how to write caltech essays

Supplemental Application Essays

When you apply to Caltech through the Common App or QuestBridge Application, you will also submit the Caltech Specific Questions (for QuestBridge applicants, these questions come if you become a Match Finalist and you ranked Caltech). These questions change annually, are updated, and published in the summer.

The essays are an opportunity to tell us about yourself in your unique voice. There are no right or wrong answers but we do have some advice:

• Remember, Caltech is an unapologetic STEM institution . Literally, there is no way to write about too much STEM in your supplemental questions. So lean all the way in on the STEMiest of STEMmy topics (yep, those are made-up words but totally appropriate). Review our What We Look For page before you get started.
• Faculty at Caltech review files of the most competitive applicants. So don't worry that your science won't make sense to a lay-person because our faculty with PhDs conducting research that will change the world will understand what you're saying. We promise.
• If there is anything important about who you are, what you've done, or how you've experienced your life - we want to know about it. Holistic review means whole person review. We're here for whatever you want to share.

All Fall 2024 applicants will be asked to review Caltech's guidelines on the ethical use of AI before submitting their supplemental essays.

Required Academic Question

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 that area of interest? (Max: 200 words)

Required Short Answer Questions

• 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? (Min: 100/Max: 200 words for each experience)
• 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. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (Min: 200 / Max: 250)
• Openness and enthusiasm for having preconceptions challenged
• Respect and appreciation for the idea that, while we are all members of the same community, the opportunities we've had to develop, showcase, and apply our talents have not been equal
• Passion for the ideal that science can and should meaningfully improve the lives of others

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 marathons of coding, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing to participating in varsity athletics to reading romance novels. 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: 50 words)

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.

Some Caltech applicants engage in STEM competitions locally, nationally, or internationally (eg., AIME, Science Olympiad, International Science Olympiads). If you have received any STEM honors or awards, list them here (with scores, if applicable).

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write amazing caltech essays.

College Essays

The California Institute of Technology—or Caltech, as it's more commonly known—is a highly exclusive college. If you want to join the Beavers, you'll need not just top grades and standardized test scores, but strong writing supplements to support them as well.

Caltech accepts around 6% of students who apply, making it an extremely competitive school . The more you know about the Caltech essay prompts before you start, the better prepared you are to answer them.

Read on to learn about 2021's essay prompts, as well as some tips and tricks for maximizing their potential to impress!

Feature Image: Canon.vs.nikon /Wikimedia Commons

BREAKING: Caltech Application Changes Due to COVID-19

As a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, many colleges have made the decision to at least temporarily stop requiring SAT and ACT scores. In June 2020, California Institute of Technology announced that they will stop considering SAT and ACT scores of applicants for the next two admission cycles (those applying in fall 2020, 2021, and 2022). This means that, not only are SAT and ACT scores not required, but, even if you submit them, they won't be reviewed and they won't be considered as part of your application. (This is what we refer to as a "test blind" policy.) Additionally, international students can now meet Caltech's English proficiency requirement by submitting either TOEFL or Duolingo scores.

Because of SAT and ACT cancellations , as well as the difficulty some students are having preparing or paying for the tests, Caltech made the decision to temporarily stop requiring standardized test scores to make admissions as fair and equitable as possible. Because test scores aren't being considered, there will be an increased emphasis on classes students took and the grades they received in them.

What Do I Need to Know About the Caltech Essays?

Caltech accepts four different applications: Coalition, Common App, Powered by Scoir, and Questbridge. In addition to the required Coalition,  Common Application, and powered by Scoir essays, Caltech also requires three short essays. ( Questbridge applicants only need to write these if they become Match Finalists and have ranked Caltech.)

You’ll write one required academic question and three required short answer questions, but you’ll also have the option to answer three supplemental short answer questions and one supplemental academic question, if you want.

Altogether, you'll be writing up to 1100 words for the required essays, and 300 words for the optional short answer questions. These essays are fairly short, so you'll want to spend a good amount of time honing your argument to its most efficient. Start early so you have plenty of time to plan, refine, revise, and proof before you submit!

Do a little preparation and you can look this happy when writing your Caltech essays, too!

What Are the Caltech Essay Prompts?

