–22: Poetry: Mary Mussman ($3,000), Noah Warren ($1,500) and John James ($1,500)

Prose: No Prizes awarded

2020–21: Poetry: Jennifer Tamayo ($5000)

2019–20: Poetry: Christian Nagler ($5000)

Prose: Elodie Townsend and Sabrina Jaszi ($2,500 each)

2018–19: Poetry: Dylan Cox and Mary Wilson ($5000 each)

Prose: No Prizes Awarded

2017–18: Poetry: Shonushka Sawant ($3000) and Daniel Benjamin ($2000)

Prose: Clair Marie Stancek and Zackary Kiebach ($2,500 each)

2016–17: Poetry: 1st prize: Sahvanna Mazon ($3,000); 2nd prize: Shonushka Sawant ($2,000)

Prose: Zackary Kiebach ($2,000)

2015–16: Poetry: 1st prize: David A. Hernandez ($3,000); 2nd prize: Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton ($2,000)

Prose: Emma Rosenbaum ($2,000)

2014–15: Poetry: Christopher Patrick Miller and Claire Marie Stancek ($2,500 each)

Prose: Andrew David King and Natasha Von Kaenel ($2,500 each)

2013–14: Poetry: Kristopher Kersey, Julia Tianjiao Wang, and David Vandeloo ($2,000 each);

Prose: Andrew David King ($4,000)

2012–13: Poetry: Rebecca Gaydos, Andrew David King, and Ryan Tucker ($2,000 each);

Prose: Kelly Clancy and Rosetta Young ($2,000 each)

2011–12: Poetry: Christopher P. Miller and Yosefa Raz ($3,000 each);

Prose: Brian J. Loo and Leila Mansouri ($2,000 each)

2010–11: Poetry: Rachel Beck, Jane Gregory, S Christopher Miller, and Swati Rana ($2,500 each);

Prose: No award given

2009–10: Poetry: Steven Lance, Gillian Osborne, and Lynn Xu ($2,000 each);

Prose: Nina Estreich and Danica Li ($2,000 each)

2008–09: Poetry: Gillian Osborne and Lijia Xie ($3,000 each);

Prose: 11 entries; Joe Cadora ($4,000)

2007–08: Poetry: Hillary Gravendyk and Chad Vogler ($5,000 each);

Prose: 4 entries; No award given

2006–07: Poetry: Elizabeth Marie Young and Margaret Ronda ($2,500 each);

Prose: Melissa Fall ($5,000)

2005–06: Poetry: Hilary Gravendyk Burrill ($6,000);

Prose: Elaine Castillo and Mark Massoud ($2,000 each)

2004–05: Poetry: Margaret Ronda and Tung-Hui Hu ($2,500 each);

Prose: 1st prize: Neil Colin Satterlund ($3,000); 2nd prize: Katherine Ann Willett ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Dorothy Couchman

2003–04: Poetry: 1st prize: Jennifer Scappetone ($3,000); 2nd prize: Lynn Ziyu Xu ($2,000);

Prose: 1st prize: Elaine Castillo ($2,500); 2nd prize: Ellen Samuels ($2,500)

2002–03: Poetry: Timothy Wood, Julie Carr, and Warren Liu ($2,000 each);

Prose: Elaine Castillo and Frank B. Wildersn III ($2,000 each)

2001–02: Poetry: Jessica Fisher ($3,000) and Anne Walker ($2,000);

Prose: Yekaterina Kosova ($3,000) and Lucia Facone ($2,000)

2000–01: Poetry: 1st prize: Brian Glaser ($3,000); 2nd prize: Jennifer Scappettone ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Ellen Samuels;

Prose: 1st prize: Ann Simon ($3,000); 2nd prize: Yuval Sharon ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Jose Alaniz

1999–00: Poetry: Jessica Fisher, Nadia Nurhussein, and Anne F. Walker ($1,400 each);

Prose: Jose Alaniz and Karen A. Lee ($1,400 each)

1998–99: Poetry: Kim Johnson and Roxana Popescu ($2,333 each);

Prose: Damion Searls ($2,333)

1997–98: Poetry: Ola Metwally, Mathew Struthers, and Karen An-Hwei Lee ($2,333 each);

Prose: Chris Minter ($2,333)

Florence Mason Palmer Prize

The Florence Mason Palmer Memorial Prize is awarded for the best essay of up to 5,000 words dealing with some aspect of international relations.

Open to women undergraduates only.

Established in 1958.

2023–24: Catherine Regan and Sabreen Nuru ($2,500 each)

2022–23: Caitlin Barotz ($3,000)

2020–21: 1st prize: Kaitlyn Lombardo 2nd prize: Jordan Webb ($3,000 each) ; Honorable Mention: Nawal Seedat and Tara Madhav ($1,500 each)

2019–20: 1st prize: Esther Smith ($4000); Honorable Mention: Nicole Mendoza and Tara Madhav ($2000 each)

2018–19: 1st prize: Sarah Sheets ($4000); 2nd prize: Adriana Weiss and Negeen Khandel ($1000 each)

2017–18: 1st prize: Sarah O'Farrell ($1000); 2nd prize: Lily Greenberg Call and Janani Mohan ($600 each)

2016–17: Zijing Song ($750)

2015–16: Shruthi Gopal ($1,000)

2014–15: 1st prize: Simrit Dhillon ($750); 2nd prize: Mikaela Rear and Lucy Song ($500 each)

2013–14: 1st prize: Tali Gires and Melody Alemansour ($750 each); 2nd prize: Rebecca Moon and Carina Tai ($500 each)

2012–13: Naomi Egel ($2,500)

