If you want to get into the University of California, Berkeley in 2022, you need to write strong Personal Insight Question essays.
In this article I've gathered 18 of the best University of California essays that worked in recent years for you to learn from and get inspired.
What is UC Berkeley's Acceptance Rate?
UC Berkeley is one of the top public universities and therefore highly competitive to get admitted into.
This past year 112,854 students applied to Berkeley and only 16,412 got accepted. Which gives UC Berkeley an overall admit rate of 14.5%.
And as of 2022, the University of California no longer uses your SAT and ACT when deciding which students to admit.
UC Berkeley Acceptance Scattergram
This means that your Personal Insight Questions are even more important to stand out in the admissions process. That is, your essays are more heavily weighed.
If you're trying to get accepted to UC Berkeley, here are 18 of the best examples of Personal Insight Questions that got into Berkeley.
What are the UC Personal Insight Question Prompts for 2022-23?
The Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) are a set of eight questions asked by the UC application, of which students must answer four of those questions in 350 words or less.
Here are the Personal Insight Question prompts for this year:
- Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
- Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
- What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
- Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
- Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
- What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
- Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
18 UC Berkeley Personal Insight Question Examples
Here are the 18 best Berkeley essays that worked for each Personal Insight Question prompt #1-8.
If you're also applying to UCLA, check out more unique UCLA essays from admitted students.
- Prompt #1: Leadership Experience
- Prompt #2: Creative Side
- Prompt #3: Greatest Talent or Skill
- Prompt #4: Educational Opportunity or Barrier
- Prompt #5: Significant Challenge
- Prompt #6: Academic Interest
- Prompt #7: Community Service
- Prompt #8: Standing Out
UC Berkeley Example Essay #1
UC Berkeley Example Essay #2
UC Berkeley Example Essay #3: Clammy Hands
UC Berkeley Example Essay #4: Memory
UC Berkeley Example Essay #5: Chemistry Class
UC Berkeley Example Essay #6
UC Berkeley Example Essay #7: Debate
UC Berkeley Example Essay #8
UC Berkeley Example Essay #9
UC Berkeley Example Essay #10
UC Berkeley Example Essay #11
UC Berkeley Example Essay #12
UC Berkeley Example Essay #13
UC Berkeley Example Essay #14
UC Berkeley Example Essay #15
UC Berkeley Example Essay #16
UC Berkeley Example Essay #17
UC Berkeley Example Essay #18
What can you learn from these UC Berkeley essays?
If you want to get into UC Berkeley in 2022, you need to write great essays that help make you stand out. From these 18 Berkeley essays that worked, here are some takeaways:
- Use specific examples of places and events (name them) (#8, #17)
- Tell a story (#6, #18, #7)
- Demonstrate your background, identity, or culture (#3, #15, #4)
If you enjoyed these UC Berkeley essays, you'll also like reading our top UCLA essays that worked. They answer the same PIQ prompts, but quite differently.
Applying to other public universities? Check out these awesome University of Michigan essays.
Let me know, which UC Berkeley essay was your favorite and why?
Meet the Author
I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked.com - a website dedicated to helping students and their families apply to college with confidence & ease. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.