The Caltech essay prompts are fairly standard, though each one is tailored to the college's specifications. You'll see the usual "Overcoming Obstacles” and “Defining Your Fit” essay questions, but always keep in mind that you're applying to Caltech specifically, and your essays should reflect that.

Required Academic Question

Because of the rigorous core course 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 that area of interest? (Max: 200 words)

The first essay asks you share your academic passion (or passions), and how you discovered them. Many colleges understand that students change their majors throughout the course of their careers, and Caltech doesn’t want you to have to choose a major until you’re a sophomore. But they still want you to have a good idea of what you want to focus on and why it matters to you.

The key here is to be specific about your area of interest. Note that they don’t mention a major, but instead an overall field. In other words, now isn’t the time to say that you want to major in biology because you’ve always done well in school. Instead, focus on something more specific, like a problem you want to solve or an experience that changed the way you see your career. Maybe your physical science egg-drop challenge inspired a desire to create safer structures, or maybe a field trip to a NASA location made you realize you had to be in that control room one day.

Whatever the case, be as specific as you can with what you want to study, and remember that multiple majors could get you there. For example, visiting NASA could have inspired you to study mathematics, physics, or engineering. There are multiple paths to reach the same goal; do your homework, look at the different programs Caltech offers, and choose one or two that align with your dream.

Caltech is, in their own words, “an unapologetic STEM institution.” Whatever you do, make sure that your chosen area fits within these parameters.

Required Short Answer Question #1

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? (Min: 100/Max: 200 words for each experience)

This prompt is asking you to discuss something you're passionate about. Your interests and activities outside of school and work can reveal a lot about the kind of person you are. As such, this prompt is a great opportunity to show how you exhibit the characteristics of the perfect Caltech candidate in your life experiences that don’t show up in your test scores and GPA.

Hopefully, thinking of a topic for this essay will be easy for you. You should write about a situation, story, or topic that gets you so engrossed and excited that it’s tough to tear yourself away from learning about it! Whether that’s reading up on the psychology of conspiracy theories or bird watching with your little brother, the most important thing is that you choose something that you’re deeply interested in. When you do that, admissions counselors will be able to feel your passion too!

Even though you probably could write pages and pages about the topic you choose, it’s important to keep things clear and concise here. Remember: you only have 200 words per topic to work with! To keep your essay focused, tell the story of how these experiences piqued your curiosity into the subject (or subjects) you’ve chosen to write about. You can describe your learning process, even if it’s quirky or unconventional. This is your chance to show Caltech how you choose to expand your mind when left to your own devices.

And that’s the most important thing to emphasize in your essay. Caltech is looking for students who don’t stop learning when the semester ends. The people who make a difference in the world are passionate, lifelong learners. This essay is your chance to show off your niche interests and prove to Caltech that you’re a lifelong learner too.

This guy would fit right in at Caltech.

Required Short Answer Question #2

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? (Min: 200 / Max: 250)

This question is a great way for you to show off your skills! Maybe your insight helped your school’s robotics team take home first place, or maybe you found a way to streamline some part of your family’s day-to-day routine. You have a lot of options here, but make sure to keep your topic focused on STEM-related subjects. This is an excellent topic for a problem-and-solution essay: after all, your innovation will have improved a situation, right? You only have 250 words, so you’ll need to make them count! Caltech wants to see how your mind works : why were you driven to your chosen innovation? Were there any obstacles? What was the end result, and how was it received?

Remember:  you'll need to give the admissions counselors enough information that they can understand your innovation and  its impact. Be sure to answer both parts of this question so that you're fully addressing the prompt. 

It probably wasn't one of these kids who wrote these successful Caltech essays.

Required Short Answer Question #3

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? (Min: 200 / Max: 250)

This is your chance to show Caltech what makes you tick, and how you’ve become who you are. Think back on the formative experiences in your life: your home, your family, your cultural background. How have they shaped you into who you are now and what you want? Show Caltech how you see the world, and why.

As always, you should remember to gear this toward STEM as much as you can: Caltech isn’t kidding when they tell you to “lean all the way in on the STEMiest of STEMmy topics.” The trick here is to show how your own lived experiences have informed your interest and perspective on the STEM subject that you’re most drawn to. Maybe you come from a family of artists, and their sense of aesthetics informs the way you design and present your projects. Maybe you have a different cultural background than most of your peers, which influences your thought processes.

