Want to get a better sense of what USC is looking for? You’ll find an extensive, by-the-numbers look at USC’s offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. For deep insights into how this private research university envisions its role and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its most recent strategic plan, Answering The Call (scroll to bottom to download the entire document).
What are the USC supplemental essay prompts?
Prompt #1
Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 words)
Prompt #2
Optional: Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break. (250 words)
Prompt #3: Short Answers
- Describe yourself in three words. (25 characters per word)
- What is your favorite snack?
- Best movie of all time
- Dream job
- If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
- Dream trip
- What TV show will you binge watch next?
- Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
- Favorite Book
- If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
(Questions #2-10 limited to 100 characters each)
Prompt #4: USC Viterbi School of Engineering Applicants
The student body at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is a diverse group of unique engineers and computer scientists who work together to engineer a better world for all humanity. Describe how your contributions to the USC Viterbi student body may be distinct from others. Please feel free to touch on any part of your background, traits, skills, experiences, challenges, and/or personality in helping us better understand you. (250 words)
Prompt #5: Engineering & Computer Science Applicants
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and their 14 Grand Challenges go hand-in-hand with our vision to engineer a better world for all humanity. Engineers and computer scientists are challenged to solve these problems in order to improve life on the planet. Learn more about the NAE Grand Challenges and tell us which challenge is most important to you, and why. (250 words)
Prompt #6: Dornsife College Applicants Only:
Many of us have at least one issue or passion that we care deeply about – a topic on which we would love to share our opinions and insights in hopes of sparking intense interest and continued conversation. If you had ten minutes and the attention of a million people, what would your talk be about? (250 words)
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for USC
How to Write the USC Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 word limit)
This prompt is asking for a short “Why us?” essay, with a not-so-subtle reminder to address what you’ve selected as your first and second major on the USC application. We recommend checking out this complete guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay and paying close attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples, which are our favorites.
Here’s the short version of how to write the “Why us?” essay:
Spend 1 hr+ researching 10+ reasons why USC might be a great fit for you (ideally 3-5 of the reasons will be unique to USC and connect back to you).
Make a copy of this chart to map out your college research.
Create an outline for your essays based on either Approach 1, 2 (recommended), or 3 in the full guide above.
Write a first draft!
Remember—the best USC “Why us?” essays don’t celebrate how it’s the GREATEST SCHOOL OF ALL TIME. They’re more an explanation of why you and USC are the perfect match. Make sure to connect each of your USC examples to your first- and second-major choices.
As you write, try and avoid these common mistakes:
Five Common Mistakes Students Make on “Why Us?” Essays
Mistake #1: Writing about the school's size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking
Mistake #2: Simply using emotional language to demonstrate fit
Mistake #3: Screwing up the mascot, stadium, team colors or names of any important people or places on campus
Mistake #4: Parroting the brochures or website language
Mistake #5: Describing traditions the school is well-known for
Mistake #6: Thinking of this as only a "Why Them" essay
Here’s a great sample essay for this prompt:
Example:
At two opposite ends of the spectrum, I’m both the analytical thinker and creative pursuer. Science stimulates my thoughts. Music heals my soul. At USC, I believe that with its multi-disciplinary accessibility, I’ll be able to expand my love for science while exploring the depths of classical singing.
As a pre-med student, I’ll devote myself to science, while also engaging in other courses to discover music. Because the possibility to double major is encouraged, I ultimately want to mold medicine and music together, uncovering ways to use music as treatment for diseases. After taking CHEM 203Lxg: AIDS Drugs Discovery and Development as well as MUSC 371g: Musical Genre Bonding, I’ll merge the two and create a program consisting of specific genres (or blends) to find treatment therapy relying on sounds.
Outside academics, the bustling extracurriculars at USC already excite me. Listening to “Chandelier,” a cover I arranged for my a cappella group The Pitches, I picture myself performing with the SoCal VoCals.
