california institute of technology supplemental essays

How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays: Examples + Guide 2024/2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What are the caltech supplemental essay prompts.

• How to write each prompt for Caltech
• Prompt #1: Required academic interest essay
• Prompt #2: Required STEM activities & curiosity essay
• Prompt #3: Required "Why major" essay
• Prompt #4: Required short answer essay
• Prompt #5: Required short answer essay
• Prompt #6: Optional short answer essay
• Prompt #7: Optional short answer essay
• Prompt #8: Optional short answer essay

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “You know, I think I’m really looking for a school that teaches students how to launch eggs using trebuchets,” then you should probably take a look at Caltech.

Well known for its strong science and engineering programs, nestled below the San Gabriel mountains near Pasadena, and linked to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech offers aspiring STEM students a fun, beautiful place to build a foundation for their future careers.

Because of that, Caltech is a very selective school, and you’ll want to spend a good amount of time developing strong responses to its supplemental essays. To explore how, check out the guide below.

If you want to get a clearer sense of what Caltech is looking for, you can explore an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set . 

And a note that Caltech is pretty clear and direct about what it looks for in essays and what it looks for in students .

2024-2025 Required Short Answers:

Your STEM Future - STEM Academic Interests

Caltech has a rigorous core curriculum and students don't declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore. *Note that you are under no obligation to follow this choice if admitted.

a) If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? b) Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected 'other', what topics are you interested in pursuing? (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)

Your STEM Present - STEM Curiosity

Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (Min: 50 / Max: 150 words)

Your STEM Past - STEM Experiences

At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM.

Please share two STEM-related experiences:

a) Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any STEM topic, and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion over time. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words) b) Tell us about a STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)

Creativity in Action Question

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech's students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars. But Techers also imagine smaller-scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to how to 3D-print dorm decor to experimenting in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (Min: 200 / Max: 250 words)

Caltech Values Question

Caltech's values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. How have you cultivated this value in your own life? (Min: 50 / Max: 200 words)

Optional Short Answer Questions

We know, we know ... you see optional and start to wonder if we mean it. But in this section, we truly do! See these as completely optional opportunities to show us more of your personality.

Optional. We promise.

If there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below. (Max: 150 words) When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. We understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. What is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy? (Max: 100 words) Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too. Tell us about another hobby or interest! (Max: 150 words)

Optional Academic Short Answer Questions

Have you had any extenuating circumstances (such as limited course selection or disruptions), that have affected your coursework, but that are not described elsewhere in your application? If so, tell us about them here.

How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Caltech

How to write caltech supplemental essay prompt #1.

a.) If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? (Select from the dropdown list provided) (Dropdown: Please indicate your proposed area of interest at Caltech.) (Dropdown: If you have one, please indicate your second area of interest at Caltech.) b.) Why did you choose that area of interest? (200 words max)

This is a classic “Why Major” essay.  You’ll find a step-by-step guide to writing this essay at this link , but here’s the short version:

Step #1: Imagine a mini-movie of the moments that led you to your interest in STEM and create a simple, bullet point outline.*

Step #2: Put your moments (aka the “scenes” of your mini-movie) in chronological order, as it’ll help you see how your interests developed. It also makes it easier to write transitions.

Step #3: Decide if you want to include a specific thesis that explicitly states your central argument—in this case what you want to study and why. This thesis can be at the beginning, middle, or end of your essay.

Step #4: Write a draft!

Important note before writing your response: When choosing your mini-moments, note that there’s potential for overlap in your answers to some of the other Caltech prompts, so consider carefully which experiences you’ll focus on for each prompt to avoid redundancy in your answers. Since this is Caltech, with an obvious emphasis on... tech, it’s possible the prompts were designed this way to urge you to show depth and diversity in your STEM interests and experiences.

Here’s a great example (written for another school but also applicable here).

I fell in love with computers at nine when I learned how to make a graphical turtle crawl across the screen, and I’ve written code every week since. I am self-taught in nine programming languages (my favorite is C++), which I learned through iteration and persistence. Teaching advanced algorithms at a programming bootcamp for the past two years allowed me to share my love of computer science with others. My interest in CS runs deep—from studying memory virtualization to the beauty of the B-Tree O(log n) search algorithm. Writing protein folding simulations for my biology teacher peaked my interest in computational science. Building real-world machine learning models during each of the last two summers expanded my awareness of the types of problems computers can help solve. Over the years, though, I have shaped a focus: security. In the process of running multiple servers, developing custom security software, and configuring the switching and routing for a 96-computer network, I became fascinated with the challenge of creating secure systems. Software has found its way into all aspects of our lives, creating staggering risks to privacy and security. These are problems I want to study, understand, and solve. (196 words) — — —

Tips + Analysis

Take the reader on your journey. Did you feel the author practically grab your hand and pull you along the exhilarating ride of their lifelong love affair with computers? Each paragraph is chock full of the myriad ways they’ve engaged with their object of desire. You get a great picture of the student’s skills and accomplishment, as well as their self-motivated pursuit of their passion.

Let your geek flag fly. This writer exudes about memory virtualization and the B-Tree O(log n) search algorithm, knowing they’re talking to leaders in the field (and who knows, potentially future collaborators!). Knowledge of specialized language is a great way to demonstrate fit to major, so feel free to use lingo as you normally would to show you know your stuff.

Share why you care. This essay isn’t just a list of all the things the student has done. It’s a reflection of why computers matter to them and what they plan to do with them. You hear that they value sharing knowledge with others and see themselves using computers to solve real-world problems. Find those “mini-movie moments” to show how you’ve fallen in love with your field of interest over time.

Look ahead. “Why Major” essays are the natural place to talk about potential future careers, if you know what you want to pursue. Even if you don’t know yet, you can still end the essay by looking forward to how the major you’re interested in will prepare you for life after college.

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #2

Here’s a chance to celebrate your nerdy side.

Are you a student that gets so excited talking or thinking about photovoltaic efficiency that you don’t even notice the sun going down?

Great. Here’s your chance to dive in and show us.

And a note that while they do directly say “be as specific or broad as you would like,” writing well and being broad can be difficult to do simultaneously. You can try if you want. But we’ve generally found that picking something specific that gets you excited and curious is easier to build an essay around.

Check out this example, about one high school experience.

In my ROP Manufacturing Engineering Technology Course, I’m learning about the application of math in manufacturing. We’ve worked on isometrics, including drawing the different views of a 3D object and solving the missing dimensions. Now, I’ve begun learning g-code for CNC mill programming: first linear interpolation then circular interpolation. I’ve loved thinking through what a machine would do step by step, and I feel great accomplishment when my program finally runs correctly. I wrote a program to carve out my own design of a camera with a heart in the lens. Currently, I’m learning Mastercam CAD/CAM software. I can’t wait to take the Advanced course in the Spring semester to further pursue engineering fundamentals. (115 words) — — —

Focus on clarity and specificity. While hooks can be great, you’ll want to be pretty stingy with your word count for this essay. The above example dives straight in, clearly setting up the experience for the reader with the first lines (and using the specificity of the experience to be a little hook-like). Then, it gets into some nice, specific detail regarding what the student did, and why the experience matters. Notice how much the language focuses on clarity and detail.

Show your chops. This example shows the student doing some higher-level STEM work. It gets into complex, interesting experiences in a (focused) range of areas, using language that may not mean much to the average reader but that shows they’ve already started developing the scientific chops they’ll need at Caltech.

Connect to your values through reflection. We refer to this as the “so what” element of the essay—above, some of the word count toward the end is devoted to helping the reader understand why this experience was meaningful. This reflection on meaning is something that the essay above has, and could have done even more so with some of the remaining word count. Be sure to spend some time exploring why the details and experiences you’ve discussed connect to some of your core values by reflecting on what they’ll allow you to pursue or explore, and why those things matter to you. Consider linking to specific, dynamic problems you’re interested in working on.

Here’s a bonus essay we love, written for another school (and a longer word count), but a great example of how to repurpose other essays to fit multiple prompts. 

Example:  

At the Biotechnology Open House at Santiago Canyon College, I participated in gel electrophoresis, separating red, blue, and purple dyes by running current through the gel with the buffer solution. The purple dye separated into two bands of blue and red. Observing that the red moved farther than the blue, I concluded that the molecules were smaller and moved through the gel quicker. After learning that electrophoresis is even used to separate DNA, I had the opportunity to extract DNA from my cheek cells. I was amazed to see my own genetic blueprint in a tube! These experiments excited me to learn more about how biology and engineering can create pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and environmental products to benefit society. (118 words) — — —

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #3

At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM. Please share two STEM-related experiences: a) Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any STEM topic, and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion over time. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words) b) Tell us about a STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)

Caltech wants a bright, curious, independent student body. It’s looking for intellectual vitality, and this essay is your opportunity to show that side of yourself. 

What about STEM gets you fired up and why? 

You can talk about one of those school or pet projects that you just can’t get enough of, that make your mind spin about the big questions and dream up the answers. Think about things that have inspired you to go down research rabbit holes, that have motivated you to take action, or that have enhanced your understanding of a subject. Choose experiences that genuinely pique your curiosity. Don’t pick something just because you think Caltech will like it. Genuine interest is both easy to write about and hard to fake! 

Check out this example about one high school experience (it would have to be shortened to meet this year’s lower word count).

When I was doing customer research for my chemistry practice website, I came across another, much larger issue with education: the lack of personalized learning. It stuck with me. I knew if I could create a solution, I would be helping many students, like my friends, reach their goals. Also, the idea of an engine that can recommend lessons based on your learning style just seemed super cool. As I dug deeper into the issue, I realized I didn’t have the skills to even scratch the surface. So I started developing what I needed to build a system that recommends lessons based on learning style. On my own time, I learned about machine learning algorithms, from linear regressions to k-nearest neighbor classifiers, and whenever I could I applied these skills on mini research projects—finding trends, then using data to create an algorithm that predicts other data. At school, I took a rigorous machine learning course where one of my final projects was using data from Portuguese schools to analyze what factors lead to good grades.  Looking ahead, I’m hoping to study computational neuroscience to properly know how the brain solidifies connections and recalls information. With the two together, I could create a model of how a person learns based on different stimuli, and recommend different lessons based on the stimuli. I still have quite a bit to learn, but if I manage it, it could have a powerful impact on the educations of students around the world. (247 words) — — —

Identify the problem. The core of STEM is problem-solving—tackling some of society’s great challenges. Let your response show how you think and how you approach problems and solutions. The problem could be something global, like an environmental issue, or more individual, like the lack of personalized learning this student chose to address. Get your reader engaged in your curiosity by describing the impact of the problem or what it would mean if you could resolve it. Then dive into talking about a project or experience that allowed you to explore that issue. Bonus points if you can describe an outcome you’ve already achieved.

Show initiative. This student got curious about personalized learning and then taught themselves the skills needed to build the learning system they envisioned. This is the kind of self-starting innovation we believe Caltech is looking for. How have you pursued the subjects that pique your curiosity?

Use an extracurricular: We love how this student used this essay as an opportunity to elaborate on an extracurricular: building a chemistry practice website. If this prompt stumps you, look to your Activities List for inspiration!

Focus on the future: What takes this essay to the next level is the final paragraph. The student is doing two things: 1) transforming the issue (impersonal education) into a learning goal (“how the brain solidifies connections and recalls information”) and an action item (“[creating] a model of a how a person learns based on different stimuli, and recommend different lessons based on the stimuli”), and 2) stating a professional goal—make a “powerful impact on the education of students around the world.” This is a high-level maneuver and an inspiring way to stick the landing. 

Here’s a bonus essay we love, written for another school (and a longer word count), but a great example of how to repurpose other essays to fit multiple prompts.

I am fascinated by patterns. Learning the art of writing Chinese characters taught me to pay attention to a pattern’s reference points, where deeper meaning lies. My favorite character, XIAO, from the word XIAOSHUN, visualizes a central tenet of Confucianism: the lifelong supporting relationship between parent and child. The top part, LAO, means old. The bottom part, ZI, means son. Mandarin, like many other ancient languages, provides a code of behavior.  During quarantine, I enrolled in IBM's AI For Everyone and Harvard's CS50 on edX and traveled down a TED rabbit hole. While intriguing to learn that each emoji is made up of patterns like this: 11111011000000010, I was captured by the human applications technology like AI provides. With AI’s pending impacts worldwide, I feel driven to ensure society doesn't experience potentially harmful implications of technology.  How do we embed universally ethical reference points in algorithms for AI to exhibit empathy, recognizing XIAO encourages a relationship of support?  Humans and machines have processing limitations. In his research paper, Linguistics Professor John Whitman taught me that grammar, typically regionally similar, immensely influences humans’ cognition abilities. AI’s applications will be universal, so likewise, its grammar or code must be universal. By learning how people segment information and optimizing this cross-cultural data in a beneficial way, algorithms’ limitations will be reduced. If ethically structured, AI will inherently learn to reflect moral behaviors.  While it’s a big task to construct an ethical and empathetic AI, I believe I will find the tools at Stanford. (250 words) — — —

And here’s another example, though it would need to be significantly shortened.

