In this article, we’ll be covering how to write the required UC transfer PIQ: the most important of the 4. There’s a lot to unpack; but, before we get started, hear us out.

This prompt is crucial to your transfer success.

Here’s why…

By applying to a UC school, you’re competing for a spot at some of the most applied-to schools in the world. With such numbers, perfect students with 4.0 GPAs and stellar extracurriculars get rejected every year.

A solid set of UC PIQs highlights your qualitative traits beyond numbers, a crucial part of the UC holistic admissions process. The essay is also one of the few elements admissions officers use to analyze the weight of your qualitative traits including but not limited to…

1. personal hardships
2. talents
3. projects
4. research
5. work experience
6. living situation
7. disadvantages and privileges

Take a look at UC Berkeley’s Common Data Set for transfer students.

With this, the admissions officers only really have your grades and essays to base your decision on. Your talents, projects, and extracurriculars are under the judgment of your essays, essentially dictating the fate of 2 years of hard work.

Thus, bad essays can easily flush 2 years down the drain.

*Flushing noise*

Okay, with that said, let’s get right to it: our ultimate guide to the required UC transfer PIQ.

Table of Contents

1. Required UC Transfer PIQ Prompt: Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.
2. How to Answer the Required UC Transfer PIQ.
   • 1. Look for Multiple Angles to “Preparing” for Your Major.
   • 2. Define “Succeed” in Upper-Division Courses.
   • 3. Remember to Elaborate Beneath the Surface.
   • 4. Earn Your Admissions Officer’s Trust.
   • 5. Don’t Forget the Essentials! Brush Up Your Grammar, Sentence Structure, Choppiness, and Paragraph Spacing!
3. Required UC Transfer PIQ Example Essay.
   • UC Psych Essay Example

Required UC Transfer PIQ Prompt: Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.

For your reference, here’s the whole required UC transfer PIQ prompt below, including the additional notes and hints provided by the UC website.

Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.

Things to consider: How did your interest in your major develop? Do you have any experience related to your major outside the classroom;such as volunteer work, internships and employment, or participation in student organizations and activities? If you haven’t had experience in the field, consider including experience in the classroom. This may include working with faculty or doing research projects.

If you’re applying to multiple campuses with a different major at each campus, think about approaching the topic from a broader perspective, or find a common thread among the majors you’ve chosen.

University of California Tranfser Application About Page

Let’s actually deconstruct this prompt for a bit.

There are two parts to this prompt:

1. How you prepared for your major.
2. What you’ve done to succeed in upper-division courses.

You can actually think of this prompt as the University of California’s way of understanding just how much thought went into your decision to transfer.

They’re NOT saying that you must have studied for upper-division classes beforehand, and they’re NOT saying you need to have research experience or internship work in your major to know that it’s right for you.

Your admissions officers are just asking you these questions to measure your level of interest and thought put into transferring into a University of California school for your major and field (beyond just prestige.)

Thus, the main theme of the required UC transfer PIQ is thoughtfulness: you thought about your major and took steps to prepare academically and career-wise.

Keep that in mind throughout this article.

How to Answer the Required UC Transfer PIQ.

To demonstrate thoughtfulness, you’ll need to do more than just write about how much thought you put into your major. Go past the superficial. Get into the details, the nitty-gritty.

This is how you show admissions officers that you really mean business.

To do this properly, follow our 5 rules below.

1. Looking at “preparation” from different angles.
2. Defining “success” in our own words.
3. Scratching beneath the surface.
4. Earning your reader’s trust.
5. Brushing up your writing.

1. Look for Multiple Angles to “Preparing” for Your Major.

There aren’t many ways to “prepare for your major.”

But, the real problem is this: most students aren’t looking at “preparation” correctly.

In fact, when we think of “preparing for your major,” we imagine things like earning A’s, using Khan Academy, and spending summers catching up with upper-division textbooks.

Let’s cut right through the BS.

Practically no one is reading upper-division textbooks to prepare for their major.

Summer vacations are often spent sitting at home enjoying playing video games with friends or going out for late-night taco truck runs. And, you know what? That’s a better way to spend free time —what can we say, tacos are great!

Now, you may be asking us…

“But, doesn’t that mean we haven’t prepared for our major?!”

Nope!

You most probably have prepared for your major… but, it’s in ways you simply haven’t considered past academic studying and grinding through Quizlet flashcards.

You can prepare for your major by doing research into what career paths are available in your industry to determine if the major is truly right for you. Or, you could conduct personal projects or startup ventures in your industry to see what your major is like from a more hands-on business perspective. Perhaps you can conduct research with your professors to gain a closer connection with your field from the perspective of higher academia. Additionally, you can learn more about your field outside of the classroom through podcasts and YouTube rabbit holes that help you learn more about your major.

The possibilities are endless.

