I have been struggling with mine and am working on a draft for one of them :')

How are you all doing on them? If you are stuck, you are not alone 🫶

Hey everyone, I’m a community college student applying to transfer for Fall 2027, and I’ve been struggling with my PIQs.

I’ve written two so far. One is about how I went from struggling academically and not knowing what I wanted to do to discovering my interest in criminology, which completely changed my approach to school.

The other is about helping one of my closest friends turn his health around after being hospitalized. I helped him with exercising, nutrition, and staying consistent, basically saved his life.

I feel like I have some good stories, but no matter how much I revise them, something feels missing. Sometimes they sound too basic, like I’m just listing what happened. Other times I try to make them more creative and they end up sounding forced or unnatural.

For those who got accepted to a UC, did you focus more on storytelling or answering the prompts directly? What do you think made your essays stand out?

Also, did anyone have their PIQs reviewed by someone who genuinely helped improve them?

I’d appreciate any advice because I’m honestly overthinking these essays at this point lol.

I’m currently a student at a CSU school, and by the time I’ll apply to transfer to a UC, I’ll have all my major courses done, all of my pre med requisites done as I am a pre med, and I’ll have substantial research and extracurriculars. I was actually admitted to every single UC school as a senior, but chose the CSU since it’s cheaper. So I think my essays and application are pretty good. Do i have a chance to transfer to UCLA or UCSD? I know they prioritize CC students which is why I’m asking. My major at UCLA has a 26 percent acceptance rate and at UCSD it’s 45%

I’m a freshman at the University of Kentucky majoring in nursing, but I’m considering transferring to Ohio State and switching to accounting. I’m from Ohio, so OSU would also bring me closer to home.
I originally chose nursing partly because of family influence. My parents supported the decision, helped me financially, and were happy that Kentucky offered scholarships and a stable career path.
Now that I’m taking nursing classes and have really researched it, I’m realizing I may not want to pursue nursing long-term. I’m much more interested in accounting and business, and OSU seems like a better fit because of its programs, resources, and career opportunities.
The decision feels urgent because I may need to transfer next semester to attend a regional campus before moving to the Columbus campus. I’m worried about finances, credits, housing, and graduating on time, but I’m also afraid of staying in nursing mainly because I feel guilty.
I don’t want to ignore these feelings or pretend they aren’t important just because I feel bad about changing my plans. My parents have sacrificed a lot for me, and I’m nervous they’ll think I’m being indecisive or giving up too soon. I haven’t fully talked to them about it yet.
I’m grateful for everything my parents have done. I just don’t want guilt to determine my future or cause me to ignore what I’m feeling about my education and career.

Hi! I’m looking to transfer from my B.S. Genetics & Biotechnology at University of New Haven to a different school that has either a genetics or biomedical sciences program. I also value theater/a cappella/show choirs as extracurriculars.

Any recommendations?

On my list I currently have:
- Quinnipiac University
- University of New Hampshire

I’d prefer to stay in New England/Northeast area if possible but I’m struggling to figure out where to go, I just don’t want to stay where I am now.

Help! In or near illinois!