Artificial Intelligence fascinates me as a technology and a tool. Although AI relies on underlying algorithms and a defined goal, when fed data within those constraints, it can produce unexpected, unpredictable outcomes. AI forms uncommon connections within large datasets, making it seem like the technology itself is thinking outside the box. In reality, this is a result of AI continually making data-based complex, unbiased decisions based on data without fatigue. This capability of AI most intrigues me. Spotify’s music recommendations and Instagram’s user-specific posts feed are examples of how widely applicable AI is. My personal first hands-on exposure to AI was through Columbia University’s Summer Intensive Program, where I took Big Data, Machine Learning, and Their Real-World Uses. I learned about analyzing and modeling data, creating algorithms, regressions, trees, and neural nets, all while continually applying what I learned on my own and with others in projects and workshops. By the end of the class after a large group project that used AI to analyze climate change, I found I was deeply impressed by the potential for this technology in real-world applications.  With my long-standing interest in music, I decided to apply the skills I learned from this course to the music industry. My idea was to give Spotify users the ability to view their top songs, artists, genres, and albums on-demand by utilizing Spotify’s API. Although the goal of my project was to present data efficiently using programming, I learned how Spotify handles streaming data and gained a newfound appreciation for Spotify's underlying algorithms and AI systems. I plan to continue my pursuit of computer science at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Courses like Intro Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning will equip me with the knowledge to understand how AI systems are created and optimized and give me the tools to later expand the scope and depth of AI usage. Additionally, I would love to pursue internships and participate in undergraduate research in Professor Jim Kyung-Soo Liew’s study of big data machine learning. At JHU I hope to follow an interdisciplinary path, focusing on CS and also branching out to business in order to foster my ability to create and come up with new ideas that have practical  applications for  the tech industry. (376 words) — — —

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #4

You don't aspire to attend Caltech if you don't have big ideas and the nerve to test them out. What have you created, invented, or innovated? What have you come up with that no one else has, whether it’s an actual invention, an idea, a process, or something else? It might be that gadget you dreamed up and hacked out the prototype for late one night. Or the improved method you developed for your team to document and share its collaborative research. Or maybe it was the summer you decided to teach yourself a new skill for each of 67 days.  Think of a time you didn't just build code in CS or work on a team in robotics, but you actually innovated—changed something for the better or brought something new into the world.

Keeping with the novelty theme, be sure to save this experience for this prompt only and not mention it in your answers to other prompts.

Whatever it is, this is where you get to show off a bit. They’re talking not just Nobel Prizes and Mars rovers, but smaller-scale everyday innovations like techie room decor. If you have a rockstar achievement, this is your time to bring it out and play it loud. But if you don’t, that’s not a problem for Caltech, as the prompt signals that quieter inventions are just as interesting. The question is how you’ve innovated in your own life. As we see in this example (written for a previous prompt with a longer word count), this author paved the way for herself and other young women to excel in STEM.

Note that this example was written for an older version of the prompt with a larger word count.

Why are Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant all female? Because women are often just seen as “assistants”. Society has made some progress, but women still make up only 25 percent of STEM workers.  Last year I was chosen as my school’s delegate to California Girls State. Among other things, the program brought to light to me how big the gender gap really is. Women are underrepresented at every level in STEM--and the higher you go, the greater the gap. Like myself, many of the other delegates are pursuing careers in STEM, and we helped each other understand the importance of having a supportive community of intelligent, empowered young women.  Inspired by Girls State, I’ve become more proactive in my school and community. As Vice President of the Angel Heart Club this year, I’ve worked to recruit new members, helped organize and run meetings, and guided others on how to craft the cards we make to send to children with congenital heart disease in China. I also continue to volunteer at the hospital, helping to discharge patients, deliver food, and transport x-rays from radiology to the ER. But since Girls State, I’ve begun to take greater initiative, volunteering to cover other people’s shifts and taking on tasks that others are reluctant to, like running the tea cart to support nurses and doctors.  At Caltech, I would like to join Women in Physics, Math and Astronomy (WiPMA), which offers a similar supportive community. There, I will listen and interact with female scientist guest speakers, and build confidence and skills alongside my female peers. I hope to join Engineers Without Borders because I am interested in designing and implementing sustainable engineering projects. After working with the H20 for Life Club, I am aware of the global water crisis and would love to get involved in the current project of establishing a spring water source protection system that will help provide clean water for about 300 households in the surrounding Ilam District of Nepal.  I would also like to get involved in Caltech Chemistry Club, demonstrating my love of chemistry and inspiring young children about the wonders of science. I would also like to listen to faculty members discuss career options in the field of chemistry and the yearly guest speaker talk about current innovative chemical research.    I want to be the boss, not just an assistant. I believe Caltech can help. (399 words) — — —

Grab ’em at the start and pull ’em right along. This example has a pretty rad hook. It provokes with an engaging query and sets up the theme of the essay—empowering women in STEM. Then the clear topic sentences guide the reader through the main points. It’s possible, perhaps likely, that your reader will be reading quickly to the point of skimming. Because of this, structural elements like clear topic sentences help ensure the reader doesn’t miss anything important or feel lost. This student also does a nice job bookending the final lines.

Get specific. The author details each of the ways she created more opportunities for herself and others, from representing her school at Girls State and gaining new skills at the hospital to recruiting new members to the community organization she leads. Describe your role and actions in detail.

Show why it matters. In every essay, you want to answer the question, “So what?” Why were you moved to create in this way? What problem did you want to solve, or who did you want to affect and how? How is the world a better place thanks to your inventiveness? Now that you’ve done this thing, what’s the impact? When your reader is invested in your intention, they’ll celebrate your accomplishment. And you for sure want them cheering for you.

Make the match. Because the previous prompt additionally asked students to identify how they hoped to innovate with their Caltech peers, this author described the campus clubs she hoped to get involved with. But it never hurts to smuggle in a few “Why us?” elements into your essays, establishing why your interests and abilities are a perfect fit for Caltech. Naming specific courses, programs, activities, or professors’ work you’re interested in exploring shows you’ve done your research and discovered how the school specifically offers what you want in an education. While it isn’t necessary for this prompt, if you want to level-up in this way, you can read more about how to do it at the link above.

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #5

For this prompt, Caltech is directly highlighting one of their core values (respect for and engaging with a diversity of thought and ideas), and giving students an opportunity to show how they align with Caltech. 

An older version of this prompt talked about valuing an openness and enthusiasm for having preconceptions challenged, and that could still be a useful frame for this new version: are there ways that you have engaged with others that have shifted how you see things? 

To learn more about this type of diversity prompt (experience or conversation with someone who is different from you), you can also check out this guide to answering diversity prompts .

And a note that this prompt might be in response to the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, to which Caltech responded that they “remain committed to pedagogical and research practices that engage, motivate, and support students from all backgrounds.” 

By upholding these values, Caltech could be looking to see how future students hope to uphold these same values. While you don’t have to touch specifically on race, if there was a time when you’ve worked with others from a different background or upbringing from you, or if you’ve worked to give help expand the opportunities available to others,  you might consider responding to this prompt by exploring some of the following: 

Give the reader some context. The reader will want to know what the context is–who are you interacting with, for what purposes, and how have the experiences of the people you’re mentioning been different from yours? Setting this up will allow you to illustrate the situation first, then expand on the experience later with what you learned, which brings us to…

Don’t forget to focus on what you learned. As with many/most other essays, focus on what you learned from this experience of interacting with others; this will highlight your growth, how you view the world, and how you’ll be able to contribute to a diverse community at Caltech. 

Don’t be afraid to acknowledge differences. This prompt specifically asks you to address your respect for diversity of thoughts and ideas. It’s OK, and even encouraged, to acknowledge these differences, which shows the reader your awareness of those with different backgrounds and how you still created a community with those around you. 

Don’t think you have to write about a knee-jerk issue and a blow-up here. You can. But the point of this prompt is essentially to help a college see the kind of student you will be in a classroom—can you engage with people who disagree with you in ways that lead to productive discussions rather than just shouting or conflict. (See Tips below for more on this.)

Focus more on the engagement, change, and growth than on the conflict. How you engaged on the issue, what you learned, and how you grew are far more important to your readers here than the conflict itself. You can plan on spending fairly little word count on the conflict/topic, so that you can spend most of your time exploring some deeper whys.

Here’s an example that was written for a different school but could work well with word count cuts.

I probably argue with my grandfather more than I do with most other people combined. It’s not because we’re at odds. We just have different perspectives, influenced by our experiences—his as a life-long resident of India, mine as a first-generation American.  One pretty common argument we have is over Eastern vs. Western medicine. My solution to a headache, for example, is to take Advil. His is to rub Tiger Balm on his forehead and coconut oil on the soles of his feet. I try to convince him of the benefits of taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, describing how it can reduce inflammation by blocking the production of certain chemicals. He tries to convince me that the balm creates a cooling effect, distracting the brain from pain and relaxing the muscles. Rather than becoming sore at or resentful of each other, we’ve grown closer through these debates, and I’ve learned how to disagree without letting the situation get acrimonious. Through these interactions, I’ve learned that a discussion shouldn’t be confrontational. The purpose isn’t to win, but to share my knowledge with the other party and learn from them as well. So rather than saying, “Rubbing balm on your forehead is stupid; you should just take Advil,” I say, “While rubbing balm on your forehead seems to work, I’ve noticed that taking an Advil has a stronger and more immediate effect.” Respecting the opposing party makes them more willing to hear you out.  I’ve also learned there’s a fine line between logic and emotion. I try not to take personally the things my grandfather says in an argument. Just because he doesn’t think taking Advil is the better solution doesn’t mean he thinks I’m stupid. If I take it that way, we begin to move away from what the argument really was about—the facts.  I’ll continue to apply these learnings in discussions and debates I have with others, realizing that having  a “successful argument” isn’t about winning. It’s about sharing my opinion and learning from theirs, expanding our perspectives without alienating each other. (340 words) — — —

Show your stance. One common fear with these “differing opinion” supplemental essays is that the admissions officer reading it may not agree with your stance or belief. This is actually not the point of these essays. Many colleges have opted to ask this question because of widespread public concern around free speech on college campuses , and requests from their college leadership (such as the Board of Trustees) to identify students who are willing to listen to multiple viewpoints. And this prompt and Caltech’s own website help illustrate their institutional goals around free speech. Given this, a student’s response is more powerful when they specifically clarify that their own position is, rather than sticking to vague terminology so that the reader will see them as “neutral.” Otherwise, you run the risk of coming off as apathetic or indifferent, which lessens the meaning and significance of your example. Here, this student gives specific examples of their support for Western medicine. Sure, it’s not the most controversial opinion, but again, that’s not necessarily the goal! You can choose any opinion, so long as it demonstrates your values and beliefs and a change in how you approach dialogue.

Unveil your “software update.” You know when your phone annoyingly lets you know that you have to install a critical software update to use your favorite app (and you’re like… ugh, bruh, it was working fine before)? Well, in this case, the admissions officer is actually actively craving that update notification. They want to know specifically how your approach has changed when navigating differing opinions. This student does exactly that by using actual quotations: “So rather than saying, ‘Rubbing balm on your forehead is stupid; you should just take Advil,’ I say, ‘While rubbing balm on your forehead seems to work, I’ve noticed that taking an Advil has a stronger and more immediate effect.’” The “2.0” version of this student is more advanced, more sophisticated, and more willing to tackle complex “bugs”—without corrupting someone else’s data. Whether you quote yourself or not, be sure to use this essay as a chance to unveil  “You 2.0” to colleges. 

Be willing to be wrong. We can learn as much from our failures as we do from our successes. In fact, sometimes, it says more about us when we’re willing to be vulnerable enough to admit we’re wrong—or, at least, not entirely right. This student echoes that point, acknowledging it “isn’t about winning.” Instead, having viewpoints that are different from those he respects and admires helped him learn about balancing logic and emotion as well as practice the art of listening.

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #6

Optional: If there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below. (Max: 150 words)

Have you said everything you need to say to help Caltech make a decision about you? Are there any aspects of your life or your experiences that haven’t come out so far in your other essays? This essay is optional, but you might use it to share about a learning difference, your long-standing love affair with the upright bass, the particular impact a certain relationship has had on your learning journey. If there’s an aspect of your identity that you haven’t shared, this is the place to highlight it. 

Although this prompt is new for Caltech this year, here’s an essay written for a similar prompt for MIT that works well.

My great-grandpa’s eyes twinkle as my 5-year-old self struggles to stir the giant pot of cioppino. Like this traditional seafood dish, I too am an Italian-American originating from California.  My very loud family crowds my house each holiday, relegating me to an air mattress, a sacrifice I’m more than willing to make. The rooms fill with stories and laughter as we down pizzelles and compete in a cutthroat cookie-decorating contest. Likewise, my California beginnings, though brief, had a sizable impact on my life. I was a year old when we left, but California’s adventurous culture is part of my identity, reinforced by annual trips to visit relatives. From hiking San Jacinto Peak, to days at Disneyland, where my grandparents and mom worked, each excursion left me giddily exhausted. The true centerpiece of our get-togethers isn’t the cioppino, but the stories and experiences that connect us as family. (147 words) — — —

Delight with detail. Great-grandpa’s “eyes twinkle” as a 5-year-old stirs a pot of cioppino. The kids sleep on air mattresses when the family comes. They eat pizzelles and hike San Jacinto Peak. (Pro tip: Proper nouns catch the reader's eye and almost always add unique and interesting info.) The specificity in this answer conveys precise data about multiple aspects of this student’s identity (Italian-American, big family, California roots).

Values, values, values. This essay enthralls with food and fun, but ii’s ultimately talking about the importance of family and knowing where you come from. Why is it important to you to share this piece of your identity? Why do you value it, and why should Caltech? 

Reflect, reflect, reflect. Notice how the final lines of this essay evince the student’s capacity for self-reflection. We believe this is a highly-prized quality that Caltech and all schools are looking for because it shows maturity and higher-order thinking. By zooming out on what you’ve shared, you’ll want to ask yourself: What’s the meaning that you find in it?

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #7

Optional: When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. We understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. What is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy? (Max: 200 words)

How to pick a topic:

Choose something that actually brings you joy. 

