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October 14, 2025

USC Supplemental Essays 2025-2026: An Expert Guide with Full Examples

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October 14, 2025
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Below are the 2025-2026 supplemental essay prompts for the University of Southern California (USC). Our guide includes expert advice in interactive slides and full-length sample essays to help you craft a standout application.

Required Prompts for All Applicants

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).

Q: How to connect your majors?

A:

  • Connect both majors into a single theme you care about.
  • Example: "Computer Science and Data Science for urban transport issues."
  • Show how both curricula at USC support your theme.

Q: How to use specific resources?

A:

  • Name 1-2 concrete faculty members whose work interests you.
  • Example: "Professor Hao Li’s work on immersive technology will inform my project."
  • Mention specific facilities, labs, or centers.
  • Example: "I will use the Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience for my research."

Q: What will you do at USC?

A:

  • Show a timeline of your activities as a student.
  • First Year: take core classes, join a research group.
  • Later Years: pursue directed research, an internship, or a capstone project.

Q: How is USC uniquely better for you?

A:

  • Compare USC to competitors.
  • Example: "USC's interdisciplinary emphasis lets me combine computer science and biology in ways that most pure tech schools don't."

Q: Final check and pitfalls?

A:

Example:

My goal is to use virtual reality to make physical therapy less painful and more engaging. My first-choice major, Computer Science at Viterbi, will give me the technical skills to build these virtual worlds. My second choice, Human Biology at Dornsife, will provide the anatomical knowledge to ensure the programs are effective.

USC is the only place where these two interests come together perfectly. I plan to start by taking Professor Hao Li’s course on immersive technology to master the fundamentals of VR development. At the same time, I want to volunteer at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies to see how current research is being applied.

By my junior year, I aim to conduct directed research with Professor Jill McNitt-Gray. Her work in biomechanics could help me design VR exercises that are both safe and effective. While other universities have strong programs in either computer science or biology, USC’s unique emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration will allow me to build a bridge between them. I don't just want to code. I want to code with a purpose, creating tools that heal.

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... (250 words).

Q: How to explain the gap?

A:

  • Be direct and concise.
  • State the specific reason for the gap.
  • Example: "A family health crisis required me to take on caregiving responsibilities." or "Financial necessity required me to work full-time."

Q: How to structure the essay?

A:

  • The Reason: State the specific reason for your educational gap.
  • The Action: Describe what you learned and how you grew during this time.
  • The Impact: Conclude with a clear vision of how the experience shaped your future goals.

Q: What to emphasize in the essay?

A:

  • Focus on your resilience and maturity.
  • The essay's core is the insight you gained, not just the challenge you faced.
  • Show how the gap gave you skills that will help you succeed at USC.

Q: Final check?

A:

Short Answer Prompts (All Applicants)

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?

Q: Describe yourself in three words?

A:

  • Choose three concrete traits that people see in you.
  • The words should connect to how you learn, work, or lead.
  • Example: "Data-driven, Collaborative, Lifelong-learner."

Q: What is your favorite snack?

A:

  • Pick a snack that reveals something about your culture, habits, or personality.
  • Example: "A fresh croissant and espresso—my quiet morning ritual."

Q: Best movie of all time?

A:

  • Choose a movie that reflects your mind and values.
  • Example: "Parasite, for its unflinching look at class dynamics."

Q: Dream job?

A:

  • State something specific and imaginative.
  • Example: "Designing and managing a sustainable city in Northern Europe."

Q: If your life had a theme song?

A:

  • Pick a song that reflects an attitude, memory, or identity.
  • Example: "Here Comes the Sun, for its message of optimism and new beginnings."

Q: Dream trip?

A:

  • Be specific: location, why, and what you'd do.
  • Example: "Trekking through Patagonia to witness a total solar eclipse from the mountains."

Q: What TV show will you binge watch next?

A:

  • Pick something that hints at your intellectual interests or sense of humor.
  • Example: "The Great British Bake Off, for its good-natured competition."

Q: Who would be your ideal roommate?

A:

  • Choose someone whose traits you admire.
  • Example: "Mulan, for her resilience, courage, and wit."

Q: Favorite Book?

A:

  • Avoid an overly common classic.
  • Example: "One Hundred Years of Solitude, for its magical realism."

Q: If you could teach a class on any topic?

A:

  • Show a quirky passion or interdisciplinary interest.
  • Example: "The Social Impact of Video Games: Exploring Their Role in Community Building."

Q: Final check?

A:

Examples:

Describe yourself in three words:
Curious problem solver.

What is your favorite snack?
Cold pizza from the night before.

