Last month, we broke down the University of California’s Personal Insight Questions, discussing the questions and how best to approach them. Now, we’re back with sample responses for each question. Read on to learn more about each question and check out sample essays for each.
1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
Things to think about:
- Think broadly when it comes to your leadership experiences. Being a leader could mean being a mentor to someone, taking charge of a specific task, or organizing an event or project, among other things.
- Make sure to think about what your responsibilities were, what you accomplished, and what you learned from the experience.
Sample essay:
When I took over as president of my school’s environmental club, we had three members, no budget and a reputation within our school of being inactive. I didn’t set out to “save” the club, but I knew we needed to change and that I couldn’t do it alone.
I started by asking students why they didn’t want to join the club. Most said that while they cared about the environment, they didn’t see how a small club could make a difference. So my first step became restructuring the club’s approach. Instead of abstract goals, we’d focus on visible, achievable projects.
Our first project was a school-wide waste audit. I divided our small team into research, outreach, and operations groups (I use the word groups loosely here, since we still only had three members). The research group tracked how much waste the cafeteria produced each day. The results? Hundreds of plastic utensils thrown out daily.
The easiest solution, compostable utensils and a composting program run by the environmental club, was met with pushback. Our principal worried about the cost, and staff worried about clean-up. This is where the outreach and operations teams came in. The outreach team made posters and gave short presentations at lunch to raise awareness; the operations group (with me as the sole member) worked on fundraising to cover the cost of a pilot phase. I organized a student art and rummage sale and secured a small grant from a local green foundation. Within two months, we launched a three-month trial, and we gained five new club members. I created a rotation schedule for volunteers to educate students in the cafeteria and track contamination rates in the new compost bins.
By the end of the semester, plastic cutlery use had dropped by 60%, and the school agreed to permanently switch to the compostable alternatives. By the end of the year, our club had grown to 15 members. Leading the environmental club taught me that leadership isn’t about holding a title, it’s about building systems and trust. I learned to delegate, negotiate, and motivate people who didn’t start out as passionate as I was. Moreover, seeing the impact we had on our school reminded me that real leadership means helping others see their own power to create change.
2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
Things to think about:
- Creativity can mean different things to different people. Think about what creativity means to you.
- How do you use your creativity? To express yourself? To help you relax? To problem solve?
- Remember to use specific examples.
Sample essay:
I first learned to code at age ten, using an old laptop my parents gave me to “play around with.” What started as tinkering quickly became my favourite creative outlet. Programming felt like storytelling; each line of code built a world where logic and imagination worked together.
At first, I made simple games: pixel characters, dodging obstacles and collecting coins. Then, I began designing for others. When my younger brother struggled with multiplication, I built him a game that cheered every correct answer. Watching him laugh as he learn showed me how creativity in coding isn’t just visual, it’s empathetic.
In grade 11, I joined my school’s computer science club and led a team for a local hackathon competition. We created an app that gamified volunteer tracking, helping students log service hours with badges and progress bars. I loved how design choices like colour, pacing, and layout could motivate real behaviours.
Coding taught me to approach creativity as problem-solving: understanding what people need, then designing something that makes their experience better. At UC, I hope to explore the intersection of technology, design, and psychology, building tools that are not only functional but joyful. My creative side isn’t limited to coding; it’s about imagining possibilities and bringing them to life.
3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Things to think about:
- This is the perfect time to share a talent or skill that you’re proud of. Even if you haven’t been recognized or received an award for this talent, think about why it’s important to you.
- How have you developed or honed this skill/talent? What does it help you achieve? What have you learned in the process?
Sample essay:
My greatest skill is communicating calmly under pressure. I first noticed it through debate, where clear, concise speech mattered more than volume, but I truly understood its value when I became a lifeguard.
One afternoon, a young swimmer panicked in the deep end. I jumped in, following my training exactly, but what stuck with me wasn’t the rescue; it was the conversation afterwards. The boy was crying and shaking, so I spoke softly, reassuring him he was safe until his breathing slowed.