In seven other essays, you’ve already bragged about your accomplishments and submitted your resume in paragraph form. You don’t have to sound serious or perfect here. What are you really into?

Note that you can explore something related to STEM here, but this might be a good chance to show what you use as “an outlet” (as Caltech puts it) . 

Don’t mislead or exaggerate! If you truly love doing this thing, it’ll show. And that in turn will tell something interesting and important about you. Take a look at your brainstorming work and see whether there are any random/odd/fun parts of you that haven’t yet made their way into your application.

Here are some example essays with tips + analysis:

Whispers and giggles in the dark. I step on a knee and climb up to the blue awnings above the elementary school playground. Lying flat on our backs with eyes pointed to the sky, we are eager for a glimpse of the twinkling lights above. Surrounded by my best friends, my squad, my people, my family—I never feel more at home. Free from the world below, nothing is off-limits. Our hopes, dreams, and fears are shared as the stars reflect off our eyes.  Other times I contemplate the stars in solitude. My mind quiets, the wheels stop churning, and I am alone with my thoughts. Staring up at the night sky filled with balls of burning gas, I realize those stars are a window into the past—millions of years ago. My brain immediately wanders to what Earth was like when those stars were still burning. Humans weren’t roaming. The ideas I love to analyze were not yet conceived. The history books I love to read weren’t written. Human history, our history, hadn’t even started.  For that magical moment, lying there and gazing up at those stars, I can catch my breath. I escape from a world that only seems to get busier and more stressful every day. Looking up in wonder, I feel nothing but peace. Stargazing brings me joy. (220 words) — — —

  Sprinkle in details that show more values. This student does a great job of sprinkling in details that illustrate even more values beyond what they might’ve already shared. They write about stargazing in relation to being surrounded by loved ones (values: maybe close connections, family, friendship, or community), but also in solitude, the ability to wonder and contemplate while alone—showing yet more sides of them that may have not been as apparent in other areas of their application.  

Sneak in other interests. While stargazing is the main focus of this essay, this student finds a way to connect this topic to the history books they love to read, signaling yet another non-STEM related interest. Mentioning this shows not only their intellectual curiosity, but well-roundedness (though again, for Caltech, STEM is first and foremost). 

Experiment with structure. You might notice that this student doesn’t directly name “stargazing” as what brings them joy until the very end. In fact, they only use the word once in the entire essay! The key to making this work is leaving enough clues early on so that the reader can pinpoint the activity pretty quickly (they talk about looking up at the sky, the stars, balls of burning gas). Whether you decide to name the topic at the very beginning like the other example essays, or at the end like this one, or maybe even in the middle, try experimenting with structure to see what works for you. You might surprise yourself.

Hirigana’s grace, katakana’s vigor, kanji’s wisdom. Hand-lettering these Japanese scripts in a Kyoto calligraphy class showed me typography’s power to elicit emotion. I found thrilling nuance in the tiniest details, from the precision spacing of raised ink onto washi to the personality injected through stylized kamon . This glimpse sparked my obsession with how fonts can subconsciously shape our perceptions and decisions. I started noticing typography’s silent hand everywhere—in PowerPoint’s default Calibri telegraphing monotony; in my favorite book covers’ fluid hand-lettering whispering imagination. Diving into research papers and TED talks on font psychology, I learned how our split-second reactions to typefaces are informed by biases like the availability heuristic—judging a font’s meaning by the ease of associating it with past experiences (hence why I feel like a 5-year-old when reading something in Comic Sans).  Soon I was conducting my own experiments, probing into how design choices engage audiences. While refining Codin’s app interface, I was eager to iteratively A/B test not just layouts but subtle typographic elements—provoking amused head shakes from my team when I insisted on quantitatively evaluating the "spark joy" levels of various fonts. I also began leveraging typefaces to craft the narrative of my videos—using modern serifs to connote progress in how-to tutorials and whimsical scripts to evoke wanderlust in travelogues. And now, the detective-like thrill of uncovering the hidden messages conveyed in the typefaces all around us—from highway billboards to restaurant menus—has trained my mind to find joy in the subtle details. (246 words) — — —

Continue to “nerd out”. Just because you’re not talking about the STEM subject you’re passionate about doesn’t mean you can’t continue to nerd out. This student mentions diving into research papers, listening to TED talks, and conducting their own experiments. This not only showcases the student’s excitement, but also shows us the level of dedication to something they’re deeply interested in. 

Weave in your experiences. This student works in a variety of their previous experiences, from a Kyoto calligraphy class, to A/B testing, to video creation. While some of these may have shown up in their activities list or additional information section (or maybe even none at all), weaving in relevant experiences could either give readers a glimpse into a new side of your life, or at least gives readers the backstory for how some of these more unique activities came to be and how they mesh together. 

Tie the joy to another quality or skill. The student centers a majority of their essay on their interest in typography, giving us examples for how they’ve explored the topic. However, this student concludes their example with this line: “…uncovering the hidden messages conveyed in the typefaces all around us… has trained my mind to find joy in the subtle details.” By writing about this interest and sprinkling hints throughout (e.g. “thrilling nuance in the tiniest details”, “typography’s silent hand”, “detective-like thrill of uncovering hidden messages”), they have also been able to call attention to their skill of being detail-oriented. 

And here’s one more example…

In climbing, if you’re trying hard, you spend a lot more time falling down than actually going up; more time at the bottom looking up than at the top looking down. It’s a sport that requires patience and perseverance, and where failure means you’re pushing yourself. Apart from incredible physical strength, climbing requires technique and being able to quickly solve puzzles--reading routes. I suppose that is why I love it. Everything I do, I go full-throttle. Climbing pushes me to break down mental and physical barriers. I enjoy finding solutions to problems, putting the puzzle pieces together, reading the moves on a climb. I can work on something hard for weeks, months even, to finally see it come together perfectly. I read the route, try the beta, fall often, reevaluate, and try a different approach. The only way I get better is by trying routes so hard that I fall. (150 words) — — —

how to write Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompt #8

Optional: Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too. Tell us about another hobby or interest! (Max: 150 words)

Wind it up and do it again! This time in fewer words.

Want advice on dozens of other supplemental essays? Click here

Special thanks to Elica for contributing to this post.

Elica (she/her) is a college essay specialist who has a love of language in all forms; she has degrees in linguistics, has taught academic writing at the university level, and has been coaching students on their college and graduate school admissions essays for over 7 years. When she’s not working with students or writing, Elica can be found reading, printmaking, and exploring nature. 

Top Values: Collaboration | Curiosity | Patience

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 3

You Have: 

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 9 short essays ranging from 100 to 250 words each

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

How to Write Caltech Supplemental Essays

Caltech’s supplement is chock full of short-answer questions. As you wade through questions about your academic interests, projects, and passions, remember that Caltech seeks students who aren’t afraid to dive into the deep end of the pool: “Failure […] isn’t anything to fear. Our question is: How will you handle that?” Spend some time brainstorming about all your interests and experiences, whether successful or not, and you’ll get through this supplement swimmingly. Read on for more detailed advice on your Caltech supplemental essays!

Required STEM Academic Interest Question

Caltech has a rigorous core curriculum and students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. however, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore., if you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose, *note that you are under no obligation to follow this choice if admitted..

There’s only one trick to selecting a major or generating a straightforward list of your academic interests: be honest. If you already know what you want to major in or have it narrowed down to two choices, you’re set! Don’t waste time trying to strategize because choosing anything other than your true interests would be a misrepresentation of who you are and a disservice to yourself and the admissions office. This assignment will, no doubt, be most challenging for the undecideds, but ask yourself: how can I use this opportunity to reveal something about what excites me intellectually or academically? 

Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing? (Min: 100 / Max: 200 words)

You’ve only got 200 words, but if you chose wisely in the previous question, answering this one should be easy as pie. Whether you listed one or two interests, your goal here is to tell a cohesive story about your intellectual curiosity. Ideally, you should try to recount an anecdote that illustrates your engagement with your chosen field or demonstrates your ability to link together seemingly disparate fields. Perhaps you’re interested in both philosophy and astrophysics because each offers a way for you to contemplate our place in the universe. This is a great opportunity for you to explain how your intellectual interests relate to who you are as a person. Don’t waste it!

Required Short Answer Questions

Stem curiosity question, regardless of your stem interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever stem rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. be as specific or broad as you would like. (min: 50 / max: 150 words).

Admissions wants to learn more about a STEM topic that has monopolized your thoughts. When was the last time you went down an internet rabbit hole trying to research something? When were you extremely motivated to solve a problem or create something new? What topic are you hoping to be an expert on by the time you graduate college? Discuss an example of what truly fascinates you. Perhaps you’re really interested in the future of smart prosthetics. Maybe you’re obsessed with identifying Fibonacci sequences in the world around you. Share how you’ve already interacted with your area of interest: Did you attend a seminar about the topic? Have you read every book you can find on it? Do you have a personal connection to it? The bottom line here is to write about something that really fascinates you and share your enthusiasm for STEM. 

STEM Experiences Questions

At caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. we are interested in learning more about your engagement with stem., please share two stem-related experiences:, tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any stem topic, and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion over time. (min: 100 / max: 200 words), tell us about a stem-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (min: 100 / max: 200 words).

For these two short answer responses, we recommend using concrete sensory details to pull your reader into the story. For the first one, try to remember the moment your passion for science was sparked and caught fire. Was it a trip to the local observatory? Was it when you were mesmerized by a grandfather clock at your uncle’s house? Trace this initial moment to today, explaining how you have developed your interest over time. How did this experience lay the foundation for your future STEM-related pursuits? Strong responses will make the readers feel like they’re in the room where it happened (“the room where it happened” – Hamilton). As you write your response, make sure you include every detail you can remember; once it’s all on the page, you can edit it down to meet the 200-word limit. 

Now, for question two, think about a project you’ve done more recently that captured your attention and curiosity. What excited you about it? How did you develop your skills or interest in STEM as a result of your participation? If you’re applying to Caltech, we’re willing to bet you have a few experiences to choose from, so we recommend writing about the one that was most intellectually engaging for you.

Creativity Question

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won nobel prizes and put rovers on mars . but techers also imagine smaller-scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to how to 3d-print dorm decor to experimenting in the kitchen. how have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life (min: 200 / max: 250 words).

Admissions is seeking to invite movers and shakers to campus who are excited and motivated to turn their dreams into reality. Whether you’ve been experimenting with robotics or spending your summers researching ways to integrate renewable energy into daily life, this is the place to share your story. Show Admissions that you are not only planning to be an innovator, but have already taken steps to incorporate this approach in your day-to-day activities. The more specific details you can incorporate into your essay, the more sincere and personal it will feel (and be!). 

Caltech Values Question

Caltech’s values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. how have you cultivated this value in your own life (min: 50 / max: 200 words).

For this prompt, Caltech wants to know how its mission resonates with you, so think about how their values overlap with your own. This could be a great opportunity to recycle another supplemental essay you’ve written about engaging in conversation with someone who holds opposing beliefs or one you’ve written about embracing diversity and inclusion. If you don’t have any material to recycle here, don’t fret, odds are you have something to say about respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. Maybe you and your best friend pick a topic to debate over lunch every week so you can get deeper into both perspectives of each issue. Perhaps you started a suggestion box for your Robotics Club when you noticed that some members weren’t getting a chance to speak and share their ideas with the group. Whatever your story is, be sure to avoid generalizations and, instead, provide concrete examples. Anyone can write that they are respectful or open-minded, but not everyone is going to be able to exhibit those traits with real-life examples. Specifics are what stick in admissions’ minds!

Optional Short Answer Questions

We know, we know … you see optional and start to wonder if we mean it. but in this section, we truly do see these as completely optional opportunities to show us more of your personality., optional. we promise., if there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below. (max: 150 words).

Caltech knows that you are a multifaceted person, that your identity cannot be boiled down to nuggets of information on an application. That’s why Admissions is giving you this (albeit small) space to expand on an aspect of your identity. Scroll through your application (personal statement, activity list, major selection) and take a moment to think about what you haven’t been able to include yet. Perhaps you want to write about your identity as a first-born daughter of immigrants or the daily yoga practice that grounds you and enables you to better connect with people and places around you. Regardless of what you choose to write about, you don’t have a lot of words to play with, so we recommend brevity!

When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. We understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. What is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy? (Max: 200 words)

This is a great place to write about a hobby or interest that doesn’t relate to STEM. What do you do when you’re not busy with school, work, and other responsibilities? Do you love ‘90s sci-fi shows and their visions of what future technology could look like? Do you invent and play card games with your siblings? Do you meticulously research and select native plants to put in your garden? Don’t worry about choosing something that you think sounds good to admissions; stick with whatever truly brings you joy, and your unique qualities will shine through.  

Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too. Tell us about another hobby or interest! (Max: 150 words)

This is a great place to write about a hobby or interest that is, maybe, newer to you, one you’ve spent less time on. Have you been learning how to play guitar? Did you start taking kayaking lessons this summer? Choose something different from what you wrote about above so you can share as much about yourself as possible. For example, if you wrote about a sport in the last question, write about something artistic here. Above all, be true to yourself! 

Optional Academic Short Answer Questions

Optional: have you had any extenuating circumstances (such as limited course selection or disruptions), that have affected your coursework, but that are not described elsewhere in your application if so, tell us about them here..

This is Caltech’s version of the Additional Info essay, which means that, unless you have something crucial to explain to Admissions, and there is absolutely NOWHERE else on the application for you to write about it, you should skip this essay. Think about it: If you were an admissions officer, would you really want to read one more essay per applicant? That being said, this essay is perfect for students who have encountered extenuating circumstances and need an opportunity to explain them. In fact, we recommend saving those details for an Additional Info essay, so that you can use the rest of your application to highlight other parts of your amazing personality. So, if something has happened that affected your academic performance, this is a great opportunity to give the 4-1-1 (that means “information” because, in the Stone Age of the late 1900s, we used our rotary phones instead of the internet). 