In the center of LA, I see myself running from lab to stage, changing from a white coat to concert attire, experimenting various treatments then rehearsing for an upcoming a cappella gig. Bursting with opportunities, USC supports this interdisciplinary approach and provides endless opportunities for me to delve into the two very different passions of mine. My dream is to be an opera singing doctor, and USC supports every aspect. (232 words)
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Tips + Analysis
Connect your values to USC’s. The author shows two sides of herself and names specific ways that each of those sides would flourish at USC. Scan the essay and look for capital letters. Those are the school-related specifics.
Create a clear, solid structure for the essay. This essay does that in the first sentence of each paragraph. Go back and re-read them. See how easy the essay reads as a result? Here’s an exercise to help you revise your draft, whether it’s a “Why us?” or even a personal statement.
Demonstrate a variety of values. One of the most important messages you want to convey in any college essay is your core values—the things that matter to you at your, well, core. Haven’t yet given much thought to what your core values are? You’re not alone. That’s why we’ve developed this super quick Values Exercise to help you identify what means most to you. Then, as you write, make sure your top values are coming through in not just this “Why us?” but in your application as a whole. Look over this example essay and see how many values you can spot. We see bunches—intellectual curiosity, meaningful work, excitement, productivity, hunger, and more.
And here are two more great USC essay examples that worked for this “Why us?” prompt:
Example:
Jacqueline Novogratz used financial investments and Wall Street as a vehicle to help others. It’s a shame she’s less well-known than Bernie Madoff. By majoring in economics and minoring in philosophy at USC’s Dornsife College, I hope to gain the knowledge and perspectives to become a socially conscientious investment banker.
To be successful, I’ll need knowledge of how to raise capital via the Wall Street network. Courses such as Financial Markets will allow me to examine how Wall Street functions within the American economy, while Introduction to Econometrics will help me develop quantitative analysis skills for evaluating the market.
I’ll need a global perspective to understand how Wall Street impacts the broader world economy, and I am very interested in behavioral economics. By pairing courses such as The World Economy and International Finance with Neuroeconomics and Behavioral Economics I hope to not only discover the economic reasoning that motivates people, but also how those individual actions can accumulate to have effects visible on a macroeconomic scale.
I also love big questions—Why are people attracted to money in the first place? Does capitalism foster immorality?—issues I hope to tackle through USC’s Thematic Option, in a course like Culture and Values. I hope to confront the universal problems that I may experience throughout my life, so that If I come close to making a harmful decision, I can step back and existentially evaluate my choices.
As a Trojan, I hope to explore my existing passions while creating new ones.
— — —
Example:
As a child, I was curious to know how the human mind works. Growing up in a mathematically talented family, I was encouraged to learn how to make mental calculations. At age 8, I won a mathematics race against an accountant with a calculator and became fascinated with not only mathematics but also neuroscience. I plan to research the science behind the brain’s functions, hoping to discover how I could make calculations faster than technology just by using my mind.
As one of the only universities to have computational neuroscience as a major, USC will definitely provide me with the practical knowledge I need to pursue my intended career as a physician. With a major in computational neuroscience, I can apply my mathematical and computational techniques toward the understanding of complex neural systems. I also hope to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) program to research diseases, injuries, and mental impairments and build computer-based models that explain the biological functions of the brain. These models will enhance my understanding of how synapses function and change in relation to external stimulus, allowing me to build technologies that diagnose both the physical and mental disabilities of patients. In order to approach computational neuroscience with a knowledge of artificial intelligence, I plan to conduct research with Professor Laurent Itti to learn how the intelligence of machines can exceed that of humans. I hope to one day design more powerful models and methods of testing theories related to neuronal networks.
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Bonus Points: Ask yourself: How might you develop this essential part of yourself at USC? There’s a chance for a mini “Why us?” within this prompt in that final paragraph. Research a club, class, space, or speaker who will help you further engage with this identity at USC. Important: You’ll be asked to write a separate 250-word “Why us?” essay, so make sure if you do name something here that you discuss other details in that essay.
Here are three other great examples of USC essays that worked for this first prompt:
Example:
USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view. (Option 1)
Three books started the trajectory of the person I am today: Savages in the Mirror by Gunn Allen, Yellow by Wu, and Citizen by Rankine.