2011–12: 1st prize: Jamie Andreson ($2,500); 2nd prize: Maya Yizhaky ($1,500); 3rd prize: Sara Lee ($1,000)

2010–11: No award given

2009–10: 3rd prize only: Ryan Cohen ($500)

2008–09: 1st prize: Roushani Mansoor, Sarah Weiner, and Lauren Powell ($1,500 each)

2006–07: 1st prize: Hasina Badani ($2,000)

2005–06: 1st prize: Elizabeth Mattiuzzi and Julia Gin ($2,500 each)

2004–05: 1st prize: Nancy Si-Ming Liu ($3,000); 2nd prize: Gabriela Maguire ($2,000)

2003–04: 1st prize: Henluen Wang ($300); 2nd prize: Deepa D. Shah ($200)

2002–03: 1st prize: Kristina Kempkey ($300); 2nd prize: Lily Bradley ($200)

2001–02: 1st prize: Whitney Ward ($500)

1999–00: 1st prize: Aeryn Seto ($2,300)

1998–99: 1st prize: Arianne Chernock ($1,000)

1997–98: 2nd prize only: Kathleen Mikulis ($800)

Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Prize

The Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Prize is awarded for the best unpublished poem or group of poems by an undergraduate student at University of California campuses, University of the Pacific, Mills College, Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and St. Mary’s College.

Each participating school may submit three entries to UC Berkeley to compete in the overall contest. For information regarding the submission instructions for other campuses, read Information for Other Participating Campuses below.

On March 18, 1933, a fund of $1,000 contributed by various donors was offered to the Regents for a poetry prize in memory of Ina Coolbrith, Poet Laureate of the State of California. The Ina Coolbrith Memorial Fund was accepted by the Regents on May 11, 1933.

Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes (for Berkeley students).

Ina Donna Coolbrith (1841–1928)

Born Josephine Donna Smith, oldest daughter of Don Carlos and Agnes Coolbrith Smith, in Nauvoo, Illinois, March 10, 1841, she entered California through the Beckwourth Pass in a covered wagon train in 1852. Her first poems were published in the Los Angeles Times in 1854. After a brief and tragic marriage at 17, and the death of her child, she moved in the 1860s to San Francisco, where she worked as a journalist on the Overland Monthly . Later she was librarian of the Mechanics Institute Library and the Bohemian Club library, and was the first librarian of the Oakland Public Library. She lost her San Francisco home and all her possessions in the earthquake and fire of 1906. Through the generosity of the best-known California writers of the day, another home was built on Russian Hill, where she lived until the infirmities of age led her to share the home of her niece in Berkeley in 1923. She died there on February 29, 1928.

Ina Coolbrith received many honors, including Poet Laureate of the State of California. She was the first person asked to write a Commencement Ode for the University of California and the first woman member of San Francisco's Bohemian Club. In 1924, Mills College awarded her an honorary Master of Arts degree; as a young woman she had attended Mills, known at the time as Benicia College for Women. On the day of her funeral the Legislature adjourned in her memory and afterward named a 7,900-foot peak near Beckwourth Pass "Mount Ina Coolbrith."

Ina Coolbrith corresponded with Tennyson, Whittier, Longfellow, and Lowell, and was close friends with Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Gertrude Atherton, Joaquin Miller, Charles Warren Stoddard, and William Keith. Jack London called her his "literary mother." Isadora Duncan recalled in her memoirs "the beauty and fire of the poet's eyes."

At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 she was appointed President of the Congress of Authors and Journalists. At the Exposition a formal presentation of a laurel wreath was made to her by Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of the University of California, and the Board of Regents, with the title "loved, laurel-crowned poet of California."

Some of Ina Coolbrith's most powerful poems were written after her 80th birthday. Her published works include A Perfect Day and Other Poems , Songs from the Golden Gate , and the posthumously published Wings of Sunset .

Each participating campus may submit three entries selected from submissions on their campus. An entry may be a single poem or a group of poems. While the judging to select the overall contest winners rotates from campus to campus, each campus must first forward its entries to UC Berkeley by the contest deadline. The overall contest judge will receive the entries from Berkeley in early February and will be asked to select the contest winners by early March.

The poems need to be typewritten. Include the following information in the upper-right corner of each manuscript:

The last four digits of the student’s campus identification number

The name of the contest

Write entrant information on a separate sheet and include the following:

Local address

Permanent address

Phone number

Email address

Last four digits of student’s campus identification number

Contest name

Title of poem(s)

Since manuscripts cannot be returned and may go astray in the mail, please retain a duplicate.

Winning manuscripts are filed in the University Archives at the Bancroft Library on the UC Berkeley campus.

Entries may be sent to:

Coordinator, Committee on Prizes

Undergraduate Scholarships, Prizes, and Honors

210 Sproul Hall #1964

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720

[email protected]

(5l0) 642-6888

2021–22: No prize given

2020–21: No prize given

2019–20: 1st prize: Anthony DiCarlo, UC Davis ($600); 2nd prize: Jessica Pham, UCLA ($400); 3rd prize: Rhiannon Wilson, UCLA ($100); Honorable Mention : Jona Peters, Mills College

2018–19: 1st prize: Maia Vicek, Miles College ($1250); Honorable Mentions: Avery Ardent, UC San Diego ($250); Amanda Vong, UC Santa Cruz ($250); Cu Fleshman, UC Irvine ($250)

2017–18: 1st prize: Riley O'Connell, Santa Clara University ($500); 2nd prize: Steffi Pressesky, UC Santa Cruz ($250); 3rd prize Monica Pereles, UC Merced ($250)

2016–17: Serena Balk, UC San Diego; Delphine Candland, UCLA; Kevin Alexander Perez, UC Santa Cruz ($300 each)