Be sure to tell a story here so that you can connect with admissions counselors. For example, was there a formative experience in your childhood or youth that made you realize you stand out from your peers in some way? Was a family member or cultural tradition particularly influential?

CalTech Short Answer Questions

Along with longer essays, you'll also have to tackle a few short answer responses, too. We'll break them down below! 

Supplemental Short Answer Question #1

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

This is a pretty broad prompt! Unlike Required Question 3, which asks about your background, or Supplemental Question 2, which asks about your hobbies, this is about your identity, which includes both of those things and more! You have a lot of options here: think of past experiences that made you realize more about who you are and what you stand for. Maybe you stood up to a bully. Maybe you went stargazing with family or friends, and found yourself overwhelmed by the vastness of the universe. Just like with the other prompts, remember to be as specific as possible, and give examples.

Supplemental Short Answer Question #2

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 speed-cubing to participating in varsity athletics to reading romance novels. What is a favorite interest or hobby and why does it bring you joy? (Max: 100 words)

This is a great prompt to answer, because it gives you the chance to show the admissions counselors more about who you are not just as a budding scholar but as a person. Here’s a chance to open up about, say, your passion for rock climbing or your increasingly-large collection of succulents. You only have 100 words, but try to go into as much detail as possible about how your hobby makes you feel. This is the place to be descriptive, and to show rather than tell.

Supplemental Short Answer Question #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: 50 words)

You've probably got more than one hobby you love. This is your chance to share that with admissions counselors at CalTech. You don't have much space, but help your readers understand why you're passionate about the hobby you choose. 

Caltech Essays That Worked

All this information is great, but it can still be tricky to understand exactly what Caltech wants to know until you've seen it demonstrated. Check out this accepted essay—and some tips from someone who took a serious risk—to learn more about what Caltech hopes to see in your essay!

Even though the example essays below respond to old essay prompts, there’s still a lot you can learn from them about how to write successful Caltech essays.

Martin Alternburg's Essay

I cross over the bridge into Minnesota. Out of my three sports, cross country is definitely my worst — but I continue to be hooked on it. Unlike swimming and track, my motivation to run is heavily intrinsic. I live for the long runs I take on by myself. While they rarely happen during our season, we were assigned a long run to complete over our first weekend of cross country. In reality, I was supposed to go six miles, but felt eight gave me more time to explore the home I had just returned to. My mind begins to wander as I once again find my rhythm. My train of thought while running is similar to the way one thinks in the minutes before sleep — except one has more control over how these thoughts progress and what tangents they move off of. While special relativity would be the "proper" thing to think about, especially at MITES, I revive the violin repertoire I had turned away from for so long and begin playing it in my head. I'm now at the edge of town in between the cornfields. The streaming floodlights on the open road give me a sense of lonely curiosity, reminiscent of the opening lines of Wieniawski's first violin concerto. I come up with adaptations of the melody in my head, experimenting with an atonality similar to Stravinsky's.

Martin Altenburg's essay is well-structured, using the narrative of a morning run to demonstrate all the things that run through his head, and, more importantly, all the unique traits that make him who he is.

From just these two paragraphs, we know he's a runner, that he's driven, that he strives for more than he thinks he's capable of, and that he knows music and composition. Because the essay is in a narrative format, we're able to follow this line of thinking and have it all wrapped up neatly at the end. We're drawn in by energetic and purposeful writing that also delivers us all the information we need.

Throughout the essay, Altenburg discusses his interests and his growth. His strategic use of locations in his hometown allows readers to understand where he comes from both literally and figuratively, especially the part about his beliefs and how the community he's grown up in have impacted them. All this is valuable information to an admissions office, who wants to see how you see yourself and why.

One thing to note about this essay is that it doesn't include any reference to Caltech. In fact, Altenburg used the same essay to apply to—and get into—eight different Ivy Leagues as well as some other schools. The essay was likely written as part of the Common or Coalition Application rather than as part of Altenburg's Caltech supplement, hence the lack of specificity. Your essays for the Caltech supplement should contain more specificity than this, as these essays are unique to Caltech and want to know exactly what draws you to that school above others.

