how to write usc why us essay

How to Write the USC Why Us Essay + Accepted Sample

In this article, we’ll cover how to write the USC “Why Us” Essay. We’ll also be including an example essay that was accepted. You can also find the original applicant’s stats and marks below.

This should give you a general guideline to what your chances are of getting accepted into USC, as well as what you need to get in for your major.

For reference, the applicant’s information that we are basing off on was accepted into USC for Neuroscience. As such, he was accepted into USC’s Dornsife. However, they were an associate of ours and did not receive essay editing from us. They only received advice and consultation from us.

Okay, now onto the main attraction.

TL;DR: This applicant had an essay that was alright, but his strong grades and extracurriculars demonstrated he went above and beyond what most applicants could do.

Table of Contents

USC Why Us Essay Prompt

• How Important is the USC Why Us Essay?

Accepted Applicant’s GPA and Scores

Accepted applicant’s background + extracurriculars, sample working essay, why this essay worked.

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (Approximately 250 words) USC Essay Prompt

How Important is the USC Why US Essay?

As you may have already seen on the official page , USC takes on a holistic admissions approach. This means that more than just your grades and test scores will be considered. Your essays will be weighed in as well.

With the rise of grade inflation, higher GPAs during the COVID19 Pandemic, and harder measuring tools for academic success, USC’s application essays are now more important than ever before.

To rub salt in the wound, the “Why Us” Essay is perhaps one of if not the most important essay in your application to USC. Why is that? It’s because it gives answers to questions that are most important to the admissions officers: what will you be doing here?

Some people have no idea what they want to do. Others have an entire startup idea already planned and ready to execute at USC. Depending on your answer, it can make or break your chances of acceptance.

So, long story short: it’s super important. Period.

Here’s some info on what the applicant’s stats were. Hopefully this will help you have a good idea of what it takes to get accepted into USC Dornsife.

• Summer: 4.00 GPA at Community college
• Fall: 3.86 GPA at 4 year 4.00 GPA at Community college
• Winter: 3.91 GPA at 4-year
• Spring: 3.51 (2 B’s 2 A’s) at 4-year and 4.00 GPA at Community college
• 4 year overall GPA: 3.76 GPA. Community College overall GPA: 4.00

Combined GPA of 4-year and Community college: 3.88 GPA.

Now, here’s everything the applicant had done for their extracurriculars and other projects. We underlined the particularly impressive ones in bold.

If you want to have extracurriculars that will help you stand out, make sure to conduct your own projects with positive results. These typically show a dedication and passion for your major more than others.

• Completed all GE’s.
• Completed majority of neuroscience recommended major preparation courses.
• Completed entire second major choice recommended preparation (Second major choice: Health and Human sciences.)
• Conducted 3D-printed mask initiative. Created masks for the COVID-19 Pandemic through 3D printing. Worked to make sure final product fit with mask regulations. Gave the printed masks to those in need.
• Conducted a program at UCLA

Extracurriculars:

• Participate + active at local church
• Learned Basic CPR
• Doctors Without Borders

Work Experience:

• Worked a job for 2 years.
• Externship at Brown University

Note: This sample essay has many spots that can be edited to look better. However, this essay was accepted for someone with a fantastic GPA and incredible extracurriculars. They went above and beyond.

After scrolling on YouTube for hours as a 16-year-old, I was suddenly recommended watching a neurosurgeon perform brain surgery while the patient played the guitar. This strange yet interesting video of how a patient’s functions were still functional even though the skull is wide open led me to USC professor Donald Arnold’s body of work, which focuses on Behavioral, Systems, and Cognitives. His work led me to take a step in my life to pursue a career in Neuroscience. I hope to conduct Undergraduate research in the Neuroscience Experience Undergraduate Research and Learning Program or NEURAL. Working under Tirin Moore and Sarah Bottjer, I will collaborate with students in Humanities, Physical Sciences, and Mathematics. The projects that are housed at NEURAL will allow me to explore my catenated interests. Collaborating with students in a variety of fields can allow me to solve real-world problems. The obstacles we face as a whole, we need doctors who not only think unclouded but also view challenges from various lenses. Dornsife’s emphasis on amalgamated learning within the Neuroscience Honors Program encourages metacognitive problem solving and thinking. I hope to integrate psychology, Biology, and Neuroscience by taking courses like “Neuroscience Colloquium and Systems Neuroscience: From Synapses to Perception,” further interning for SURF offered by USC. By merging multiple disciplines in my study, I will help bridge together people and the problems we face. (Word Count: 233) Nathan –Aceppted to USC for Neuroscience

So, here are a few points as to how this essay worked and what it did right.

• Using an interesting opening
• Being specific on what he wants to do
• Showing how USC’s resources specifically (particular professors) work for his future career
• Mentioning his multiple interests and merging them together into a more specific future plan

Now, in the grand scheme of things, this is an okay essay.

However, if you are performing below what the applicant has in terms of GPA, scores, background, and extracurriculars, then you’ll need a better essay .

We wanted to show this essay because it is a decent essay that is around the level of what you would expect of someone who had done some research on their application essays.

If you are below a 3.9 cumulative nonweighted GPA, are not doing internships at prestigious schools, and don’t have the number of clubs this student has, that’s actually okay! You just need to make sure that your essay is better than what we’ve posted above!

So, what does that leave for us?

That means if you’re not at the 99th percentile of your class, taking multiple courses over the summer, and doing externships with professors at an Ivy League such as Brown University, then you have no chances of getting accepted to USC.

Just kidding.

On a serious note, if you want to get accepted to USC, knowing how to write the USC why us essay is crucial. This is perhaps one of the most important essays in the application because it demonstrates to the admissions office why they are #1 on your list. It also shows them who is worthy of entering their school, and who will use their resources well.

If you’re still struggling on learning how to write the USC why us essay, you may want to discuss it with us! Send us a copy of your essay, or simply contact us ! You can get a free consultation, and we’ll give you free help in your initial call!

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College Essays

So you have your heart set on going to the University of Southern California . That's great—it's one of the best schools in the country ! Unfortunately, that makes it tough to get into: only 10% of applicants are admitted each year .

But don't worry. This guide will teach you everything you need to know to write an outstanding USC Writing Supplement .

We'll answer all of your questions, including the following:

• What is the USC supplement?
• What are the questions, and how do I answer them?
• Are there tips and tricks for knocking your USC essays out of the park?
• What steps do I take to finish my USC application?

Let's get started!

Feature Image: Sitao Xiang / Wikimedia

What Is the USC Supplement?

The USC Writing Supplement is an additional part of the USC application that you fill out on the Common App website.

The supplement itself consists of two writing prompts (250 words each) and 12 short-answer questions (100 characters each) . The word limits mean you'll have to cram a lot of information into a small amount of space.

Great USC essays are going to be concise, honest, creative, and engaging . Remember, USC designed the supplement to help admissions counselors get a better sense of your personality. Don't be afraid to embrace your individuality here! It's your chance to share aspects of yourself, your life, and your goals that aren't captured by the Common App.

In other words: this is your time to shine.

( Bobak Ha'Eri / Wikimedia)

Where Can I Find the USC Supplement?

The writing supplement is part of the USC Common Application. Once you've selected USC as one of your colleges, it should pop up in the application portal. If you're not exactly sure how to find it, don't worry ... here's a step-by-step guide!

• Log into the Common App website using your username and password.
• Click on the "College Search" tab and look for "University of Southern California."
• Select the search result and then click "add" to add it to your profile.
• Return to your dashboard and look for "University of Southern California." Click the label below the school that reads "Show more details."
• From there, click on the link titled "Writing Questions."
• You can also access the supplement by clicking on "University of Southern California" and scrolling down the school's home page on the Common App to find a link labeled "Writing Questions."

How Do I Answer the USC Essay Prompts?

The writing supplement contains two short writing prompts designed to showcase both your writing skills and your personality. But because you're limited to 250 words, you need to make every word count .

Here are some general strategies to keep in mind.

#1: Use a Standard Format

It's important that you aren't wasting precious space. A good strategy is to limit your intro/thesis statement and your conclusion to one sentence each . That lets you use the rest of the space to answer the prompt.

#2: Show, Don't Tell

Instead of giving run-of-the-mill answers, use stories and anecdotes to illustrate your point. Paint a picture for your audience when you can!

For example, say you're talking about your love of photography. Instead of writing, "I love to photograph people," see if you can capture the feeling of taking someone's picture.

A better sentence might read, "I love trying to capture people's personalities through my camera lens." The first answer tells us that you enjoy photography, but the second response shows us why you love it .

#3: Edit, Edit, Edit

Don't be disappointed if your first attempt at answering these prompts goes over the word limit. That's OK! Keep cutting and revising until you end up with something great.

Here are a few examples of how you can edit a sentence to make every word work:

• OK: "It was the very best experience of my whole life."
• Better: "It was the best experience of my life."
• Best: "The trip was transformational."
• Passive: "Geology would be my preferred major."
• Active: "I plan to major in geology."
• With "is": "Researching cancer treatments is my ultimate career goal."
• Without "is": "I plan to pursue a career in cancer research."

#4: Don't Wait Until the Last Minute

The USC supplement is short, so it's tempting to tackle it at the end of the application process. Don't! Writing short responses is harder than it looks, so give yourself plenty of time .

The USC Essay

USC is making things more streamlined this year: everyone answers the same question! Here's the prompt:

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.

What Is This Question Asking You to Do?

No option here: you're stuck with this prompt and limited to 250 words in your response. But that's OK because this is the "Why USC?" question. (It's a version of what we call the "why this college" around here.)

Why do you need to go to USC to fulfill your dreams? Or, put another way: why is USC the only school for you?

This means choosing and discussing your major (and your second-choice major if your program is very competitive). Remember that you're not committed to the major you pick . You can change majors after you've enrolled.

How Do You Answer This Question?

Research, research, research. Visit the USC website and get to know your college, your department, and the classes offered. Also, take a close look at your major's course of study. If you're going to take classes from other departments, figure out which ones and why. For example, if you're majoring in international relations and want to work in China, you'll probably take foreign language/culture courses (like Advanced Modern Chinese) and political science courses (like Chinese Foreign Policy). Research the professors in the department and mention them by name.

• Seize the day. There's more to college than going to class. Making the most of USC means getting involved and taking advantage of opportunities such as internships and study abroad programs. There are over 100 international fellowships and programs available through different colleges, so be sure to look into them . Mentioning programs like the Global Fellows Internship (available to all students) or the Maymester , which is a major-specific opportunity, shows that you're serious about making the most of your education at USC.
• Focus on USC. Your job is to show why USC and nowhere else can help you achieve your dreams.

Optional Essay: Explaining Your Education Gap

Who is this question for.

First thing's first: not everyone needs to answer this question. Only respond to this prompt if you took a semester or more off between high school and enrolling in college, or if you took time off while enrolled in high school.

So if you took a gap year (or two, or three), you should answer this question.

This isn't a trick question. Admissions counselors genuinely want to know why you took time off between high school and starting college. And don't worry if your reason isn't "sexy," like you were rescuing sea turtles off the coast of Argentina or teaching English to underprivileged students in Iowa. For most people, the answers will fall along the lines of getting a job, financial difficulties, or helping out their family.

In short: this question is asking you to honestly explain your education gap so that admissions counselors have a better idea of you and your story.

How Do You Answer the Question?

• Keep it short and sweet. It's tempting to give admissions counselors every detail of your situation. But the truth is, they only need to know the most pertinent information while still being honest. Remember: you only have 250 words!
• Explain why you're choosing now to return to school. Counselors are also going to be interested in why you want to go to college now. Be honest about this, too! It's okay to say that you wanted to take some time off to really figure out what you wanted to do with your life, and now you're prepared and excited to throw yourself into your studies. Whatever the case may be, make it clear that you're ready to be an engaged and dedicated student regardless of your education gap.
• Don't make excuses. This isn't a "woe is me" section. While taking time off between high school and college may have been out of your control, this isn't the time to air your grievances. The best answers to this question will keep things as honest and positive as possible.

Your answers in the next section might be small, but they're mighty.

Freddie Alequin /Flickr

The USC Short-Answer Questions

On the surface, the short-answer questions seem simple, but many students find this section the hardest part of the supplement . That's because these responses are limited to 100 characters or less—shorter than a tweet!

Here are some general tips to make tackling the USC short-answer questions a breeze:

#1: Maximize the space you have. There's room to elaborate on your answers a bit, and you should.

#2: There are no right answers. Admissions counselors don't have specific responses in mind. This is their way of trying to get to know the person behind the application.

#3: You're more than a major. It's tempting to make every answer tie into your major or future career in some way; instead, your answers should capture who you are as a person and hark back to your academic goals only if it makes sense for them to.

#4: Don't be afraid of a little humor. Embrace being funny but not at someone else's expense. 

#5: Avoid clichés.

#6: Keep it tasteful. If you wouldn't say it to your parents, don't say it to an admissions counselor!

Now that you have some solid strategies, let's look at each question individually.

Questions 1-3: Describe Yourself in Three Words

A good way to tackle this question is to ask your friends and family to text you their responses, and look for patterns . For example, if five people say you are nice and caring, combine those into one idea, such as "empathetic."

Adjectives are the most common words to use, but you can pick nouns, too! Just stick to ones with personality (like "bookworm" if you love to read, or "shutterbug" if you're a photographer). Choose words that are highly descriptive (e.g., "enthusiastic" instead of "fun") and avoid clichés as much as you can.

Oh, and the supplement breaks this response into three separate fields , so make sure you don't type all three words on one line ! Also, note that there's a 25-character limit per word, so think "antidisestablishmentarian" or shorter.

Here are some sample responses:

• Whimsical, artistic, collaborative
• Competitive, thoughtful, engaging
• Loquacious, jovial, encouraging
• Reserved, compassionate, giving

Question 4: What Is Your Favorite Snack?

Here's a chance to showcase your personality by being specific . Let's say that you love peanut M&Ms. A specific answer might say, "Eating peanut M&Ms while watching a scary movie."

You can also touch on your personal history , especially if you come from a diverse background. You could say something like "My abuela's enchiladas" or "Almond Crush Pocky" as a nod to your heritage.

Finally, lean into your weird . We all have strange snacks that somehow hit the spot (we're looking at you, hot dog buns dunked in hot chocolate). If there's a bonkers food you enjoy—such as dipping tater tots in soft-serve ice cream—this is your time to shine. An added bonus? It will definitely make an impression.