Gunn Allen reexamines canonical history that erased Native American voices. Wu gives a voice to my experiences being Chinese-American. Rankine portrays African-American history and identity through bursts of color, art, and poetry.
Three books. I fell in love with them after reading them in Honors American Literature. So much history, pain, celebration, power.
In APUSH, when I learned of the mass genocide of Native Americans communities, I thought of Gunn Allen’s words, condemning the “American individualism” that drove settlers to act as they did and still drive political agendas.
When I learned of the dichotomy between the Chinese Exclusion Act and the influx of Asian immigrants in top industries today, I was reminded of Wu’s words on how the Model Minority Myth that has emerged will affect my life as I prepare to head to college.
When I learned of debt peonage, the Great Migration, de facto/de jure segregation, and the Modern Civil Rights Movement, I remembered Rankine’s words— that America’s ugly history manifests itself in infrastructure and microaggressions today.
When I study economics, I think of the motives that shaped America and continue to do so. When I study politics and business, I remember the importance of bringing in the voices of history into actions of today.
Three books. They have changed the way I want to view the world and learn business.*
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Example:
Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning. (Option 2)
I’m a history nerd. My favorite “history nerd” moments occur when I connect a modern sociopolitical phenomenon to a historical event. For my IB Extended Essay, I’m writing about the Second Amendment, hoping to elucidate the gun control debate with research surrounding the legacy of the Glorious Revolution.
My passion for history led me to an internship at the Sejong Institute, a think tank specializing in Korean diplomacy. While I translated publications on topics like denuclearizing North Korea, I drew from what I learned of the region’s past, coming to understand that international conflicts cannot be resolved without historical insight.
This notion also applies to my participation in MUN. Learning about the often-controversial past actions of nations prompted me to raise ethical questions. For instance, I was appalled to learn that the Kurdish crisis and ISIL could be traced to the Sykes-Picot agreement, which split the region into ‘spheres of influence’ in 1916. In resolving these conflicts, how do we balance national sovereignty with the responsibility of former colonial powers to stabilize the region?
This summer, I enrolled in “Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology” at UC Irvine. From tracing the African exodus of Homo erectus to examining La Bestia (freight trains used by US-bound migrants), I now understand that migration is as old as history itself.
In college, I hope to continue drawing connections between history and contemporary geopolitics. I hope to use my education to heal history’s wounds as a civil rights attorney, and potentially as a Supreme Court Justice.*
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Example:
What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you? (Option 3)
My room’s got all the necessities—bed, desk, closet, posters—but there’s another desk with a PC, a microphone, a cassette-player, and an assortment of gadgets decorated with knobs and displays. I’ve gradually put my recording studio together over the years—including building the computer from scratch and working jobs to buy sound equipment. In the process, I’ve grown so familiar with it, it’s become a sanctuary—a place where I don’t have to worry about grades, breakups, insecurities.
As for Fortaleza, Brazil—its homeness wasn’t so immediately apparent.
I once believed that despite learning English from the ground up and struggling with several Americanisms, my Brazilian identity was just a matter of geography. But returning to Fortaleza this year showed me the tethers I was blind to.
While browsing a crafts market, I met an elderly gentleman selling cordéis: booklets of long, narrative-driven lyrics musicians purchase and interpret. He told me he wrote them himself, and offered to play a song. And so, listening to this haunting, droning hymn, I looked through the various tales these authors had conceived… stories of Brazilian heroes, thieves, princesses. At that moment, I understood something—I’m not a musician for just any reason. This spirit of poetry, this faith in art and storytelling… it’s in my blood.
Even in my home studio in Washington, I feel an energy being channeled from Fortaleza, through my fingers, into the music. As sambista João Bosco puts it: “with so many leaving/on the rocket’s tail/our motherland wept/on the soil of Brazil.”
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How to Write the USC Supplemental Essay Prompt #2
So how do you write about a gap year or time off between high school and college?