Michelle Fan's Essay Reflection

"How do you believe Caltech will best fuel your intellectual curiosity and help you meet your goals?" If I had a few weeks, I might have done enough research to namedrop a few professors, rave about the strength of their computer science programs, and come up with a compelling story about all my professional goals. But I didn't have those few weeks, so I told them the unembellished, wholehearted truth: I said I have no idea what I want to do in life. All I knew was that I liked making calculator games and explosions and wanted to participate in the bread-throwing, water-dumping congregations otherwise known as Caltech house dinners. As it turns out, being yourself actually works. Shocker, I know. Colleges really do want to like you for you.

Michelle Fan doesn't post her Caltech essay directly, but she does talk about her process and what she discovered between her highly planned essays and the ones she wrote the day they were due.

Fan points out that her last-minute essays, the ones that she wrote from her heart rather than from her head, are the ones that got accepted. Though I definitely don't advocate for waiting until the same day that your essay is due to start writing it, it's a good message to keep in mind—when you're faced with an imminent deadline and you just need to get something out, your writing is probably more genuine than if you've been editing and revising it for ages.

But the big takeaway here should not be to wait until the last second to write your essay (please, don't do that!). The real lesson is that you should write in a way that is true to yourself, not a way that you think will impress admissions offices. You should be authentic and genuine, letting your personality and interests tell Caltech why you're a good fit.

If your essay looks like this, that's a good thing!

4 Key Tips for Writing a Caltech Essay

Like all college essays, there are some general things to keep in mind when working on your Caltech writing supplement. The earlier you get started, the better—take a little time to make sure that your essay is as polished as possible!

Brainstorming before you start writing will help you pick a topic that's both meaningful and impressive. Jotting down a list of ideas for each topic, no matter how silly they might feel at first impression, gives you options. Spend a little time away from your options so that you can pick the one that you feel most strongly about with less bias!

#2: Get People to Read Your Essays for You

Feedback is an important tool as a writer. Getting someone else to look at your work—preferably someone who will be honest about its shortcomings—will help you find logical holes, weird phrasing, and other errors that may creep into your work. When you feel like your essays are as polished as you can make them is a good time to hand them off to someone else. Remember, you don't have to make every change they suggest exactly as they suggest it, but if your reader is confused about something, see what you can do to make it clearer!

#3: Edit and Revise

Take that feedback you got from your reader and turn it into gold. Again, don't feel like their suggestions are always the right move, but do consider what's causing their confusion or dislike for parts of your essays. Fix them in your own voice, and re-read your essay, especially out loud, to catch any additional errors. The more time you can spend revising, the better!

#4: Be Authentic

Always remember that you're not just trying to impress Caltech with a bunch of statistics—you're trying to impress them as you. That means always staying true to yourself and striving for authenticity. Give Caltech an essay that showcases what it means to be you, not an essay that gives them what you think that they want to hear.

What's Next?

Need an even more in-depth guide to how to write a college essay ? Those tips will help you write a stellar essay from start to finish!

A strong essay is just one part of a successful Caltech application. Also look into Caltech's SAT scores and GPA requirements so you can draft an effective academic plan!

Before you send in your Caltech application, it's a smart idea to figure out how much money it's going to cost you to attend. How do Caltech's financial aid offerings measure up to tuition costs?

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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How to Write the Caltech Supplemental Essays 2020-2021

We’ve updated this post! Read the  2021-2022 Caltech essay guide .

Ranked #12 (tie) in National Universities by the US News and World Report, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is one of the best STEM schools in the country. Just 11 miles northeast of LA, the Pasadena-based college is known for everything from excellent weather and student-served dining traditions to theory-focused coursework and a large diversity of research. With just a 6.2% acceptance rate, the university remains extremely selective in their admissions.

The actual application for Caltech has four main supplemental essay questions primarily aimed at understanding the applicant’s STEM experience and fervor. As you begin thinking about writing the Caltech supplemental essays, it’s important to think of them as a portfolio working together, where the content should balance well without seeming repetitive. Overall, they are looking for someone who will stand out in their tech community, but that doesn’t preclude you from showing other important facets of your background and interests in the application as well. Want to know your chances at Caltech? Calculate your chances for free right now.