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How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays 2024-2025

Caltech has six required supplemental essays, and three shorter optional essays, although two of them are questions you should respond to. At such a selective school, any extra opportunity to teach admissions officers more about yourself is generally one you want to take.

Because Caltech is one of the most academically rigorous schools in the country, you want to be sure that your essays capture your intellectual and creative potential. In this post, we’ll break down each prompt so that you can know what you need to do to craft responses that truly shine.

One thing to note up front: four of Caltech’s required prompts ask you to write about something to do with STEM. Given that overlap, take care that each essay shares something genuinely new about you, rather than repeating something you already say in another essay. If you’re worried about coming up with four distinct topics, remember that STEM is a broad field, with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. And, we’re here to guide you in just the right direction!

Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompts

All applicants, required prompts.

Prompt 1: Because of the rigorous courses in the core curriculum , Caltech students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.

If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? (There are dropdown menus from which you can choose up to two areas of interest.)

Why did you choose your proposed area of interest if you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing (200 words).

Prompt 2: Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (50-150 words)

Prompt 3: Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any STEM topic and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion. (100-200 words)

Prompt 4:  Tell us about a STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (100-200 words)

Prompt 5:  The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars . But Techers also imagine smaller-scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to how to 3D-print dorm decor to experimenting in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (200-250 words)

Prompt 6:  Caltech’s values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. How have you cultivated this value in your own life? (50-200 words)

All Applicants, Optional Prompts

Prompt 7: If there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below. (150 words)

Prompt 8: When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. We understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. What is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy? (50-100 words)

Prompt 9: Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too. Tell us about another hobby or interest! (150 words)

Because of the rigorous courses in the core curriculum , Caltech students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.

After you select your area(s) of interest, you are asked to provide the reasoning behind your choice(s). This is a fairly standard “Why This Major?” prompt . This straightforward prompt is intended to give the admissions committee a sense of what interests you, why it interests you, and why/how you plan on pursuing this interest in college and beyond.

Before we continue, we have to address the elephant in the room—what if you’re undecided?

The bad news is that you’re required to pick at least one area of interest on your application. The good news is that you aren’t contractually bound to the area you choose! In fact, “Every first-year student at Caltech takes the same classes during their first two terms; you won’t even declare your major until the end of your first year.”

Don’t worry if you haven’t figured out exactly what you want to do in college—many students haven’t! Look through the list of areas of interest and pick one that’s closely related to a hobby or pastime of yours so you’ll have something to write about.

If you do have an area of interest or desired major in mind, great! Pick that one for your essay.

Now that you’ve picked a subject, you may find it helpful to ponder the following questions before you begin crafting your response:

1) What are your sincere reasons for wanting to major in your chosen field?

Ideally, you will have picked a field in which you have a deep interest—one that you can talk about at length. You should have meaningful reasons for wanting to pursue your chosen field. If your primary motivation involves money, status, or pressure from your parents, you’re already off to a bad start. An essay that seems disingenuous or too self-serving will detract immensely from your application as a whole, so be sure to choose substantial reasons.

2) What are some specific examples of things you enjoy about this field of study?

When answering this question, aim to be as specific as you can. Anyone can write about liking “information and data sciences” or “biology,” so think of more narrow subtopics like “principal component analysis to reduce dataset dimensionality” or “identifying mitotic mutations in fruit flies.” If you’ve picked a topic you’re already passionate about and familiar with, talking about something specific you enjoy about it shouldn’t be too daunting.

3) How does this major serve your life and/or career goals?

You might not have the most detailed plan for your career and adult life, and that’s totally fine! However, it would be helpful if you had some idea of what you want to do in the future. Think of industries you would be able to work in with a degree in your chosen field. What is your dream job? How can this major contribute to your attainment of that job and success in the field?

4) What’s your favorite experience with this subject in school? What are the best parts of your experience with it outside the classroom?

5) Is there any recurring emotion or state of mind that you experience when exploring this field of study? What do you find appealing about that emotion or state of mind?

You can use your answers to questions 4 and 5 to recall some relevant anecdotes that may contribute to your response.

Once you’ve figured out the answers to the five aforementioned questions, you can begin planning a structure for your response. You may find it helpful to break your essay into two principal parts:

• The experiences that fostered and increased your interest in this field (as well as your emotional and personal connection to your chosen major)
• What you hope to do in the future, both at Caltech and in your career

Now, you should do some research on Caltech’s website to find some unique aspects of your chosen major that you can write about. Check out Caltech’s list of majors , as it has links that will lead you to each major’s respective webpage. Also consult their lists of faculty members and research facilities to see what work Caltech is doing in your area of interest.

For example, consider a hypothetical student who wants to pursue bioengineering with a particular interest in stem cell research. She might begin with an anecdote about how her father was a participant in a clinical trial for stem cell therapy after his spinal cord treatment. Perhaps seeing the potential of stem cell treatment opened up a new world for her, which fostered a deeper interest in biology and bioengineering than she had ever had before.

She might write about her high school experiences with biology classes, her intensive preparation for the AP Biology exam, and the bioengineering publications she now likes to read in her free time. She can then transition into a discussion of what kind of research she would like to be a part of at Caltech. A faculty member she can talk about specifically is Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, whose lab used stem cells last year to create model mouse embryos “that have beating hearts, as well as the foundations for a brain and all of the other organs in the mouse body.”

No matter how unique, weird, or quirky you think your interests are, there will probably be a major or research group at Caltech that can cultivate them. Don’t be afraid to show how unique you are as an individual—that’s the point of supplemental essays!

Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (50-150 words)

As Caltech is a STEM-focused institution, unsurprisingly admissions officers want to know all about your scientific or mathematical passions. While the first prompt is focused on your intended major, here, you get the chance to talk about whatever you want in this realm. If there’s something you love learning about, but might not have had the chance to pursue in a formal context, this prompt is a great place to talk about it!

Of course, you’ll want to make sure that what you choose will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd of applicants, so let’s talk about some ways to make your essay unique. 

• Do you have a STEM-related passion that is unusual or unique? Perhaps the passion itself is very specific, or you are approaching a common topic in a different way than others. 
• Have you had any personal experiences that have led you to a passion you wouldn’t otherwise have? Do aspects of your personality or life inform a passion of yours in a way that’s particular to you as an individual?
• How has your interest in a topic evolved over time? Has a run-of-the-mill interest developed into a passion? Has your interest shaped your life or academic journey in a remarkable way?
• Have you engaged with your passion in an exceptional way? Beyond googling, taking classes, or reading books, have you sought out experiences, pursued knowledge, or done some kind of work to spend more time with this topic?

Hopefully, at least one of these questions will help you think of a passion to write about. After that, it’s all about how you frame your story. 

While your first instinct might be to describe your passion in a factual, straightforward way, remember that with any college essay, your goal is to teach admissions officers about who you are, not the topic itself. So, a more effective approach would be to explain how you developed your passion, how it influences your perspective on the world, and how it fits into your broader life and personality.

Let’s look at an example that illustrates how this strategy might look in action. 

“‘Spooky action at a distance’ – how those words send a thrill up my spine! When I first stumbled upon the concept of quantum entanglement while reading an article about quantum computing, I immediately fell into a rabbit hole. Fascinated, I devoured everything I could find on the topic—from Richard Feynman’s lectures to obscure online forums. 

The idea that two particles can remain connected across vast distances, influencing each other instantaneously, blows my mind. I’ve even started experimenting with quantum simulations on my computer, hoping to someday contribute to advancements in quantum cryptography.”

The first strength of this response is that the student has gone beyond the general topic of “quantum physics,” which lots of Caltech applicants will likely be interested in, and focused in on quantum entanglement in particular. This specificity helps demonstrate what interests and perspectives they have that other students might not.

Even better, we learn that they read up on the subject in their free time, which shows that they are a self-motivated learner who pursues knowledge everywhere they can find it–just the kind of student who’s ready to take advantage of all Caltech has to offer. 

Finally, the cherry on top is that they’re already imagining potential future uses of quantum entanglement, which gives Caltech admissions officers confidence that this student will utilize their school’s resources to make a genuine difference in the world.

Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any STEM topic and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion. (100-200 words)

Though this isn’t exactly either archetype, looking at our breakdown of the common “Why this Major” essay, or of the extracurricular activity archetype, might be helpful. Like the “Why this Major” essay, this prompt asks you to consider where your STEM interests came from, and like the extracurricular activity essay, it wants you to reflect on something to which you’ve dedicated significant time and attention. 

You have only 200 words to explain both where your passion began and what you’ve done to pursue it since, so you’ll want to choose your topic, and your words, carefully. Consider the following examples of students who sparked their STEM passion in a unique way.

• A student interested in microbiology might write about how their frequent childhood illnesses led to a fascination with germs and all things microscopic. 
• A digital artist could talk about how their desire to animate their creations led to an appreciation of the artistry behind video games. 
• A student whose interest in chemistry began in the kitchen, where they wanted to understand how temperature and ingredients came together to make a dessert come together or fall apart. 

After selecting your topic, you’ll want to think about how to tell a captivating, unique story that shows how your passion has shaped your growth and development. Though this is a STEM prompt, you don’t want to be too technical or information-heavy – at the end of the day, this essay is about you . Your personal connection to, and genuine interest in, the topic are more important than cramming in every single nitty gritty detail.

Let’s look at two examples of the same essay topic – one that is executed well, and the other, less so. 

“When my little brother was fitted with his first prosthetic arm, I was seven and couldn’t stop staring. The way it moved – stiff, mechanical – seemed worlds apart from the ease of a natural arm. I wondered if he could use it to climb to the top of our bunkbeds – but he discarded it a week later, finding it less useful than the stump it was meant to cover.

As the years passed, the memory nagged at me. Determined to make a difference, I began sketching ideas for a more flexible prosthetic, blending art with engineering. I borrowed books on biomechanics and spent evenings tinkering with 3D-printed models in our garage.

In the past four years, my designs have become so much more sophisticated through consultation with a local rehabilitation center, listening to the stories of amputees and understanding their needs. Each interaction deepens my resolve to create a prosthetic that feels like an extension of the body, not a foreign object. As I learn to code and operate 3D printers, my vision has evolved from sketches to functional prototypes. My brother’s smile when he tries on a new, comfortable limb confirms it every time—I’m on the right path.”

Now consider this example:

“My interest in biomechanical engineering began when I observed the limitations of current prosthetic limbs. The rigid, hinge-based designs often fail to replicate the fluidity of human movement due to insufficient consideration of biomechanical principles. To address this shortcoming, I researched the mechanical properties of various materials and their applications in prosthetics. Using CAD software, I designed 3D models of flexible joints that mimic the natural motion of human limbs.

My focus then shifted to material science, where I explored the use of thermoplastic elastomers for creating more adaptive prosthetics. I conducted tensile strength tests on these materials and analyzed their performance under various stress conditions. Through work with users, I gained insights into customer feedback, which informed further iterations of my designs. The end goal is to develop prosthetics that not only restore basic function but also enhance the quality of life for users through superior engineering.”

The second essay may be more informative about actual methods, but the first is more memorable, because it tells you more about the actual student. 

It does this by starting with a vivid memory, which shows the student’s personal motivation for becoming passionate about prosthetics, and goes on to describe how they became more committed to helping amputees through work at a rehab center. The latter essay demonstrates specific scientific knowledge, but we don’t get to learn much about the student themself, and what they might bring to campus. 

Caltech admissions officers are reading these essays to learn information that they can’t get from your transcript or test scores – what kind of roommate you’ll be, for example, or how you’ll navigate the jungle that is a college dining hall. They already know you’re intelligent, so show them what else you have to offer.

Tell us about a STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (100-200 words)

This prompt is supposed to gauge your interest in and experiences with STEM, both in school and in your personal life. Writing a successful essay will ideally show the admissions committee a few things:

• You are serious about pursuing STEM in college and beyond.
• You have hands-on experience in STEM.
• You have at least some idea of what to expect from a STEM-based education at Caltech.

First, even though the prompt specifies that you can write about experiences both within and outside the classroom, you might find the tips in our guide to the extracurricular activities essay helpful.

To pick a topic, think about the experiences you’ve had with science fairs, robotics clubs, biology or chemistry classes, etc. Narrow down your experiences to the ones that had the most significant impact on your interest in STEM. If you write about an experience that you didn’t have too much emotional investment in, you might inadvertently express a tepid interest in STEM as a whole.

For example, perhaps you worked alongside a pharmacist during high school. Some people consider pharmacy to be more medical and less STEM-related, but the field of pharmacology is indisputably a branch of biology and chemistry. 

Don’t be afraid to bend some definitions when identifying meaningful STEM experiences you’ve had. Caltech is asking you to write a lot of essays about your interest in STEM, and you don’t want to repeat yourself, so getting creative with how you interpret “STEM-related” could serve you well.

You could even get more creative than the pharmacist example above. For example, maybe in addition to loving math, you’re an avid Seattle Seahawks fan, and you once did a project breaking down game film to determine which play calls optimized a receiver’s separation from their defender.

This kind of out-of-the-box approach can be extremely effective for setting you apart from all the other talented Caltech applicants out there, but it’s also harder to execute well. If you’re feeling iffy, stick to something more conventional–a straightforward essay that teaches admissions officers something about you will help your odds of admission much more than a creative one that doesn’t land.

If you’re having a hard time brainstorming, mull over a few questions:

1) What is your favorite STEM-related activity? If you don’t have a good STEM activity, which of your non-STEM activities can be linked to STEM logically?