2015–16: 1st prize: Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton, UC Berkeley ($500); 2nd prize: Conor MacKenzie Kelly, UC Santa Cruz ($300); 3rd prize: Taelor Ramos, Mills College ($200)

2014–15: 1st prize: Christian Gella, UC San Diego ($1,100); 2nd prize: Katherine Duckworth, Mills College, Antony Fangary, UC Davis, Michelle Felmlee-Gartner, St. Mary's College, and Nilufal Karimi, UC San Diego ($100 each)

2013–14: 1st prize: Claire Bresnahan, Mills College, and Terry Taplin, St. Mary's College ($200 each); 2nd prize: Zoe Goldstein, UCLA, and Olivia Mertz, Mills College ($150 each); 3rd prize: Sabrina Barreto, Santa Clara University, Andrew David King, UC Berkeley, and Desmond Vanderfin, St. Mary's College ($100 each)

2012–13: 1st prize: Jacquelin Balderrama, UC Riverside ($400); 2nd prize: Laura Isabella Sylvan, Santa Clara University ($300); 3rd prize: Sabrina Barreto, Santa Clara University, Molly LaFleur, UC Santa Cruz; and Jacob Minasian, St. Mary's College ($100 each)

2011–12: 1st prize: John Liles, UCSD ($300); 2nd prize: Danni Gorden, UC Berkeley, and Ainsley Kelly, Santa Clara University ($200 each); 3rd prize: Andrew David King, UC Berkeley, Gabriel Malikian, UCLA, April Peletta, UCLA, and Kevin Zambrano, UCSB ($75 each)

2010–11: 1st prize: Nathan McClain, UCLA ($400); 2nd prize: Todd McClintock, UC Davis ($300); 3rd prize: Lynn Wang, UC Irvine and Kazumi Chin, UC Riverside, ($150 each); UC Berkeley winners: Kathryn Hindenlang and Christine Deakers

2009–10: 1st prize: Wesley Holtermann, UCSB ($400); 2nd prize: Katrina Kaplan, UC Berkeley, and Briony Gylgayton, UC Davis ($150) each; 3rd prize: Angela Eun Ji Koh, UCI, Isabelle Avila, UC Merced, and Jared Sandusky-Alford, UC Berkeley, ($100 each)

2008–09: 1st prize: Steven Lance, UC Berkeley ($400); 2nd prize: Esteban Ismael Alvarado, UC Riverside, and Marianna Tekosky, UCLA ($200 each); 3rd prize: Eden Orlando, UCSC, and Kevin Eldridge, UC Riverside, ($100 each)

2007–08: 1st prize: Katie Quarles, UCSC ($300); 2nd R. XiXi Hu, UCLA ($200)

2006–07: Julia Jackson, Mills College ($500)

2005–06: Athena Nilssen, UCLA and Crystal Reed, UCSB ($200 each); Honorable Mention: Renee K. Nelson, UCSC ($100)

2004–05: 1st prize: Jennifer Liou, UCI ($250); 2nd prize: Neil Ferron, Santa Clara University ($150); 3rd prize: Laura Mattingly, UCSC ($100)

2003–04: 1st prize: Jamie Michele Gill, UC Davis, and Laura Wetherington, UC Berkeley ($150 each); 2nd prize: Olivia Friedman, UC Berkeley, and Tina Sohaili, UCI ($100 each)

2002–03: 1st prize: Amaranth Borsuk, UCLA ($300); 2nd prize: Christina Ross, UC Irvine ($200)

2001–02: 1st prize: Kristen Holden, UCSC ($250); 2nd prize: Pepper Luboff, UC Berkeley ($150); 3rd prize: Yasmin Golan, UC Berkeley ($100)

2000–01: 1st prize: Hannah Love, Mills College ($300), 2nd prize: Elsie Rivas, Santa Clara University ($200), Allyson Seal and John Cross, UCLA ($50 each)

1999–00: Francesca Hersh, UCSC, Maggi Michel, UCLA, Aeryn Seto, UC Berkeley, Virginia Whitney Weigand, UC Davis ($100 each)

1998–99: 1st prize: Gareth S. Lee, Santa Clara University, ($250); 2nd prize: Kristen Robertson, Mills College ($150); 3rd prize: Jasmine Donahaye, UC Berkeley ($100)

1997–98: 1st prize: Emma Marxer, Mills College ($150); 2nd prize: E. Tracy Grinnell, Mills College ($100); 3rd prize: Ronald Laran, UC Davis, Lisa Visendi, St. Mary's, and Shannon Welch, UCSC ($50 each); Honorable Mention: Laura-Marie Taylor, UCSB

Lili Fabili and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize

The Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize is awarded for the best essays of 500 words or fewer on a topic chosen by the Committee on Prizes.

The contest is open to students, faculty, and staff of the UC Berkeley campus of the University of California. Prizes awarded to faculty and staff are paid through the Berkeley payroll system and taxes are taken out of the disbursement.

Chat GPT: savior or curse?