Want to learn what Caltech will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Here’s what every student considering Caltech needs to know.

How to Write the Caltech Essays

Prompt 1: Describe three experiences and/or activities that have helped develop your passion for a possible career in a STEM field. Use the separate spaces provided below, one for each STEM experience and/or activity. (10-120 words each)

Prompt 2: Much like the life of a professional scientist or engineer, the life of a “Techer” relies heavily on collaboration. Knowing this, what do you hope to explore, innovate, or create with your Caltech peers? (250-400)

Prompt 3: Caltech students are often known for their sense of humor and creative pranks. What do you like to do for fun? (250-400)

Prompt 4: The process of discovery best advances when people from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives come together. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity of Caltech’s community? (250-400)

All Applicants—Prompt 1

Describe three experiences and/or activities that have helped develop your passion for a possible career in a stem field. use the separate spaces provided below, one for each stem experience and/or activity. (10-120 words per activity).

This essay functions as a set of three mini essays , which allows Caltech to take their own spin on the popular activity-based prompt without the usual 150 word cap on a singular activity. As you approach this set of prompts, think about which three experiences you would like to expand on as an opportunity to include a few more details that would not fit in the character-tight Common App activities list.

Similarly to your activities list, you should order them based on overall significance/priority and make sure that you are not including any repeat information. For example, if you are part of a robotics team as both a member of the drive team and also a CAD designer, you should still consolidate separate roles as just one STEM activity – robotics.

Since the word count for each activity is still limited to just 120 words each , your descriptions should be direct and carefully thought out to maximize space. Although the prompt is asking for you to explain activities that have helped you develop your passion, that doesn’t mean you need to touch base on how exactly they developed your passion in each since you won’t have enough room. Caltech has also eliminated any need to transition between activities by adding three different text box spaces to keep them segregated.

Once you have drafted these mini essays, double check to make sure someone reading them from an outsider perspective will have a clear understanding of the activity . Clarify your acronyms and use terms that will be accessible especially if you are referencing something local or unusual in your activity descriptions.

All Applicants—Prompt 2

Much like the life of a professional scientist or engineer, the life of a “techer” relies heavily on collaboration. knowing this, what do you hope to explore, innovate, or create with your caltech peers (250-400 words).

Admissions officers can already tell from your activities list, grades, and test scores that you’re willing to put your intellect to work to achieve your goals. Still, success in most fields requires playing well with others alongside a solid drive. Remember, universities want to build a well-rounded class of students who possess the communication skills needed to contribute their unique talents to a collective cause.

Collaboration is one of Caltech’s professed values, and this essay is your chance to show that it’s one of yours too. 

Additionally, this prompt contains a bit of a “Why Caltech” element, as they are seeking to understand which resources and opportunities you will take advantage of in engaging with your Caltech community. As with any “ Why This College? ” prompt, the key here is specificity, specificity, and more specificity . There are plenty of fantastic STEM-focused schools out there —MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Harvey Mudd, to name a few, so what makes Caltech special to you, and how will you contribute to their special community?

With your 400-word limit in mind, feel free to briefly touch upon your past collaborative experiences, but focus on your takeaways regarding which elements of these experiences you most enjoyed, what you learned from them, and which collaborative skills you’ll bring to the Caltech campus. Here’s where you get into your interests within STEM, making sure to mention the specific opportunities—including research, academic offerings, programs, and facilities—which will allow you to reach your goals while working with others. 

Since Caltech values contribution as well as collaboration, don’t shy away from potentially starting something new! Perhaps you would like to start a new club, company, or nonprofit; just make sure it will bring something truly original and previously unexplored on the Caltech campus. 

For example, you could discuss your dream of creating a company that uses neural networks to conduct customer research through use of the resources at Caltech’s CAST, or Center of Autonomous Systems and Technologies. While you have deep knowledge and experience in neural networking, you’ll turn to your classmates for their skills in web design, data analysis, and more, which you recognize as equally essential skills. 

Explain what you’ll bring to the table and show healthy humility in exploring what you hope to learn and gain from the classmates you collaborate with. After all, one of the best things about college is the people you meet there. 

