• FREE LIVE WEBINAR

How to Answer the UC PIQs in 2026

  • Thursday, September 17th
  • 5-6 PM PST/8-9 PM EST
  • Can't make it live? A recording will be available within 1–2 business days.

Applying to the University of California? Your UC Personal Insight Questions are a little different from the Common App personal statement and knowing how to approach them can make all the difference. In this live webinar, we’ll break down what the UCs are looking for, share our best strategies for finding meaningful topics, and show you what strong PIQ responses can look like. We’ll also cover AI use, tips for making your responses stand out, and leave plenty of time for Q&A.

We’ll cover:

  • The important differences between the UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) and Common App personal statement
  • What are the UCs looking for?
  • What do the UCs say about AI use?
  • The best ways to find your topics (in our humble opinion)
  • Review and analyze 2 great samples 
  • Tips for making your UC PIQs stand out
  • A short preview of our upcoming UC PIQ Boot Camp + Q&A

Save Your Spot

Register free — it only takes 30 seconds

Please accept marketing cookies to view this form.

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Our Facilitators

Ethan Sawyer

Founder • College Essay Guy

Ethan Sawyer is the founder of College Essay Guy which means he has been eating/sleeping/breathing college essays for most of his waking hours since 2003. He is an internationally recognized college essay and admissions expert and the author of the Amazon bestsellers College Essay Essentials and College Admission Essentials.

Each year he and his team reach more than one million students and counselors through the College Essay Guy blog, online pay-what-you-can courses, workshops, books, and one-on-one work. Receiving his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Performance Studies, an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine, and two counseling certificates, Ethan’s educational experiences, reading, and training have informed his deep interest in storytelling as a vehicle for personal development and growth, which in turn inspired Ethan to start College Essay Guy. 

Hanah Lim

Director of Workshops and Curriculum • College Essay Guy

Hanah Lim is the Director of Workshops and Curriculum at College Essay Guy. She is a former high school English teacher and essay specialist who is passionate about helping demystify the college admission process for young people and their families. Before teaching English at the high school she attended growing up, she worked as a college consultant for students in Bangkok, Thailand, and directed SAT prep centers in Irvine, California. She was an EL coordinator and an AVID teacher/coordinator at a public high school in California and made it her goal to help close the achievement gap.

In addition to coaching seniors write their college essays, Hanah has also trained teachers and counselors internationally on how to take students through the college essay process. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Education and is a credentialed single subject teacher. As part of her work, Hanah oversees CEG’s workshop and curriculum programs and organizes college application and essay workshops for students at schools and organizations in the US and around the world. Hanah finds joy in watching musicals, visiting Disney parks with her husband, and playing with her two cats.