In a letter dated April 13, 1970, Eric Hoffer wrote to the Regents of the University of California: "I intend to give to the Berkeley campus of the University of California at least $10,000 in July 1970. The income of the fund shall be devoted to providing an annual prize or prizes for 500-word essays written by students, faculty, or staff at the Berkeley campus of the University. The sole criteria for the prizes shall be originality of thought and excellence in writing. This fund shall be known as the Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize." Hoffer felt very strongly that every idea could be expressed in a few words. Hoffer's own remarks follow:

2023–24: Ryan Lackey ($3,000), Annie Foo ($2,000) and Mary Mussman ($1,000)

2022–23: 1st prize: Ryan Lackey ($3,000); 2nd prize: Bryan Jones ($2,000); 3rd prize: Andrew Kiser ($1,000)

2021–22: 1st prize: Ryan Lackey and Mary Mussman ($3000 each); 2nd prize: ($2000)

2020–21: 1st prize: Alex Brostoff ($3000); 2nd prize: Alysu Liu ($2000); 3rd prize: Michael Papias ($1000); 4th prize: Drew Kiser, Landon Iannamico and Roshonda Walker ($500 each)

2019–20: 1st Prize: Rebecca Brunner and Marcelo Garzo ($2000 each); 2nd Prize: Jordan Diac Depasquale and Bryan K Jones ($1000 each); 3rd Prize: Luisa M. Giulianetti, Ryan Lackey, Isaac Engelberg and Laura Marostica ($500 each)

Topic: Confidence Without Attitude

2018–19: 1st prize: Elliott Lewis ($1000 each); Sourabh Harihar, Justin Hudak, Tara Madhav, Max Stevenson, Charlie Tidmarsh ($600 each); 3rd prize: Lily Call, Evan Cui, Rudraveer Vinay Reddy ($200 each)

Topic: The End of Civil Discourse?

2017–18: 1st prize: Katherine Beniger, Alexandra Maloney, JaVonte Morris-Wilson, David Olin, Jack Sadler ($700 each); 2nd prize: Maggie Mead, Ishani Joshi ($300 each); 3rd prize: Evan Bauer, Irina Popescu, Hideyasu Kurose, Rudraveer Reddy ($225 each)

Topic: Is Free Speech Free?

2016–17: 1st prize: Maura Nolan, Evan Bauer, Luis Edward Tenorio, Noah Whiteman ($650 each); 2nd prize: Kristina Chan, Ariana Lightner, Brit Moller, Irina Popescu, Michele Rabkin ($250 each); 3rd prize: Bryan Jones, William McGregor, Carter Keeling ($100 each)

Topic: Advice to the new Chancellor

2015–16: Evan Bauer, Eric Dasmalchi, Natya Dharmosetio, Paige M. Johnson, Mihir Joshi, Pawanjot Kaur, Peiting Carrie Li, William McGregor (staff), Phillip Merlo, and Sharada Narayan ($500)

Topic: A Public University

2014–15: Alexandra Kopel, Bruno Mikanowski, and Carolyn Winter/ Staff ($1,500 each)

Topic: Carillon Ringing

2013–14: Andrew David King and Ramona del Pozo ($1,000 each)

Topic: What I Don't Know

2012–13: 51 entries; Lindsay Bergstrom (staff), Timothy Borjian, Pierre Bourbonnais, Kelly Clancy, Gail Ford (staff), and Leah Romm ($800 each)

Topic: Gravity

2011–12: Kathy Bradley (staff), Joe Homer, Alex Setzepfandt (staff), and Sara Thoi ($1,000 each)

Topic: Persuade Me

2010–11: 1st prize: Shareena Samson (staff) ($1,200); 2nd prize: Patricia Argueza, Jing "Jonathan" Wong, and Alina Xu ($600 each)

Topic: The End of Civility

2009–10: Bryan Jones (staff), Salman Qasim, and Viola Tang ($1,650 each)

Topic: Whose University?

2008–09: Linda Finch-Hicks (staff), Jacob Mikanowski, Kofi Boakye, and Jeremy Suizo ($750 each)

Topic: Rock, Paper, Scissors

2007–08: Joseph Cadora, Jacob Mikanowski, and Xialou Ning ($1,000 each)

Topic: In Defense of Sloth

2006–07: Samuel E. Pittman ($1,500) and Xiaolu Ning ($1,500)

Topic: Whatever You Say, Say Nothing

2005–06: Karen Sullivan, Jacqueline Palhegyi, and Zachary Gordon ($1,000 each)

Topic: Looking Forward to Looking Back

2004–05: Erin Cooper, Lawrence Ruth (staff), and Sandra Wulff (staff) ($1,000 each)

Topic: What I'd Really Like to Do Is...

2003–04: 1st prize: Casey Dominguez ($1,000); 2nd prize: Ken Prola ($750); 3rd prize: Ana Martinez ($500); 4th prize: Sarang Dalal and Michele Rabkin ($375 each)

Topic: What Were They Thinking?

2002–03: 1st prize: Ana Martinez and Michael Rancer (staff) ($750 each); 2nd prize: Julie Rodriguez (staff) and Carol Wood (staff) ($500 each)

Topic: Self-Deception: Benefits and Consequences

2001–02: Eric Walton, Joanne Sandstrom (staff), Joseph Kim, Nellie Haddad (staff) ($750 each); Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Tran, Carol Wood (staff), Lynley Lys, and Karen Lam

Topic: If Only

2000–01: Zack Rogow ($1,000); Ken Chen, Cassandra Dunn, Zachary Gordon, and Pat Soberanis ($800 each)

Topic: Are Books Dead?

1999–00: Casey Knudsen ($1,000); Amanda Cundiff, Eric McGhee, Serban Nacu, and Sissel Waage ($500 each)

Topic: Networks

1998–99: 1st prize: Kathryn Renee Albe, Paul Klein, Joanne Palamountain, Sissel Waage, and Zack Rogow ($500 each)

Topic: Brushstrokes

1997–98: 1st prize: Virginia Matzek ($1,250); 2nd prize: Dominic Ang ($750)

Topic: Where There Is Light . . .