• Perfectly toasted marshmallows while sitting around a campfire.
• A hot dog and soda from Fenway Park.
• Homemade apple pie with melted cheddar cheese on top!
• A package of Digestive Biscuits (they're cookies!) and a glass of milk.

Question 5: Best Movie of All Time

This question can make applicants anxious because people are passionate about the movies they love ... and the movies they love to hate! That's why we recommend that you either give a serious answer or embrace your silliness.

This goes without saying, but make sure your movie choice is appropriate . If you wouldn't watch it with your family, don't list it here. Also, steer clear of any super-controversial picks—don't pick a film that's clearly discriminatory, such as Birth of a Nation.

• Serious: Blade Runner because of its influence on sci-fi film.
• Serious: Saving Private Ryan . It reminds us that war is hard, dangerous, and tragic.
• Silly: The Lion King . We should all "hakuna matata" a little more!
• Both: Legally Blonde —I love stories about women chasing their dreams.

What is your ideal job? Maybe it's making mini beach dioramas in vintage suitcases.

Question 6: Dream Job

Obviously, this answer should roughly align with your major . (Don't say your dream job is to play Aaron Burr in Hamilton if you're majoring in computer science.)

You should also think big and think ahead. For instance, if you're a computer science major, maybe you want to start a company that develops assistive AI for people with disabilities. Embrace big goals!

The more specific you are, the better. Don't just say you want to be a veterinarian. What kind of animals do you want to work with? Will you specialize in something? Do you want to own your own practice? Adding detail will make your answer stand out.

• A large-animal veterinarian that helps rural farmers care for their livestock.
• The owner of a non-profit that helps women of color succeed in corporate America.
• A judge appointed to the US Courts of Appeals.

Question 7: If Your Life Had a Theme Song, What Would It Be?

Everyone needs a little walk-in music. As you think about yours, choose a song with a title that makes a point . It's tempting to pick a song with a specific lyric that speaks to you, but your admissions counselor might not be able to make the connection. Think more along the lines of "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty or "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" by Aretha Franklin and the Eurythmics.

Be careful that your song title can't be misconstrued. "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred might seem like a funny choice to you, but it could also come across as cocky or overconfident.

Additionally, keep your choice appropriate . Look through the song lyrics to make sure they aren't offensive.

And whatever you do, don't say the Trojan Fight Song . That's probably the most popular—and most clichéd—answer you could possibly give!

• "Beautiful Day" by U2
• "My Shot" from the Hamilton soundtrack
• "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

Maybe your dream trip is a mix of adventure and van life.

Question 8: Dream Trip

There's no special trick to answering this question. Just be honest and specific! And feel free to focus on experiences as well as destinations. Maybe you want to snorkel with stingrays in the Caribbean or visit the Lord of the Rings set locations in New Zealand. Share that here!

• Letting a lantern go during the Floating Lantern Festival in Thailand.
• Hiking to the top of Machu Picchu.
• Driving from California to Illinois on Route 66 with my best friends.
• Eating paella from a street vendor in Barcelona.
• Visiting Zimbabwe and bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge.

Question 9: What TV Show Will You Binge Watch Next?

This is another question designed to reveal something about you, your likes, and your dislikes. We suggest that you pick a show you like, as long as it isn't completely without substance. If you're having a hard time choosing, try narrowing it down to your favorite genre first.

• I'll binge Making a Murderer because I'm interested in how the justice system works (and doesn't work).
• The Good Place because it combines comedy and philosophy!
• Friends because it helps you understand interpersonal relationships.

I'm bingeing RuPaul's Drag Race and learning a lot about drag culture and inclusivity.

Question 10: Which Well-Known Person or Fictional Character Would Be Your Ideal Roommate?

This question essentially wants to know who you could see yourself living with on a daily basis , whether it's a fictional character from a TV show or book you love, or a real-life celebrity, such as a movie star, singer, scientist, activist, writer, or historical figure.

The prompt doesn't limit you to living celebrities, so feel free to write about somebody who passed away recently (think Stephen Hawking) or even centuries ago (such as Jane Austen).

Make sure that you're choosing a person who will reveal something positive and/or unique about yourself. It's also OK to throw in a little humor! For example, if you're a huge Renaissance-period buff, you could talk about how you'd love to live with King Henry VIII because he'd entertain you every night with stories of his marriages.

Regardless of who you choose to write about, remember that the admissions committee wants to learn something about you through the person you pick to be your roommate , so be sure that you can clearly tie them back to yourself and your own interests somehow.

• Marie Curie because we could conduct experiments together after class every day.
• Hermione Granger! She'd be a great study buddy and could teach me magic on the side.
• David Sedaris. We could write stories together and he'd never fail to make me laugh!

Question 11: Favorite Book

This is a pretty straightforward question that's similar to the "favorite movie" one above. Be honest— don't try to pass off a book as one of your favorites just because it sounds impressive or is highly intellectual . The admissions committee will likely be able to tell if you're trying to show off!

At the same time, don't write about a book that's overly childish or inappropriate , or that fails to reveal anything interesting or impressive about you. For instance, even if you really love Twilight , unless you can say something a little more intellectual about it, such as how you enjoy analyzing its portrayal of codependency in teenage relationships, this book likely won't leave much of a positive impression on the USC admissions committee.

• Wild because this book inspired me to be courageous and go on a three-day hike by myself.
• Lolita is my favorite book because it's downright disturbing yet hauntingly beautiful.
• Definitely The Hobbit . It was the first book I read that showed me the power of taking risks.

Question 12: If You Could Teach a Class on any Topic, What Would It Be?

This final question from USC is truly a thought-provoking one. Basically, the admissions committee wants to know what kind of class you'd teach if you could choose any topic of interest to you .

While the topic you write about doesn't need to directly relate to your major, it should definitely be something you're deeply passionate (and, ideally, fairly knowledgeable) about . Are you really into horror movies and enjoy dissecting their depictions of female characters? Then perhaps you'd like to teach a class on women in horror.

Be as specific as you can be. Don't just say you want to teach a class on the environment because you're committed to combating climate change. What specific topic concerning the environment or climate change would you like others to learn more about, and why?

• A creative writing class that would focus on writing stories from the perspective of children.
• Women of color in astronomy. Too few know about the accomplishments of Beth Brown and Mae Jemison!
• The Navajo language. Not enough schools teach it and we Native Americans must strive to preserve it.

Finishing your supplement is like climbing a really tall flight of stairs. Just put one foot in front of the other! 

Next Steps for Your USC Supplement

Even once you've finished and submitted your Common App and USC essays, you're not quite done. Most of USC's colleges require you to submit additional materials, such as portfolios or writing samples, before your application is considered complete.

Visit the links below to view each college's supplemental application requirements and submission deadlines:

• USC School of Architecture
• Roski School of Art and Design
• Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation
• Marshall School of Business (World Bachelor in Business)
• USC School of Cinematic Arts
• Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
• Kaufman School of Dance
• Ostrow School of Dentistry (Junior Transfers Only)
• USC School of Dramatic Arts
• Viterbi School of Engineering
• Thornton School of Music

Need Some Extra Help?

The USC application process can be overwhelming, but PrepScholar is here to help you succeed ! Check out our resources below for more information about how our experts can help you achieve your dreams.

Haven't started your Common Application yet? No problem! We've got you covered with tips and tricks to make your application stand out from the crowd .

Start learning more about USC! Check out their admission requirements , mission statement, admission website, and this great blog post about getting to know USC without leaving your couch.

Still stressed about your supplement? Get in touch with PrepScholar's college admissions team !

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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How to write the usc supplemental essays 2020-2021: the perfect guide (examples included).

University of Southern California (USC) is a private university located in downtown Los Angeles, California.

With its warm weather and beautiful campus, USC has been a prime film location for many films and television shows.

• If you’ve seen Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, Love & Basketball, The Social Network , and the C ., you’ve seen USC.

Boasting over 21 colleges, academies, and schools of study that offer hundreds of majors, and thousands of courses, USC offers plenty of variety for even the most curious students.

USC’s acceptance rate has been sitting at a thin 13% for the past few years.

With such a low acceptance rate, you’ll need to write excellent essays to be considered for admission at USC.

USC uses the Common App , which means you can access all essay questions on the Common App portal.

Though you’ll need to make these essays count, you shouldn’t worry. This guide is here to help you through the entire process, so you can show the USC admissions team that you deserve to be a part of their upcoming class through thoughtful and well-written supplemental essays.

What Are USC’s Supplemental Essay Requirements?

USC requires that students answer multiple prompts as part of the application process. You will find both on the Common App.

Click above to watch a video on USC Supplemental Essay.

For the first prompt, students must choose one of three potential essay questions . These questions assess the student’s diverse experiences, interests, and characteristics. This type of question is also commonly referred to as the “diversity essay.”

The prompts for essay #1 include:

USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view. Please discuss the significance of the experience and its effect on you. USC faculty place an emphasis on interdisciplinary academic opportunities. Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning. What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you?

For the second prompt, students must describe their intended major and what motivated them to make that choice.

The question is as follows:

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.

USC also has a short answer section, in which you are expected to write extremely short, 1 sentence (or even 1 word) answers. These questions are designed to better showcase your personality.

These questions are quite random, so prepare yourself to answer with authenticity and a bit of thought, so the best version of yourself is represented.

Creating a compelling application to USC requires well-written essay responses that reflect critical self-reflection and self-understanding.

On top of perfecting your mechanical skills, work to condense and hone your writing so that every word adds to your main point.

In addition to helping admissions counselors get to know you better through writing, you should pay attention to your organization, spelling, and grammar.

Simple mistakes in those areas can outshine your true potential.

We’ll look into each of the prompts in detail below, to help you submit the best version possible

Get personalized advice!

Usc supplemental essay prompt #1: new ideas.

“USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view. Please discuss the significance of the experience and its effect on you.”

In this prompt, USC tells you that they value diversity.

Not only do they value diversity, but they also value people who can appreciate diversity and are open-minded to new ideas, experiences, and perspectives .

First, it’s vital that you truly understand what diversity means.

• According to Merriam-Webster, two definitions are “the inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization” and “an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities.”

To answer this question, you will have to reflect on past experiences during which you faced a different idea or belief that somehow challenged yours.

• You will then have to tie your experience and lessons learned in with USC’s values.

USC’s values are found underneath the Applicant Admission Process tab on their website.

In the Personal Qualities section, USC states: “We look for students who possess the potential to contribute to our diverse and vibrant campus life, who represent a vast array of interests and passions, and are leaders unafraid to speak up in class or fight for a cause.

We value students who make us think….”

• In other words, not only does USC want you to be open-minded and appreciative of diversity, they also want you to be a leader and contributor to their community. They want you to own your uniqueness and share it with others in a way that is mutually beneficial to the community and to you.

Before you begin generating ideas, let’s take a deeper look at the question to fully understand what USC is asking for without going overboard in your response.

• “Tell us about A TIME you were exposed to a new idea OR when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view.”
• Your essay response only needs to include one story and does not need to include both components mentioned in the prompt.

To start brainstorming, think of a few times where you heard something or had a conversation that introduced you to a new perspective, changed your perspective, or called it into question.

• How did you feel?
• Why did you feel that way?

Once you have generated a list of experiences, pick the one you feel offers the deepest experience with diversity in your life.

Reflect on this experience and discuss how it affected you in a positive way.

• How did those experiences change your thinking or your outlook on life for the better?
• Did the experience cause you to question or reflect on other beliefs you possess?
• If your perspective didn’t change, what did you appreciate about the other perspective on the issue/idea/belief?

It’s helpful to write down thoughts and notes before you begin crafting your actual essay.

After doing this, take what you have written and summarize that into a brief thesis statement.

• Then, expand to help the reader to understand your challenge just as you were experiencing it.

Your telling of the experience can flow similar to how you would tell someone out loud, but you’re limited to 250 words.

• For example, “My discussion with Person X did not change my views on the problems associated with income inequality, but it did help me to better understand and sympathize with some of the issues self-made wealthy individuals face…etc.”

Pick your most poignant experience and make a story out of it.

Help the reader to experience your challenge just as you were experiencing it.

Be sure to showcase your individuality and your open-mindedness. Once you’ve written your personal statement, be sure to have someone read through and edit your response.

This will help make sure your point was made and avoid spelling/grammar errors you may have overlooked.

USC Supplemental Essay Prompt #2: Outside of Your Academic Focus

“USC faculty place an emphasis on interdisciplinary academic opportunities. Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning.”

With this prompt, USC wants to see that you are able to demonstrate open-mindedness.

• It’s great that you want to study mathematics, but are you open to learning from the field of music?
• What about psychology?
• Maybe you want to be a doctor and are inspired by literary doctors like Oliver Sacks and William Carlos Williams. In this case, you’d explain how you plan on studying literature in addition to pre-medical courses.

They want to know that you care about things outside of your immediate focus.

Having more than one interest makes you more well-rounded on a personal level, and it can help you on professional and academic levels as well.

• For instance, USC wants to produce skilled doctors, and they would prefer to produce good doctors who also understand the healing power of narrative. You’ll want to have a focus but also a breadth of diverse interests.

For this question, you will also need to be genuine.

Even if your other interest is not an academic field or major offered at USC, it’s okay.

• The prompt doesn’t state it has to be an academic interest – it just has to be outside of your intended academic focus.
• You may decide to minor in another area, but you should not feel restricted to discuss academics only.

Consider writing about opportunities offered at the university that exist outside of the classroom.

You could try researching the different clubs, activities, or events that exist or happen around campus.

• For example, you may major in political science but also want to become a better musician.
• You might sign up for a voice class at the university and join choirs and singing groups to improve your musical ability.

Or, maybe you are a STEM major, but you’ve also been learning ASL. You could write about your interest in USC’s American Sign Language Club, as it would help you better practice your sign language.

• What are your other interests?
• Try writing them down and writing about the one that means the most to you (or shows a side of you that is not yet on your application).

Here is another example:

• If you plan on majoring in bioengineering, you’ll want to think beyond biology and engineering, as this is implied in the name of the major. You could be interested in a humanity like anthropology, which works to explain how human cultures work – an interest that may inform and enrichen your primary focus.

If you can’t think of a particular interest that would be completely new to you, consider a topic outside your academic focus that you want to become better versed in.

In this case, you’ll express why you want to continue learning more about that interest. In other words:

• What is something you want to learn more about?
• Why do you want to learn more about it?

While there’s no wrong way to answer the question, a great way to approach the question is using your interest to unconventionally further your understanding in your academic focus.

• For instance, if you’re a physics major with a passion for music, you might write about using music as practical applications of some physics principles regarding vibration and sound transfer.