But, at the end of the day, it all boils down to this: think about how you prepared for your major from multiple angles.

There’s more than just one way to answer how you prepared for your major. Just be creative!

2. Define “Succeed” in Upper-Division Courses.

This section is similar to the previous one. In this case, it’s about defining “success” in your upper-division courses.

This sounds quite obvious: do well in classes and earn all A’s, right?

But, if you think about it, you’ll notice that there’s a lot more to succeeding in your upper-division courses than just academic performance. Show your readers how you succeed in classes beyond earning A’s alone.

Here’s an example.

We have quite a lot of clients who suffer from ADHD. They survive their courses by memorizing the content in their classes from the surface, then dumping their learned knowledge the next day until they completely forget what they learned. They may earn high marks; but, they gain nothing of intellectual value from the class.

There’s no learning in that! It’s just a fancy letter grade that impresses people; but, no true leaning —like garnish without meat!

Here’s another example.

Let’s say you’re a student who performs well but is introverted. The classroom setting doesn’t just provide you with intellectual growth, but also a community with whom you may share intellectual stimulation. It’s a community you can belong in as a specialist in your field. And, to make the most of your educational classes and “succeed” in upper-division courses, you may want to make the most of networking with fellow peers and future research partners.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to define what it means to “succeed” in a course. Does it mean you get good grades? What about building a closer relationship with your professor for future opportunities? Or, will you squeeze the course for all it’s worth and learn as much as possible?

It’s up to you! Again, get creative!

3. Remember to Elaborate Beneath the Surface.

When you’re describing how you’ve prepared for your major and upper-division courses, it’s very easy to be literal.

“I prepared by doing an internship.”

“I prepared by learning more about the history of English under my professor!”

But, these are just statements. They sound flat because any other student can say the same, thus losing the distinctive element that helps you stand out! To make your experience stand out, you need to get into the nitty-gritty: elaborate beyond the surface.

Move beyond the literal by explaining with emotional imagery and distinct detail.

Now, why is this important?

In the world of college admissions, you need to distinguish your experiences from others. Although every experience is unique to each person’s individual life, it’s very easy for them to sound the same when only explained by what they are.

“That’s when I started to work with Dr. Antonio Wright on his research on connectivity abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder using magnetic resonance imaging. It was very insightful; and, I had the chance to learn a lot.”

Example of Bad Writing for the Required UC Transfer PIQ

This is essentially a knock-off of any other student’s writing explaining how they worked with a professor. You can replace the professor’s name and research work with anything else, and it’d be the same.

But, notice what happens when I explain the deeper qualities behind it such as the feeling and imagery that went through this experience.

“I didn’t ‘have to’ ask him if he needed any help with his work. But, it was one of those moments I thought I wouldn’t have the same opportunity ever again. Research on Bipolar Disorder. Psychopathology runs rampant amongst my family; and, uncovering more about it was an exciting —no, also fulfilling— thought. Yet, my veins felt like they were pumping ice and the brutalist walls of the Office Hours building —I mean, why even design it to be so uninviting anyhow?— seemed to close in on me.

Maybe… it’s better to turn back.

He wouldn’t even need my help anyway…

“He…hi?! Can I uhh, can I help you out with the Bipolar thing?”

I’m not proud of it. I’m seldom the most graceful Psychology student; but, if I want to learn more and ssatisfy my intellectual curiosity, I won’t mind my voice cracking to get it. And, it’s the best choice I made in fulfilling my knowlege in Psychology. I learned so, so much.“

Example of Good Writing for the Required UC Transfer PIQ

Deeper explanations with imagery and detail make the applicant’s experience unique through hyper-specific words that zoom into the smaller things. Not many people would elaborate on how nervous they are or even the brutalist architecture.

Additionally, having unique imagery and details is a great way to subtly hint at your positive traits. The applicant’s stubborn persistence despite the fear demonstrates a strong courage despite fear and insecurity, which is a great trait for just about any aspiring college student.

This principle isn’t just applied to the required UC transfer PIQ. It’s also applied to all colleges.

4. Earn Your Admissions Officer’s Trust.

This is perhaps one of the most important elements of writing a required UC transfer PIQ essay that actually works.

You need to earn your admissions officer’s trust.

Full stop.

Period.

If your admissions officer so much as detects a flicker of a white lie, you’ve compromised the validity of your application. How do they know you’re not lying about the rest of the content you’ve written? Or, even deeper, how do they know you’re not lying to earn A’s in your transcript?

This is why we tell students they can’t prepare for their upper-division courses by doing unrealistic things like reading upper-division textbooks and reviewing flashcards 8 hours a day for 40 hours a week.

It’s not realistic.

Sure. Reading the textbook to get ahead of the game and reviewing flashcards is normal for students, even during the summer before they start their junior year. But, you need to bring your application back down to reality.