2) What about this activity generated your interest in STEM? Why did it make you curious and how did your participation in it increase your interest?

3) What went through your mind as you participated in this activity? Do you use any skills that are connected to STEM work, like computation or analysis?

4) Have you developed or strengthened any specific interests because of this activity? If so, what are they and how have they changed over time? For example, you might have been interested in chemistry in general, but this particular activity focused your attention on metal alloys.

5) Are there any specific STEM-related skills that you have developed as a result of participating in this activity? Think about hard skills like chemical titration, building robots, testing the pH of substances, etc.

Once you’ve decided on your activity, you can begin writing your response. Remember to address each point of the prompt:

• How did the activity activate your curiosity?
• Why did the activity activate your curiosity?
• What about the activity made you want to learn more and explore further?

For example, consider the following response by a hypothetical student:

“During my junior year, I joined the Robotics Club with no prior experience, other than having taken AP CompSci. Our team’s first project involved building and coding a robot that could get to distant water sources, collect water, and purify and store it. We spent several weekends and late nights programming the bot and troubleshooting it.

It had trouble navigating at first, then it failed to recognize the water sources. Finally, we completed the build in a few months, and though it was far from perfect, it did the job. That first drink of purified water from the bot was beyond refreshing.

That project was the one that truly showed me how useful robotics could be to humanity. I imagined building hundreds of robots like the original and sending them to developing countries to increase their access to clean drinking water. I am now drawn to mechanical engineering because it offers limitless opportunities to create devices that can be used to improve the world and people’s quality of life.”

This example is effective because it incorporates an engaging anecdote, addresses each point of the prompt, and offers a plan for the student’s college career and future professional life. After reading this essay, Caltech admissions officers will undoubtedly feel more confident about their fit with this STEM-focused institution.

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars . But Techers also imagine smaller-scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to how to 3D-print dorm decor to experimenting in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (200-250 words)

This prompt is trying to determine how you think as a problem solver. The admissions committee wants to know the ways in which you have been innovative or have approached problems creatively.

Don’t feel like you have to have developed some revolutionary solution to a global problem. No one is expecting you to have engineered some brilliant scientific apparatus—you haven’t even begun college yet! Just like the prompt’s examples illustrate, you can think on as big or as small a scale as you’d like.

When trying to choose an example of innovation in your own life, it might be useful to think about abstract qualities then work your way to concrete events. Are you ambitious, adaptable, creative, resourceful, open-minded? What are some positive qualities of yours? Once you’ve decided on some attributes, you should be able to relate them to some anecdotes.

Let’s say you’re creative and resourceful. Think of a time when those traits generated something innovative or novel in your life. Maybe you were locked out of your apartment and used a credit card to open the latch. Perhaps this experience inspired you to 3D print a plastic card to use specifically for problems like that.

Your story of innovation can involve anything really, as long as you came up with a creative solution to a problem you were confronted with. Maybe the arm of your glasses broke in the middle of class, so you attached a pen cap to it so the glasses could still be used until you had time to replace them.

You have 250 words, so you may want to think of 2-3 anecdotes to discuss. It might even be helpful to write about something you want to improve but haven’t yet. You can talk about a persistent problem you’ve seen and propose a creative potential solution.

Here’s an example of an anecdote a student might describe:

“I worked at a hardware store during high school to help my parents pay some bills. The store was far from my home, and often took about an hour to get to by public transportation. I’ve always been interested in tinkering with mechanical devices, so I decided to make the most of my job.

I bought parts from the store with portions of my paycheck every couple of weeks, and over the course of several months I built myself a bicycle from scratch. Of course, it wasn’t the most visually appealing or comfortable bike, but it did the job and it did it well. I don’t use it much anymore, but I still own it and feel great pride every time I pass it on my way out the door.”

This is a good anecdote because it presents an issue, describes something about the student’s creative and inquisitive nature, and showcases the innovative solution that the student devised.

You may want to approach this prompt in a similar way. Outline a problem you had to deal with, describe some relevant positive attributes about yourself, then explain how these attributes helped you find an innovative solution to the problem.

Caltech’s values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. How have you cultivated this value in your own life? (50-200 words) 

With this prompt, Caltech is asking not just about your own beliefs, but about how you actively seek out a variety of opinions, ideas, and perspectives, including ones that might contradict your own. The school wants to create a community where different perspectives are respected and celebrated, so they want to see that you’ve demonstrated these values yourself.

You’ll need to consider how you’ve encountered and engaged with diverse perspectives, whether through your interactions with others, involvement in various activities, or personal experiences that have broadened your worldview. Given the word count of less than 200 words, you should aim to be concise, while still providing genuine insight.

Here are some questions to help you decide what to write about:

• Have you been involved in any group projects or teams where different opinions were shared? How did you contribute to or mediate these discussions?
• Have you participated in activities or clubs that exposed you to different cultures, ideologies, or perspectives? 
• Can you think of a time when you had to challenge your own beliefs or assumptions? How did this experience help you grow?
• Have you read books, taken courses, or attended events that significantly broadened your understanding of diverse viewpoints?
• How do you approach conversations or debates with people who have differing opinions?

‌As you select an anecdote or two to use for this essay, remember that a good response will highlight your personal growth and values, describe specific, memorable, unique moments, and will show active engagement with other ideas, not just passive acceptance. The prompt is asking how you cultivate diversity of thought, which is different than just being exposed to differing beliefs.

You also want to be authentic – relying on clichés like “All beliefs are valid” without concretely connecting that lesson to your own personal experiences won’t do anything to set you apart from other applicants. 

Instead, be willing to get a little vulnerable, and acknowledge that your opposition to online shopping, due to the environmental impact, softened when you spent one summer working on a farm, and learned that the owner was only able to get his prescriptions regularly because of delivery services.

To help spark some ideas from your own life, here’s an actual essay that a student could hypothetically write:

“In my sophomore year, I participated in a student exchange program in Japan. The experience was a whirlwind of new customs, unfamiliar foods, and a language I had only begun to learn. But what struck me most was how different the educational approach was compared to my American high school. In Japan, there was a strong emphasis on group harmony and collective success, a stark contrast to the individualism I was used to.

This difference was particularly evident during a group project on sustainable energy. My initial instinct was to take charge and delegate tasks, but my Japanese peers preferred a consensus-driven approach. I learned to step back, listen more, and value the collective decision-making process. This experience broadened my understanding of collaboration and taught me that there’s no single ‘right’ way to solve a problem. Now, I embrace diverse working styles and actively seek to learn from them, knowing that they can lead to richer, more innovative solutions.”

Prompt 7 (Optional)

If there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below. (150 words).

While we typically encourage students to respond to optional prompts, there’s no need to include additional information here if you feel that your application already captures your identity adequately. In other words, this prompt truly is optional.

If you do have something to say here, note that this is a variation of the common diversity prompt . Also be aware of the 150-word limit, which means your response will have to be succinct.

Brainstorming your topic:

Think about communities that you’re a member of, especially those that have played a role in your development as a person. These communities can be physical environments, like the neighborhood you grew up in, or communities defined by attributes, like your ethnic group or gender identity. Remember, identity encompasses a wealth of attributes.

Aspects of identity include traditional markers of diversity, such as ethnicity/race, country of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, your first language, and an illness/disability. However, aspects of identity also include your hometown, socioeconomic class, groups you’re part of, and even your interests or hobbies.

A quick note if you intend to write about your racial background: In June 2023, the United States Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action in college admissions. The ruling, however, still allows colleges to consider race on an individual basis, which is one reason many schools are now including diversity prompts as one of their supplemental essay prompts. If you feel that your racial background has impacted you significantly, this is the place to discuss that.

Because of the wording of the prompt, you might also choose to write about an aspect of your life that isn’t related to ideas of identity. These can include life-altering events, important social interactions you’ve had, or formative experiences.

After you’ve settled on an aspect of identity or an event you deem important enough to write about, consider some questions to help direct your writing:

1) What is the strongest emotion you feel about your chosen aspect of identity or event?

2) Is there a skill, ability, or talent you have due to this aspect or event?

3) Have you developed or strengthened any personality traits as a result of this background? If so, what are they and how have they changed over time?

You don’t necessarily have to include any or all of this information in your response, but if you’re having trouble putting the importance of your chosen aspect/event into words, these questions might inspire some ideas.

Tips for writing your essay:

Once you’ve chosen a topic and have some idea of how you intend to describe it and its importance, it’s time to write. There are two strong approaches to writing this response:

• The first approach involves doing something totally novel. You might want to pick a completely new aspect of your identity or life event that is fully distinct from one previously mentioned in your application. For example, if you mentioned your gender identity already, you may choose to write about your ethnic background here. This can be a useful approach if certain parts of your identity hold a similar level of importance to you.
• The second approach involves building a previously mentioned attribute/event. Perhaps there is an aspect of your identity that is related to the one you just wrote about, but distinct enough to warrant a new essay. Maybe you talked about being Hispanic somewhere in your application previously, and now want to write about the Spanish language. The language you speak might be an integral part of your identity. It isn’t the same as your ethnic background, even if the two are closely linked, so something like that would be fair game for this prompt.

Mistakes to avoid:

Though this response is really whatever you want it to be, there are some things you’ll want to try not to do. Remember to avoid simply listing aspects of your identity without elaboration, writing too much about something negative, and discussing a topic that’s too clichéd.

This is another chance to showcase who you are. During the admissions process, there aren’t too many of these opportunities, so make the most of them!

Prompt 8 (Optional)

When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. we understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. what is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy (50-100 words).

This prompt is meant to gauge who you are beyond your grades and test scores. It’s an optional prompt, but unlike the previous one, we strongly recommend writing a response. Unlike that kind of “additional information” style question , this prompt is specific enough that Caltech admissions officers are clearly looking for a particular piece of information about you. Especially when you’re applying to a school this selective, you never want your application to feel incomplete.

Essentially, Caltech wants to know what interests you outside of school, and what hobbies you might bring to their campus. Your hobbies don’t necessarily have to be traditional extracurricular activities, but you might still want to look at our guide to writing the extracurricular activities essay for some tips!

Before you begin writing, it’s important that you select a strong topic. Of course, you need to be sincere. Don’t write about a topic you don’t consider a hobby just because you think the admissions committee wants to read about it. An authentic topic will always make for a better essay than an extravagant one. Make a list of your most meaningful hobbies and consider the following questions:

1) Which hobby on your list have you shown the most commitment to? Which has been most influential in your development?

2) What is the strongest emotion you feel about this hobby?

• Why do you feel this emotion?
• Has that emotional response changed over time? If so, how and why?
• What emotions do you feel during the activity?

3) What thoughts and feelings go through your mind while you participate in this hobby/activity?

4) Have you developed or strengthened any personality traits as a result of this hobby? If so, what are they and how have they evolved over time?

5) Have you developed any skills due to this hobby? These can include soft skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, work ethic, and teamwork, or hard skills, which are specific to whatever domain your hobby is a part of.

6) What impact has this hobby had on the rest of your life (other activities, social life, academics, etc.)?

Also make sure that the activity you choose isn’t redundant with what you wrote about for Prompt 3, which is somewhat similar. College applications already only give you so much space to share who you are, so you don’t want to waste any of that space repeating yourself! Also note that your word count is lower here than for Prompt 3, so you may want to choose a hobby that’s slightly less central to your identity, or just easier to explain.

Once you’ve chosen your hobby, think about how you want to structure your essay. You only have 100 words, which is a very small space to work within, so you’re going to have to be concise. The prompt specifically asks why this interest brings you joy, so you’ll definitely want to include a response to that question.

You have some flexibility in the way you respond to this prompt. You might explicitly state what you enjoy about the hobby, or perhaps you’ll talk about some of the activity’s outcomes that have brought you fulfillment.

Consider this response from a hypothetical student:

“My fingers pluck each string deliberately but delicately. My foot taps quietly along, keeping rhythm like a metronome. I am at peace, once again practicing classical guitar like I have every day for the past ten years. That seems long already, but there is still so much to learn.

As each mellifluous note wafts through the air, I am filled with the joy of knowing there is another technique to master, another piece to play, another obstacle to conquer. Playing classical pieces is more than a hobby; it is a challenge, an opportunity to honor something that transcends time.”

This is a strong response for a number of reasons:

• First, it uses very evocative language to great effect, painting a picture of the hobby in question.
• Second, it describes in detail the emotions the hobby evokes and the reason it elicits joy in the student.
• Finally, it showcases the student’s perspective in a way that cannot be misconstrued. This student is clearly intellectually stimulated by this hobby, dedicated to it, and industrious when it comes to practicing—all excellent qualities to bring to Caltech.

You should strive to do the same things in your essay. Use imagery to your advantage, be specific when discussing your emotions, and try to describe your emotional response to the hobby in a way that reveals something about your personality.

You want to craft an effective essay, so you should note a few common mistakes to avoid:

• Don’t pick the wrong activity! Bad activities include: hobbies you’ve already written about somewhere else in your application, impressive-sounding hobbies you don’t actually participate in, and hobbies you haven’t actually put that much time into.
• Don’t just describe the interest without elaborating on its impact on you. You might get caught up in your anecdote when writing, but don’t forget to explain the hobby’s significance.
• Don’t just list your accomplishments within the hobby. You shouldn’t simply provide a list of things that make you look good superficially. You want to show your personal perspective and growth by discussing your emotional response to your chosen hobby and how the hobby impacts your life.

Structurally, take a reflective approach and really analyze your thoughts and feelings about the hobby. Since you only have 100 words to work with, avoid writing more than one anecdote. You need to be concise in your language, but as long as you can provide a good reflection and describe what it is about your hobby that brings you joy, you will be fine.

