Caltech Supplemental Essays
Looking for guidance on how to approach the Caltech supplemental essays? You’re in the right place.
As one of the most specialized (and challenging) STEM schools in the country, Caltech sets a high standard for all-around excellence. With Caltech ranking #11 on U.S. News’ Best National Universities list, it makes sense that the acceptance rate is just 3%. Many competitive applicants will have above-average GPAs and impressive extracurriculars, which makes the Caltech essays a critical opportunity to stand out.
The Caltech supplemental essays aren’t just another requirement to check off your application — they’re one of the most important parts of your submission. Successful essays add depth to your application narrative, showing admissions officers who you are beyond grades and test scores.
Planning how to get into Caltech involves thoughtfully and carefully answering the essay prompts. In this guide, we’ll break down each of the Caltech essay prompts and provide guidance for crafting strong responses. But first, let’s review some Caltech application quick facts.
Caltech Admissions: Quick Facts
California Institute of Technology Quick Facts
- Caltech Acceptance Rate: 3% — With such a low acceptance rate, Caltech is considered one of the most selective schools in the country.
- Caltech Supplemental Essay Requirements:
- 4 (~150-200 word) short answer essays
- 2 (~250 words total) short answer questions — students choose their prompts and decide how to split the word count between them
- Caltech Application: The Caltech application can be submitted via the Common App or through QuestBridge. Make sure to check you’ve completed the Caltech application requirements before submitting your application.
- Caltech Application Deadlines:
- Restrictive Early Action: November 1
- Regular Decision: January 5
- Caltech Essay Tip: Your Caltech essays are your chance to demonstrate your passion for STEM. Use each of the Caltech essay prompts to show how you would thrive in a STEM-focused environment.
Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.
How many essays does Caltech require?
Caltech requires students to submit a total of six Caltech supplemental essays. The Caltech essay prompts ask students to reflect on their experiences, interests, and character, especially in relation to STEM. As such, great Caltech supplemental essay examples encompass who students are within the context of their STEM education.
There is one additional Caltech essay prompt that students can choose to respond to. This prompt asks about extenuating circumstances that may have negatively affected your academic history. Unlike the other Caltech essays, which are required for all applicants, this one is optional.
What are the Caltech supplemental essay prompts?
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. Here are this year’s prompts:
Required Caltech Supplemental Essays
Essay #1:
Caltech has a rigorous core curriculum and students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore.
If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing? (100-200 words)
Essay #2:
Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (50-150 words)
Essay #3:
At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM.
Select one of the following two STEM Experience prompts to respond to:
- Tell us about a meaningful STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (100-200 words)
- Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or for a particular STEM topic, and how you have pursued or developed your interest or passion over the last few years. (100-200 words)
Essay #4:
The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars. But Techers also innovate in smaller-scale ways everyday, from imagining new ways to design solar cells or how to 3D-print dorm decor, to cooking up new recipes in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (100-200 words)
Essays #5 and #6:
Now it’s time for a little fun! Choose two of the four questions below and answer both in 250 words or less.
It’s up to you how you use your 250 words, whether that means you use exactly 125 words for each answer or you tell us about a niche interest in 30 words so you can spend 200 telling us more about you.
There is no ‘right’ way to choose which question to answer. If you’re all STEMmed out, feel free to tell us about a creative hobby. Or if you just can’t get enough math, tell us about a concept you can barely wrap your head around. Just remember the Caltech Honor Code and stick to 250 words for both answers combined.
- What is an interest or hobby you do for fun, and why does it bring you joy?
- If you could teach a class on any topic or concept, what would it be and why?
- What is a core piece of your identity or being that shapes how you view and/or interact with the world?
- What is a concept that blew your mind or baffled you when you first encountered it?
(Two essays, each 1-249 words)
Beyond the required Caltech supplemental essays, students may submit an optional essay about their academic record. Here is the optional Caltech essay prompt:
Optional Caltech Supplemental Essay
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. (150 words)
Tackling the Caltech supplemental essays
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.
Next, let’s break down each of the Caltech essay prompts in more detail.
How to Write Caltech Essays
So, how do you answer the Caltech supplemental essays?
In your essays, you’ll want to show Caltech admissions that you’re a motivated, curious, and passionate learner. However, the six Caltech supplemental essays aren’t all that long. Their length varies from a few words to just under 250 words. Therefore, you’ll need 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.
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 Supplemental Essays: Prompt #1
If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? Why did you choose your proposed area of interest? If you selected ‘other’, what topics are you interested in pursuing? (200 words)
The first of the required Caltech essay prompts asks applicants to write a “Why Major” essay. 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 this Why Major essay. 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 explain why you need to study a particular major at a 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. 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 Supplemental Essays: Prompt #2
Regardless of your STEM interest listed above, take this opportunity to nerd out and talk to us about whatever STEM rabbit hole you have found yourself falling into. Be as specific or broad as you would like. (150 words)
The Caltech supplemental essays give you an opportunity to show your interests, academically and otherwise. In this particular essay, you’ll need to show your love of STEM. What STEM topic has got you up at night?