If there’s a particular story behind your interest, share that in a way that helps the reader connect with you.

Telling a short story about your interest will help you effectively use more of your 250-word limit.

Overall, try to be authentic and show USC that you’re a well-rounded individual who will add to their campus community in more ways than one.

USC Outside of Academic Focus Essay Example

“Hi. My name … is Bobby … and I will be playing Fur … Elise … today.” The audience sat still as I stuttered through my introduction, approaching the lavish grand piano for my freshman-year recital. As chords flowed through my hands, my fingers began to slip, missing notes along the way. My stage fright had gotten the better of me. When I enrolled at GSA the next year, my friends dragged me to drill practice in preparation for the Clash of the Halls dance competition. I was reluctant, but upperclassmen convinced me to represent my hall at the most popular event at school. Although I had performed at multiple piano recitals, participating in choreographed dancing was a new challenge. Passion gradually outweighed my fear as I became more comfortable with the challenging choreography. Dancing became less of a commitment. I slowly became obsessed with making sure our team hit every note, rhythm, and beat. When I began leading practices, rising from apprentice to teacher, the moves became muscle memory and excitement pumped through my veins. After months of practices, I led my hallmates into the gym, exuding hall spirit and assuming our formation. The fear that once possessed me completely vanished. We went on to give an unforgettable show. Having discovered my newfound passion, I went on to choreograph my school’s Diwali dance for the next two years. I look forward to pursuing my love for dance by joining the USC Zeher Bollywood fusion team in the near future.

USC Supplemental Essay Prompt #3: Essential to Understanding You

“What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you?”

This is the equivalent of the “tell me about yourself” question; the same one that you will be asked during almost every interview.

This question is broad, so you want to be particular.

The best way to be particular is by utilizing a story you haven’t already told in another part of your application. This story should also highlight one of the characteristics you feel is essential to who you are as a person.

• Think of a story that demonstrates your values, a perfect day, an activity you enjoy, or an important relationship.

You’ll want to be able to pinpoint that one thing throughout your story.

• The key is to answer the question concisely (within the 250 word count maximum) and genuinely.

Another great way to approach this question is to ask yourself a question and answer through a free-write.

Examples of questions you could ask yourself include:

• What do I value?
• What does my perfect day look like?
• What could I do every day and not get tired of?
• Who are the most important people in my life?
• What’s my ultimate life goal?
• What motivates me?

Write whatever comes to mind for your questions.

Don’t be afraid to include a negative experience if it significantly affected your life, goals, or personality.

This is where you can find beauty in the darkness to show how you’re unique.

Do the same free-write exercise with these questions.

• What struggle do I work most to overcome?
• What is something only those closest to me know about how I’ve become who I am?
• What do I avoid at all costs?
• What am I terrified of?

You are not being asked to share your most tragic story or deepest darkest secret, but it’s important to appreciate that we don’t only grow from positive experiences.

We grow from all experiences, so write about one (positive or negative) that has shaped you most.

The next step is to ask yourself why. This is very important.

USC wants to know what is important to you and why it’s important.

• If your answer is “I don’t know,” take some time to think about it or move on to the next idea on your list.
• Ask friends and family for their thoughts (but remember that you have to create an essay with your own thoughts and not those of someone else).

Here’s an example of breaking down a meaningful story to pinpoint the specific characteristic that is essential to you being you.

• Interest: I love traveling by train.
• Why? I like the rhythm and cadence of the wheels on the tracks, the sound of the whistle, watching the diversity of the landscape as I travel in and out of urban centers.
• What does it say about me? I pine for a quieter, slower time and love to find ways to balance the rush and grind of the city with habits of slow living.
• What characteristic does this give me? This says something about how I’m contemplative.
• How do I use this characteristic? I spend time contemplating choices longer than most and dislike being rushed to make a decision.

When you’re able to come up with the answer to “Why?” write down as much as you can without judging yourself. You’re the only person who knows the truth about what is essential to understanding you.

When you’re able to identify what you would like to write about, frame it within a story.

Remember you only have 250 words to spare, so it won’t be a full-blown story.

However, two to three sentences about the background behind your topic will be helpful to the reader.

• For example, if you want to write about your involvement in sports as an important part of who you are, write about how you became interested in sports in the first place.
• Maybe your grandfather taught you how to throw a football. Maybe he came to all your games.
• Let the reader know the story behind what you’ve chosen to write about.

As always, have someone read your essay to ensure that it is error-free and genuinely reflects you.

USC Essential to Understanding You Essay Example

My grandmother likes to tell the story of three-year-old me in the grocery cart, screaming in Vietnamese the names of passing vegetables, much to the amusement of shoppers. Back then, Vietnamese was enough. In kindergarten, I faced my first language obstacle. At the toilet, I couldn’t undo my double-ring belt. How embarrassing would it be to interrupt the teacher in the middle of class and silently point to it, hoping she would get the message? I chose to sit on the toilet and cry. That was the first day I peed my pants in class but the last time language would ever come between me and going to the bathroom. I made learning English my mission. By third grade, I was reading stacks of books almost as tall as I was every week. Language is meaningful to me. While volunteering in the hospital, when I ask a lost elderly couple if they speak Vietnamese, their eyes light up in relief. When a Spanish-speaking woman hurriedly calls her child over to translate, I tell them in Spanish not to worry, empathizing with the child who has the same role I once did. Language doesn’t just communicate information. For me, it has been a tool for insight, allowing me to connect with others. Throughout my schooling, I’ve taught my parents a lot of English, and I still teach them new words every so often. When I make the occasional error, I jokingly but affectionately blame it on English as my second language.

“Why USC?” Supplemental Essay: How to Answer The Intended Major Question

“The intended major question states: Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.”

This is another version of a “Why This College” essay .

Sometimes when high school students are asked about their major, they get overwhelmed because they aren’t 100% confident about what they want to study.

Consider major selections to be a road trip, not a death sentence.

You are allowed to change your mind, but it helps if you know what you want and why. So, take some time to think about it:

• What do you enjoy studying?
• Why do you enjoy studying it?
• Are there other subjects you enjoy as well?

Think about your experiences in school up until this point.

Sure, interests change, but, often, there are things within our lives that remain constant.

Maybe you never cared about history class, but you enjoyed reading novels and analyzing characterization and plot techniques.

• Or, perhaps you hated having reading assigned for class but enjoyed acting out scenes from different novels and plays.

These are things to take note of.

Another way to help you figure out your intended major is to look through USC’s website.

• Remember, this question functions as both a question about your intended major and a question about your intentions for applying to USC. Your answer is best suited when tailored to USC’s unique features that other colleges may not offer.

Does Biomedical Engineering sound interesting to you? Check out USC’s Biomedical Engineering program. Look at the courses you will have to take. See what excites you.

Still struggling to come up with your intended major?

Working backward is another helpful strategy.

• Think about where you will want to be 5 to 10 years from now.
• What do you want to be doing every day?
• Are you passionate about reading and analyzing large amounts of information and communicating it in a way that makes sense to other people?
• Do you want to teach people how to handle their finances?
• Are you interested in helping other people live healthier lives?
• Do you want to develop your passion for writing into a career?

Look at careers that match the types of things you will want to be doing every day. Then, look at the type of knowledge that will be required to get those jobs.

That knowledge may be found in more than one major. If that’s the case, you will need to look through the department websites for your intended majors.

• Once you’ve done the necessary background research, tell your story.
• Lean into a story of what your major will be and own it, but, remember, it’s not binding or contractual.

The more you learn about different majors, the clearer your intended major may become, so spend a couple of hours clicking deep into the website:

• Start with the programs related to a chosen field.
• Then, look at the types of courses that are offered and learn about some of the professors teaching the courses.
• You’ll also want to look at news or research coming out of the department.

Consider ways in which you will grow and flourish academically and programs to which you might contribute as a student at USC.

If you have a career goal, it can help.

• Describe how your major in narrative studies will help you realize the goal of becoming a documentary filmmaker.
• Explain how you will be prepared in a program that balances traditional studies in English literature with film theory, writing classes, as well as the study of popular culture and ethnicity.
• Write about how a degree in social work will help shape you into the type of politician you want to be in the future.

Write the vision for your life and write how your first (and/or second-choice) major will help you get there.

It would be an added bonus if you can talk about extracurricular activities you might be interested in joining to further supplement your learning.

Remember, learning takes place outside the classroom as well.

Take time with this essay to make sure you’re confident in your future goals, and then share them with the admissions team. When you’re authentic and have a plan for the future, you’re sure to write a compelling essay.

Why USC and Why This Major Essay Example

8 p.m. – I sat in the peer tutor room, waiting for underclassmen to approach me for academic help. An hour-long shift passed without any students stopping by. At this moment, I realized the immense lack of organization within the peer tutoring program at GSA. Students could neither find available tutors nor schedule time with them despite needing support for challenging courses. I knew there had to be a better way. I spent the next few months teaching myself Android Studio programming and developed EngTutor, an app that streamlines the process of finding academic help connecting students with available tutors. I will use the resources available at USC to turn EngTutor into a commercial venture. In the classroom, I aim to take advantage of USC’s advanced computer science program to broaden my knowledge of robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. I am excited to take courses such as Advanced Natural Language Processing to understand AI concepts. At USC, I intend to take advantage of the focus on interdisciplinary studies and enroll in elective courses at the Marshall School of Business to complement my skills developed at USC’s LavaLab. By receiving mentorship from professionals in entrepreneurship and computer science and gaining experience pitching my ideas to judges, I will be ready to participate in the Blackstone LaunchPad. Here, I aim to collaborate with like-minded individuals to enhance my entrepreneurship capabilities. Through these academic and extracurricular programs, USC will provide me with the resources necessary to embark on my entrepreneurial journey.

The USC Short-Answer Questions

The USC Short-Answer Questions include:

• Describe yourself in three words.
• What is your favorite snack?
• Best movie of all time:
• If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
• Dream trip:
• What TV show will you binge watch next?
• Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
• Favorite book:
• If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?

While most universities that include a short answer section limit your word count to 100 words, the USC short answer questions only require one or two sentences to fully answer them.

• Be sure to answer the “why” implicit in the question.
• Treat it more like a conversation or an interview – monosyllabic responses don’t bode well for a conversation, and they don’t look great on your application, either.
• Instead, add a little context to your answers.
• After all, the USC admissions department should better understand you after reading your short answers.

There are two kinds of questions – Listing something that you feel describes yourself, and answering generic “break the ice” questions.

• For the questions in which you describe yourself, try asking friends or family for some perspective.
• Most importantly, make sure that you don’t choose vague adjectives – Each word should reflect a specific part of your personality.

If you are having a lot of trouble thinking of words that best describe you, don’t be afraid to get creative. For example, if you are a Harry Potter fan, consider using traits that describe your favorite Hogwarts house.

• For instance, if you consider yourself a Ravenclaw, you might use the words “analytical, quizzical, and creative.”
• A Slytherin may use “ambitious, hardworking, and clever.”
• Whatever method you use, make sure that these words tell USC about you.

For other questions, begin with the answer, then explain the why.

Also, remember that the admissions team at USC is not looking for the most sophisticated student, they just want introspective students.

• For instance, don’t just say that your favorite movie is Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Twelve Angry Men – explain why (briefly).
• Perhaps you’re interested in the themes of privacy versus security, or the film made you interested in the law or political science.

With every question, bring along a little insight into your life, your beliefs, and your ambitions.

USC Short Responses Examples

1.Describe yourself in three words.

2. First Word: Self-motivated

3. Second Word: Analytical

4. Third Word: Mindful

5. What is your favorite snack? Raisins and almonds: nutritious, portable, and delicious

6. Favorite app/website: Spotify

7. Best movie of all time: Avengers: Infinity War

8. Dream job: Founder/CEO of my assistive robotics technology company

9. What is your theme song: Believer – Imagine Dragons

10. Dream trip: Road trip on historic Route 66 from Chicago to LA with my friends

11. What TV show will you binge watch next: The Office

12. Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate: Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings

13. Favorite book: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

14. If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be: Facing Your Fears: Public Speaking

Conclusion: Writing the USC Supplemental Essays

As we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, well-written responses to those prompts require self-reflection, critical self-analysis, and research.

Start early to give yourself enough time to research your intended majors, write high-quality responses, and have time for revisions.

You have a 250 word limit for each of the supplemental essays, so use them all to create a lasting impression on the admissions officer reading your application.

By following the above guidelines, you can create a shining admissions package that will set you apart from other applicants.

Don’t forget to have fun, be a little creative, and show the USC admissions team who you really are. Your best chance to get into USC depends on it.

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University of Southern California (USC) 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision: 

The Requirements: 2 essays of up to 250 words; 2 short-answer lists.

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Oddball , Short Answer

University of Southern California 2020-21 Application Essay Questions Explained

There’s no nice way to say this: the USC application is kind of all over the place. It kicks off by asking applicants to choose one of three prompts, two of which overlap with the Common App, and it just gets stranger from there. You’ll be asked about everything from your academic interests to your life’s theme song, so our best piece of advice is, buckle up. Oh, and also remember that you should use every essay as an opportunity to showcase something different about yourself. 😉

Please respond to one of (the three) the prompts below. (250 word limit)

1. usc believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view..

To rephrase the question: What experiences have exposed your personal blindspots? When have you been forced to admit that you were wrong? This first option may be the most challenging of the three because it requires a great deal of self-awareness and introspection. A successful essay will showcase your humility, intelligence, and adaptability. Maybe you never used to think of your teachers as people with lives outside of school until the day your family put your dog down and your English teacher offered you some words of comfort. How did your perspective change? What did you learn about the universal nature of grief? Don’t limit yourself to stories about conflict and don’t worry about being right or wrong. The most interesting essays will focus on small, personal moments that have shaped the way you see the world.

And finally, a warning: this prompt is very similar to the third prompt on the 2020-21 Common App , which asks students to reflect on a time when they challenged a belief or idea. If you chose this prompt #3 for your Common App personal statement, you might want to steer clear of this particular USC prompt in order to avoid redundancy. If you picked a different Common App prompt, feel free to refer to our prompt #3 guide for more inspiration!

2. USC faculty place an emphasis on interdisciplinary academic opportunities. Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning.