First, let’s look at an example:
Example:
My dad is the master of turning life into a game.
Who can squish their face in the funniest shape for the camera? Don’t tell mom. Who can find the weirdest snack in the supermarket? Ready, go!
But when my dad got sick the summer after my senior year of high school, the game was up.
Instead of running around at top speed with “salad-flavored Doritos,” I helped my dad rest after chemotherapy. It was impossible to go to college during this time of crisis, so I took the year off to support my family. Many days, my dad and I would talk. Our new game was one of curiosity.
How do you feel? Who are you?
That spring, my dad beat cancer. Although that year was hard, it was defined by a clearer understanding of my relationships to others. I was profoundly affected by the new bond I shared with my father. My fascination with connectedness in times of crisis led me to take an online course in advanced psychology and design an independent research project on psychotherapy.
My dad and I still turn pretty much everything into a game, but we also show up for each other in newly meaningful ways. My year away from school taught me the importance of reciprocity and responsibility, no matter the game you’re playing (222 words).
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Tips + Analysis
Don’t get so carried away in the story that you lose the substance. Remember, the key here is to convey when you missed school and why. Even though this essay follows a narrative arc, it doesn’t lose sight of the question being asked. The author is clear about the fact that she took a gap year and why: because she had to take care of her dad while he battled cancer. As you write your essay, make sure you’re constantly thinking back to the main question and checking that you’re answering all the key components.
Include details to highlight your personality. Many people take off school for similar reasons (personal tragedy, study abroad opportunities, internship, financial burden, etc.). Although all these reasons are valid, you want to use the space to explain what specifically this year off meant to you and what values you developed or strengthened. This author uses specific details to show the kinds of games they play, but she’s also careful to focus on specific values she gained: connectedness and reciprocity. Details make the essay memorable; values help give the reader a sense of how you’ll contribute to their school.
Show growth. Just because you weren’t in school doesn’t mean you weren’t learning. In this essay, the author does a great job of showing us how she truly connected to her father and her culture while also fostering a growing love for psychology/psychotherapy. When you write, make sure to highlight how your experience away from school helped you develop academically or personally (or better yet, both!). Giving specific examples of how you grew is also really important. Talk about classes you took on your own initiative, trips you went on, jobs you worked, or projects you started. USC wants to see that you maximized your time, even if you weren’t at school.
Draw connections. While you don’t necessarily have to write in the narrative style of this example essay, it’s good to have some kind of arc to your piece. This author uses the idea of games to reinforce what she learned about reciprocity and responsibility in her relationship with those she loves. This is a common thread throughout the essay, and she returns to in a brief, but meaningful way at the end of the piece. You can do this in your essay as well by finding a way to connect the intro and conclusion. Your answer should be cohesive and articulate no matter how you go about writing your essay. How do all the things you’ve learned inform one another? How do your tangible projects or jobs connect to your interests? What are you doing now that relates to your experiences then? These are all questions you can be asking yourself to draw connections that will elevate your essay.
How to Write the USC Supplemental Essay #3: Short Answers
- Describe yourself in three words. (25 characters each)
- What is your favorite snack?
- Best movie of all time
- Dream job
- If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
- Dream trip
- What TV show will you binge watch next?
- Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
- Favorite Book
- If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
Here’s a comprehensive guide to the short answer questions.
Here are some quick tips on these:
Describe yourself in three words: Get creative. These don’t all need to be adjectives. Also, hyphenated words of your own creation or short three-word phrases (like “nerdy animal whisperer”) are fair game.
What is your favorite snack? Don’t just say “pizza.” Give us some context; you’ve got a little space here.
Best movie of all time: Same as above.
Dream job: Reveal something about yourself that isn’t already obvious elsewhere in your application, adding a little context if necessary. So if you want to be a doctor and you’ve already said so in your “Why us?,” no need to repeat that here.
If your life had a theme song, what would it be? You don’t have to like the actual song. It could just be the title that resonates with you.
Dream trip: It could be a geographical location, but it doesn’t have to be. You can also time travel.