You’ll want to show that you are a curious and motivated student. What STEM-related topic are you studying outside of the classroom? Why has it caught your interest? What makes you so curious about this particular topic? Share your learnings on the subject that has sparked your interest.
You don’t have many words for the second of the Caltech supplemental essays, so you’ll need to be concise with your response. Be sure to be genuine and specific. And, most importantly, have some fun and “nerd out” about your favorite STEM interest!
Reflection Questions for Caltech Essays:
- Do you clearly specify your STEM interest?
- Do you show passion and knowledge on the topic?
- Do you show that you’re a curious and motivated STEM learner?
Caltech Supplemental Essays: Prompt #3
At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are interested in learning more about your engagement with STEM.
Select one of the following two STEM Experience prompts to respond to:
1. Tell us how you initially found your interest and passion for science or for a particular STEM topic, and how you have pursued or developed your interest or passion over the last few years. (200 words)
2. Tell us about a meaningful STEM-related experience from the last few years and share how and why it inspired your curiosity. (200 words)
Similar to the Why Major essay, successful Caltech supplemental essays for this prompt will show applicants’ love of STEM. However, the difference between these two Caltech essay prompts is that the first should focus on a specific area of interest offered at Caltech. This prompt, however, asks students what initially sparked their interest in STEM and to expand upon a particular experience during high school that has continued to nourish this interest.
Answering Prompt 1
For the first part of this prompt, you’ll want to reflect on what started your love of STEM. Was it a particular event, conversation, class, or something else? Were you raised by scientists who had you playing with robots in the sandbox? Whatever it was for you, now’s your opportunity to share it.
In the second part of this first prompt, you’ll need to show how you’ve pursued or developed the topic that has sparked your interest and passion. Are you constantly reading and researching the topic? Do you have a little lab in the garage where you try experiments? Have you attended workshops or camps on the subject matter? Whatever you’ve done to learn more about this topic, share it now.
Answering Prompt 2
Now, let’s move on to the second prompt. First of all, we probably don’t have to mention that figuring out how to get into Caltech should start with a passion for STEM programs. That being said, students will likely have a number of experiences to reference in their Caltech essays. Start by brainstorming some of the most impactful STEM moments of your high school career.
Are you in the robotics club and spend your free time tweaking your newest room cleaning robot? Or have you just led your team to the finals of your state’s math competition? Did you participate in a STEM summer program? Or, maybe it’s nothing too outwardly dramatic. It could be something as simple as an experiment in biology class that ignited your curiosity.
Make a list and choose the experience that evokes emotion surrounding choosing STEM. Caltech admissions wants to see serious STEM applicants in these Caltech supplemental essays. Show through your chosen experience that you are passionate and committed to a STEM education.
When writing, you’ll also need to show why you want to further study STEM. How did this experiences shape your future goals and intellectual curiosity? California Institute of Technology seeks students who will pursue their interests, contribute to a thriving intellectual community, and still love learning even when classes get difficult.
Reflection Questions for Caltech Essays:
- Does your draft sincerely convey your inspiration, passion, and excitement for STEM?
- Do you a specific and recent STEM related experience?
- Do you show how these experiences have affected your future studies?
Caltech Supplemental Essays: Prompt #4
The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars. But Techers also innovate in smaller-scale ways everyday, from imagining new ways to design solar cells or how to 3D-print dorm decor, to cooking up new recipes in the kitchen. How have you been a creator, inventor, or innovator in your own life? (200 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 100-200 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 Essays:
- 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 Supplemental Essays: Required Short Answer Questions
The fifth and sixth required Caltech supplemental essays have a unique set up. Students will have four Caltech essay prompts to choose from. From there, students must select two prompts to respond to, however, neither has a set word limit. Instead, the total word limit for both essays combined is 250 words.
If you wanted to split your available word count evenly, that would mean writing two essays that are each 125 words long. However, you could also write one longer essay and one shorter essay. For instance, if you respond to one of the Caltech essay prompts with a simple 20 word sentence, your could write a 230-word long essay for another prompt.
Here are the four Caltech essay prompts:
1. What is an interest or hobby you do for fun, and why does it bring you joy?
2. If you could teach a class on any topic or concept, what would it be and why?
3. What is a core piece of your identity or being that shapes how you view and/or interact with the world?
4. What is a concept that blew your mind or baffled you when you first encountered it?
Answering Prompt 1: Interest or hobby
While admissions wants to see that you love all things STEM, they also want to learn about your other interests. Use this Caltech supplemental essay to talk about a hobby that you haven’t mentioned elsewhere. Don’t just repeat your extracurricular activities. 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:
- 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.
