do you need an essay for uc davis

Write Personal Insight Question responses that reflect you

Tips from admissions on how to craft authentic answers.

• by Devon Bohart
• November 12, 2024

College applications demand time and effort. To some, they feel tedious at best and miserable at worst. You work to recount everything about your life to multiple strangers who decide your admission fate. It’s tough and many agree that the written portion poses the greatest challenge.

About Devon

Devon Bohart is the Associate Director of First-year Evaluation at UC Davis. She brings six years of experience with Undergraduate Admissions and enjoys demystifying the UC application process for prospective students. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama and is a UC Davis alum . Devon spends her spare time with her two cats and loves to read, run and bake.

Every application season, I hear the same question, “How do I write a strong Personal Insight Question, or PIQ, response?”

A common misconception suggests that strong applicants need to stand out on the writing portion. This goal shouldn’t guide your focus — it’s too difficult and unnecessary. Instead, focus on authenticity.

Let’s break this process into four steps to help you craft genuine and impactful responses.

Step one: What makes you, you?

Brainstorm aspects of yourself that define who you are before you even look at the provided questions. Perhaps it’s a mix of activities, a personal achievement or an obstacle you overcame. Ignore the questions at this stage and reflect on your story. Anything works and if you feel stuck think about what occupies your time and thoughts.

Step two: Match your answers to the questions

Review your answers from step one and match them to the PIQs they most align with. We provide eight questions but only require four responses (if you’re a transfer, you’ll get one mandatory question). This gives you the chance to tailor what you share. Many topics fit multiple questions so choose the ones that work best for you. These questions guide you — they do not test you. This is not an essay.

Step three: Write your first draft

Forget the rules from English class about thesis statements, catchy hooks and detailed examples as you write. Let your experiences and emotions carry the main idea. Write how you talk. This is your chance to tell us your story in your voice. I empower you to write about anything you feel is important to understand who you are. It may feel personal, even difficult, but the readers’ role is to learn, not judge.

Step four: Review your work 

Once you finish your draft, begin to polish it. At a minimum read your response aloud to yourself to check for flow and clarity. Use this step to ensure your responses are casual, personal and reflective. For example, explain why soccer matters to you. Describe what being an Eagle Scout means to you. Share why you started a Women in STEM club and how it shaped you or your community. These types of reflections create a rich response that strengthens your overall application.

Write with purpose

PIQ responses may challenge you, but remember they offer an opportunity to show who you are beyond grades and scores. I hope these steps make the PIQ process a little less daunting and help you to stay authentic to who you are. Good luck and happy writing!

Primary Category

UC Davis Graduate Studies

Admissions essays.

UC Davis requires that applicants to all graduate programs submit both a Statement of Purpose and a Personal History and Diversity Statement. Each essay can be no longer than 4,000 characters (including spaces). To allow prospective applicants the opportunity to prepare these essays before starting the application, the prompts for each essay are listed below.

Statement of Purpose

Please highlight your academic preparation and motivation; interests, specializations and career goals; and fit for pursuing graduate study at UC Davis.

• preparation and motivation may include your academic and research experiences that prepare you for this graduate program (for example: coursework, employment, exhibitions, fieldwork, foreign language proficiency, independent study, internships, laboratory activities, presentations, publications, studio projects, teaching, and travel or study abroad) and motivation or passion for graduate study.
• interests, specializations, and career goals may include your research interests, disciplinary subfields, area/s of specialization, and professional objectives.
• fit may include how your preparation, experiences, and interests match the specific resources and characteristics of your graduate program at UC Davis. Please identify specific faculty within your desired graduate program with whom you would like to work and how their interests match your own.

Personal History and Diversity Statement

The University of California Davis, a public institution, is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education. This commitment furthers the educational mission to serve the increasingly diverse population and educational needs of California and the nation. Both the Vice Provost of Graduate Education/Dean of Graduate Studies and the University of California affirm that diversity is critical to promoting lively intellectual exchange and the variety of ideas and perspectives essential to advancing higher education and research. Our graduate students contribute to the global pool of future scholars and academic leaders, thus high value is placed on achieving a diverse graduate student body to support the University of California’s academic excellence. We invite you to include in this statement how you may contribute to the diversification of graduate education and the UC Davis community.

The purpose of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and potential graduate student. Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You may include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education. This essay should complement but not duplicate the content in the Statement of Purpose.