If you already have a major in mind, chances are your application is bursting with supporting evidence. So you want to be an English major? We bet you’ve served on the board of your literary magazine, entered writing competitions, and aced your Literature AP. This is your shot to show USC that you’re well-rounded! Maybe you’ve always wanted to study physics, but were intimidated by the math. Perhaps the field of astronomy has piqued your imagination as much as your academic interest. Don’t be afraid to get a little out there! The prompt never says you have to choose another academic topic, so if you’d like to go for a quirkier answer, maybe you could focus on a new skill you’d like to gain: Woodworking? Orienteering? You should avoid being weird for weird’s sake, but we encourage you to think outside the box and be genuine about your interests and passions! Make sure to explain why you haven’t yet studied the topic you propose and describe the specific reasons for your interest. Maybe a recent debate you got into with a friend sparked an interest in philosophy. On the other hand, you might just be daydreaming about what your life would be like if you could speak Japanese, where you’d go, and who you’d meet. The point is, don’t just explain why the subject is worth studying in general. Render it specific to your life and personality.

3. What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you?

Here’s your free-for-all prompt! With a question this broad, you can write about pretty much anything as long as it tells a story about you and your life. (Sorry, that treatise on wide-legged pants will have to wait.) Our three primary pieces of advice are the same as always: (1) Pick a story rather than a fun fact. Give yourself the opportunity to really write in your own voice. (2) Use a topic that hasn’t shown up on your application before. (3) Make sure no one else could put their name on your essay.

Similar to the first USC prompt, this one also mirrors a Common App prompt, so we’d recommend nixing this option if you wrote your Common App personal statement on prompt #1. If not, hit up our Common App guide for more brainstorming tips!

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 word limit)

Unlike the second prompt above, this one is all about your enduring academic interests and passions, but it’s not really about you. Rather, it’s not about you alone. This is USC’s take on the classic Why essay. In asking how you plan to pursue your interests, admissions is really trying to suss out your core reasons for choosing USC. While college will offer you a wealth of social and professional opportunities, its primary function is academic — and your primary role is as a student. So, what kind of student do you hope to be? Where do you hope your studies will take you? What resources and opportunities does USC offer that will meet your needs and guide you towards your goals?

To answer these questions, set aside an hour or two to pore over the USC website (there’s no hack, you’ve just got to put in the time). Beyond the basic departmental listings, look up information about news and research coming out of your department, the kinds of courses available, the opportunities that other undergrads have had studying in your area of choice. Even if you have a wide array of interests, consider explaining how two to three departments might complement each other or foster your interest in a larger idea or theme. Your ultimate goal is to show that your interest in USC (just like your intellectual curiosity) runs deep!

Describe yourself in three words (25 characters).

When the challenge is pith, the opportunity is humor. We rarely offer an across-the-board directive to be funny because humor writing is hard — and sometimes it just simply isn’t appropriate for the story you need to tell in a longer essay. But with lists and short answers, it’s wit that will make you stand out. Your answer doesn’t need to be laugh-out-loud funny, but it should avoid the generalities that so often populate these questions: loyal, kind, smart… you get the idea. We’re sure you are all of these things — and they are lovely qualities to showcase in the stories you tell elsewhere in your essay — but these sorts of terms can ring hollow if you aren’t able to back them up with evidence. A good place to start might be to examine your contradictions (you’re mostly easy-going, until you start playing Scrabble) and craft an essay that showcases some funny irony about your personality. Think about how different people in your life would describe you, and then think about order. Can you make it read like a very short story? Can you make it rhyme? Though this assignment is short, you may need to spend some time wordsmithing different combinations. When the prescribed format is a list, order matters just as much as content, so use every element of the assignment to your advantage!

The following prompts have a 100 character limit:

What is your favorite snack, best movie of all time:, if your life had a theme song, what would it be, dream trip:, what tv show will you binge watch next, which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate, favorite book:, if you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be.

Behold! USC’s attempt at being quirky! You’ve been limited to less than the length of a tweet for each answer, so you’d better make every word (and character) count! These prompts don’t have time for generalities or gentle introductions, so you’ll have to cut straight to the point. The more specific your words are, the more memorable your answers will be. Favorite snack? Don’t just say, “popcorn and Junior Mints.” How about, “A box of junior mints melting over hot popcorn as I watch a horror movie” (72 characters). If you can paint a funny picture or display a knack for wit, take this chance, but don’t force it. You also don’t exactly have to think of this as filling in the blanks, but more as filling in any blanks in your application. Anything that doesn’t feel like it merits a full essay can go here as a tweet, hot take, punchline, or elegantly-worded sentence.

About Kat Stubing

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How to Write the USC Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

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The University of Southern California , also known as USC, UC, or SoCal, currently educates almost 50,000 students, 21,000 of whom are undergraduates. Located in Los Angeles, CA, USC is known for its 22 schools, each of which has a unique specialization. With an impressive list of alums, from George Lucas and Shonda Rhimes to Neil Armstrong and Grant Imahara , USC launches careers in entertainment, engineering, English, and more every year. If you’re looking to maximize your chances of acceptance, continue reading as we break down USC’s supplemental essays.

Note that the specific program within USC to which you apply may have additional supplemental materials. These include short essays, short videos, and portfolios of creative work. Check out the programs here and the additional application requirements for USC here .

USC’s 2023-2024 Prompts

Long answer questions, required: describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at usc specifically. please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 words or fewer).

• Optional: Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break.  (250 words or fewer)

Short Answer Questions

Describe yourself in three words. (3 words), what is your favorite snack (100 characters or fewer), best movie of all time (100 characters or fewer), dream job (100 characters or fewer), if your life had a theme song, what would it be (100 characters or fewer).

• Dream trip (100 characters or fewer)

What TV show will you binge watch next? (100 characters or fewer)

Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate (100 characters or fewer), favorite book (100 characters or fewer), if you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be (100 characters or fewer).

The USC application requires one longer essay (250 words or fewer) and ten shorter responses limited to 100 characters. (But don’t compose a 100-character answer for the questions requiring a single word!). There is also an optional longer essay question only applicable to students with some gap in their educational history other than a summer break.

This standard essay question is deceptively difficult. Most students have enough of a sense of their academic interests to list them and describe why they’re interested in them. However, this question is actually more of a research question than a personal essay question. The USC admissions officers reading your response to this question are less interested in what your academic interests are and more in how you will pursue them while a student at USC.

As a result, it’s recommended that you do some research before answering this question. Read through a list of USC’s majors and minors . Scroll around in the course catalog . Find some programs, professors, clubs, and activities at USC that relate to your academic interests. Mention these opportunities by name and describe how and why you will take advantage of them. Displaying this kind of research will demonstrate your seriousness in applying to USC and your maturity in visualizing your future.

Optional: Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break. (250 words or fewer)

If your educational background has some kind of gap, then you should answer this question. If not, then leave this question aside.

In your 250 words, you’ll need to summarize the following pieces of information:

• why you were not enrolled for a period of time during your high school/secondary school years;
• what you did during your period of non-enrollment;
• how this experience impacted your educational experience thereafter;
• and optionally, how this experience impacted your life in general thereafter.

USC’s admissions officers review applications holistically. They don’t want to assume that any gap in educational history is a bad thing. If your period of non-enrollment did have a negative impact on your life, this essay question gives you the opportunity to provide nuance to this experience and describe how you grew from it.

These short answer questions provide space for you to express your unique personality. Feel free to inject humor into your responses or adopt a light-hearted tone. Still, authenticity is key. Admissions officers ask questions like these because they want to see who you are inside and outside of the classroom.

You might be thinking it’s a little redundant to mention that describing yourself in three words should take three words to answer, no more and no less. But you’d be surprised to learn how many students don’t take that piece of information to heart! If you have a legitimately clever idea for getting around the word restriction and providing a longer answer, then go for it. Still, bear in mind that if you answer with three unassuming words, you’re more likely to have a neutral response than a negative response. Meanwhile, if you get a little too clever with this answer, you increase the likelihood of your reader taking your response the wrong way.

If you’re having difficulty coming up with your three words, consider asking friends or family to help you out. Ask them to describe you in a word or two, ideally a noun (for example, “artist,” “dreamer,” or “nerd”) or adjective (for example, “creative,” “logical,” or “caring”). It can be hard to describe ourselves. It’s even harder to describe ourselves succinctly. Sometimes, the people who know us best can describe us better than we can ourselves.

If you already know some or all of your words without help, you may still want to run your choices by someone else. Some words have both positive and negative connotations, and ideally, your word choices are primarily positive. For example, “stubborn” can be both a positive and a negative descriptor of a person. Thus, you may want to think carefully about whether your stubbornness is portrayed elsewhere in your application in a positive light that will offset its possible negative connotations.

As always, unless you have a uniquely clever and interesting answer that goes beyond the literal meaning of the prompt, keep this answer simple. This answer shouldn’t require you to think too much; if you find yourself over-thinking, just bring it back to basics! When you get home from school and feel a bit peckish, what do most often you gravitate toward? There: that’s your answer, and another USC essay done!

This is a subjective question, but don’t feel pressured to defend your point-of-view. Just share what you think is the best movie of all time. And if you don’t have a favorite, just pick one of your favorites after rolling a die or flipping a coin. 

Note that the context of a college application is, if not formal, not so casual either. Don’t list a movie considered highly inappropriate. If you wouldn’t hypothetically be willing to defend this movie choice to a teacher, a parent, or a college admissions officer, then it’s probably not a good choice to put on a college application. You don’t have to limit yourself to G-rated movies (although if a G-rated movie is your favorite, then put it down), but you should probably avoid anything X-rated and some R-rated movies.

This short answer question, like the previous ones, does not require (and probably shouldn’t) have too much accompanying elaboration, if any. As a result, choose a job description or title which is clear to the reader. Jobs like “writer” or “teacher” are relatively general and you could boost them with concrete and specific details. Consider alternatives like “fantasy novel writer” and “middle school English teacher.”

With this question, because of the word “dream,” you don’t necessarily need to choose a “dream job” that relates to your intended course of study. You might be a pre-med applicant who dreams of being a life-saving surgeon. Or maybe you’re a marketing major who can’t sing but still dreams of becoming a rockstar. Whatever your dreams are, don’t feel embarrassed, just share them!

Like the question about what movie you think is the best of all time, this question asks you to provide the reader with some insight into the media you consume. Although it may feel natural to put your favorite song to listen to as the answer to this question, consider how/whether the song describes your life. Are the themes of the song—for instance: love, loss, ambition, fear—themes of your life? Is the tone of the song—for instance: joyful, energetic, nostalgic, chill—descriptive of the way you often feel?

Consider that the admissions officers may look up your song of choice and read the lyrics, in the case of songs which have lyrics. As a result, the song should not deal with themes which are too mature for the context of a college application. If you wouldn’t hypothetically feel comfortable writing an essay about this song for your application, an essay which quotes the song and delves into the meaning of its lyrics, then perhaps you should select a different song for your choice here.

Authenticity is still important. Some students who may struggle with their mental health feel uncertain about listing a particularly deep, raw, or emotional song as their “theme song.” If that sounds like you, consider whether the rest of your application somehow demonstrates that you are self-aware regarding your mental health struggles and/or that you have matured over the years in how you meet your struggles. Doing so will help your reader understand that you are a nuanced person, even if your song choice presents a single dimension of yourself.

Dream trip (100 characters or fewer)

In this essay question, you can dream big—consider the limits of where you could go and what you could do there. There’s no right answer to this question, but do consider how someone from the place you would like to visit might view your dream trip plan (if you provide detail about your plan, which you don’t have to). Make sure that your references to other places are respectful of those places and the people who live there, and consider researching your dream trip locale of interest before responding to this question.

Like the earlier questions about movies and songs, this question requires you to think broadly about the media you consume. Yet there’s a difference with this question: it focuses on the future. Meanwhile, the earlier questions asked about media you have already consumed.

The admissions officers ask this kind of question are curious about your personality and about your curiosities. Do you seek out procedural dramas, intrigued by the way family relationships might play out in a courtroom? Are you a sci-fi buff dreaming of new technologies and far-away galaxies? Or are you invested in the psyches of reality TV contestants seeking love? 

Like most of these questions, there’s no right answer. Admissions officers aren’t seeking to fulfill specific quotas of history documentary fans and sitcom devotees. However, like previous questions about media, consider your audience and whether your answer suits the context of a college application. Is your answer “safe for work”? 

Lastly, you can feel free to add a brief “because… ” or equivalent statement after your choice, especially if it seems to warrant explanation. Also, note that some show titles are very generic, so without further (minimal) context the reader may not know what you’re referring to. Adding a year, language, director, or something similar might provide the necessary clues so that your answer isn’t confusing.

This is a multilayered question. It requires you to not only consider a person or character whom you know and are (presumably) a fan of but also how your lifestyles would align. As a result, your answer will not just indicate what kind of media, news, or other content you consume. It will (should) also hint at how you currently live and what your ideal way of living might be.

Feel free to get creative with this answer. Maybe you want to live with the Flash because he could do the dishes really quickly, or with Bob the Builder because you could co-design your ideal DIY home. On the flipside, you could also take this question more literally and look up a famous figure known for their impressive productivity strategies and excellent sleep schedule.

This is yet another media-related question that aims to provide dimension to your personality through a window into how you spend your free time. This question, like all of these questions, is best served by an honest answer. What book do you pick up again and again? What book do you think about as you fall asleep? What book are you constantly recommending to friends?

Some students feel pressured to answer this question with a book they read in English class or some impressive-sounding academic treatise. However, admissions officers are skilled professionals who will see right through that kind of answer. If your favorite book truly is The Grapes of Wrath and you first encountered it in 10th grade Honors English, that’s an entirely legitimate answer, and don’t feel self-conscious about it. But if your favorite book is an obscure mystery novel no one’s ever heard of, or written by a highly popular author like James Patterson or Rick Riordan, that’s also totally legitimate. Not every accepted applicant to USC is going to be an English major. Nevertheless, admissions officers do expect to see students who engage with books. So if you can’t think of any books to answer this question with, get reading while you still have time!

This is a common college essay question that you may have seen on other applications. For example, Yale asks an almost identical question , with 200 characters permitted for a response, because you’re expected to explain why you would teach this class. USC doesn’t require you to explain why. The limit to a 100-character answer further drives home how brief your answer is expected to be.

Of course, if the topic you choose is extremely obscure and requires context to understand, a brief explanation could be helpful. Otherwise, just think broadly and put the course title or topic. Your answer can be anything from academic to athletic, creative to craft-based. It also doesn’t need to be a topic you know much about (yet), but instead something you’re interested in learning more about. Good luck!

If you need help polishing up your USC supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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Students Also Read

University of Southern California (USC) Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the USC supplemental essays?  CollegeAdvisor.com’s  guide to the USC essay prompts will show you exactly how to write engaging USC essays and strengthen your application.