That day, I realized that effective communication isn’t just about clarity, it’s about empathy. Since then, I’ve relied on the skill in every environment: dealing. with disagreements on my volleyball team, helping anxious students as a peer tutor, or guiding new coworkers during shifts at the pool.
Good communication requires patience and precision. It means listening carefully, reading body language, and adjusting tone. I’ve learned that words can either escalate the tension or dissolve it entirely.
This ability has shaped how I lead and learn. Whether in the pool, classroom, or workplace, I try to make people feel heard and safe. At UC, I hope to bring that same calm, collaborative energy to group projects and campus life because sometimes the right words at the right time can change everything.
4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
Things to think about:
- An educational opportunity can be anything that has bettered your educational experience or helped prepare you for post-secondary. Think enrichment programs, academies, or advanced courses.
- For barriers, focus on how you overcame them, the skills you developed to help you, and what you learned about yourself or how you grew in the process.
Sample essay:
During the summer before grade 12, I enrolled in an introductory entrepreneurship course at a local university. There was no credit for this course; I simply took it because I wanted to explore a new area of business that wasn’t covered in my high school course, and I wanted to discover how to turn my business ideas into realities.
On the first day, the instructor introduced our final project: we had to develop a business concept and present it to a panel of instructors and local entrepreneurs. I was immediately intimidated, but I knew I had been the one to push my parents to sign me up for this course, and since there was no backing out now, I got to work.
When I started brainstorming, I thought about the boxes of unsold spirit wear sitting in our school’s storage room: shirts from past events that no one wanted anymore. They represented waste, but also potential. I sketched out an idea for a student-run pop-up that would repurpose those leftovers into new designs, tie-dyed, cropped, or embroidered, and sell them at future events. It combined creativity, sustainability, and school pride.
As I built my business plan, I learned practical lessons about pricing, budgeting, and marketing, but the real learning happened between the numbers. I realized I love the process of connecting small problems to larger opportunities, and that I’m most confident when presenting ideas I truly believe in.
That class showed me that entrepreneurship isn’t only about business: it’s about curiosity and resourcefulness. It taught me to look at what already exists and imagine how it could be reworked into something better. More importantly, it helped me understand how I learn best: by experimenting, taking risks, and refining ideas through feedback. I left the course not just with a business concept, but with a clearer sense of how I think, create, and lead.
The experience didn’t just teach me how businesses start; it helped me see how I start, by noticing what others overlook and daring to turn that into something new.
5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
Things to think about:
- This challenge could be personal, or something you’ve faced in your community or school. Think about how you overcame it, what you learned, and who supported you along the way.
- As always with challenge questions, spend less time describing the challenge and more time discussing how you overcame it and your growth.
Sample essay:
When I first became captain of our robotics team, I was determined to make our competition project the best we’d ever built. I created a detailed schedule, divided tasks, and set high expectations. But halfway through the season, our progress stalled. Meetings dragged, deadlines slipped,and I could feel team morale dropping. I blamed the lack of effort until one teammate finally told me, “You’re not listening to anyone else’s ideas.” I was shocked, but she was right. I had been so focused on leading that I forgot to collaborate.
That night, I scrapped my rigid plan and called a meeting where everyone could share feedback, no judgment, no hierarchy. We identified our biggest obstacle: unclear roles. Together, we restructured the workflow so each member owned a part of the design or code.
The change was immediate. People showed up excited again. Our robot didn’t win that year, but the team dynamic completely shifted. I learned that leadership isn’t about control; it’s about creating space for others to succeed. Academically, that experience changed how I approached group projects. Instead of trying to direct everything, I began facilitating by asking questions, seeking input, and trusting others’ strengths. In our next robotics season, we didn’t just build a better robot; we built a better team.
Failure was the most valuable feedback I could have received. It taught me humility, patience, and that progress depends as much on communication as it does skill.
6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
Things to think about:
- If you have a subject or topic that you can’t stop thinking about, this question is for you. How did your interest develop? What have you done to further that interest? What experiences have you had (like volunteerwork, internships, clubs, employment) that have helped explore this interest?