What TV show will you binge watch next? As above, use this as a chance to teach us something new about you.
Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate? After you answer, maybe say why (briefly).
Favorite book: Avoid these books commonly read in English classes.
If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be? Maybe something smart + something funny (examples here).
Some examples:
Describe yourself in three words: Hungry, Petrichor, Retrouvailles
What is your favorite snack? Spicy bars, only ¥0.5 Yuan (approximately 7 cents) from the newsstand right next to my elementary school
Best movie of all time: A Charlie Brown Christmas—Linus’s explanation of the true meaning of Christmas can brighten any day.
Dream job: Doctor Doolittle
What is your theme song? Up & Up by Coldplay
Dream trip: Cambodia to see my TASSEL students in person and to learn more about the country’s history
What TV show will you binge watch next? Westworld
Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate? Gertrude Bell, also known as "the female Lawrence of Arabia" and "Queen of the Desert."
Favorite book: Memory and Modernity in South India, Davesh Soneji
If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be? Happiness: psychological or philosophical?
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How to Write the USC Supplemental Essay #4: Viterbi School of Engineering
This essay offers a fun, creative way to help USC imagine you on its campus, collaborating with equally industrious Engineering or Computer Science majors, and—perhaps even more important—contributing to the program in your own unique way.
Here are some tips to consider as you go to write:
Share how your contributions would be diverse and distinct. USC wants to know what you’ll bring that perhaps no one else will. What’s in your personality that helps you solve problems? What inspiration do you turn to? What’s your go-to life hack, and what does it say about you?
Show, don’t just tell. In writing about yourself, use a brief example or two. If you’re talking about your affinity for puzzles, for example, share that time you discovered a love for anagrams or how you challenge yourself to finish The New York Times Sunday crossword with no extra help. Details do more than help your essay come to life—they help you stand out.
Think big. USC’s target of a better world for all humanity gives you a chance to blue-sky. If you have a remarkable idea (even a small one!) that would make life better for humans, that idea can anchor your essay. You can use it to show your background, traits, skills, experiences, challenges, and/or personality.
Show your why. Share your reasoning for choosing the parts of yourself that are one-of-a-kind. It’s not enough to say how you’re different; you need to say why your contributions will matter as a USC Engineering or Computer Science student. How does building a robot help you build strong friendships? Here’s a great list of 19 ways to add strong insights to your essay.
Perhaps add a “Why USC?” detail or two. The prompt doesn’t specifically ask for how your contributions would factor into your experience at USC, but it wouldn’t hurt (and may actually benefit your application) to help the admission team envision you thriving on its campus. Maybe it’s by joining the Min Family Social Entrepreneurship Challenge to create a solution that uplifts vulnerable people around the world. Or lending your 3D design skills to make Braille maps for USC students who are visually impaired.
Let go of the LEGO. LEGO is one of the most commonly mentioned words in engineering-related essays. Ok, we didn’t actually do a scientific study, but based on the umpteen essays we’ve worked on with students, we can tell you it’s mentioned a lot. A lot a lot. So maybe use another way to show how your love of building things developed?
Since this prompt is brand-new for USC, we don’t have a specific example to share, but this essay, written for an older version of this prompt, could work with some tweaks we’ll share below.
Example:
From first-hand experience, I know my effective communication skills lead my teams to success. As captain for my high school and club volleyball teams, I strive to form tight-knit bonds with teammates. I firmly believe that strong bonds inside a team translate to key victories on the court. And as co-president of my school’s Science Olympiad team, I calmly listen and work with my fellow board members with an open mind. Through trial and error, I help the younger team members build sturdy yet lightweight projects.
But underneath my collected exterior, I am an adrenaline junkie. As a hardcore thrill-seeker, I love riding the tallest roller coasters, whether at the local fair or in Knott’s Berry Farm. On most weekends, you can find me plowing through horror films (my favorite is The Silence of the Lambs) or rewatching Criminal Minds. All with the lights off, I must add. My search for thrill also leads me to experiment in the kitchen. Some of my weirdest (but yummiest!) culinary creations include sticky rice gnocchi and peanut butter quesadillas. However, not all risks are perilous. In fact, because I took a risk, I applied for the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program and ended up learning how to code last summer. My search for adventure leads me to discoveries both inside and outside of the classroom. In chem class, my willingness to take risks allows me to experiment without fear.