1996–97: Kathy Gether

Topic: Hello 2000

1995–96: 1st prize: Anna Moore (staff) and Maureen Morley (staff) ($1,000 each)

Topic: Fired With Enthusiasm

1994–95: 1st prize: Chris Haight (staff) and Reed Evans ($1,000 each)

Topics: A Moment's Notice and How Beautiful

1993–94: 1st prize: Roberto Landazuri ($1,000); 2nd prize: Ingrid Zommers and Jim Lake (staff) ($500 each)

Topic: What's Next?

1992–93: 1st prize: Steve Tillis, Letitia Carper (staff), David Krogh (staff), and David Schweidel (staff) ($250 each)

Topic: What an Original Idea!

1991–92: 1st prize: Christopher Galvin and Steve Tillis ($700 each); 2nd place: Celia Carlson and William Corley ($300 each)

Topic: What a Century!

1990–91: 1st prize: Michael Ditmore; 2nd prize: Daniel Lee; 3rd prize: Shirley Hodgkinson and Ramah Commanday

Topic: The Sin of Cain

1989–90: 1st prize: Tim Edwards; 2nd prize: Paul Jaminet, David Krogh, and Joanne Sandstrom

Topic: The Thankful/The Thankless

1988–89: 1st prize: Ramah Commanday; 2nd prize: Kathy Newman and George Huang

Topic: Smoldering Embers

1987–88: 1st prize: John Nebrhass, Kathy Newman, Anthony Robinson-While, and William Webber

Topic: Presidential Campaigns

1986–87: 1st prize: John Hatton; 2nd prize: Dave Erickson and Stuart Wald

Topic: Hair Shirts

1985–86: 1st prize: Charlotte Redemann; 2nd prize: Doris Lynch

Topic: Patterns

1984–85: 1st prize: Kirin Narayan; 2nd prize: Benjamin Watson; Honorable Mention: Christie McCarthy (staff), Carol Pitts, and Helen Workman (staff)

Topic: Pets and Animals

1983–84: 1st prize: Debra Cooper; 2nd prize: Donald Green; Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Anderson, Ann Elliott, Christine Feldhorn, Andrew Lunt, Ellen Nakashima, Thomas Simmons, Alan Stephen, and Monica Zorovich

Topic: California

1982–83: 1st prize: Richard Reinhardt; 2nd prize: Susan E. Bailey

Topic: Trees

1981–82: 1st prize: Lizbeth L. Hasse; 2nd prize: Barry Taxman. Essay prizes without a topic awarded to: 1st prize: Professor David Littlejohn; 2nd prize: Matthew M. Neal; Honorable Mention: Joanne Sandstrom and Jeffrey Norris Klink

Topic: Our Most Over-Valued Institution

1980–81: Christopher Rayner and Jennifer L. Walden ($250 each)

Topic: Should California Be Split into Two States?

1979–80: Richard Ogar ($500)

Topic: Should Public Laws Regulate Private Vice?

1978–79: No award given

Topic: Where Should Humankind Go Next?

1977–78: Paul Chernoff ($500)

Topic: In What Additional Field Should a Nobel Prize Be Awarded?

1976–77: S.M. Blair ($500)

Topic: Should There Be Olympic Games in the Future?

1975–76: Jeffrey Lewis Gold ($500)

Topic: What Image or Figure Redefining and Symbolizing the American Dream Can We Offer in 1976?

1974–75: S.M. Blair ($500)

Topic: What Is the Place of Grade Winning in an Education?

1973–74: Ingrid Maidel Krohn ($500)

Topic: How Do We Change Our Attitudes in the Face of Diminishing Natural Resources?

1972–73: John Thomas Gage ($500)

Topic: Is Zero Population Growth an Invasion of Privacy or a Collective Necessity?

1971–72: Leslie Morris Golden ($500)

Topics: F.S.M., People's Park, and Cambodia: Whither the Direction and What Are the Functions of the Contemporary University?

1970–71: Bryan Louis Pfaffenberger ($500)

Topic: The Modern City: Survival or Suicide?

Nicola de Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition

The Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition is awarded for the best original completed musical composition.

The prize competition is open to both graduate and undergraduate students of any major. The composition is required to be a piece composed during your matriculation at UC Berkeley. Submit a score and, if possible, a recording of the composition. For music that is not notated (such as fixed media pieces, improvised performances, and so on), submit a recording with a note about the work and why it is not notated. All entries will be judged blind—your name should not appear on recordings or scores.

The Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition was established in 1958.

2023–24: Eda Er and Owen Klein ($1,500 each)

2022–23: Alfred Jimenez, Dionysius Nataraja, Owen Klein ($1,000 each)

2021–22: Andrew Harlan, Alfred Jimenez ($2,000 each), Leo W. Yang ($500)

2020 –21: No award given

2019–20: Hwa-Chan Yu, Maija Hynninen, James Stone, Curtis Dahn ($1125)

2018–19: Selim Goncu, James Stone, Clara Olivares, Jeremy Wexler, Maija Hynninen ($1000)

2017–18: Oren Boneh, Selim Goncu, Antonio Juan Marcos Cavazos, Trevor Van de Velde ($1000)

2016–17: 1st Prize: Lily Chen ($1,200); 2nd Prize: Scott Rubin,Selim Gonchu ($800); 3rd Prize: Kayla Cashetta ($700)

2015–16: 1st prize: Antonio Juan-Marcos Cavazos ($1,000); 2nd prize: Ursula Kwong-Brown, Jeremy Wexler, Hwa-Chan Yu, and Zhoushu Herakleitos Ziporyn ($500); 3rd prize: Kayla Cashetta, and Scott Rubin ($250)

2014–15: 1st prize: Amadeus Regucera ($2,500); 2nd prize: Lily Chen ($1,000)

2013–14: 1st prize: Lily Chen ($1,750); 2nd prize: Amadeus Regucera ($1,250); 3rd prize: Andrew V. Ly ($500)