- You may also want to discuss how this interest is connected to your future major or career and how you hope to pursue it at UC.
Sample essay:
Psychology makes the invisible visible. It turns habits, emotions, and decisions into patterns we can study and understand. My interest began in grade 10 after watching a documentary about the Stanford Prison Experiment. I couldn’t stop thinking about how easily an environment could change behaviour.
That concept led me down a rabbit hole. I read Thinking, Fast and Slow, listened to Hidden Brain, and began noticing psychological principles everywhere: my volleyball teams’ confidence fluctuating with positive feedback, classmates’ study habits shaped by routine and reward.
To explore further, I joined my school’s peer tutoring program, which gave me the chance to work with students while learning about motivation and mindset. Some students needed structure, others encouragement, both were psychological. This year, I designed an independent research project for AP Research on how social media affects teens’ self-perception. I created surveys, ran focus groups, and analyzed data, effectively turning my curiosity into empirical learning.
Psychology combines everything I love: science, empathy, and connection. It helps me understand others and myself. At UC, I hope to study cognitive science and behavioural science to explore how environment shapes thought and how small changes can improve wellbeing on a larger scale.
7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
Things to think about:
- For this question, you can define community in any way you see fit, but make sure to discuss your role within that community.
- Was there a problem or challenge facing your community? How did your actions benefit the community? What did you learn along the way?
Sample essay:
When my grandmother moved into a long-term care home after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, I noticed how lonely many residents seemed, especially during COVID restrictions. I wanted to help, even in a small way.
I organized “Memory Hour,” a volunteer program where students visited monthly to read aloud, play cards, and create art with residents. Our first session was awkward since most students didn’t know what to say, but soon, genuine friendships formed.
As the program grew, I worked with the care home director to pair volunteers with residents based on shared interests. A chess-playing senior now teaches strategy to one of our volunteers; another resident paints weekly with an art student.
The experience changed how I view service. Impact doesn’t always come from big projects; it comes from consistency and connection. Simply showing up, week after week, made residents light up when they saw us walk in. This project also taught me empathy, patience, and leadership rooted in compassion. It also inspired my interest in health sciences and gerontology. Making my community better started with helping my grandmother, but it grew into a commitment to improving care and connection for others, too.
8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
Things to think about:
- If there’s anything else you want the University of California to know, this is your chance.
- Think about skills, talents, challenges, or opportunities that you haven’t had a chance to discuss elsewhere and have helped make you a better candidate for UC.
Sample essay:
What I believe makes me a strong candidate for the University of California is the way I combine creativity with purpose. I see problems, like the waste created by fast fashion, and feel compelled to design solutions that are both practical and expressive.
In high school, that perspective shaped nearly everything I did. What started as a hobby of reworking thrifted clothes grew into Re:Wear, a student-led upcycling initiative that turned donated garments into new designs and raised awareness about textile waste. I organized a pop-up sale to benefit a local recycling charity and collaborated with our environmental club to host a “repair and reuse” workshop. Through these projects, I learned how design thinking and environmental responsibility can intersect to make small but meaningful changes.
Beyond the creative work itself, I discovered that my strength lies in connecting ideas, like seeing how fashion relates to sustainability, how art can inspire activism, and how local efforts can influence global thinking. Those connections are what drive me academically as well; they’re why I’m drawn to UC’s interdisciplinary opportunities, where innovation isn’t limited to one subject or field.
I want to continue exploring how consumer habits, materials science, and social awareness can come together to redefine sustainability. More importantly, I want to contribute to a community that values curiosity, collaboration, and impact—the same qualities that have guided every project I’ve built so far.
I’m not just interested in studying solutions to environmental problems; I’m interested in designing them, one idea, one garment, one community at a time.
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Admissions is a dynamic field and process. This post was written in August of 2025, and the information discussed was accurate at the time of writing, but that information may be different when you are reading this post. Please check each institution’s website for the most recent information.