If you need help crafting your USC supplemental essays, create your  free account  or  schedule a free consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

USC Supplemental Essays Guide Quick Facts:

• USC has an acceptance rate of 16% –  U.S. News  ranks USC as a  more selective  school.
• We recommend answering the USC supplemental essays thoughtfully to increase your chances of admission.

Does the University of Southern California have supplemental essays?

In short, yes. All applicants must submit several USC supplemental essays in addition to the personal statement you’ll write for your  Common App  or  Coalition App . We’ll detail each of the USC prompts—along with insider advice—in this guide to the USC essays.

Need some help writing your Common App essay? Get great tips from our Common App essay  guide .

How many essays does the University of Southern California require?

There are two USC essays on the 2020-2021 Common app. In addition to these two USC essays, some applicants may also choose to complete a third USC supplemental essay.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through each of the USC supplemental essays. We’ll also discuss which applicants should submit USC essays that respond to the third optional USC essay prompt.

Are the University of Southern California essays important?

The USC supplemental essays are extremely important. After all, the USC essays are a window into your unique talents and abilities. By writing strong USC supplemental essays, you can use your own words to show the admissions team who you are and why you belong at USC.

Test-optional admissions policies have also made the USC supplemental essays more important. Many California universities have dropped the  ACT/SAT requirements . USC, however, has not. Your test scores may be the same as another applicant, so your USC supplemental essays can help you stand out. In other words, pay close attention to the USC prompts!

How do I write the University of Southern California essays?

Once again, there are two required USC supplemental essays in addition to the Common App essay. This is a lot of writing, so we recommend you begin your USC supplemental essays as early as possible. The sooner you start considering the USC prompts, the stronger your USC supplemental essays will be.

USC does not have an Early Decision or Early Action program. This means USC considers all applications—and all USC essays—in the same cycle. Over 70,000 students applied to USC last year. Therefore, strong USC supplemental essays can help you stand out from the crowd.

Want more advice on your USC essays? Read USC’s  “What We Look For”  page as a primer for drafting your USC supplemental essays.

We have provided the USC essay prompts below—along with USC example essays—to assist you as you begin your USC essays.

In this guide, we will discuss how to address both required USC essays.

USC Supplemental Essays — Question 1 (Required)

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first-and second-choice major selections. (250-word max).

To begin, the first of the USC supplemental essays does two things. First, this USC essay prompts you to detail your academic plan, including your interests and priorities. Second, this USC asks you to illustrate why USC is the right school for you.

You might struggle to complete the first of the USC prompts. When you read, “Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests,” you may initially think, “Uh, I am trying to get into USC to pursue those interests.” However, you shouldn’t let this discourage you. If you know what interests you, you already have an academic plan—you just need to express it in 250 words for the first of your USC supplemental essays.

Let’s break down how to brainstorm and represent your academic plan in the USC essays!

Choosing a Major

By now, you likely have a sense of your academic interests. If you have an idea of what you’d like to study but don’t know what specific major to choose, check out our tips on choosing a  college major .

USC offers its own suggestions for  choosing a major , which might be useful when completing your USC essays! Keep in mind that USC also has several  unique programs  for undergraduates. The USC supplemental essays require all students to identify at least one potential major, so you’ll benefit from doing your research. Plus, spending some time on the USC website will also help you describe why USC is the place for you!

Maybe you know the career you want to pursue but you don’t know what major will help you achieve your goals. To start, you might do some research or speak to adults in your chosen field. If you’re wondering what fellow Gen-Z students are pursuing, check out our list of popular majors for  Gen-Z students   or our webinar for  undecided majors . Additionally, check out this  Business News Daily article  for a list of majors associated with particular careers.

Finally, remember that the major you specify in your USC supplemental essays is non-binding. Above all, this USC essay prompts you to consider what intellectual pursuits matter to you. Think of the majors you choose as a way to communicate your interests to admissions officers.

Connecting to USC

This USC essay prompts you to showcase your understanding of  USC’s passion  for innovation and research. The USC supplemental essays ask students to explain why USC is the right school for them.

Structuring a Response

Well done—you’ve chosen a major (or two) and thought about why you want to study this topic specifically at USC. Now, let’s move on to drafting.

Before you begin writing, notice the requirements of the first of the USC essay prompts:

• Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests.
• Explain why you want to pursue this at USC.
• Identify your first and second choice majors.

Think long term

USC wants to know your long-term academic plans in college and beyond. Then, they want to know why you want to pursue those plans at USC. Let’s look at a few USC essay examples. Though short, each example will show you what a dynamic opening might look like and how it can be tied into USC-specific programs.

Ex. I realize that I have an addiction to TikTok. I often wonder—what leads us to scroll? (anecdote/dynamic opening)

To this end, I want to pursue a BA in Social Science with an emphasis in psychology or a BA in Informatics. Ideally, I would like to do both with the USC Research Gateway Scholars program…(USC specific connection)

In the first of the USC essay examples, notice that it begins with something that seems frivolous—an addiction to TikTok. However, the example also hints at a certain vulnerability that draws the reader in, as well as a question (“what leads us to scroll?”) that shows the student possesses a level of self-awareness.

Ex. Not unlike a lot of other children of migrant parents, we moved around a lot when I was younger.  Because of this, literature was my constant companion. (anecdote/dynamic opening)

I want to offer this same friendship to other young readers. The Narratives Studies program or Comparative Literature program at USC is an ideal place for me to start this journey. (USC specific connection)

In the second of the USC essay examples, our imaginary writer identified a long-term plan as well as their first and second choice majors. You’ll also notice that both of these USC essay examples connect their goals with a USC-specific program.

As you begin your own USC essays, think about how these USC essay examples attach each student’s own interests, background, and identity to the opportunities available at USC.

Making it Personal

In both USC essay examples above, the student shared a part of their personal history. As you begin your USC essays, think about your own history.  What about your story has led you to your academic interests? How has your identity influenced your long-term academic plan? These details will help make your USC essays unique.

USC Supplemental Essays Draft Key Questions:

• Does your USC supplemental essay response identify your long-term plans?
• Does your USC essay identify your specific reasons for studying at USC?
• Do you include your first and second-choice majors?
• Does your USC essay describe your unique passions?

USC Supplemental Essays — Question 2 (Required)

Please respond to one of the USC prompts below. (250-word limit).

USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Tell us about a time when you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view. Please discuss the significance of the experience and its effect on you.

USC faculty place an emphasis on interdisciplinary academic opportunities. Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning.

What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you?

Choosing from the USC prompts

Remember, USC supplemental essays should illustrate your personal attitudes and passions.  In these USC prompts, you have the chance to highlight some dynamic aspects of your identity.  While you can choose from any of the three listed USC prompts, you should select one that reveals something distinct about your personality and experiences.

In general, it’s a good idea to select a prompt that lets you showcase experiences not found elsewhere in your application. Choose a prompt that adds to your application – not one that repeats information that your readers already know. Whichever of the USC essay prompts you choose, you should highlight specific experiences that have contributed to the ways you see the world. If you find yourself speaking in vague terms while drafting, you might choose another of the USC prompts.

Providing Insight

USC looks for students with a “vast array of interests and passions” who are “bold, driven, curious, and creative.” Your USC essays are your chance to show your reader how this applies to you!

Did you recently realize that a long-held belief about something or someone was wrong? Take this opportunity to show USC your willingness to grow and learn. After all, an important part of learning is recognizing that we do not know everything. USC wants to see how students can develop new ways of thinking, so use the USC supplemental essays to show how this applies to you. For example, did you change your mind after a conversation with a friend about an issue that mattered to them?  In other words, USC wants students who are open-minded—so tell them that story.

Tell a story

For example, did your curiosity about income inequality ignite you to research local legislative policies driving those inequalities? Or, did you harness social media to educate local voters or encourage your peers to vote on local legislative policies? USC wants students who are looking to impact communities—so tell them that story.

Do you use your interest in theoretical physics to craft plots for YA novels? Do you listen to Sean Carroll’s Mindscape podcast during passing periods? USC wants students who are interested in interdisciplinary arenas—so tell them that story.

Does your love of balloons show that you are a minimalist at heart? Does your addiction to cherry Chapstick highlight your commitment to a cause? Your quirks help USC understand who you are beyond your grades and test scores—so tell them that story.

Any of these USC essay prompts can give you an opportunity to boost your application. In under 250 words, use the second of your USC supplemental essays to help the admissions team get a glimpse into your identity and interiority.

USC Supplemental Essays Key Questions:

• Does your USC essay draft specifically address one of the USC prompts provided?
• Does your response demonstrate something new about you?
• Do you include specific details in your USC essay?

USC Supplemental Essays — Question 3 (Optional)

Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break. (250-word limit).

Typically, we would encourage you to respond to all USC essay prompts. However, in this case, you should only respond if the prompt applies to you.

Filling the Gap

This third USC essay prompts you to describe why you took a break in your schooling. If you took time out of high school due to COVID or other factors, this prompt gives you the chance to contextualize your time off and explain how it might influence the rest of your application.

USC wants to know the reasons for the break in your academic career.  You should answer this USC essay prompt honestly. If you needed a break from school, tell the admissions committee that you took time off to think about your future plans. If family circumstances prevented you from attending college, relay those experiences. Be sure to include why you want to return to school at this time.

Reasoning First

Be careful to avoid too much emotion here. USC simply wants to know the reasons for your absence from the academic world— you do not need to paint that picture with dramatic pathos.

Wondering how this would look? Let’s check out some USC essay examples:

Ex. Stricken with an unknown heart condition, the stress of school was life-threatening and so I opted for a year of reprieve.

Perhaps a health condition did prevent you from attending university after high school, but you should avoid excessively emotional language.

Ex. During my senior year in high school, I struggled with an unknown heart condition that put me in the hospital quite frequently.  Because of this, my family and I decided I should take a year off of school. After a major surgery last fall, I have recovered and my doctors have stated I can return to school and I am eager to continue my academic journey with USC.

The second of these USC essay examples is much stronger. Reasonably retell the reason(s) for your break in school. Then, make it clear that you’re excited to resume your academic career at USC like the second of these USC essay examples does.

As you can see from these USC essay examples, you don’t need to use emotional language to gain your reader’s sympathy. Use the last of your USC essays to demonstrate your grit, thoughtfulness, perseverance, and determination. You had a gap in your education and now you are making a great comeback – tell them that story.

USC Supplemental Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Did you identify the reason for your gap in education?
• Does your USC essay include details that led to that reason?
• Did you retell that story in a reasonable tone?

Additional tips for writing your USC supplemental essays:

• Each of these USC essay prompts has a 250-word limit. Do not exceed the word limit for these USC supplemental essays.
• Look over USC essay examples. This can fuel ideas for your own USC supplemental essays.
• Never underestimate the importance of editing your USC supplemental essays. Along with proper grammar and spelling, ensure clarity of thought and ideas.

USC Supplemental Essays – Final Thoughts

The USC essay prompts may seem overwhelming. However, don’t let that discourage you! With these tips, you can write an engaging set of USC essays sure to impress the admissions team.

USC also has a helpful blog article on how to approach the USC supplemental essays. You can check out “Supplementary, My Dear Watson!”  here .

This 2021-2022 essay guide on USC was written by Sasha Litzenberger. To read more of our articles on USC,  click here . If you need help crafting your USC supplemental essays visit app.collegeadvisor.com to create your free  account  or  schedule a no-cost advising consultation  by calling (844) 719-4984.

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Blog > Essay Advice , Supplementals > How to Write a Why Us Supplemental Essay

How to Write a Why Us Supplemental Essay

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

The "Why Us" supplemental essay is an opportunity to show alignment with your chosen college. To effectively write this essay, conduct in-depth research on the school's academic programs, values, and unique features that relate to your interests. Craft your essay to showcase how these elements resonate with your personal, academic, and professional goals. Avoid common mistakes such as vague connections or focusing on unrelated aspects of the school.

This post is one in a series of posts about the supplemental essays. You can read our core “how-to” supplemental post here .

The “Why Us” supplemental essay prompt—also known as the “Why This College” prompt—is one of the most common types of supplemental essays you’ll write during your application journey.

At the most basic level, Why Us prompts ask students to describe why they have decided to apply to the college in question.

Why Us prompts are important for both colleges and applicants.

When admissions officers review applications, Why Us supplementals help them understand how a student’s background, goals, values, and academic inclinations align with the school’s offerings. They also help admissions officers assess how serious a student is about wanting to attend the institution in question.

For applicants, Why Us essays allow you to make your case for school fit. They are the perfect opportunity for you to stand (metaphorically, of course) in front of the admissions committee and explicitly explain why you belong at a school.

In short, Why Us or Why this College essays let you explicitly tell admissions officers how you align with a school so you don’t have to leave the guesswork up to them. Let’s get into how you can write a Why Us essay that stands out.

What is a Why Us Supplemental essay?

Why Us supplementals can have a few variations, but they all get at a common question. Take a look at the following three examples.

1: University of Chicago

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

2: Duke University

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well.

3: University of Michigan

Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests?  (Required for all applicants; minimum 100 words /maximum 550 words)

Why Us Essay Strategy

To write a good one, you need to know something about the school—you’ll need to do your research.

By this point, you probably already know a bit about the schools you’re applying to. After all, you’ve hopefully built your school list based on schools that best align with your academic interests, stats like GPA and test scores, and personal interests like school type and location.

Now’s the time to put those key areas of convergence into action.

The key to writing these essays is to do some deep research into the school you’re applying to. If you’re focused on applying to schools that have esports programs, you need to find a compelling way to articulate your interests that aligns you with the school and its offerings.

A school’s offerings don’t always need to be academic, but it helps. They can also be social, athletic, or cultural.

Often, however, students have a harder time writing essays about cultural or social fit that don’t feel superficial. It’s not enough to write an essay about how nice everyone was when you took a college tour.

Instead of focusing entirely on a single experience you had while visiting the campus, talking to an alum, or being interviewed, do some serious research into the school and how it would fit you as a student and a member of the campus community.

How to do Why Us School Research

School research is an important step in writing good supplemental essays. But it’s absolutely essential for Why Us essays.

Why Us essays are all about making an argument for school fit. They’re your main opportunity to say, “Hey, admissions officer. I belong at your school!”

So what does any good argument need? That’s right—research.

Because schools want to see that you a) have taken the time to get to know the institution and b) can make a case for why you belong at the school, you’ll need to do good research and use it in a way that best supports your case.

The research you do may depend on the specific prompt Why Us prompt you’re responding to. But in general, there are two kinds of research you can focus on.