Best movie of all time:
Arrival

Dream job:
Urban beekeeper and honey sommelier.

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
"Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO

Dream trip:
A visit to the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway.

What TV show will you binge watch next?
Severance

Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
MacGyver

Favorite Book:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
The History and Science of Bread Making

Viterbi School of Engineering Applicants

Prompt 1: ...Describe how your contributions to the USC Viterbi student body may be distinct from others... (250 words)

Q: How do you show your distinctiveness?

A:

  • Connect a unique trait to a specific skill and a Viterbi value.
  • Example: A skill in translating technical ideas connects to Viterbi's value of communication and societal impact.

Q: How to structure the essay?

A:

  • The Foundation: Start with a brief story about a unique experience.
  • The Bridge: Connect that experience to a specific Viterbi value.
  • The Contribution: End by describing how you will use this trait to contribute to the campus community.

Q: Final check?

A:

Example:

For four years, I worked at my family’s small-town newspaper, where my job was page layout. Every Tuesday, I took a chaotic mess of articles, photos, and ads and arranged them into a clean, easy-to-read newspaper. I had to think like an engineer, creating a logical structure. But I also had to think like a reader, making sure the design was clear and intuitive.

My contribution to the Viterbi student body will be this skill. I am a translator. I can take a complex technical idea and present it in a way that anyone can understand. In a group project, while my teammates are deep in the code, I will be the one thinking about the user experience. I will be the one building the bridge between our technical solution and the people it is meant to help.

At Viterbi, engineering is about more than just building things. It is about "engineering a better world for all humanity." My unique background in communication and design will help my teams build solutions that are not only powerful but also accessible and easy to understand.

Prompt 2: The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and their 14 Grand Challenges... tell us which challenge is most important to you, and why. (250 words)

Q: How do you choose your challenge?

A:

  • Pick a challenge with a personal connection. Don't choose one just for being big.
  • Example: "Engineering better medicines" could connect to a family member's medical condition.

Q: How to structure your essay?

A:

  • The Problem (~50 words): Start with the challenge and your personal connection.
  • The Connection (~125 words): Show how your skills relate to the problem.
  • The Vision (~75 words): Explain how you will use Viterbi's resources (labs, professors) to address the challenge.

Q: Final check?

A:

Example:

The NAE Grand Challenge that is most important to me is "Engineering Better Medicines." My grandfather lives in a rural town three hours from the nearest major hospital. He manages his diabetes with a glucose monitor that is confusing and often gives inconsistent readings. This is not just a technical problem. It is a source of constant anxiety for him and my family. His health depends on a device that he cannot fully trust.

This personal experience drives my passion for biomedical engineering. The challenge is not just about inventing new medicines, but about making them accessible and easy to use. I want to design the next generation of biosensors. These would be devices that are not only more accurate but also intuitive, providing clear data that empowers patients like my grandfather to manage their own health with confidence.

At Viterbi, I want to pursue this goal at the Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. I am especially interested in the work of Professor Ellis Meng, whose lab focuses on creating micro-devices for medical monitoring. I want to help build tools that bring clarity and peace of mind to patients everywhere.

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Applicants

Prompt: ...If you had ten minutes and the attention of a million people, what would your talk be about? (250 words)

Q: How do you choose your topic?

A:

  • Pick a niche topic that is personal to you. Avoid clichés like "world peace."
  • The topic should be a microcosm of a larger issue.
  • Example: Talk about how cycling physics applies to urban transportation, not just "solving climate change."

Q: How to structure your essay?

A:

  • The Hook (~50 words): Start with a personal story or a surprising fact.
  • The Idea (~150 words): Explain your core, novel idea.
  • The Call to Action (~50 words): Conclude with a clear, specific action for your audience.

Q: Final check?

A:

Example:

If I had ten minutes and the attention of a million people, my talk would be about "The Hidden Power of Subtitles."

I would start with a personal story about watching a movie with my hearing-impaired friend. For him, subtitles were essential. For me, they were a revelation. I realized they did not just translate dialogue. They described everything: "tense music swells," "door creaks ominously," "character sighs sadly." The subtitles provided a layer of emotional and contextual information that I had completely missed.

My core idea is this: we all need to turn on the "subtitles" in our daily lives. In every conversation, there is a hidden layer of information in a person’s body language, their tone of voice, and the words they choose not to say. If we learn to pay attention to these signals, we can achieve a much deeper level of understanding and empathy.

My call to action would be simple. The next time you are in a conversation with someone you disagree with, I want you to mentally "turn on the subtitles." Listen not just to what they are saying, but to the emotions and experiences behind their words.

All the best!

All the best!