2012–13: 1st prize: Matthew Schumaker ($3,000); 2nd prize: Thatchatham Silsupan ($1,000); 3rd prize: Jose Rafael Valle Gomes da Costa ($500)

2011–12: 1st prize: Javier Jimmy Lopez and Amadeus Regucera ($1,300 each); 2nd prize: Thatchatam Silsupan, Matthew Goodheart, and Sivan Eldar ($800 each)

2010–11: 1st prize: Javier Jimmy Lopez ($1,000); 2nd prize: David Coll, Robin Estrada, Jen Wang, Daniel Cullen ($750 each); 3rd prize: Nils Bultmann, Matt Schumaker ($500 each)

2009–10: 1st prize: Amadeus Regucera ($2,000); 2nd prize: Evelyn Ficarra and Heather Frasch ($1,200 each); 3rd prize: Gabrielle Angeles ($600)

2008–09: 1st prize: Matthew Goodheart ($2,000); 2nd prize Amadeus Regucera, David Coll and Robin Estrada ($1,000 each)

2007–08: 1st prize: Robert Yamasato and Heather Frasch ($2,000 each); 2nd prize: Jimmy Lopez ($1,000)

2006–07: 1st prize: Aaron Einbond, Robert Yamasato, and Mason Bates ($1,666 each)

2005–06: 1st prize: Mason Bates and Aaron Einbond ($2,500 each)

2004–05: 1st prize: Yiorgos Vassilandonakis and Mason Bates ($2,000 each); 2nd prize: Aaron Einbond ($1,000)

2003–04: 1st prize: Fernando Benadon ($750); 2nd prize: Jean Ahn, David Bithell and Brian Kane ($250 each)

2002–03: 1st prize: Reynold Tharp ($750) and Mason Bates ($750)

2001–02: 1st prize: Keeril Makan ($750); 2nd prize: Mason Bates, Brian Kane, and Philipp Blume ($250 each)

1999–00: 1st prize: Brian Current ($700); 2nd prize: Fernando Benadon, Dmitri Tymoczko, and Michael Zbyszyriski ($600 each)

1998–99: 1st prize: Fernando Benadon, Brian Current, Keeril Makan, and Dmitri Tymoczko ($500 each)

1997–98: 1st prize: Eitan Steinberg ($800); 2nd prize: Keeril Makan ($700); 3rd prize: Reynold Tharp ($500)

Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies

The Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies is awarded annually to two graduate and two undergraduate students for essays on research in any area of Jewish Studies.

Creative works are not eligible. The essays must have been written after the previous year’s submission deadline and must have been written while the authors are registered students in good standing at UC Berkeley. For those years in which one or more prizes are not awarded, the prize money shall be made available for prize augmentation or additional prizes in another year, as recommended by the judges. There may be no more than two winning submissions by a single student.

The Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies was established in 1977 in memory of Benjamin Goor by his wife, Anne, to support programs and research in Jewish Studies. In 2005, upon the occasion of Anne’s death, the prize was renamed the Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies. Anne and Benjamin Goor were an integral part of the Jewish community in Phoenix, during and after World War II. During the war, their home was a kosher Shabbat and Passover haven for servicemen stationed at nearby bases. Anne was active in synagogue activities, B’nai B’rith Women, and Hadassah, serving as chapter president. She received many awards for her contributions to these organizations.

The Goor Prize is administered by Center for Jewish Studies.

2021–22: Juliette Rosenthal, graduate winner and Meghana Kumar, undergraduate winner ($2,000)

2020–21: Oren Yirmiya, graduate winner ($1,500) and Wyatt Grauman, undergraduate winner ($1,500)

2019–20: Chloe Piazza, graduate winner and Walker Laughlin, undergraduate winner ($2,000)

2018–19: Yael Segalovits Eshel and Jennifer Stover-Kemp ($1,500); Gilad Barach, Sarah Goldwasser, and Andrew Kuznetsov ($1,000)

2017–18: Zachary Handler, Alexis Polevoi, Alan Elbaum, Sheer Ganor ($1,500)

2016–17: Balark Mallik, Jennifer Kemp, Danny Luzon, Simone Stirner ($1,000)

2015–16: Danny Luzon and Raphael Magarik, graduate winners ($1,000); Nathan Wexler, undergraduate winner ($1,000)

2014–15: Sheer Ganor and Danny Luzon, graduate winners ($2,000); no undergraduate winners selected

2013–14: Nicholas Baer and Anna Elena Torres, graduate winners ($1,000); Elijah Granet and Lisa Levin, undergraduate winners ($1,000)

2012–13: Noah Greenfied and Eyal Bassan, graduate winners ($1,000); no undergraduate winner selected

2011–12: Shira Wilkof and Celina Piser, graduate winners ($475); no undergraduate winner selected

2010–11: Alex Hendricks and Cameron McKee, undergraduate winners ($475); no graduate winner selected

2009–10: Yosefa Raz, graduate winner ($475); Judah Mirvish, undergraduate winner ($475)

2008–09: Zehavit Stern and Benjamin Wurgaft, graduate winners ($475); no undergraduate winner selected

2006–07: Noam Manor and Maya Barzilai, graduate winners ($475); Stephanie Robin Grossman, undergraduate winner ($475)

2005–06: Amos Bitzan and Samuel Thrope, graduate winners ($475); Rachel Wamsley, undergraduate winner ($475)

2004–05: Naomi Shulman, graduate winner; no undergraduate winner selected

2003–04: Lital Levy, graduate winner ($475); David Singer, undergraduate winner ($475)

2002–03: Benjamin Wurgaft and Lital Levy ($475)

2001–02: Rachel Havrelock, graduate winner ($475); Tara Sage Wilstein, undergraduate winner, ($475)

2000–01: Adriana Valencia, Lital Levy, and Lena Salameh shared $475 prize

1999–00: No award given

1998–99: Adriane B. Leveen and Lital Levy, graduate winners ($475); Jack Draper, undergraduate winner ($475)

1997–98: Gil Hochberg and Shachar Pinsker ($475)

May 2, 2024

Apply for the Future of Higher Education Postdoc Program

By Lisa García Bedolla

The UC Berkeley Future of Higher Education (FHE) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program seeks applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship program from scholars in any discipline with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley who have interest in a career in higher education administration.