So long as you demonstrate to your admissions officers a personable character through your writing style and you keep your wording honest without trying too hard to stretch the truth, you’ll be fine.

As a general rule: don’t try to bend the truth or find ways to reinterpret your feats to “make admissions officers accept you.” Once you write your essay to weaponize your words and “make readers accept you,” you’ve gone down the path of stretching the truth.

What if admissions officers don’t know it’s a lie? Hey, you’re lucky!

If not? Well, say goodbye to your acceptance into any of the schools.

It’s just not worth it.

Tell the truth, and don’t lie. That way, you’ll earn your reader’s trust which is worth it’s weight in gold.

5. Don’t Forget the Essentials!

If you want to make your required UC transfer PIQ essay solid, you’ll need to get your fundamentals in order. We can’t tell you how often students misuse commas, spell words incorrectly, and commit many other grammatical sins.

Don’t be that person.

Stand out from the rest of the UC admissions pool by ensuring your essay looks solid. After all, this is the required prompt. So, it had better be pristine and look sharp before submission!

Here is a general checklist for you to follow before you turn in your required UC transfer essay.

1. Use proper grammar.
2. Make your sentence structure unique with semicolons, colons, commas, and em dashes.
3. Diversity your vocabulary.
4. Don’t misspell anything.
5. Prevent choppiness in your writing by transitioning between sentences and paragraphs smoothly.
6. Space out your paragraphs such that your writing doesn’t look like one big wall of text.

If you follow all 6 of these steps, your required UC transfer PIQ essay will look much sharper than students who have mistakes.

Of course, many students will also be doing the same. They’ll be editing with everything they’ve got, and even taking their essays to professional editors with years of experience to get ahead of the game.

If you want to have an advantage, and not lose your potential spot at your favorite UC campus, consider scheduling us for a free consultation. We can discuss how our college essay editing and writing services can help you stand out from the rest of the admissions pool, just like countless of our previous clients.

Required UC Transfer PIQ Example Essay.

Below, we’ve pasted one of our successful UC transfer PIQ example essays. This was an essay that helped one of our clients transfer from UC Riverside to UCLA.

Additionally, here are some of their stats.

1. GPA: 3.75
2. Major: Psychology
3. Extracurriculars: attended smaller clubs on campus, but no leadership positions
4. Research Experience: none
5. Internship Experience: none
6. Work Experience: tutoring test prep for ACT and SAT

Note that this is not conducive to the average accepted student. Just because our client had these stats and received help in editing their PIQs does not mean that your results will be the same.

While receiving UC essay help and editing services could increase the quality of your essays, and therefore your chances of acceptance, they’re by no means a “guarantee” of acceptance into your desired campus.

With that said, below you’ll find the example essay that worked.

UC Psych Essay Example

“I’m going to be transparent: I’ve still got a lot to learn.

That’s perhaps one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my studies in psychology. You “think” you know what you’re studying; but, a cacophony of new information comes spewing forth like a waterfall ready to tell you just how wrong you are.

“Wow, so that’s how the mind works. I know more now!”

Nope!

If there’s anything my courses taught me, it’s that the more I learn the more I realize how little I know.

And… it’s perfect.

Psychology has been such a mystery to me throughout my academic career. Every time I learn about the human mind, whether through class or countless Wikipedia rabbit holes, I find myself getting lost in a Pandora’s box. It’s a gift that keeps on giving!

In some ways, my “passive learning” outside typical “active learning” hours have prepared me for Psychology by priming me to look at my upper-division content from a more sophisticated point of view. Through multiple mediums of study such as self-directed research into the works of Jean Piaget and interdisciplinary connections in psychology with works of classic literature —thanks Orwell and Nabokov!— I’ve forged a much more powerful relationship with the fundamentals of Psychology that help me appreciate class content significantly more.

In short, I’m more ready to squeeze the lemon for all it’s worth now than ever before. And, by proxy, I’ve learned principles of Psychology that translate into my work ethic, making high academic performance easier than before —how convenient!

But, once again, I still have a lot to learn. Despite my everlasting fascination of the human mind, preparing me for the coming years, I don’t quite know everything. And, I doubt I ever will.

Nonetheless, my experience self-studying Psychology and the mindset it’s forged in me makes me excited for the years to come; and, I can’t wait to see what the next 2 years at the University of California have in store for me.”

Required UC Transfer PIQ Example Essay About Preparing for a Psychology Major; accepted into UCLA.

If you’ve got any further questions about how to write the required UC transfer PIQ, don’t fret! Everyone else is in the same sinking boat as you! Jokes aside, this prompt is one of the most important of the 4 transfer PIQs. That’s why we highly, highly recommend you seek help from a professional college admissions consultant and essay editor. Schedule a free consultation with us over the phone, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours to provide you with the best college essay help available.

Yes, the best. Pinky promise.