Prompt 9 (Optional)

Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby we understand – caltech students like to stay busy, too. tell us about another hobby or interest (150 words).

This prompt is also optional, but it’s another great chance to describe something else you’re passionate about. If you were stuck on Prompt 3 and 8, struggling to choose between multiple hobbies that are really important to you, you have one more bite at the apple here!

Even if you weren’t torn about your topics for those prompts, you should still respond to this question. The extra brainstorming will be worth it–at highly selective schools like Caltech, applicants are often separated by only the finest of lines, so you never know what could make the difference!

Our guide to writing the extracurricular activities essay could once again be useful to you, for tips on how to use your limited space as efficiently as possible. You actually have more room here than you did for Prompt 8, though, so allocate your activities accordingly, based on how much room you think you’ll need to describe them thoroughly.

Consider the following example response:

“When my parents took me on my first snowshoeing trip, I was less than enthused. My blister-prone feet pinched in protest at just the sight of the clunky plastic contraptions, and the rest of my body recoiled too when they announced we’d be doing a night snowshoe. I had a hard time imagining anything could be worth traipsing through subzero temperatures.

But when we emerged from the treeline, I realized that some things are worth any amount of discomfort. Even though my hair was damp with cold sweat and snowfall, and my heels were definitely chafing against my itchy wool socks, my irritation melted away in the iridescent shimmer of the aurora borealis sparkling on unblemished snow. 

Today, whenever I catch myself starting to grumble on an especially cold trip, I remember those colors. They’ll never appear in a cozy cabin–no, they have to be earned.”

This 146-word response just squeezes under the limit, without feeling rushed or like a shortened version of a different essay. The student defines their hobby, paints a picture of their involvement, and includes their emotional connection to the activity. 

We come away from the essay knowing about not only the student’s love of snowshoeing, but also what lessons that passion has taught them that apply to their life more broadly, which is the key to any successful extracurricular essay.

Where to Get Your Caltech Essay Edited For Free

Do you want feedback on your Caltech essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Need feedback faster? Get a  free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

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How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays 2024–2025

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California Institute of Technology , also known as Caltech, is a renowned university that focuses on providing a rigorous STEM education to its students. Caltech’s living alumni include 17 Nobel Laureates, such as Richard Feynman. Other notable Caltech alumni include Stephen Wolfram, Fei-Fei Li, Adam D’Angelo, and David Brin. If you’re an aspiring Techie, you’ve come to the right place. The Caltech supplemental essays include six required and four optional prompts for prospective applicants to answer. Let’s dive in.

Caltech’s 2024-2025 Prompts

Required caltech supplemental essays, your stem future – stem academic interests: caltech has a rigorous core curriculum and students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. however, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore. if you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose why did you choose your proposed area of interest if you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing (100-200 words), your stem present – stem curiosity: regardless of your stem interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever stem rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. be as specific or broad as you would like. (50-150 words), your stem past – stem experiences: tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any stem topic, and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion over time. (100-200 words), your stem past – stem experiences (continued): tell us about a stem-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (100-200 words), creativity in action question: the creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won nobel prizes and put rovers on mars . but techers also imagine smaller-scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to how to 3d-print dorm decor to experimenting in the kitchen. how have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life (200-250 words), caltech values question: caltech’s values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. how have you cultivated this value in your own life (50-200 words), optional caltech supplemental essays, if there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below. (150 words or fewer), when not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. we understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. what is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy (200 words or fewer), did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby we understand – caltech students like to stay busy, too. tell us about another hobby or interest (150 words or fewer), have you had any extenuating circumstances (such as limited course selection or disruptions), that have affected your coursework, but that are not described elsewhere in your application if so, tell us about them here., we’ll review your essay.

Receive edits in as little as 24 hours

General Tips

While Caltech is unusual in offering ten essay prompts for applicants to answer, these essays don’t have to be difficult. Before you begin writing the first essay, read through all the prompts. That way, you can pace yourself. If a topic has multiple facets that could be discussed in different essays, versus getting jammed into one essay, then go for it. What might seem like an excessive number of essays to write is actually just an abundance of opportunities to show Caltech who you are.

Moreover, the optional essay prompts are really just that: optional. In order to be effective and boost your chances of admission, your Caltech supplemental essays need to be thoughtful, organized, proofread, and specific. If you only have the bandwidth to bring your best writing talents to the required prompts, you should feel no pressure to write a few more rushed essays. In addition, not all of the optional prompts will relate to all applicants. In other words, don’t try to write responses to the optional prompts if they don’t speak to you. Instead, consider all of the parts of yourself you’d really like Caltech to know, and do your best to incorporate them into the essays you are required to write.

That said, let’s dive in.

Required Caltech Short Essay Questions

Although you’re not bound to study whatever major or area of interest you describe in this essay, you should answer authentically. Through the Caltech supplemental essays, the admissions team seeks curious, driven individuals who already know they want to pursue STEM. Because of this, you’ll want to let your passion shine through.

In addition, whether you have a particular origin story behind your academic interest(s), or you simply enjoy pursuing the questions behind your interest(s), this essay response will benefit from specific details. For example, you hope to study computer science, explain to the reader what kind of computer science you’re interested in, how you became interested in this subfield, and, if you have space, what you hope to do with this degree. Don’t be afraid to sound nerdy!

If there were any details or interests you couldn’t fit into the answer above, here’s your opportunity to explore them further. Note that the wording of the prompt indicates that you should only discuss one rabbit hole in this essay. Instead of discussing all your interests in one place, focus on one topic you’ve regularly been Googling, reading about, watching YouTube videos on, or otherwise researching. Remember, there are quite a few Caltech essays. Therefore, you should aim for depth instead of breadth in this essay. Any topics you wish you could have addressed here, you’ll likely have the opportunity to address in another essay.

This essay prompt has some overlap with the first prompt, which could also involve the origin story of a STEM interest of yours. That said, this prompt could be about any STEM interest, not just your intended area of study. In addition, you could focus this essay on a more specific interest, topic, or subfield than your area of study. In fact, you could focus on a singular, specific topic that is included within your area of study. You could even get as specific as a single question you’ve sought to answer over the years.

If you’re having trouble coming up with topics for this essay, consider focusing on whatever interest has the best story behind it. Note that the prompt expects a singular topic , not multiple topics. This prompt expects you to provide the past, present, and future of a particular interest. Therefore, if you have been pursuing any particular topic for a while, then that topic might fit well into this essay.

This prompt, which is under the same subheading as the previous prompt (”Your STEM Past – STEM Experiences), opens the door for you to discuss extracurricular activities or coursework. For instance, you could describe a lab project in school that inspired your interest in biology. You could focus on an independent research project you have pursued, a summer camp you have attended, a lecture you have heard, or even a book you have read.

The prompt asks you to discuss an “experience,” so be sure to keep your narrative concrete, not abstract. Your essay should clarify that the topic of your essay involved a real-life experience. Then, you should explore how that experience has impacted you and your interest(s).

This essay is your space to describe a project you’ve undertaken, a way you’ve optimized your daily life, a practical idea you’ve come up, or something along these lines. The more creative, the better. Consider the times when you’ve worked with your hands, solved practical problems for your family or friends, or used your technical skills to create something new and unexpected.

The admissions team set this prompt in order to gauge their applicants’ level of creativity and drive to be industriousness in their daily lives. Creativity is great to demonstrate here, but you can also highlight the ways you’ve served others. Not only will you be a student at Caltech, but you will be a peer, a roommate, a community member, and a friend. Therefore, if you have created, invented, or innovated on behalf of others, then you might want to focus on one of those projects here.

Following on the last prompt, Caltech seeks students who will also be thoughtful community members, peers, and friends. Most likely, Caltech’s community will be more diverse than your hometown, given that your classmates will be from around the world. Therefore, the admissions team looks for students who will thrive in communities of great diversity. This diversity not only encompasses identity but also perspectives and life experiences.

Consider times when you have exercised humility, worked to build community, and/or engaged with people who have very different worldviews from your own. Describe who you were in those moments, and feel free to bring up multiple moments as long as you have room to describe each one with specificity.

Optional Caltech Short Essay Questions

Like all of the optional Caltech supplemental essays, this prompt provides applicants with the opportunity to discuss topics otherwise unmentioned in their applications. For instance, if your Caltech application explores your academic and extracurricular interests and achievements but ignores your cultural identity, you might want to write about that topic in this essay. In other words, if there are parts of who you are and how you present yourself to the world that aren’t addressed elsewhere in your application but feel important to you to mention, here’s your chance.

The word “identity” can be treated expansively here. Your identity can include your gender, ethnicity, immigration status, sexual orientation, Myers-Briggs type, political party, religion, and more. Remember, the admissions team has posed this prompt in order to get to know you better. If you were meeting someone for the first time, what would you hope they understood about you? This essay is the right place to answer that question.

The key word in this prompt is “joy.” While brainstorming for this prompt, think about the ways you spend your time. When are you most joyful? What excites you? What do you look forward to doing in your spare time? Here’s your opportunity to elaborate on a source of joy for you.

A “favorite interest or hobby,” in the context of this prompt, should be something that you do simply because you like to. In other words, this activity should not be solely driven by your desire to pad your resume, earn money, or please your parents. This activity should be self-driven and self-motivated.

In addition, this should be a singular activity (see the next prompt). Because most people can write at lengths about their passions, it is important to keep this essay focused on one topic, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Before you begin to write, consider structuring your essay around an anecdote. You could also write this essay about how your interest/activity/hobby has changed you as a person, a structure which would give your essay a clear narrative arc. However you choose to organize your thoughts in this essay, pay attention to the narrative structure, make sure every sentence relates back to your overarching topic, and be sure to let your joy shine through.

If you found yourself struggling to decide on which hobby or interest to write about while brainstorming the last essay, consider giving one of the runner-ups a chance to shine in this essay. Note that you should only choose to respond to this prompt if you have already responded to the last prompt.

Like in the previous essay, cohesion is essential to making this essay stand out. Don’t mention all your other interests here; the prompt is clear that you’re only supposed to bring up one more interest in this essay. And, once again, joy is key to making this essay feel authentic. Feel comfortable discussing an interest that is similar to the one you already wrote about, or write about a completely different type of hobby if that feels more right to you. Regardless, focus on an activity you pursue that genuinely makes you happy, and your essay will read just as genuinely

This essay prompt gives an applicant the opportunity to bring up a topic otherwise untouched in their application. If your GPA was affected by factors outside your control, your AP exams disturbed or unexpectedly canceled, or another similar issue, then you don’t have to be burdened by that situation in your college application process. Instead, you can elaborate on your unique circumstances here, in an essay with no official word limit.

Be as specific, humble, and honest as you can be here. Moreover, don’t write more than you need to. Although there’s no official word limit on this essay, the admissions officers at Caltech are busy individuals. As briefly as you can, provide the details of your extenuating circumstances, but don’t provide more information than necessary.

If you need help polishing up your Caltech 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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Caltech Supplemental Essays 2024-2025

Caltech supplemental essays 2024-25, quick facts- caltech essays.

• Caltech acceptance rate:   3%— U.S. News ranks Caltech as a most selective school.
• 1 Academic essay
• 4 Short answer essays
• Caltech application: The Caltech application can be submitted via the Common App , Apply Coalition , Powered by Scoir , or through Questbridge . Make sure to check all of the Caltech application requirements. 
• Caltech supplemental essay tip: Your responses to the Caltech essay prompts are your chance to show your love of STEM . Use the opportunity to show how you would thrive in a STEM-focused environment. 

What are Caltech’s supplemental essays?

The Caltech supplemental essays are listed on the Common App website . You can also find the Caltech supplemental essays listed on Caltech’s website , alongside brief explanations of each prompt. 

Required Caltech supplemental essays and short answer questions:

1. Caltech has a rigorous  core curriculum  and students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.

If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing? (200 words )

2. Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (Min: 50 / Max: 150 words)

3. At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM.

Please share two STEM-related experiences:

Tell us about a stem-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity.  (min: 100 / max: 200 words), tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any stem topic, and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion over time.  (min: 100 / max: 200 words).

4. The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars, but Techers also imagine smaller scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to 3D printing dorm décor. How have you been an innovator in your own life? (200-250 words)

5. Caltech’s values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. How have you cultivated this value in your own life? (Min: 50 / Max: 200 words)

Optional Caltech supplemental essays:

1. If there are aspects of your identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please provide that information below. (150 words)

2. When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. We understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. What is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy? (200 words)

3. Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too – tell us about another hobby or interest! (150 words)

4. Have you had any extenuating circumstances regarding your coursework (such as limited course selection or disruptions) not described elsewhere in your application? If so, tell us about them here.

You’ll notice that the first thing stated on the Caltech supplemental essays page is that Caltech is “unapologetically STEM.” So, Caltech admissions wants to read all about your STEM-specific experiences . When considering how to write Caltech essays, look first to the “what we look for” page on the Caltech site. This is a cohesive list of what admissions looks for in applicants. 

Notably, the Caltech supplemental essays do not ask students to write a “Why Caltech essay.” However, just because there is no “Why Caltech essay” doesn’t mean that you can’t show the admissions team why you belong at a science and engineering powerhouse like Caltech . So, think of these essays as your chance to show how you’ll contribute to the Caltech community. 

Whenever possible and relevant, reference specific Caltech programs, classes, professors, and organizations that you would take advantage of. The Caltech admissions process extends beyond the admissions office alone. In fact, the Caltech supplemental essays are read directly by faculty. With a 3:1 student to faculty ratio at Caltech, it may not be a surprise that students closely interact with their professors. 

Later in this guide, we will break down each of the Caltech essay prompts in more detail. This should give you an idea of Caltech supplemental essay examples, both required and optional.