This postdoctoral fellowship is reserved for scholars who earned or will earn their Ph.D. in recent years. To apply, a candidate must have completed all requirements for their doctoral degree by August 31, 2024. Fellows are expected to be in Berkeley for the duration of the postdoc.

The program provides two tracks for applicants: the Leadership and Strategic Initiatives Track and the Student Experience Track.

In keeping with the campus postdoc salary scale, the salary for this postdoc will be $64,480 plus benefits including a $2000 professional development fund

How to Apply

Read more about this postdoc and start your application .

If you have any questions about this postdoctoral fellowship, please email [email protected] .

IMAGES

How to Get Accepted by UC Berkeley and UCLA (Admissions Essays Explained)
2022 Ultimate Guide: 20 UC Essay Examples
UC Berkeley Admissions & UC Berkeley requirements- Latest Info
UC Admissions Requirements & How To Make Your UC Application Stand Out
How To Write The UC Berkeley Waitlist Essay + Example
How to Get In: UC Berkeley Admissions Requirements

COMMENTS

Personal insight questions
Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have ...
University of California, Berkeley
350 words. Please respond to any 4 of the 8 questions below.We realize that not all questions apply to all applicants, so be sure to select the 4 questions that you believe give us the best information about you.All 8 questions are given equal consideration in the application review process. Responses to each question should be between 250-350 ...
Home
Start your UC Berkeley journey by learning more about the basic admissions requirements that make Berkeley students stand out.
Personal Insight Questions
At Berkeley we use personal insight questions to: Discover and evaluate distinctions among applicants whose academic records are often very similar. Gain insight into your level of academic, personal and extracurricular achievement. Provide us with information that may not be evident in other parts of the application.
How to Write the University of California Essays 2023-2024
3. Outline the structure of your essay, and plan out content for an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. 4. Before you start writing your essay, write one or two sentences that summarize how you would like the admissions officers to perceive you based on this essay.
First-Year Requirements
UC Berkeley seeks students from all over the world to be a part of our amazing community. First-year applicants are students who are currently in high school (with or without college coursework completed), or students who have graduated high school and have taken no college coursework post-high school. Show All.
UC Berkeley Essay Prompts 2023-2024
They provide a comprehensive picture of the applicant, highlighting their personality, fit for the university, and intellectual capabilities. A compelling essay can be a decisive factor in gaining UC Berkeley admission, making it an essential component of the application process for the years 2023-2024. How Many Essay Prompts Does UC Berkeley Have?
Supplemental Essay Prompts
Required Essay: (350 words maximum) Your supplemental essays must be submitted by 11:59 pm PST on December 15, 2023. Describe how the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology Program in Engineering and Business at UC Berkeley will help you to achieve your goals. Share with us the world you come from (for example, your family, school ...
PDF UC Berkeley Guide To Admissions 2023
admissions.berkeley.edu/start. to begin your UC Berkeley journey. Connect with us online: admissions.berkeley.edu @CalAdmissions @UCBerkeleyAdmissions. The University of California Application. Start here! This "Start Here" page has links to various campus resources and will help you get started with UC Berkeley Underg
Admissions Essays
We encourage you to reflect on your experiences, values, and passions so that you may craft thoughtful and authentic responses that demonstrate your alignment with our principles. Below are the required essays, supplemental essays, and optional essays for the Fall 2023-2024 application cycle. Required Essay #1. Required Essay #2.
Admissions
Admissions overview. The University of California, Berkeley, is the No. 1 public university in the world. Over 40,000 students attend classes in 15 colleges and schools, offering over 300 degree programs. Set the pace with your colleagues and community, and set the bar for giving back.
18 UC Berkeley Essay Examples that Worked (2023)
Prompt #1: Leadership Experience. UC Berkeley Example Essay #1. Prompt #2: Creative Side. UC Berkeley Example Essay #2. Prompt #3: Greatest Talent or Skill. UC Berkeley Example Essay #3: Clammy Hands. UC Berkeley Example Essay #4: Memory. Prompt #4: Educational Opportunity or Barrier.
Apply to Berkeley
The application fee is $80 for each UC campus ($95 for international and non-immigrant applicants). Application fee waivers are available to students who can't afford to apply. You can apply for fee waivers for up to four UC campuses through the UC application. Application fee waivers are available for students who are permanent residents ...
How to Write Great UC Essays (Examples of All Personal Insight
Given their attractiveness, admission is competitive, ranging from 8.8 percent for UCLA and 11.6 percent for UC Berkeley to about 25.7 percent for UC Irvine and 62.7 percent for UC Santa Cruz (all numbers for the 2023 entering class).
Personal Insight Questions
Tips, guides and examples for all 8 Personal Insight Questions for the UC Berkeley admissions process. We also offer personalized help to review your essays. ... In the essay section of the application, each school's admission office is looking to get to know your individual life experience, interests and aspirations. ...
UC Essay Prompts: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD
The University of California schools have released their 2023-2024 essay prompts for applicants to the Class of 2024. Unlike most highly selective universities, the UC schools are not members of The Common Application — the school has its own application. Just like in previous years, applicants to the University of California, Berkeley, the ...
UC Berkeley essay examples and tips
Hello! I'm glad to see that you're eager to craft a compelling UC Berkeley application. While I cannot provide specific essay examples, I can certainly offer some tips and guidance to help you create an outstanding application. 1. Understand the essay prompts: Familiarize yourself with the Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) provided by the UC system.
MIMS Admissions: Essays
The Statement of Purpose is your opportunity to convince us that you belong uniquely in MIMS. This statement should focus on your preparation, experience, career goals, and reasons for choosing MIMS. The most successful statements convey strong motivation, competence, and potential as a graduate student. Tip #1. Be specific.
Crafting Your Berkeley Application Essay: A ...
The Berkeley application essay is your golden ticket, your chance to communicate directly with the admissions committee and showcase your personality, potential, and perseverance. Today, we will provide you with all the information you need to craft a compelling application essay.
UC Berkeley Supplemental Essays 2022-2023
At AdmissionSight, our goal is to help you with every step of the college admissions process. The UC Berkeley supplemental essays 2022 can seem daunting at first, but our experience and expertise will help you navigate the entire process with confidence. Hopefully, this guide to the UC Berkeley supplemental essays 2022-2023 has been helpful ...
Freshman Admissions
Failure to submit your essay by the deadline will remove you from consideration to the M.E.T. Program. Applications for admission to M.E.T. are available beginning in October of the year prior to the year in which you'd enter UC Berkeley. The application filing period is October 1- November 30, and all applications must be submitted by ...
Admissions
Supplemental Application. Once you submit your UC Application, you will receive an additional email from UC Berkeley's Office of Undergraduate Admissions asking you to write and submit a supplemental essay about your interest in the Global Management Program. Expect to receive this email 5-7 business days after submitting your UC Application.
PDF The History of Women at UC Berkeley: Collected Studies initiated in
The History of Women at UC Berkeley: Collected Studies initiated in Honor of the 150th Anniversary of Women's Admission to the University Dedication: To all the women of the University of California Berkeley who have made it what it is today, but particularly to the many who have often gone unnoticed, unappreciated, and
Competitive Prize Contests 2024
The Leslie Lipson Program at UC Berkeley is intended to encourage undergraduate students to study humanistic values and their practical application for individuals, societies, and states. The program consists of the Lipson Essay Prize, the Lipson Scholarship, and the Lipson Research Grant. Leslie Lipson Biography.
Apply for the Future of Higher Education Postdoc Program
The UC Berkeley Future of Higher Education (FHE) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program seeks applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship program from scholars in any discipline with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley who have interest in a career in higher education administration.. This postdoctoral fellowship is reserved for scholars who earned or will earn their Ph.D. in ...