All Applicants—Prompt 3

Caltech students are often known for their sense of humor and creative pranks. what do you like to do for fun (250-400 words).

This prompt can be one of the most entertaining to write and read because of the opportunity to present the admissions office with an amalgamation of weird topics. Applicants can explore their quirky side with this prompt by writing about unique hobbies or interesting personality oddities.

The main point of the question is to invite students to take a more relaxed approach to writing about themselves. It brings the application to life by asking you to write only about your own personality and humor , which feels more open than other essays that ask you to answer a specific question on something like a challenge you’ve faced or a person you admire. While answering both of those prompts still offers insight into who the author is, they are fundamentally centralized around another topic or person, which is why Caltech cuts straight to the chase with this prompt to get you know you better.

The admissions office is looking for an authentic and fun 400 word portrayal of your character that could distinctly identify you from a crowd of essays. If you got to meet your admissions officer in person, and only had 60 seconds to pitch yourself without using anything from your activities or awards, what would you say first? Think of this essay’s tone as similar to the “letter to your roommate” type essays where you want to showcase quirky qualities and experiences related to your hobbies.

When thinking of unusual activities to include, we advise applicants to be careful with content related to contentious topics or politics (i.e. if one of your hobbies is to photograph/meme political campaign signs around your hometown or to actively moderate a controversial subreddit, don’t indicate which party/ideology/position you tend to support even through jokes or minor references).

While including pastimes that are extremely common like watching Netflix or pranking your friends might not stand out, adding specificity will. For example, you could talk in more detail about these activities by explaining how you love to memorize passages from Netflix comedy specials to pull out random Ali Wong impressions whenever possible or how you have a child-like obsession for food pranks and once ate an entire mayo-container full of vanilla pudding in front of your robotics team on the bus, etc. These “mini anecdotes” can elevate even the most generic topics throughout your essay.

Overall, if your essays starts to feel too “list-y,” remember to break up the examples with more detail and insights into your own personality as well!

All Applicants—Prompt 4

The process of discovery best advances when people from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives come together. how do you see yourself contributing to the diversity of caltech’s community (250-400 words).

In this final prompt, Caltech asks applicants to directly address their own background and demonstrate that their contributions in high school will continue once they attend college as well.

For example, a student could talk about how they grew up obsessed with oral storytelling and how that has helped their roles as a speaker during group projects and presentations as well. Expansion on the imagery behind stories they once told and additional detail on the engineering/research/robotics projects where they have used these skills since then could provide the main essay points leading into their hypothetical future contributions at Caltech.

One critical note is that this prompt can quickly morph into a response that is very similar to prompt #2 where applicants are answering what they “ hope to explore, innovate, or create with [their] Caltech peers?” Since these both reference how the student will contribute to Caltech in the future, it’s helpful to make sure the content does not overlap at all. Focus on the key differences in what they are asking, where one is targeted more specifically on collaborating with innovation, and another asks about diversity and background contributing to a community.

This prompt also leaves the door open for particularly interesting responses. CollegeVine’s 2016 Caltech Essay guide encouraged students to approach this type of question by talking about how you will enhance Caltech’s diversity of thought through how you generate ideas, how you analyze problems, or how you approach academic challenges.

Ideally, these topics would paired with some sort of supporting anecdote , and then tied to your ability to solve typical engineering or academic problems. An example also given in the previous guide shows how you could answer this prompt by discussing how your observational nature allowed you to find several potential water leaks in your basement that no one else did, allowing your family to prevent the leaks. Then, you could link your powers of observation to a potential role as a trouble-shooter on academic projects.

Some questions about this type of prompt that we see from students are:

Q: Should we write about how our background influences what we want to major in for this prompt?

A: While you do not need to write about your intended major for this prompt, it could serve as a good way to wrap up your application package if you think your interest hasn’t been clearly indicated already.

Q: Is it better if I center it around one key element of my background/perspective?

A: Since this prompt doesn’t specify choosing one, you do have the option to touch on a few different elements or ideas if you can clearly draw a connection or overarching theme between them. Be careful not to lose depth or end up listing instead of utilizing anecdotes.