Method 1: Find Academic Alignment

The first place you can focus your research is, of course, on academics. Since colleges are schools, showing your academic alignment is a safe bet.

So what is “academic alignment” anyway?

Academic alignment means that your academic background, interests, and goals match up with what a school has to offer. Schools don’t want to admit students whose academic needs they can’t meet, and students shouldn’t seek out schools where they won’t be able to accomplish their academic goals.

This alignment can appear in a variety of places. Here are some of the most common:

• Major options
• Special concentrations or programs
• Faculty research and labs
• Student research opportunities
• Academic initiatives and projects
• Study abroad programs
• Community partnerships
• Classroom philosophies

To find this information, you’ll need to scour not just the school’s website but also the website of the specific department you’re interested in applying to.

In your research, there are lots of places you can look:

• Course lists
• Faculty biographies
• Faculty CVs (these are basically faculty resumes that list all the academic work they’ve done)
• Academic articles and books written by faculty members
• Research lab websites
• News stories about academic research and awards

With these facts in hand, you can write supplemental essays that draw specific points of connection between you and a school.

Method 2: Find Values Alignment

Academic alignment is an obvious and common approach to Why Us essay prompts. But there is also a less common approach. Take your Why Us supplemental essays a step further by looking at school values.

All colleges and universities have specific values that guide the institution. That’s why schools have mission statements that lay out what the institution is all about.

To find school values for your Why Us supplemental essays, look for a school’s motto, mission statement, or strategic plan.

Mottos sum up an institution’s values-based framework. School mottos are typically established at an institution’s founding. Often they’re in Latin and have English translations

Example: Yale’s motto is Lux et Veritas or “Light and Truth.”

Mission statements are statements about an institution’s values and purpose. They lay out and are occasionally revised or updated as institutional priorities change.

Strategic plans are documents published by university leadership. They establish a working plan the university will follow over the next several years. They often lay out strategic initiatives and reveal where the institution wants to invest the most time and resources. These initiatives often revolve around social

Brand identity is a way universities ensure all of their communications sound the same. While these aren’t always public, you can often look up a university’s brand guidelines. These guidelines are written for university employees who communicate to the public on behalf of the university. While there’s no specific way you can incorporate these guidelines into your essays, they can give you a very clear sense of how a university thinks of and markets itself. With that knowledge in hand, you can write an essay that shows exactly how you fit into the ethos of the institution.

Example: Vanderbilt has a comprehensive brand identity page.

Showing that your values align with those of an institution

Method 3: Find Other Alignment

Why Us essays don’t just have to be about academics and values. They can also be about areas of interest that you hold dearly, like music, community service, athletics, and more. If you’re a die-hard Scrabble player and notice that the school has a Scrabble club, then that’s a unique feature that you can draw out in your supplementals.

Pick your strengths and lean in. If you're a track star, find something about the athletic culture. If you're a musician, research the community music program. If you love creative writing... you get it. Schools love to see students who have a clear vision of where they're going and why.

Scour a school’s website and social media channels for these unique and compelling connections.

Step 1: Choose the major you THINK you’d like to study at the school. It’s OK to not know for certain!

Look at the majors and minors offered at the school and get a sense of what interests you. Once you have a decent idea about what specific program you might be interested in exploring…

Step 2: Do a deep dive into that program and learn about the work being done by faculty in the department.

What do the professors study? Are there any interdisciplinary centers on campus that you could see yourself participating in? Learn about what real students do on campus and familiarize yourself with what  specific  academic and extracurricular opportunities might be available to you on campus.

Step 3: Think about how these opportunities could be applied to your other interests and passions. Try to find an interdisciplinary connection.

Be creative here, and specific. Unlike the Common App essay, where reflection is key, in the Why X essay you are looking forward. Talk about what you  will  do if accepted. Be as specific as you can. Make your readers feel as if you’ve really done your homework and have a good reason for applying to the school.

Why Us Supplemental Essay Example

It helps to have an example, so I'll walk through how I would help a student research a school and write a Why Us supplemental essay.

To start, let’s say the student in question is interested in studying psychology and wants to get involved in prison abolition efforts.

To add extra granularity, let's pretend this student's top choice program is Lewis & Clark College.

Now let’s go step-by-step through the Why Us research process.

Step 1: Choose the major you THINK you’d like to study at the school.

Our first step is to explore L&C's psychology program. Our hypothetical student is academically inclined. Thus, our focus in the supplemental will be on demonstrating the strong fit between the school's academic climate and the student's intellectual interests.

So we google "Lewis & Clark psychology" and navigate our way to  the department page .

We know we want to do research while in college, so the "research" tab on the right side of the page jumps out right away. Let's navigate to that page and see what's up.

We quickly realize that L&C emphasizes research, and particularly emphasizes the opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate on research.

Cool. So now we have some ammo to work with in the supplemental essay. We can "demonstrate fit" by writing about our interest in pursuing research alongside a faculty member while studying psychology. Boom.

Scrolling through the page, I also notice that the L&C Psychology Department is touting their summer research opportunities and their history of placing students in nearby research labs. More stuff to say you're interested in.

Remember, by contrast with the Common Application essay, which is about your life, the supplemental is all about sketching a detailed plan for your undergraduate study.

The next step is to enrich your alignment with one of the department's core offerings (research) by finding professors who are conducting research that you'd actually want to help out with.

Read professor bios and take a look at which courses they offer. Or, start with a course catalog, find ones you're interested in, and then figure out which professors teach them.

Mention these folks by name. Talk about how they could enrich your education and help you become the student you hope to be in a few years' time.

Finally, I would recommend balancing out your essay by nodding to one of your extracurricular interests. In this case, our example student is interested in incarceration and prison abolition.

Given these interests, the student could talk about how she intends to study the relationship between early-childhood trauma and incarceration and co-teach psychology classes in L&C's prison education program.

By bringing her academic focus to bear on her interest, she is creating an interdisciplinary focus in her "Why X" essay that will help her stand out.

Most Common Why Us Mistakes

You’re almost ready to start writing. But before you begin, watch out for a few easy-to-make mistakes.

Not making any specific connections to the school.

Hopefully by this point, you know why this is a problem. A Why Us supplemental essay that makes no argument for why you belong at school isn’t adding much to your application.

Unlike a Common App essay that should be applicable to every school you apply to, Why Us supplemental essays should be customized to each school. They should have the school name and any relevant, specific details you want to include.

Feel free to explicitly state the name of a professor you want to work with or the title of a class you want to take. Including these specifics is much better than being overly general because the details show admissions officers that you’ve done your research.

Making connections that are too broad.

Other students try to make connections, but they make them far too broad.

Let’s say you’re writing a Why Us supplemental essay for a liberal arts college.

An inadequate answer to a “Why us?” question would be, “I want to go to your liberal arts college because of the small class sizes.”

While that may be true, it’s not a very good argument for why you’re a good match for the school. It needs to be more specific—about you and the school.

Focusing on features of a school that don’t connect with your background or interests.

The final major mistake students make when writing Why Us supplementals is choosing to focus on details that don’t actually connect to their backgrounds or interests. In other words, students go wrong when they call upon random facts and figures.

Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)

Contrary to popular belief, the Buddha didn’t say “life is suffering”. He said “life is dukkha ”, which roughly translates to anything impermanent , and clinging to that which is impermanent leads to suffering.

My interest in world religions led me to study Buddhism, which led me to practice meditation.(( The writer begins with a compelling hook and jumps quickly into answering the “Why Us” question.)) Soon, I was researching online what neuroscientists observe in the brains of meditators, which brought me to the Mindfulness Center at Brown. Over the past year, I’ve followed an infinite trail of links and videos from the Center’s website about how meditation, an ancient practice present in all religions, influences modern psychology, neuroscience, public health, education, athletics, medicine, and philosophy.

So, I became interested in Brown and just about every academic subject under the sun.(( These school connections are great because they show that the student was learning from Brown’s resources before they even began looking at colleges.)) I want to use my education and career to reduce suffering for others, and this goal transcends disciplines. Brown’s Open Curriculum would allow me to pursue my interdisciplinary interests while embracing my mission of improving lives.

To start, I’d like to branch out from psychology to neuroscience. My most likely path is to emulate neuroscientists like Brown’s Dr. Judson Brewer, who studies the brain on meditation and how mindfulness impacts habit change.(( This reference is specific, relevant, and incorporated seamlessly into the essay.)) I’d also like to try public health courses to learn how organizations impact communities, and biology and chemistry courses to grasp the basics of medicine. All I do is grounded in an understanding of ethics and religion, and I am also interested in the education concentration as I seek to share my ideas with others.(( This final sentence wraps up the essay beautifully by connecting everything back to the writer’s interests and values, which are related to those of the institution they’re applying to.))

Liked that? Try this next.

The Incredible Power of a Cohesive College Application

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USC Essay Examples

The USC essay examples show you how to write a college essay to convince the University of Southern California that you are a good fit for them. These essays are meant to probe into your personality and find out more about you and why you would be a great addition to the USC campus.  Let’s review some of the top USCE essay examples so you can write your own!

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 7 min read

Usc essay prompts.

USC has three prompts and a section for short-answer questions. The first and second prompts are required, while the third one is optional.

The second prompt also has three optional sub-prompts, and candidates need only choose one to answer.

There are then a series of ten questions, also required, that are to be answered with 100 characters or less.

Check out how to write your essay:

It is time to delve into each prompt and have a look at some USC essay examples that you can learn from.

Prompt 1 (Required): Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections (250 words).

Ever since my parents bought me my first computer at the age of 6, I’ve been fascinated by what happens inside these machines. That’s why I want to be a computer programmer – to understand the inner world of computers.

My journey into coding started when I realized I could write programs to make the device perform tasks I wanted done. Soon, I was reading every single book I could get my hands on about programming and spent my days watching YouTube videos about writing machine-level code.

Within two years, I’d become the go-to kid in my high school regarding computer issues. Topics like new gadgets and software releases were all I was interested in.

I want to build on my self-developed knowledge by attending the Computer Science program here at USC. The university’s well-known for its research in this field. I want to understand the inner logic of computers and USC will help me plant deep roots in science – I want to possess in-depth knowledge and understanding behind the 0’s and 1’s.

USC also offers a chance for students to delve into the entrepreneurial aspects of Computer Science. I intend to pursue these classes to gain knowledge on how to use my education to create the applications of the future – for my own and the public’s welfare.

Electronics, my second-choice major, will also help me achieve the same goals, albeit with a slightly different approach. Studying the underlying technology will give me a deeper insight into realizing my digital dreams. (250 words)

\u201cHistory of World War II \u2013 Little Known Facts\u201d "}]">

As you have probably grasped by now from the USC essay examples above, the prompts are intended to bring out as much information as possible about you. They are questions that you answer in the first person.

Now, although the prompts may seem easy, you always need to make sure that you have the best essay before you even think of submitting it. Give yourself at least 6 weeks to plan and write your essays.

The best way to do that is to either learn how to write an essay yourself or find college essay advisors who can help you with your submissions.

Want to learn more about college essays?

USC is one of the leading universities in America and a highly ranked one in the world. This means it is also one of the toughest universities to get into.

But that shouldn’t concern you too much. You need to instead focus on creating a complete application package, writing all required essays, and sending in your application on time.

If you find it overwhelming, you can also find college advisors who can guide you through the process.

You better get good at it – and fast. Applying to top universities like USC means you need to be on your toes all the time. The reason they – and all other top-ranked universities – are selective is because they want to make sure they take in students who will keep up with their intense course flow.

And the scrutiny begins at admission time – with your application.

Alternatively, if you think your essay isn’t up to par, you can use college essay review services to help you with your submissions.

They are very important. The universities use essays as a way of collecting information about you. The admissions committee members pore over the essays to get a “feel” of the kind of person you are. They gauge you as they read each word. And if they find you lacking, your application could be rejected.

Therefore, make sure you invest time and effort into writing each of the college essay topics .

Please use the academic essay structure, with an intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

The most important thing to focus on is the story itself. It should make the admissions committee members take notice of what you are trying to tell them.

Dig deep to find that story, tell the truth, and make sure there are no spelling or grammar errors, and you should have an essay that stands out.

The values and traits that the university is looking for include bright students who can cope with the curriculum, integrate into the diverse student body with ease, and contribute positively to the college community as a whole.

The best way to go about it is to find a balance between both. It shouldn’t be so casual that it makes the readers wince, and it shouldn’t be so formal that it would look like it was written in Olde English.

Use short sentences to convey clear, concise ideas and cut words that add no value to the sentence or story and you should have a great essay.

The USC prompt has been pretty standard over the past few years – with just a question or two being changed. With that being said, the important thing is check for the prompts on the official USC website the year you are applying.

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How to Tackle the “Why Us” School-Specific Essay (with Examples!)

Of all the supplemental college essays out there, the “Why Us?” essay is the most difficult to master, especially when you have to write one for each school on your college list. So, how do you convince admissions officers at each college you belong there, while staying true to yourself?   With AdmitSee’s database of successful application files we will show you essay examples that address key elements every “Why Us” supplemental essay should include.

1. Example with a UMich Essay Excerpt

It’s essential to talk about the school you’re applying to. After all, you are answering the question “Why Us”? What makes this specific school you’re applying to stand out from others?

• Talk about your academic interests and how the school you’re applying can help you explore that
• Be specific about the academic programs at the university
• Are these academic programs unique? Are they the best? If there’s other schools have this program, why theirs?

  “Throughout high school, I discovered that I enjoy a variety of subjects; therefore, I am entering Michigan with an undeclared major. However, I am not exactly undecided; rather, I am multi-interested. I love the areas of mathematics and statistics, yet the economy and government fascinates me as well. Still, the field of art history beckons me, and luckily the University of Michigan has enough museums to pursue endless hours of thorough art appreciation. Thankfully, LSA allows me to explore a plethora of majors found in the various colleges of the University of Michigan. With forty top ten programs, no matter what major I ultimately chose, I can feel assured that I will be working with the most talented and experienced faculty. In addition, University of Michigan’s research program, one of the best in the United States, will allow me to make discoveries and contributions as an undergraduate student. The University of Michigan is the ideal school for me, and has been my number one since I first saw the maize and blue uniforms take Michigan Stadium by storm.” – MichiganMath, ‘19   In this excerpt, the author starts by talking her interests in a number of fields, thereby leading her to show off her knowledge about UMich’s academic programs. She is concise about how each of her interest can be furthered by the opportunities that University of Michigan can offer her if she’s accepted. In a paragraph, she demonstrated how her interests and resources at UMich are an ideal match without simply regurgitating informative facts about UMich.