How many essays does Caltech require?

Caltech requires students to complete five Caltech essay prompts .

These Caltech essay prompts ask students to reflect on their experiences, interests, and character. You should also use the Caltech essay prompts to discuss your STEM experiences. Prime Caltech supplemental essay examples will encompass who you are within the context of STEM programs . Additionally, you’ll want to show that you’re a motivated, curious, and passionate learner.

Additionally, there are four optional Caltech essay prompts that students can respond to. Caltech stresses that these Caltech essays are optional. We’ll get into specifics later about these optional Caltech essays. This may help you determine if and when to respond to each of the optional Caltech supplemental essays. 

How to Write Caltech Essays

So, how do you answer the Caltech supplemental essays?

The five Caltech supplemental essays aren’t necessarily long. They vary in length from 150-250 words. Therefore, in these Caltech essays, you will want to focus on both content and execution in your writing process. As we’ll discuss, each of the Caltech supplemental essays asks students to reflect on a particular experience or interest. 

To maximize your Caltech essays, you’ll want to offer a brief summary of each experience of an event. Then, use the bulk of your essay to reveal how this experience or event influenced your broader character. Specifically, when focusing on how to write Caltech essays, reflect on your STEM experiences. You may want to write about STEM research in your Caltech supplemental essays. The admissions committee should come away from your Caltech supplemental essays with a clear conception of who you are and the kind of community member you would be on the Caltech campus. 

Caltech Essay Prompts #1 

If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose why did you choose that area of interest (200 words).

The first of the four required Caltech essay prompts asks applicants to write “why major essays.” Caltech makes it clear that students aren’t expected to know their major. In fact, students actually can’t declare a major until after their first year. So, undecided students shouldn’t stress too much about their choice of major in these “why major essays.” Students are in no way obligated to study the major in which they reference in their why major essays. 

To answer the first of the Caltech supplemental essays, students should reflect on why they want to attend a STEM-forward university such as Caltech. Think about more than just the Caltech ranking and Caltech acceptance rate. What made you first fall in love with STEM? What specific programs are offered at Caltech and nowhere else? Are you planning to go pre med and hoping to study science at one of the best institutions for STEM? Do some research on the Caltech website in order to reference specific details on programs, internships, research, or faculty.  

Think about the “why”

After having decided an area of interest to write about in this Caltech supplemental essay, focus on the “why” part. Successful “why major essays” will explain why you need to study that major in that particular school. They’ll draw from both personal and academic experiences. Students should also discuss how studying this major would influence their future career goals. 

Let’s say you decide to focus on chemistry. You could discuss how your AP Chemistry course challenged your previous understanding of science. Or maybe a specific experiment stands out in your mind as the point when you knew chemistry was for you. Or perhaps it was the teacher that made an impact on your life. Whatever the reason, reference an academic or personal experience that told you this was the major for you. If you can get more specific than just “chemistry,” such as organic or inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, theoretical chemistry, etc., that’s even better.

Reflection Questions for Caltech Essays:

• Do you choose an area of interest that genuinely excites you?
• Does your essay talk about Caltech specific programs and offerings?
• Do you tie your study interest to your future and career goals ?

Caltech Essay Prompt #2

Regardless of your stem interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever stem rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. be as specific or broad as you would like. (min: 50 / max: 150 words).

The Caltech supplemental essays give you an opportunity to show your interests, academically and otherwise. In this particular essay, you’ll need to show your love of STEM. What STEM topic has got you up at night?

You’ll want to show that you are a curious and motivated student. What STEM-related topic are you studying outside of the classroom? Why has it caught your interest? What makes you so curious about this particular topic? Share your learnings on the subject that has sparked your interest.

You don’t have many words for the second of the Caltech supplemental essays, so you’ll need to be concise with your response. Be sure to be genuine and specific. And, most importantly, have some fun and “nerd out” about your favorite STEM interest!

• Do you clearly specify your STEM interest?
• Do you show passion and knowledge on the topic?
• Do you show that you’re a curious and motivated STEM learner?

Caltech Essay Prompts #3

At caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. we are interested in learning more about your engagement with stem..

Similar to the “why major essays,” successful Caltech supplemental essays for this prompt will show applicants’ love of STEM. However, the difference between these two Caltech essay prompts is that the first should focus on a specific area of interest offered at Caltech. This prompt, however, asks students what initially sparked their interest in STEM and to expand upon a particular experience during high school that has continued to nourish this interest. 

For the first part of this prompt, you’ll want to reflect on what started your love of STEM. Was it a particular event, conversation, class, or something else? Were you raised by scientists who had you playing with robots in the sandbox? Whatever it was for you, now’s your opportunity to share it.

In the second part of this first prompt, you’ll need to show how you’ve pursued or developed the topic that has sparked your interest and passion. Are you constantly reading and researching the topic? Do you have a little lab in the garage where you try experiments? Have you attended workshops or camps on the subject matter? Whatever you’ve done to learn more about this topic, share it now.

Now, let’s move on to the second prompt. First of all, we probably don’t have to mention that figuring out how to get into Caltech should start with a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering , Math ) programs. That being said, students will likely have a number of experiences to reference in their Caltech essays. Start by brainstorming some of the most impactful STEM moments of your high school career. 

Are you in the robotics club and spend your free time tweaking your newest room cleaning robot? Or have you just led your team to the finals of your state’s math competition? Did you participate in a STEM summer program ? Or, maybe it’s nothing too outwardly dramatic. It could be something as simple as an experiment in biology class that ignited your curiosity. 

Make a list and choose the experience that evokes emotion surrounding choosing STEM. Caltech admissions wants to see serious STEM applicants in these Caltech supplemental essays. Show through your chosen experience that you are passionate and committed to a STEM education.

When writing, you’ll also need to show why you want to further study STEM. How did this experiences shape your future goals and intellectual curiosity? California Institute of Technology seeks students who will pursue their interests, contribute to a thriving intellectual community, and still love learning even when classes get difficult. 

• Does your draft sincerely convey your inspiration, passion, and excitement for STEM?
• Do you a specific and recent STEM related experience?
• Do you show how these experiences have affected your future studies?

Caltech Essay Prompts #4

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won nobel prizes and put rovers on mars , but techers also imagine smaller scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to 3d printing dorm décor. how have you been an innovator in your own life (200-250 words).

When planning how to write Caltech essays, you may think that you only need to focus on STEM-related topics and experiences. Of course, Caltech admissions shamelessly states that they want to hear about as much STEM topics as possible in students’ Caltech supplemental essays. However, they also look for critical thinkers with the ability to problem solve. This prompt asks applicants to think about times when they had to create their own innovative solutions to problems. 

If you can think of STEM related instances, great. However, if not, don’t stress. Successful Caltech essays responding to this prompt will just show how you creatively found solutions to an issue you were facing. 

Let’s say your doorbell was broken for months. No one in your household seemed too concerned about it, but one day you miss an important package that you’d been looking forward to receiving. You decide to take matters into your own hands and fashion your own doorbell with some tips from the employee at your local hardware store. Problem solved. 

Solving problems

Any version of that hypothetical story will work in this Caltech supplemental essay. There’s a problem that needs to be solved, and you do so. If you’re stuck, try to focus on your strengths. Are you hard-working, creative, motivated, or curious? Highlight these strengths in the examples you come up with for this essay. 

You have to fall within 200-250 words, so you can use multiple anecdotes here. However, keep it focused—limit yourself to one or two topics. Make a list and choose the instances that show your most innovative, creative, and unique solutions to personal problems while highlighting your strengths. 

Reflection Questions for Caltech Essay:

• Does your essay show that you are innovative and creative?
• Do you discuss specific examples and solutions that you came up with?
• Does your essay give Caltech admissions a better picture of who you are and what you would bring to the campus?

Caltech Essay Prompts #5

Caltech’s values include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. how have you cultivated this value in your own life  (50-200 words).

You might have seen a similar version of the last of the required Caltech supplemental essays. College campuses want diversity and differing perspectives. They expect their students to be open-minded, passionate, and curious (both in and out of the classroom). Therefore, this prompt is your opportunity to share how you have cultivated a respect for thoughts and ideas that may not necessarily be similar to your own.

There are plenty of ways that you can answer this prompt. However, whatever you write on, you’ll want to be specific and genuine. Maybe you’d like to highlight a specific conversation that showed you a new way of thinking. How did it affect you? What did you take from the interaction?

Or perhaps you’ve been around a lot of diversity you’re entire life. Share how your upbringing has shown you to be open-minded to different ways of thinking. You can share a specific anecdote or experience. Avoid being too general when responding to this or any of the Caltech supplemental essays. The more specific and unique to you, the better!

This essay is an opportunity to show admissions what you’ll bring to campus. Remember that they want students who are passionate, but can also be open-minded when faced with differing opinions or perspectives. Indeed, many advances in STEM have come from the collaboration of various, brilliant minds.

• Do you draw on relevant, personal experiences?
• Is it evident what an impact those experiences have had on who you are today?
• Do you show how your background affects your worldview or experiences?

Caltech Supplemental Essays: Optional Short Answer Questions

On their website, Caltech prefaces these optional essays by saying that they are “optional opportunities to show us more of your personality.” Before even getting into the optional Caltech essay prompts, admissions reiterates that they are in fact optional by stating: “Optional. We Promise.”

Basically, you can choose whether to answer these Caltech essay prompts or not. However, there are certain optional Caltech essay prompts that you should opt to answer if you want your Caltech application to be as competitive as possible. Let’s take a look at these optional Caltech supplemental essays so you can determine which ones you should indeed respond to.

Optional Caltech Essays #1

If there are aspects of your identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please provide that information below. (150 words).

If you struggled to fit all of your meaningful, personality-forming experiences and background information into the last Caltech supplemental essay, then this is your opportunity to add more. 

Continuing with our last example in the previous Caltech supplemental essay, let’s say that you wrote about growing up in a fancy restaurant’s kitchen because of your mom’s profession. Maybe in the last essay, you wrote about how you learned to think on your feet in a high-pressure environment, which has made you the decisive person that you are today. You may want to add onto this by talking about the different cultures that you experienced in the kitchen. Did you become close with the sous chef who was from Italy? Did it inspire a gap year or summer trip to Italy that changed your life?

Or maybe you want to talk about a completely different community that has shaped you. Maybe you’ve grown up training ballet in every moment of your spare time, which has built discipline and pushed you to achieve. If you can talk about how a certain community has formed you, and your story will add value to your Caltech application, then answer this prompt. 

However, if you were struggling with the last of the Caltech essay prompts that touched on background and feel as though you have nothing to add, then feel free to skip this essay.  

Optional Caltech Essays #2

When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. we understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. what is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy (max: 200 words).

While the first of the optional Caltech supplemental essays is actually optional, we recommend considering the second of the Caltech essays as required. The goal of this Caltech supplemental essay is to see who you are outside of STEM-related hobbies and interests. While admissions wants to see that you love all things STEM, they also want to learn about your other interests. They understand the importance of having some sort of outlet from academics or work. 

Use this Caltech supplemental essay to talk about a hobby that you haven’t mentioned elsewhere. Basically, don’t just repeat your extracurricular activities. That certainly won’t do anything to help you beat the Caltech acceptance rate and impress admissions. Talk about something that will demonstrate a new skill or interest. Don’t forget to mention why this activity is worth writing about. What impact has it had on your life?

To start writing this essay, make a list of all of your activities. Hone in on the ones that are most important to you. Make sure they haven’t been mentioned elsewhere in your Caltech application. Then, choose the topic that interests you the most. 

Consider the following questions:

• Which activity elicits the most emotion? 
• What hobby could you not live without? 
• Which interest has made an impact on who you are today?

Successful Caltech essays will not only mention the activity but also explain why it brings joy. Feel free to get creative when responding to this prompt. Make sure that admissions can feel your passion for this topic. 

Optional Caltech Essays #3

Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby we understand – caltech students like to stay busy, too – tell us about another hobby or interest (150 words).

This is another of the optional Caltech supplemental essays that is definitely optional. No tricks here. If you are a true hobbyist and have various activities that define you, then feel free to take on this Caltech supplemental essay. 

Was your list of interests from the last essay spilling onto multiple pages? Great. Students writing their Caltech supplemental essays shouldn’t skimp on passion. However, these Caltech supplemental essays will have to be more succinct, as you only have 50 words. 

Stay creative, just as you were with your last essay. Show why this activity brings you such joy and how it has been such a formative part of your being. Just be sure to do so concisely. 

Caltech Supplemental Essays: Optional Academic Short Answer Questions

The optional academic Caltech supplemental essays are completely optional. Students should only submit Caltech essays for this section if they truly feel the need to. 

There is no word count listed on these Caltech essay prompts, so these Caltech supplemental essays should be concise. This isn’t the time to write a novel. Answer this Caltech supplemental essay prompt succinctly and comprehensively. 

Caltech Essay Prompts #1

Have you had any extenuating circumstances regarding your coursework (such as limited course selection or disruptions) not described elsewhere in your application if so, tell us about them here..

Successful essays to the previous optional Caltech supplemental essays are creative, captivating, and passionate . These final Caltech supplemental essays don’t need to tick the same boxes. These Caltech essays serve to fill any mysterious gaps in the rest of your Caltech application. 

This Caltech supplemental essay specifically asks you to explain any extenuating circumstances that may be noticeable in the coursework noted in your application . If you’ve had access to all the STEM, AP, and IB courses, then there’s no need to respond to this prompt. However, if you attended a school with limited resources and offerings, then you should mention that here. 

How much does Caltech care about essays?