At USC, I cannot wait to collaborate and experiment with my fellow peers.
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Tips + Analysis
Don’t forget to compare. This writer puts us in her world. She even describes her philosophy of leadership in almost the same breath as a peanut butter quesadilla. But had it been written for the new version of the prompt, the admission reader would be left to figure out how “these contributions to the USC Viterbi student body may be distinct from others.” For example, how is being an adrenaline junkie and hardcore thrill-seeker different from other engineeering students? Make sure the reader not only sees something special, but understands how that’s unique from other would-be Trojans.
Dial back the brag. The first paragraph flexes a bit of “take my word for it” bluster “effective communications skills lead [her] teams to success.” And maybe it’s true, but the sentiment risks coming off as a pat on the back. You can better show traits you’re proud of by offering proof (even an anecdote will work!).
Cherry-pick uncommon words. By using words like “plowing,” “yummiest” and “gnocchi,” this student creates surprise and vibrancy. These words underscore her point about adrenalin, and make this part of her essay memorable. As you write, look for ways to up-level your essay by up-leveling your word choice. This Epic Verb List may help.
Watch out for careless language. Is it really a good idea to be a chem student who experiments without fear? That could be disastrous! Language that is all-or-nothing can come off as hyperbolic, and it’s usually not true. Better to be precise in your language, as that’s the best-a better way to get your point across. Your imperfections can be among your most valuable contributions.
Pay it forward. Given that USC wants to “engineer a better world for all humanity,” think about how your contributions could benefit others. This student uses the first paragraph to show how hard she works to help others—forming tight-knit bonds with teammates, listening to fellow board members with an open mind, using trial and error to help younger teammates with their projects. For this prompt, those examples would have been stronger had they shown how the student was working in collaboration with others to improve the world around them. Try to channel generosity as you write this one.
How to Write the USC Supplemental Essay #5: Engineering & Computer Science
(250 words)
USC is taking a novel approach in asking you to explain how your interests align with its mission to make the world a better place, which is why we really like this prompt. It offers an opportunity for you to show how you envision making a real-world impact with your Engineering or Computer Science degree, in a way that’s both relevant and timely.
The key here is choosing a challenge from the NAE list that not only speaks to a strong interest of yours but that also (ideally) connects back to something (or some things) you’ve already done. For example, maybe the Engineer Better Medicines challenge will allow you to talk about that health-sensing app you helped design, or maybe you choose Reverse-Engineer the Brain so you can share the work you’ve done in, or your fascination with, cognitive science.
How do you do that? Well, this could take lots of forms, but to simplify your options, we recommend taking one of two paths, depending on how you answer this question:
Have you led or participated in a project, exercise or activity that has improved your community (however you define community)?
If you answered yes …
Treat this as an engineering-focused version of the Community Service Essay. Here’s our guide to that type of essay, using the Elon Musk Exercise to brainstorm your material and approach. Generally speaking, the outline would look like this:
Name the problem.
Answer “why now?”
Articulate the vision.
Describe what you did.
Clarify your role.
Explain the impact you had, lessons learned, or value you gained.
If you answered no …
Take the opportunity to explain how the challenge you’ve chosen connects back to a subject that a) you’ve explored either in or outside the classroom (your love of biological research, or how you’ve geeked out on TED Talks about the growing threat to cybersecurity), or b) you want to learn more about because it appeals to specific values (that you could then write about).
No matter which approach you take, remember to:
Answer the “which and why” part of the prompt. Probably better to do this in the intro paragraph, then tie quickly to your project/interest/experience. It could be a brief statement (“The Engineer Better Medicines appeals to the health-focused entrepreneur in me. I first discovered the power of medicine in changing lives during my internship with Rutgers, when I helped design a health-sensing app …”), or a longer explanation. But save the bulk of your word budget on connecting the challenge back to you and your experiences/interests.