2. Example with a Barnard Essay Excerpt

  Don’t forget this is a part of your college application! Every supplement you send in should provide another perspective of who you are.  

• This is another opportunity for you to highlight something about yourself that you weren’t able to in our common app personal statement
• What other information about yourself will help paint a full picture of who you are in your application?

  “Not only is NYC an incredibly diverse place, but Barnard is as well. The unique backgrounds of its community members create a compelling dynamic in and out of the classroom. I grew up in a half French and half Chinese household, which gave me a very different perspective than a lot of my peers. My father grew up in France, then immigrated to San Francisco after living in the Congo. My mother grew up in China, then immigrated to Wisconsin after living in Nigeria. Throughout my childhood, I was lucky enough to be able to learn multiple points of views from my parents because of their unique backgrounds, leading to a fascinating upbringing which I believe Barnard students possess as well.” – ccg32, ‘19   The author of this excerpt draws a parallel between the diverse background of NYC and her own. She uses this opportunity to share how incredibly diverse her family background is and what that has done for her. In fact, she’s able to share this intimate detail to connect to the community of Barnard students, again pointing out she’s an ideal prospective student.  

3. Examples with NYU Excerpt

  Finally, think about this supplemental essay as a way to express how compatible you are with the college you are applying to.  

• You can talk about university programs in relation to your interests, but you can also connect it to something about you.
• This is how you connect point 1 + 2

  “Never have I encountered an atmosphere so invigorating and so impassioned as I found during my visit to NYU. It is this passion that unites the urban campus and forms a profound sense of unity within its diversity. I could want nothing more than to one day call myself a part of this motivational community, building relationships with people who share my passion for helping others and who will both value my talents as well as challenge me to grow. As a student at NYU, I could continue my tutoring and mentoring work through the university’s America Reads program or explore my love for travelling while providing invaluable aid as a part of the unique option for alternative breaks. Regardless of what path I find myself taking as NYU opens my eyes to growth and change, I know that an education and an experience spent in such a special community is one that has the potential to change my life and make an everlasting impact.” – Katiedolci ‘19   Here you see the author use the university’s programs and unique offerings to demonstrate the author’s own interests and passion. She explicitly mentions programs that NYU offers to highlight the extracurriculars she’s been involved with. By doing so, she has also subtly emphasized her compassionate nature and desire to help others not only in the area she studies, but in her free time as well.   Want to see more successful examples? AdmitSee has the largest database of successful college application files to help you through the admission season. View full college essays in the context of the rest of their application to better understand how to craft the best version of yours.

A math major turned growth hacker, Frances has worked in PR and marketing in Hong Kong, New York and San Francisco. ​ AdmitSee is her third edtech startup, coming from Course Hero and Purpella.​ Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. ​Fun Fact: ​Frances was a certified and licensed EMT during her time at Georgetown.

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USC Cancels Valedictorian’s Commencement Speech Over Safety Concerns

T he University of Southern California canceled the commencement speech of its valedictorian, a Muslim student, citing what it described as security concerns amid the conflict in the Middle East.

In a letter published Monday to the USC community, Provost Andrew Guzman said discussion over the selection of the school’s valedictorian “has taken on an alarming tenor” in recent days. Asna Tabassum, USC’s 2024 valedictorian, was slated to deliver a speech at the university’s 141st commencement ceremony on May 10.

Since her selection as valedictorian, pro-Israel groups and social-media accounts, both on campus and from outside USC, have urged the university to reconsider. They have said Tabassum promoted antisemitic and anti-Israel views.

Tabassum said she is shocked by the university’s decision. She said she wasn’t aware of specific threats against herself or the university.

“By canceling my speech, USC is only caving to fear and rewarding hatred,” Tabassum said in a statement she released through the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles.

She said the university didn’t give her details on its threat assessment.

Tensions on university campuses over the Middle East conflict have escalated after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Presidents at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have resigned in part due to their responses to rising levels of antisemitism on campus.

Columbia President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik is set to testify Wednesday before a congressional committee about efforts to curb rising antisemitism on campus. In an essay published Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal, Shafik said reconciling speech rights among some students with the right for their classmates to live “free of fear, harassment and discrimination, has been the central challenge at our university and on campuses across the country.”

In his statement, Guzman said the decision to cancel the speech “has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement.”

Guzman said Tabassum, a biomedical engineering major, wouldn’t deliver a speech due to risks related to security and disruption at the ceremony. About 65,000 people attend USC’s main-stage commencement, he said.

The decision was consistent with USC’s legal obligations to protect students and keep the campus community safe, he said.

Tabassum’s viewpoint and background didn’t influence the decision, a USC spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Nearly 100 qualifying students applied to be this year’s valedictorian, Guzman said. He made the final decision based on the selection committee’s recommendation, he added, noting the evaluation was based on various criteria, which didn’t include social-media presence.

Pro-Israel groups had pointed to Tabassum’s social media, including likes and engagement with pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist content. Her Instagram profile includes a link to a site that references Palestinian liberation and the abolishment of the state of Israel.

“USC has a responsibility to explain to its student body why it selected a valedictorian who promotes antisemitic views,” said We Are Tov, a group that advocates against antisemitism, in an Instagram post last week. “Tov” means good in Hebrew. “It’s time to pick someone who doesn’t hate Jews.”

A campus group, Trojans for Israel, last week criticized the school as well. “This troubling selection turns an inclusive and meaningful milestone into an unwelcoming and intolerant environment for Jewish graduates and their families,” the group wrote on Instagram.

Tensions about the Israel-Hamas war have intensified on college campuses as well as in other areas of American life. The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization, on Tuesday said there was an “unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents” last year. CAIR has said it received the highest number of reports of anti-Muslim incidents last year in its 30-year history.

Guzman, the provost, in his letter referenced the role played by social media.

“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” he said.

“I expressed an opinion through a link that I had on my Instagram,” Tabassum said Tuesday evening in an interview with CNN. “The hate and vitriol that was unleashed towards me after, I think, was part of the reason why the university caved in.”

CAIR-LA, a Muslim advocacy group, demanded that USC reinstate Tabassum’s valedictorian speech.

“USC cannot hide its cowardly decision behind a disingenuous concern for ‘security,’” Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR-LA, said.

Guzman said the university this summer will reconsider how to honor the achievements of its graduating students. Many large universities have moved away from picking a single valedictorian in favor of more inclusive traditions, he said.

In her statement, Tabassum challenged her classmates to respond to “ideological discomfort with dialogue and learning, not bigotry and censorship” and called for support of justice for all, “including the Palestinian people.”

“As your class Valedictorian, I implore my USC classmates to think outside the box–to work towards a world where cries for equality and human dignity are not manipulated to be expressions of hatred,” she said.

Joseph De Avila contributed to this article.

Write to Nicholas Hatcher at [email protected] and Tali Arbel at [email protected]

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How to Write the USC Application Essays 2018-2019

The University of Southern California — more commonly known as USC — is located in the heart of Los Angeles, California. The school’s position in a metropolitan area offers students the opportunity to not only explore their own intellectual curiosities, but also the city’s vibrant cultures.

Often known for its fierce athletic rivalries, the Trojan student body advertises a highly spirited, tight-knit community. With nearly one-fifth of the undergraduate class involved in Greek life, the school encourages its students to embrace both social and intellectual endeavors.

Boasting competitive programs in business, medicine, and engineering, USC has become one of the most prestigious private research universities in California. This past year, USC was ranked #21 by U.S News & World Report, and achieved a historic low acceptance rate of 16%, with over 56,000 applicants.

In addition to the Common App personal statement, USC requires two supplementary essays (four for prospective engineers), and multiple short answer questions. While these essays may initially seem daunting, CollegeVine is here to help you approach these prompts and land a spot in USC’s class of 2023!

USC Application Essay Prompts

Please respond to one of the prompts below (250 words or less).

The first question allows you to choose between three prompts. Many of you are probably worried about making the mistake of choosing the “wrong” prompt, but it is important to know that no prompt is easier than the other. It’s important to remember that there is no right or wrong answer here; the purpose of this essay is for the admissions office to get to know you and your individuality.

If you’re having trouble choosing, it might be better to think of personal experiences first and molding the story to fit one of the prompts. While the questions are different, the goal is the same: to showcase your personality. It’s safe to say that your anecdote will likely work for all 3 prompts — it’s just a matter of which approach you want to take.

The main challenge with this essay is the brevity of your response; with only 250 words, there isn’t too much room to pack in loads of details. Even so, 250 words provide plenty of room for a brief introduction, at least one short-body paragraph, and a few sentences to wrap up at the end. Here is how we at CollegeVine recommend you to tackle each prompt.

Prompt Option #1

Usc believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view..

At first glance, this question seems very similar to prompt #3 on the Common Application: R eflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking ? What was the outcome ? The key difference between the two is that USC wants to know about a time when your belief was challenged by someone or something else . Here, you are the one being challenged , not the one doing the challenging .

For those of you who chose prompt #3 on the Common App, do not write about the same thing. This will just make your application seem too repetitive. Instead, try to think of some situations that forced you to look at an idea from a different perspective and thereby prompted your growth as an individual.

Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Speech and Debate – You were a member of your school’s Speech and Debate Team and participated in a competitive tournament. You competed under a debate category that mimics a Congressional hearing room, and took stances on scenarios that reflect modern world issues and controversies. Perhaps the issue at hand was internet security or the implementation of renewable energy. During your round, you were challenged by a rival competitor who put forth an opposing perspective, bringing a new idea to the table. What did you learn from this?
• Foreign Travel – You traveled to another country on a mission to educate and bring medical resources to underprivileged kids and their families. Having never traveled internationally before, you had never encountered another country’s culture or practices. Shocked by the torn state of the developing nations, you learned about the world outside of your own home state. You were introduced to the notion of embracing another country’s environment and using it as a means to gain worldly perspectives. This trip ignited your desire to provide assistance to those in need and expand your worldviews through travel.
• Challenged Through Literature – Being exposed to a new idea or being challenged can be as simple as reading a book (literally). Perhaps Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In inspired you to conquer your introversion and step out of your comfort zone. Or maybe her book exposed you to a new idea by proposing a novel way to approach work and leadership.

The key here is to demonstrate some sort of personal growth. While the prompt doesn’t explicitly ask for this, including a few sentences on how you matured will add that extra “wow factor” that USC loves to see. It is important to be honest here (as with all essays). Don’t write what you think USC wants to hear — write what you think highlights who YOU are . If you didn’t save hundreds of lives by providing vaccines to children in Africa, then there is no reason to pretend that you did.

Prompt Option #2

Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning..

Here, it is important to note that USC wants something outside of your academic focus. This, however, doesn’t limit you to discussing only academic topics; you are free to discuss almost anything that you’re interested in (as long as it’s appropriate, of course). Essentially, this is USC’s way of asking, “What else are you interested in?”

There are two ways to approach this prompt:

• Write about an interest that is outside of your focus, but connects back to your major. An example of this would be a Biology major interested in using artificial intelligence to streamline medical practices or an Environmental Studies major interested in law for the purpose of implementing green energy policies.
• Write about something completely unrelated to your major. This gives you more freedom and can thus be about anything. For example, you could be an Economics major with an interest in music or a Physics major who wants to be multilingual.

As with the previous prompt, it is important to be truthful. Don’t write about an interest that you think will make you look more appealing, as admissions officers can easily spot essays that try too hard. In order to convey real passion, be yourself and be honest. This is a great prompt to employ descriptive language and imagery; entice the readers into wanting to learn about what you love.

Prompt Option #3

What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you.

Out of the three prompts, this one is the most open-ended, almost mimicking the infamous interview question “tell me about yourself.” Before jumping in, first ask yourself, “Is there anything I want USC to know about me?” When contemplating this, make sure you choose something that cannot be found somewhere else on your application. Don’t write about being a star basketball player if you already listed that under your extracurriculars.

Since this prompt is so flexible, you can incorporate any of the aforementioned examples from the previous two prompts to fit into this one. For instance, you could write a vivid account of your travels last summer and emphasize your desire to absorb new cultures. Or perhaps your interests in law and public policy are what fuel you to work toward making a positive social impact.

An easier way to start brainstorming for this prompt is to create a list of your personal qualities (avoid clichés like hard working, responsible, smart, etc). After doing this, try thinking of anecdotes that show or highlight this particular quality. If you’re adventurous, it would be great to tell a story of the time you went skydiving and connect it back to your inclination to step out of your comfort zone. If you’re a problem-solver, include an anecdote of the time you successfully completed an escape room and use that to highlight your love for puzzles in everyday life. Here, the possibilities are endless.

This prompt allows for more creativity; there is no need to be too serious and academic here. It doesn’t hurt to have a little fun with this essay — a little light humor goes a long way. As always, use vivid language to show the reader who you are.

Essay Prompt 2

Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at usc. please feel free to address your first and second-choice major selections. (250 word limit).

With so many options at USC, it might be a little overwhelming to choose a major let alone know how to pursue it. CollegeVine is here to help you narrow down your interests and find ways to express them at USC.

Before we dive in, here are a few facts about USC that will help you get started:

• USC is located in metropolitan L.A., the home of many large companies such as Deloitte, Bank of America, and Paul Hastings.
• USC has its own medical school, the Keck School of Medicine.
• USC has its own business school — the Marshall School of Business — that offers programs for undergraduates.

To approach this prompt, you should first evaluate your academic interests and your selected major. Next, you should ask yourself, “Why USC?” What does USC offer in your major that no other college offers? If you are interested in medicine, you might discuss the practical experience that the Keck School of Medicine can provide you. Perhaps you have a strong interest in stem cells, and will pursue this by conducting medical research at Keck. Or maybe you are more interested in clinical experience and are hoping to shadow doctors at the medical school’s hospital.

If you are interested in business economics, you can analyze USC’s optimal location in downtown Los Angeles, discussing how the school’s geography gives you access to internships with the nation’s top corporations. You can include a brief paragraph on the strengths of USC’s Marshall School of Business, raving about how an education there will provide you with the necessary leadership skills to succeed in business.

Avoid vague and cliché answers such as “USC has a good business school,” or “USC is prestigious and highly ranked.” These types of responses don’t particularly answer the question, nor do they show that you have done your research on the school.

No matter what subject you intend to pursue, the most important thing is to show the school what you will do at USC if you are accepted . Which professors do you look forward to working with? What special curriculum path do you hope to head down? What resource do you plan to take advantage of? There is no right or wrong answer; USC just wants to understand the academic path you intend to follow. You don’t have to be too creative or try to think of an outside-the-box answer. For this prompt, simple and straightforward is better.