Q: How can I use this essay to talk about my research/internship/extracurricular if I haven’t been able to include information about it elsewhere?

A: Many students have been involved in internships, summer programs, etc. that they would like to highlight somewhere in their application. If you don’t provide more detail in the above essays, you may want to incorporate it into this prompt without losing focus on how it relates to your background. It can be difficult controlling how much information you give to explain the program or activity since you really need the word count for connecting it to your perspective and the future elements. We also tend see a lot of generalizations for brevity like, “it was difficult”, or “it was extremely inspiring”, without painting the picture of why with imagery or tangible examples to add evidence.

As you work on these essays, try to choose topics that you genuinely care about. This will help you in devoting much more time to them, resulting in higher quality essays . Since Caltech admissions are extremely selective, there’s a good deal of pressure on both the content and execution of all your application’s essays.

Remember that it is the admissions office’s job to read through thousands of these essays each year and discern whether you would be a good fit, so avoid topics that are even vaguely cliché. As you read through your finals essays, be brutally honest with yourself about whether you would enjoy the essay you’ve written from an outsider’s perspective. Pay close attention to your opening sentences and comb through each section carefully for grammar errors. Overall, do your best to put in the effort on essays that you feel are unique, meaningful, and well-organized.

Want help on your college essays to get into your dream schools? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses, as well as our Essay Manager.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Caltech Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

Caltech supplemental essays 2022-23, quick facts- caltech essays.

• Caltech acceptance rate:   7%— U.S. News ranks Caltech as a most selective school.
• 1 (650 word) Personal Statement
• 1 (~200 word) Academic essay
• 1 (~200 word) Short answer essay
• 2 (~250 word) 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. Because of the rigorous core course 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 that area of interest? (200 words )

2. 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? (100-200 words for each experience)

3. 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)

4. 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? (200-250 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 marathons of coding, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing 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)

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! (50 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.

5. Some Caltech applicants engage in STEM competitions locally, nationally, and internationally (such as AIME, Science Olympiad, International Science Olympiads.) If you have received any STEM honors or awards, list them here (and scores, if applicable).

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 four 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, there are five 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?

Since each of the four required Caltech essays has a 200-250 word maximum, 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 Prompts #2

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 (100-200 words per experience).

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. The second, however, asks students what sparked their interest in STEM in general during high school. 

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 two experiences that evoke emotion surrounding choosing STEM. Caltech admissions wants to see serious STEM applicants in these Caltech supplemental essays. Show through your two chosen experiences 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 have these experiences shaped 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 and excitement?
• Do you choose two specific STEM related experiences?
• Do you show how these experiences have affected your future studies?

Caltech Essay Prompts #3

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 #4

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 (200-250 words).

Think about the most important parts of who you are. What makes you you? How have you become that way? Focus on your background and how it has shaped you. Are you about to be a first generation college student? Do you come from a small, close knit town? Has a certain culture or language greatly influenced your upbringing? What communities do you belong to? 

Background can refer to endless things; choose something that resonates deeply with you. It should be something that has greatly impacted you and how you maneuver through the world. Try to avoid cliche topics when writing this essay. Remember that your background can mean anything.

Maybe your mom is a chef at a five-star restaurant and you grew up in the kitchen. Paint a picture of life in a chaotic, fast-paced environment and what it taught you. Successful Caltech essays will be creative while answering the Caltech supplemental prompts. Start with a hook and then expand on how it has impacted you. 

• Do you draw on personal experiences from your background?
• 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. 

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 marathons of coding, caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speed-cubing 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).

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 (50 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 these Caltech supplemental essay prompts 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. 

Some Caltech applicants engage in STEM competitions locally, nationally, and internationally (such as AIME, Science Olympiad, International Science Olympiads.) If you have received any STEM honors or awards, list them here (and scores, if applicable).

While these Caltech supplemental essays are included with the other Caltech essays, they’re not really essays. They actually want you to list your honors or awards related to STEM here. 

Only respond to this Caltech supplemental essay if you have received STEM related honors or awards. Don’t set the scene of the science competition where you won first place. There are other Caltech supplemental essays where you can do that. Simply list your specific STEM accomplishments.

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. 

#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 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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Last updated July 7, 2023

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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!

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