Clearly show your interest in making a difference in your world/community. This seems obvious, but we thought it was worth the risk of an eye roll to add a reminder that this essay isn’t about just doing, but doing for others. It’s a clear indication that USC is looking for humanitarians in its Engineering and Comp Sci programs. Show how you’re that.
And maybe: Use your conclusion to look forward. Do a deeper dive into the challenge you’ve chosen, and if you’re inspired, use your ending to envision how you’d contribute in a specific way. It’s not required, but could go a long way toward showing both your motivation and your ingenuity.
This is an example from a student who may have answered “no” to the “led or participated in a project, etc.” question above.
Example:
The most important challenge that we as engineers need to focus on is carbon sequestration methods. Growing up in a world that has had difficulty coming to terms with the fact that the earth is warming up to a dangerous point is very troubling. Fortunately, we know this warmth is due to the greenhouse gasses emitted by cars, coal plants, and cow farms. However, if we as engineers, scientists, and citizens don’t take the necessary steps to prevent human-produced carbon from entering the atmosphere the results will be catastrophic.
We can reduce the emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases by providing cheap, simple solutions to the main producers of carbon that slows their carbon emissions. For example, one solution could be a filtration device that breaks down CO2 as it exits a car’s exhaust pipe or by building farms that break down methane or reuse it as energy to fuel the farm. On top of these simple solutions, we must move to renewable energies and decentivize fossil fuels by working with political representatives to create policies like Washington's initiative 1631, which attempted to put a tax on carbon.
Through coding, I hope to build the infrastructure we need to manipulate and analyze the data from the simple solutions mentioned above. I want to be able to use this data to create visual images of the amount of carbon we use as a society and provide direct feedback about what impact your carbon usage has on the environment.
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Tips + Analysis
“We” is your friend. This writer uses “we” to make a persuasive case that his chosen challenge is in the best interests of others. The switch to “I” in the final paragraph makes it clear what role the writer wants in this challenge. (This choice is particularly smart for anyone answering “no” to “Have you led or participated in a project, exercise or activity that has improved your community?”)
Tie it back to your chosen challenge. This student has clearly thought through potential solutions to reducing greenhouse gasses. His ideas are articulate and clear. But the essay, had it been written for this prompt, would have been even stronger had he more directly tied his data visualization goals back to carbon sequestration. How would giving feedback on carbon usage incentivize conservation, especially for the uninitiated? It wouldn’t take much—just a sentence perhaps—to answer the question. Think through those why’s and how’s as you go to write.
Show you know your stuff. USC Engineering & Computer Science is looking for doers who have already thought deeply about how they’ll use their education to solve real-world problems, and this prompt is mining for insights into that reflection. So use the opportunity to flex your knowledge about a topic that’s meaningful to you, one you’ve spent some time contemplating, or even done some significant work on. For this student, it’s not just about carbon emissions and mitigation solutions, but using his experience in computer science to add some complexity and depth to his solutions.
How to Write the USC Supplemental Essay #6: Dornsife College
With this prompt, Dornsife wants to give you one more opportunity to add a new dimension to your application—a chance to show the liberal arts and science college a side of you not reflected elsewhere in your application.
Here are some tips to consider as you write:
Try to pick an uncommon topic (or at least a specific aspect of a common topic). This prompt runs the risk of inspiring common subject matter—education is all about learning from people from different backgrounds, for example, or “racism is bad.” That’s not to say that those topics are not important—they’re great!—but in most cases, writing about them will make it more difficult to stand out, especially since many other students are likely to write about them (which is why they’re common). So aim for a topic that’s unique, or at least unique to you, so that when you’re done, you can look back and say with confidence that no one else could have written it that way.
In fact, if you’re leaning toward a more common topic—environmental damage, for example—take a very specific angle that speaks to your interests or experiences, like the need to stop sewage discharge into the Atlantic Ocean, which is killing reefs and sea life in your community and threatening not just the environment but the tourism industry dependent on it.