Short Answer (One Sentence)

Describe yourself in three words., first word:, second word:, third word:, what is your favorite snack, favorite app/website:, best movie of all time:, hashtag to describe yourself:, what is your theme song:, dream trip:, what tv show will you binge watch next:, place you are most content:.

These rapid-fire questions scare a lot of applicants because many think there is a “correct” way to answer them. The reality is, however, as with all prompts, there is no right or wrong answer. 

Since you have 100 characters for each short answer of this style, you can briefly explain your choices if you wish (e.g.”Best movie of all time: The Godfather; the depth and complexity of the mobsters was an unprecedented portrayal of crime circles”). If you can add answers that showcase your personality, i.e. a genuinely funny joke or something really interesting, then that might help you stand out a bit if it resonates with your admissions officer. But don’t force anything or it will produce the opposite effect.

It often scares students to leave such a straightforward response, but that’s exactly the purpose of these questions. The school wants to get to know you in a more direct and casual way.  Unless your favorite website really is CNN or your theme song is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, there is no reason to be too obscure or intellectual. If you thought Mean Girls was the best movie of all time, then don’t be afraid to put that down!

As long as you avoid any offensive comments and your answer is appropriate, you can practically write anything in the spaces (as long as it’s honest). Even so, make sure to use your own good judgement for these answers. If you were a big Fifty Shades of Grey fan, it might be better to put down your second choice for best movie of all time.

For Engineers

*the following prompts are only for students who listed engineering as their major., what do you personally expect to get out of studying engineering or computer science in college (250 words).

This prompt closely resembles the standard “Why Major?” question that schools often ask. In the “Why Major?” prompt, you want to explain your motivation for studying that subject, why you’re qualified to do so, and why that specific school is a fitting environment to pursue that major. This USC prompt, however, focuses specifically on why you’re interested in engineering or computer science, as well as what you hope to accomplish with your degree. One thing to note is that you can discuss what you want to gain while you’re a student and what you want to be able to do after you graduate.

Take care not to repeat any information from the previous prompt about how you intend to pursue your academic interests at USC. That prompt is where you’ll want to write about USC-specific resources. In this section, you can really hone in on the reason behind your intended major.

Perhaps you want to study computer science because you’ve witnessed firsthand how much more efficient it can make our lives. For example, maybe you were able to code a program for a hospital that you volunteered at that saved employees from manually searching for and updating data. With a degree in computer science, perhaps you want to be able to build larger-scale programs to increase efficiency of data systems in hospitals even further. In terms of the skills you might develop while in college, maybe you want to better understand the collaborative side of computer science, since you’ve been coding mostly on your own.

Whatever the reason, be sure to tell an engaging story about your passion for engineering or computer science, as well as the skills you hope to develop.

While the world as a whole may be more technologically advanced than ever before, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has outlined 14 Grand Challenges that engineers should focus on to improve life on the planet. Learn about the Grand Challenges at www.engineeringchallenges.org and tell us which challenge is most important, and why. (250 words)

It might be difficult to pick just one challenge out of the 14, but it’s important to note that one choice isn’t better than the other. This prompt definitely holds less of a personal aspect compared to other questions since it does not explicitly ask about “you.” If relevant however, your personal experiences can still be incorporated.

If you have experience conducting research in a lab, you might find the challenge “Engineer Better Medicines” the most important. For this example, you can connect your time working in research to your summer internship at the hospital and speak about how you witnessed firsthand the level of physical, emotional, and familial impact research work has on people.

Even if you do not have any personal connection with any of these challenges, however, you can still write an equally strong response as long as you give your reasons for your selection. You can even draw on other people’s life stories here. It is about how you convince the reader that your challenge takes precedence, and not about the actual challenge. The key word for this prompt is “why.”

As an example, if you choose “Make Solar Power Economical,” you could praise the potential that solar power holds, but challenge the high price that makes it difficult for most people to obtain. Following this with an explanation of the rapid depletion of Earth’s natural resources will help you emphasize the need for a shift in energy source and thereby, more renewable energy affordability. This was just one example of how to approach the question, but make sure to always answer the “why” no matter what prompt you are writing about.

Here are some questions to get you on track:

• Will the world be a more unbearable living environment if we did not make any progress in Challenge #1 or Challenge #2 (and so on) in 50 years?
• What does the future look like if the world unites in tackling this obstacle?
• How and why will this improve our future?

As with all other personal essays, remember to show and don’t tell the reader who you are. DO be genuine and DO answer the question. DON’T pretend to be someone else and DON’T be afraid to be yourself. Happy writing!

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Free speech, campus safety collide in USC’s cancellation of valedictorian speech

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Five months ago, USC cited safety as a rationale for banning economics professor John Strauss, who is Jewish, from campus after student activists said they felt threatened when he approached them at a protest and said “Hamas are murderers. ... I hope they all are killed.”

“Our north star is protecting the safety of our community,” a USC spokesperson said at the time.

Now the university is again citing safety concerns for canceling a Muslim valedictorian’s speech at its May commencement ceremony.

More than six months after the Hamas attack on Israel that started a war, campus administrators nationwide are struggling to uphold principles of free expression amid mounting pressure from donors, legislators and activists who claim an ever-expanding amount of speech — or potential speech — subjects students not only to physical danger but also to psychological harm.

Free speech advocates note that the decision regarding Asna Tabassum, a USC senior who is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering, was not caused by anything she said or planned to say. Instead, the university said, online discussion had taken on an “alarming tenor” as activists objected to her minor — resistance to genocide — and a link to a pro-Palestinian website Tabassum had shared on her Instagram profile .

“This sets a very bad precedent,” said Alex Morey, director of campus rights advocacy with the nonprofit civil rights group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “Moving forward, are they going to cancel every speech that could have anything to do with Israel-Palestine because they’re worried about ‘safety concerns’?”

Free speech experts fear that USC, in canceling its valedictorian’s speech, is paving the way for a censorious commencement season, offering others a playbook on how to silence potentially controversial speakers in the weeks to come.

“A university, except in the most exceptional cases, should not be giving in to threats of violence in order to suppress speakers,” said Keith Whittington, a political scientist at Princeton University and author of “Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech.”

“It’s a corruption and compromise of the university’s very basic commitments.”

The use of safety concerns to shut down campus speech did not start after Oct. 7. But, Morey said, universities have increasingly canceled events as they have seen an uptick in protests of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

Last month, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas halted a public lecture from a visiting Israeli professor 15 minutes after he started speaking when pro-Palestinian protesters burst into the room.

Asaf Pe’er, an expert on theoretical high-energy astrophysics, was not speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His lecture was on black holes.

Rather than stop the disruption, citing the protesters’ 1st Amendment rights, UNLV police escorted Pe’er off campus “to ensure his safety.”

Other cancellations in the name of safety have taken place across the country, from Indiana University shutting down an art exhibit by Palestinian artist Samia Halaby to the University of Vermont canceling an in-person appearance by a pro-Palestinian poet .

Experts who track campus speech say university leaders have predominantly targeted speakers expressing support for the Palestinian cause.

“It’s definitely the pro-Palestinian speech that we are seeing very broadly being subjected to institutional punishments,” Morey said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t cases where pro-Israel or Zionist speakers are being punished.”

Part of the reason pro-Palestinian activists are targeted in greater numbers is that more students have embraced the Palestinian cause in recent years.

Some protests have crossed the line into unprotected expression, Morey said. But there is also growing pressure on university officials from donors and legislators worried about antisemitism to crack down on pro-Palestinian speech.

“It’s a pressure cooker for administrators,” Morey said. “In these cases, we want to make sure that their lodestar are student and faculty rights, rather than who is exerting the most pressure.”

When USC announced that Tabassum would be the valedictorian, two groups — Trojans for Israel, a campus student group, and EndJewHatred, a national movement dedicated to fighting antisemitism — spoke publicly against her.

In an Instagram post , Trojans for Israel said Tabassum “propagates antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric,” but did not cite anything she had written or said publicly. Instead, the post points to a link she had shared on her social media page that leads to a website describing Zionism as a “racist settler-colonial ideology.”

In an interview with The Times , Tabassum said she had not spoken to administrators about her speech, in which she said she had planned to convey hope and emphasize that “we must continue to use our education as a privilege to inform ourselves and ultimately make a change in the world.”

“The university has betrayed me,” she said.

USC administrators contested the idea that Tabassum’s inability to speak is a free speech issue.

“There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement,” Provost Andrew T. Guzman said in a campuswide letter . “The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”

The 1st Amendment guarantees only that the government refrains from abridging freedom of speech. But experts on campus discourse asserted that as an institution of higher learning, USC has a responsibility to defend freedom of ideas.

USC communications professor Christina Dunbar-Hester, chapter president of the USC American Assn. of University Professors, said in a statement that it was disingenuous to frame Tabassum’s speech as a security issue without specifying a threat.

Guzman, she noted, did not offer any details, saying only that the discussion had “escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.”

And that, Dunbar-Hester said, raises the question of whether USC faced a specific credible threat or was just trying to find a way to get around controversy.

“Here, we have capitulated to a ‘heckler’s veto’ before the fact,” she said. “Why is the burden of a potential threat placed on the shoulders of the valedictorian rather than those who would disrupt her?”

Dunbar-Hester said USC’s action — coming days before conservative legislators in Washington grilled the president of Columbia University — plays into the hands of “anti-intellectual reactionaries” who cynically sought to “demonize campus communities that express solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle.”

Howard Rodman, a professor of the writing division at the USC School of Cinematic Art and former president of the USC-AAUP chapter, said administrators decided to cancel Tabassum’s speech without buy-in from the faculty.

“I have spoken to many people who feel that this is a disastrous decision, and no one who feels that it was a correct decision,” he said.

Among USC faculty, Rodman said, there was no widespread agreement on free speech.

“There are people who say, ‘We’re 1st Amendment absolutists,’ who believe that the remedy for speech you don’t like is more speech,” he said. “There are people who believe that the structural question of who owns the megaphone supersedes that. ... ‘Why should the people who own the apparatus of the transmission of ideas have the sole access to it?”

Rodman blamed officials, donors and legislators for the assault on campus free speech.

“The traditional values of the university are under assault by donors who wish to determine policy,” Rodman said. “They’re under assault by a government that places restrictions on what you can do once you have received government money.”

Students have also played a key role in setting up a climate of censorship, experts say.

About a decade ago, Morey said, 1st Amendment attorneys at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression began to notice a shift: Students, who had long advocated for their own free speech rights, were increasingly asking administrators to regulate words and ideas.

In 2014, students at Wellesley College started a petition calling for the removal of an outdoor statue of a man in his underwear, claiming that it was a source of “triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault.” The following year, students at Yale University demanded that Nicholas Christakis step down from his position as faculty-in-residence at Silliman College, after a viral moment in which he tried to converse with students who took offense at an email his wife, Erika Christakis, wrote to students questioning administrators’ guidelines on Halloween costumes.

Commencement ceremonies have long been a magnet for protests, with a rich tradition of students and faculty heckling speakers, turning their backs on them or forcing them to withdraw.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has kept a campus deplatforming database that has tracked such disputes, starting with media mogul and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner’s withdrawal from a 1998 commencement at Macalester College after students protested the team’s use of an Indian mascot.

By 2016, disinvitations were so common that President Obama, speaking at a Rutgers commencement, chided students for pressuring former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to drop out as commencement speaker two years before due to her role in the Iraq war.

“I don’t think that’s how democracy works best, when we’re not even willing to listen to each other,” Obama said .

The focus on safety intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic as students became involved in Black Lives Matter protests, Morey said.

At USC, administrators made business professor Greg Patton “take a short-term pause” from teaching a communications course in August 2020 after Black students complained that a Chinese-language example he used during class sounded like a racial slur and caused them mental harm.

In a letter to MBA students, a dean wrote that such language was “simply unacceptable” for faculty to use because it could “marginalize and harm you and hurt your feelings of psychological safety.”

In November, administrators told Strauss he could not teach undergraduates that semester after he declared: “Hamas are murderers. That’s all they are. Every one should be killed, and I hope they all are killed.”

Strauss swiftly found himself the subject of dueling petitions: One called for USC to fire him and create a “safe learning environment free from hate speech or discriminatory behavior”; another urged officials to allow him back on campus, arguing that “Jewish people should not have to hide for their safety.”

In early December, USC administrators announced they had lifted all of the restrictions on Strauss.

Over the last few years, commencement disputes over controversial speakers calmed down as universities exercised more caution over who they invited. “They tried to avoid controversy, not by canceling speakers, but by avoiding inviting speakers in the first place,” Morey said.

The focus of controversy may now be turning to students.

Last year, a law student speaking at the City University of New York’s law school commencement caused a national furor when she called for a “revolution” to take on the legal system’s “white supremacy,’’ CUNY’s collaboration with the “fascist NYPD” and Israel’s “project of settler colonialism.”

After the New York Post ran a front-page story about the student, Fatima Mousa Mohammed — headlined “Stark Raving Grad” — CUNY’s Board of Trustees and chancellor announced that 2024’s commencement would not feature student speakers.

Figuring out what is a legitimate security threat on campuses has become increasingly fraught as activists and administrators blur the line between physical and psychological safety.

“Part of what has happened on university campuses for quite some time has been a claim about a kind of emotional and psychological safety,” Princeton’s Whittington said. “That’s primarily a conceptual argument — one that doesn’t seem to require any evidence in order to assert. Universities then can be extremely sweeping in who they might decide to censor or suppress or punish, in reaction to those kinds of complaints.”

Canceling speech while upholding safety in a vague way, without outlining a concrete threat or distinguishing between physical or psychological harm, would only encourage more complaints, Whittington said.

“Universities have an important obligation to explain that these kinds of concerns about emotional psychological safety are just not something that they can be responsive to at all,” Whittington said. “And in the case of genuine threats to physical safety, there ought to be a very high bar before the university is willing to take the step of shutting down a speaker.”

The irony of what happened to Tabassum is it has given her a much bigger platform.

In the last 48 hours, she has conducted a whirl of media interviews, appearing on CNN’s “NewsNight” and in a front-page story in The Times.

“When you silence us,” she said, “you make us louder.”

More to Read

‘Let her speak!’ USC campus reels after valedictorian’s speech is canceled

Editorial: USC was wrong to silence its valedictorian

April 17, 2024

Opinion: USC got it wrong in canceling valedictorian’s speech. Here’s what the school should do now

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