Through the Caltech essays, the admissions committee gains a glimpse into who you are as a student, peer, scientist, and individual. Keep in mind that they don’t know what you don’t tell them. Look at your application as a whole—including your Common App essay —and think critically about whether you have included as many facets of yourself as you can. Your Caltech application requirements should do more than just check boxes; they should tell your story , showing why you belong at Caltech. 

The Caltech ranking is #9 on U.S. News’ Best National Universities list. With the Caltech ranking so high, it makes sense that the Caltech acceptance rate is 4% . Every applicant will have an above average GPA and impressive extracurriculars. So, the Caltech supplemental essays are a chance to stand out . Successful Caltech supplemental essays will add to students’ application narratives. Planning how to get into Caltech involves thoughtfully and carefully answering the Caltech supplemental essays.  

Beyond the numbers

The Caltech essay prompts seek to understand who you are rather than just what’s on your resume. This demonstrates the value of the Caltech essays. Since Caltech is test-blind until 2025, you should maximize each essay as an opportunity to help the admissions team get to know you. Test blind schools, unlike test-optional schools, don’t want any ACT/SAT test scores submitted. Basically, Caltech won’t even look at standardized test scores. However, they will pay close attention to the Caltech supplemental essays. 

Check out this webinar to make sure you stand out as a STEM applicant. 

Five Tips for Writing Caltech Essays

Writing comprehensive and meaningful Caltech essays doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We’ve compiled our top 5 tips for how to write Caltech essays that impress admissions. 

Five Tips for Writing Caltech Essays: 

#1- meet the deadlines.

This may seem obvious, but there’s no way that you will figure out how to get into Caltech if you don’t submit your Caltech application requirements by the deadlines . The Regular Decision deadline is January 3rd . The Restrictive Early Action deadline is November 1st . Learn more about applying Early Action in our article .

#2- Don’t rush the writing process

Yes, you know you have to write and submit your Caltech essays by the deadline. However, that doesn’t mean that you should be scrambling to brainstorm, draft, edit, and revise your Caltech supplemental essays the night before they’re due. Give yourself time to craft the best Caltech supplemental essays possible.

#3- Carefully choose your topics

This is why it’s important to give yourself plenty of time to write your Caltech supplemental essays. You only have one chance to impress the admissions committee. You should have various topics to choose from after brainstorming. Write essays on the topics that you are most passionate about. 

#4- Get creative

The greatest scientists are extremely creative innovators. Use your essays to creatively write on the topics you’re given. As long as you comprehensively and thoughtfully answer the prompt, a creative writing style will only bolster your Caltech essays.

#5- Ask for help

You certainly don’t have to take on your Caltech essays completely alone. Have someone else look at your completed Caltech essays. While they should check mechanics, also ask them for feedback on what they’ve learned about you through your Caltech essays. When implementing their feedback, maintain your own voice and style. 

Caltech Supplemental Essays — Final Thoughts

The Caltech supplemental essays are a key part of your application. The Caltech acceptance rate is low. Maximizing your admissions odds will take acing every part of the application process, including the Caltech supplemental essays. 

Remember to be clear, concise , and specific while telling authentic stories in your essays. Reference STEM-related subjects as much as possible. However, do so in a natural manner. Use the Caltech supplemental essays as a chance to supplement the quantitative parts of your application such as your grades and GPA with qualitative attributes of who you are as a student, person, and peer.

This Caltech essay guide on was written by Sarah Kaminski. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeA d visor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Blog > Essay Advice , Private University , Supplementals > How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays

How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays

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

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

The California Institute of Technology, or Caltech for short, is a small but highly selective school that focuses primarily on STEM disciplines.

The Caltech supplemental essays are divided into two groups: required and optional. You’ll have five required essays to write (that’s quite a few!) and three optional essays to choose from.

Let’s start with the required essays.

Required Caltech Essays

Before you write anything, Caltech asks you to use a drop-down menu to choose an academic area that interests you. Don’t worry—this isn’t a declaration of your major. In fact, at Caltech, you don’t have to declare a major until the end of your first year.

But your first essay question revolves around the academic area you select, so choose whatever calls most to you right now.

Here’s the first prompt:

Why did you choose that area of interest? (200 words)

In this why this major or academic interest essay, you’ll want to be clear about the why behind your interest in that particular area.

Were you inspired by an experience or person? Is there a question that fascinates you? Is it related to a career goal?

In your answer, feel free to highlight any relevant accomplishments you have. For example, if you chose chemical engineering and you spent your junior year summer helping a chemistry professor with research, then bring it up!

This is also a place to draw upon any related references to Caltech itself. What about their program entices you? Are there any specific opportunities you’re interested in?

The next two questions go hand in hand. You’ve got 200 words to answer each of them. Here’s the main prompt:

At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Identify and describe two STEM-related experiences from your high school years, either in or out of the classroom, and tell us how and why they activated your curiosity.  What about them made you want to learn more and explore further?

STEM experience/activity #1

STEM experience/activity #2

These essays are your opportunity to highlight special projects or accomplishments that show magnitude, reach, and impact .

Because Caltech asks for STEM-related experiences or activities, you’ll need to choose something that relates to science, technology, engineering, or math. This isn’t the time to take a creative twist on the prompt (”Writing poetry was like science to me!”) because your essays will be read alongside applications from some of the best high school scientists in the world.

As you answer, don’t forget to address the three main questions of the prompt:

Identify and describe the experience. It can be in or out of the classroom.

Explain how it “activated your curiosity.”

Explain how it made you want to learn and explore more.

Feel free to nerd out a little and go in-depth on a topic you’re passionate about. It can complement, be related to, or be completely different from your answer to prompt #1. Just think about how all of your supplemental essays will work together to form one overall narrative .

The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won  Nobel Prizes  and put  rovers on Mars , but Techers also imagine smaller scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to 3D printing dorm decor. How have you been an innovator in your own life? (250 words)

In your essay, you can take “innovator” literally or figuratively. Either way, you’ll want to balance your answer to this question with your answers to the previous two.

If you’ve literally innovated something, now’s your time to shine. Did you create an app to help your classmates study for your French final? Did you design a website for your mom’s small business or develop a code to count cars ? Draw out the key points for your admissions officers, and make sure it’s clear why your innovation mattered (to you and to those around you).

Or, if you haven’t literally innovated something, you might think about innovation more metaphorically and use this prompt to show admissions officers a softer or more creative side of yourself. Maybe you innovated a new way to teach algebra to your tutee or rediscovered the design for The Apple Picker 5000 that you drew up when you were five years old. Just be sure to draw out what it all means for who you are as a technical innovator now.

The process of discovery is best advanced when people from diverse backgrounds come together to solve the greatest challenges in their fields. How do your past experiences and present-day perspectives inform who you have become and how you navigate the world? (250 words)

By this point, you’ve shown Caltech admissions officers your academic and technical side and maybe let them in on a few important stories from your life.

With this final required prompt, it’s time to dig a little deeper. This is a diversity essay .

Caltech admissions officers will know from the rest of your application why you’ll make a good scientist. Now you need to show them who you are as a person.

Feel free to write about any area of your identity that has shaped your perspectives. Also pay attention to the wording of the prompt: admissions officers want to know about your past experiences AND present-day perspectives. What’s more, they specifically want to know how they inform 1) who you’ve become, and 2) how you navigate the world.

You could write about a particular part of your upbringing, what it’s like to live in the world with a particular identity, or even an impactful experience you had that changed your perspective.

Optional Short Answer Questions

Here’s what Caltech says about the “optional” designation: “Optional. We promise.”

Take their word for it. Choosing not to answer these questions won’t automatically get your application tossed into the reject bin.

But choosing not to answer them is also a choice not to add to your cohesive application narrative . Answering the questions can give admissions officers more information to get to know you with (and therefore more data to base an admissions decision on!).

Let’s take a look at the optional prompts.

If there are aspects of your identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please provide that information below. (150 words)

You may have covered everything you needed to cover in the last required prompt, but this prompt gives you more space if there’s something else you want to convey.

Applicants answering this prompt might choose to write about gender identity or sexuality, race or ethnicity, ability or disability, class, or general background information.

Whatever you write about, make sure there’s a clear takeaway for admissions officers.

When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through marathons of coding, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speedcubing to participating in varsity athletics to reading romance novels. What is a favorite interest or hobby and why does it bring you joy? (100 words)

The other required and optional prompts are all pretty straightforward. But this one gives you leeway to show some personality.

Note the emphasis on “joy” in the prompt. This isn’t just about a hobby that you’ve excelled at or participated in for a long time. It’s about describing something that makes you genuinely happy, even if it’s not a world-changing activity.

Think of your answer to this prompt as the sprinkles on top of your application. It’s a way to have some fun and add a little narrative diversity.

Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too – tell us about another hobby or interest!  (50 words)

And here you can elaborate just a little more on a secondary hobby if you’d like. Just make sure it’s actually adding valuable information to your file, otherwise admissions officers may simply skim it and move on.

And with that, you’ll have written all your Caltech supplemental essays! Remember: you have to answer the first four, but you aren’t required to write any in the last set unless you want to.

Whichever ones you write will all work towards your cohesive application narrative , so think about them each as an opportunity to advocate for your admission. Make them count.

You’ve got this!

Liked that? Try this next.

How to Write Supplemental Essays that Will Impress Admissions Officers

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Writing a Great Academic Interest Essay (with Examples)

How to Write a Diversity Supplemental Essay

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Caltech Supplemental Essay Prompts: 2024-2025

The California Institute of Technology has released its supplemental essay prompts for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. The school, one of the last among America’s elite universities to release their essays for applicants to the Class of 2029 , asks applicants to respond to several required and optional essays as well as short answers. These essays are, of course, in addition to The Common Application ’s Personal Statement. So, what are this year’s Caltech essays and how should they be approached? Let’s dive in!

2024-2025 California Institute of Technology Essay Topics and Questions

Required essay prompts, your stem future: academic interests.

Because of the rigorous courses in the core curriculum , Caltech students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.

If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing? (Max: 200 words)

This essay prompt is a straight-up-the-middle Why Major essay. Caltech’s admissions committee wants to understand the origin story of an applicant’s interest in the discipline they wish to study at Caltech. Yet, students should be sure to set that origin story during their high school years. Too often, students share stories about how they developed their academic interests as children. Admissions officers want to hear how students think now — not then.

Your STEM Present: Academic Curiosity

1. Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (Max: 150 words)

Caltech’s admissions committee wants to discern if an applicant’s brain is overflowing with interests in STEM-related fields. This prompt is an opportunity for an applicant to show rather than tell that their cup runneth over!

Your STEM Past: Prior Experiences

At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM.  Please share two STEM-related experiences:

1. Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or any STEM topic and how you have pursued or developed this interest or passion. (Max: 200 words)

Here’s an opportunity for an applicant to share another origin story about their interest in STEM-related fields. Of course, students would be wise to set their origin story during their early high school years rather than as children. There can be many reasons applicants realized they had a passion for STEM!

2. Tell us about a STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (Max: 200 words)

An activity essay in a STEM-related area would work well for this prompt to showcase one of many ways an applicant has demonstrated their passion for the field.

Creativity in Action

1. The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won  Nobel Prizes  and put  rovers on Mars . But Techers also imagine smaller-scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to how to 3D-print dorm decor to experimenting in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (Max: 250 words)

This essay is another excellent opportunity for students to share one small story about how they’ve developed something in the STEM field. And the example does not need to stem from award-winning research. It doesn’t need to be anything formal.

A great example would be seeing a problem on a bike ride to school and figuring out how to fix it. Maybe a student’s bike went over a pothole, so they designed a way to light up a grid on the road to identify when potholes were forthcoming. Caltech’s admissions committee wants to see how applicants think and how they’re creators and inventors even in life’s small moments.

Caltech’s Values

1. Caltech’s values  include respect for a diversity of thoughts and ideas. How have you cultivated this value in your own life? (Max: 200 words)

We should hope so! This is an opportunity for Caltech applicants to show they’re human and will respect their peers, regardless of their backgrounds. It would be best to do so through an anecdote so the applicant shows rather than tells. After all, saying you appreciate diverse perspectives isn’t exactly convincing!

Optional Short Answer Questions

1. If there are aspects of your life or social or personal identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please tell us about them below.  (Max: 150 words)

While the United States Supreme Court outlawed Affirmative Action , Chief Justice John Roberts penned a loophole in the majority opinion. As he wrote, “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

This essay allows students to capitalize on this loophole by sharing their stories. And students do not need to be underrepresented minorities to have a story to tell here. Applicants could focus on their faith, community, sexual orientation, or gender identity — the possibilities are endless.

2. When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through coding marathons, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing, reading, yoga, playing musical instruments and theater arts, to solving puzzles, hiking, painting, and building or inventing new gadgets. We understand that everyone needs an outlet or two. What is a favorite interest or hobby, and why does it bring you joy? (Max: 100 words)

While having a passion for the STEM fields is a prerequisite for Caltech, the admissions committee wants to know that you have interests beyond these disciplines. So here’s an excellent opportunity for applicants to showcase their love for poetry, history, foreign language, anthropology, or any other field. As long as applicants showcase their intellectual curiosity through their storytelling — ideally in an area outside of STEM — they’re on the right track.

3. Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too – tell us about another hobby or interest!  (Max: 150 words)

We encourage students to write about a hobby that highlights their intellectual curiosity. So many options would work here. It doesn’t need to be a hobby in which a student changes the world. Yet, it should showcase their intellectual curiosity. If they love tie-dying t-shirts, they should focus on the mathematics of creating extraordinary patterns.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Caltech Essays

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to Caltech by submitting essays that will wow Caltech admissions officers, fill out Ivy Coach ’s complimentary consultation form , and we’ll be in touch to outline our college counseling services for seniors.

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