Personal insight questions

Keep in mind

Questions & guidance

Writing tips

Write persuasively.

Use “I” statements.

Proofread and edit.

Solicit feedback.

Copy and paste.

Need more help?

What are your chances of acceptance?

Your chancing factors

How to Write the University of California Essays 2023-2024

University of California Application Essay Prompts

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.

Check out our video to learn more about how to write the UC essays!

The 8 UC Personal Insight Questions

Where to Get Your UC Essays Edited

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Give to Haas

Full-time MBA Program

Video: Extracurricular Supplement Tips

Admissions overview

Undergraduate

Financial aid

UC Berkeley Extension

Summer Sessions

Study Abroad

What does it mean to Be Berkeley?

18 UC Berkeley Essay Examples that Worked (2023)

What is UC Berkeley's Acceptance Rate?

UC Berkeley Acceptance Scattergram

What are the UC Personal Insight Question Prompts for 2022-23?

18 UC Berkeley Personal Insight Question Examples

UC Berkeley Example Essay #1

Learn the secrets of successful top-20 college essays

What can you learn from these UC Berkeley essays?

You might also like:

18 UCLA Essays That Worked (and Why) for 2023

18 UC San Diego EssaysThatWorked

18 UC Santa Barbara EssaysThatWorked

12 Best Stanford Supplemental Essays That Worked 2023

The College Essay Workshop

See exactly how students wrote admitted essays for top schools.

Learn the secrets behind outstanding application essays.

Everything you get

Don't take our word for it

Don't miss out on writing your best college essays.

Apply to Berkeley

Application fee and fee waivers

The admissions process

Applicant information

Personal Insight Questions

3-Step Process:

Use an outline to strategically choose 4 personal insight questions

Forcing myself to write an outline really helped to structure my thoughts. Everything started to slowly click together.

Step 2: Craft Your Story

Write for the admissions counselor reading your essay, not your English teacher.

Share compelling and connected stories, designed to engage and impress

Writing Tip: Use More "I" Statements

Step 3: Tie it All Together

Tie it all together with one central message

I would have never thought to add that into my essay. Thank you for helping me revise and being patient. This was very helpful.

Need help with your application?

How long should your college application's essays questions be?

How do you write a college application essay?

What do you write in a personal statement?

What should you not do on a personal statement?

Have a question not answered here? Send us a message here.

2023-2024 University of California Essay Prompts: Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD

2023-2024 UC Essay Topics and Questions: Personal Insights

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with the University of California Essays

Related Articles

Using A.I. to Write College Admission Essays

Word and Character Limits in College Essays

What English Teachers Get Wrong About Writing College Essays

Bragging in College Essays: Is It Ever Okay?

What Not to Write: 3 College Essay Topics to Avoid

2023-2024 Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompts

TOWARD THE CONQUEST OF ADMISSION