Answering Prompt 2: Teaching a class
This prompt may feel similar to your earlier Caltech supplemental essays, but there’s an important difference. While those essays asked about your interests or topics you’re passionate about, this one asks you to choose a subject you could actually teach a class on.
To tackle it, pick a topic you feel confident explaining. This is a great way to highlight an interest or hobby outside of STEM. Maybe you excel at soccer or baking, are fascinated by fantasy novels, or have a deep appreciation for a particular musician. If you can explain why you’d want to teach this topic and why it would be valuable for others, you’ve got the makings of a strong response to this prompt.
Answering Prompt 3
If you struggled to fit all of your meaningful, personality-forming experiences and background information into your previous Caltech supplemental essays, then this is your opportunity to add more.
Maybe you’ve spent every spare moment training in ballet, which has built discipline and pushed you to achieve. Or maybe you’ve spent time caring for younger siblings and realized your actions have to affect the way others see the world. 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.
Answering Prompt 4
If you had a close second to any of the previous Caltech essay prompts that you didn’t get the chance to write about, chances are you can find a way to do so with this prompt. If you do choose to double down on STEM, just be sure you focus your essay on the first time you encountered a concept, not just the concept itself.
Moreover, try to approach this prompt differently than your previous Caltech supplemental essays. If you’ve already highlighted your approach to problem solving or your interest in helping others, perhaps think about how this concept can demonstrate how you learn, maybe by characterizing your desire to sketch, model, or build something when a concept isn’t clicking.
Caltech Supplemental Essays: Optional Academic Short Answer Question
The optional academic Caltech supplemental essay is completely optional. Students should only submit Caltech essays for this section if they truly feel the need to.
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 Caltech supplemental essays are often creative, captivating, and passionate. This essay doesn’t need to tick the same boxes. Prioritize clarity and conciseness over descriptive language. The goal is simply to answer the prompt directly and thoroughly, addressing any unanswered questions or gaps in your Caltech application.
This Caltech supplemental essay asks you to explain any extenuating circumstances that may have affected the coursework listed on your application. If you’ve had access to a wide range of advanced courses and attended the same high school for four uninterrupted years, there’s likely no need to respond. However, if your school had limited resources or course offerings, you should mention that here.
How much does Caltech care about essays?
Through the Caltech essays, the admissions committee gains a glimpse into who you are as a student, peer, scientist, and individual. Keep in mind that they don’t know what you don’t tell them. Look at your application as a whole — including your Common App essay — and think critically about whether you have included as many facets of yourself as you can. Your Caltech application requirements should do more than just check boxes; they should tell your story, showing why you belong at Caltech.
The Caltech essay prompts seek to understand who you are rather than just what’s on your resume. Along with your transcript, Caltech requires students to submit test scores, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating high academic achievement. However, the fact that admissions also requires applicants to write six supplemental essays demonstrates the value of the Caltech essays.
Many applicants may be at the top of their class or score in the highest percentiles on standardized tests. Essays, however, are what make an application truly one of a kind. When it comes to impressing Caltech admissions, it’s your individual experiences, perspectives, and passions that will make your application shine.
Five Tips for Writing Caltech Essays
Writing comprehensive and meaningful Caltech supplemental essays doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We’ve compiled our top five 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 5. The Restrictive Early Action deadline is November 1. Learn more about applying Early Action in our article.
#2- Don’t rush the writing process
You know you have to write and submit your Caltech essays by the deadline. However, that doesn’t mean that you should be scrambling to brainstorm, draft, edit, and revise your Caltech supplemental essays the night before they’re due. Give yourself time to craft the best Caltech supplemental essays possible.
#3- Carefully choose your topics
This is why it’s important to give yourself plenty of time to write your Caltech supplemental essays. You only have one chance to impress the admissions committee. You should have various topics to choose from after brainstorming. Write essays on the topics that you are most passionate about.
#4- Get creative
The greatest scientists are extremely creative innovators. Use your essays to creatively write on the topics you’re given. As long as you comprehensively and thoughtfully answer the prompt, a creative writing style will only bolster your Caltech essays.
#5- Ask for help
You don’t have to take on your Caltech supplemental 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, but not impossible to beat. Maximizing your admissions odds will take acing every part of the application process, including the Caltech supplemental essays.
Remember to be clear, concise, and specific while telling authentic stories in your essays. Reference STEM-related subjects as much as possible. However, do so in a natural manner. Use the Caltech supplemental essays as a chance to supplement the quantitative parts of your application such as your grades and GPA with qualitative attributes of who you are as a student, person, and peer.
This Caltech essay guide on was written by Sarah Kaminski. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.