Do some research to add depth to your topic. Statistics and studies don’t just add impact to your argument; they show you’ve done your homework and have some level of mastery of your topic. That helps to show your big, beautiful brain, and that you’ll take the extra effort to add context and strength to your argument, even when it’s not required.
Do a values scan, then add values that don’t show up elsewhere in your application. Remember, Dornsife specifically asks that you use this essay to show something of yourself not seen in the rest of your application. That includes your values—those core principles that matter to you most. Don’t really know what your values are? Complete this Values Exercise, and scan your application to make sure your top values are reflected. Are any missing? This essay is a great opportunity to showcase those.
Here’s an example we love.
Example:
I don’t understand cults. I am baffled by the groomed subservience within the Manson Family and the ethos of the Peoples Temple. After two years researching the harrowing why within cult indoctrinations, I’ve realized how the world I live in is painfully bound to cult mentality.
I don’t know if in ten minutes I can connect with a million people about how we are prisoners to ideology, but I could try. I would start with myself. As a student journalist, my unbalanced media diet came to a sobering halt once I realized how one-sided it was. From the mainstream networks I religiously checked in the morning, to the Twitter commentators who claimed my midnight attention: my media consumption was a reflection of my ideological bubble. Only after slowly learning to balance my news feed did I notice how the same kinds of divisive rhetoric that I had studied in cult research were rampant on both ends of the partisan spectrum.
What do you read? Do you fact-check tweets before you re-share them? Did you ever find that study cited in the petition you just signed? I would ask questions to my audience not to assume, but to engage.. I want to work towards a space where media literacy can help us better recognize our cognitive biases.
Ten minutes may not be long enough for me to unravel this country’s echo chambers. But ten minutes still offers a safe, if temporary, space for self-reflection. It’s enough time to start. (248 words)
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Tips + Analysis
Start from the fringe, then work inward. At first glance, one may think this essay is a cautionary tale about joining cults. As we keep reading, though, we see that it concerns media literacy and healing social divisions, both of which relate to the writer’s interest in pursuing journalism. Beginning with a related, yet extreme, example of media consumption gone wrong allows the writer to leverage their attention-grabbing start to illustrate a need for balanced news reporting.
Waltzing with “what,” “how,” and “why.” Put your dancing shoes away—we aren’t heading to a ballroom. When it comes to essay prompts that require a bit more than a simple “yes” or “no,” you’ll want to keep in mind that your response needs to make three key moves: what, how, and why. This writer clearly shares what the topic of their imagined speech is, they detail how they’d approach the topic, and they explain why this matters … both to them and the world.
Beware of the soapbox. Although, in this prompt, you’re delivering a talk to a million people, don’t abandon your humility. You may know a lot about your topic, but avoid making assumptions about your audience and, if applicable, call yourself out. This writer does an excellent job of displaying their introspection by sharing their own “unbalanced media diet” and by listing examples of questions they’d ask their listeners. Notice that the prompt points you in the direction of a topic that facilitates “continued conversation,” not just a lecture.
Call on your values. This prompt gives you another opportunity to share some values that you feel don’t come through strongly enough elsewhere in your application, or that you hope to highlight. This writer probably could have discussed some favorite news sources or stories, but instead, they make clear their commitment to social justice, community building, active listening, and empathy. No matter what topic you choose, think about ways you can tie it into parts of yourself that you’ll bring to USC’s campus.
Special thanks to Natalie for writing this blog post
Natalie is a former high school teacher who taught English, World Geography and Culture, US History, and AP Language and Composition. She has been working with students through the college application process since 2017, and has assisted hundreds of students achieve their post-secondary plans. She is also a proud AmeriCorps alumna and served in Chicago’s Near West Side neighborhood. Her wish for all students is that they feel valued, loved, and are able to live a life rich with options. In her free time, she loves grabbing a cortado, watching Nora Ephron movies, and playing with her daughter. She currently lives in Knoxville, TN.
Top Values: Empathy | Equity | Purpose
