Prompt database · 2026-27 cycle
California Institute of Technology
Deadlines
sourceNo deadlines published for this cycle yet. Check the source link above — we'll add them as soon as the school posts them.
Essay prompts (8)
7 required · 1 optional
- academic interest2026-27200 words
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?
- otherScholarly Character section2026-27200 words
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Scholarly Character section — choose one of the two options (Collaboration)
Tell us about a time your learning in STEM was shaped by another person or group — either because you needed help, offered help, changed your thinking through collaboration, or contributed to someone else's understanding. What did that experience teach you about learning and working with others?
- otherScholarly Character section2026-27200 words
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Scholarly Character section — choose one of the two options (Process)
Tell us about a time your approach to a STEM problem, concept, or project mattered as much as the outcome. How did you work through uncertainty or persist creatively in tackling the problem? What would you still defend about your process, regardless of the outcome?
- academic interestScientific Drive section2026-27200 words
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Scientific Drive section — choose two of the three options (Learning)
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.
- academic interestScientific Drive section2026-27200 words
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Scientific Drive section — choose two of the three options (Pursuing)
Tell us about a STEM question, problem, idea, or project that has held your attention over time. What drew you to it, how have you pursued it, and what do you still want to understand?
- otherScientific Drive section2026-27200 words
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Scientific Drive section — choose two of the three options (Making)
Tell us about something you created, tested, repaired, modeled, coded, built, or redesigned. What problem were you trying to solve and what did the process reveal to you?
- community2026-27150 words
What is something you would be excited to do, share, teach, make, start, or contribute as part of the Caltech community?
- short answerOptional academic short answer2026-27
Source details
Optional academic short answer, open to all first-year applicants
Is there anything about your academic preparation, coursework, school context, or learning experiences that would help us better understand your readiness for Caltech?
The school's published AI policy
What are some examples of unethical uses of AI for Caltech admissions essays? Copying and pasting directly from an AI generator; Relying on AI generated content to outline or draft an essay; Replacing your unique voice and tone with AI generated content; Translating an essay written in another language. What are some examples of ethical uses of AI for Caltech admissions essays? Using AI tools, like Grammarly or Microsoft Editor, to review grammar and spelling of your completed essays; Generating questions or exercises to help kick start the brainstorming process; Using AI to research the college application process. If you are still wondering whether your use of AI in crafting your application is ethical, ask yourself whether it would be ethical to have a trusted adult perform the same task you are asking of ChatGPT. Would a teacher be able to review your essay for grammatical and spelling errors? Of course! Would that same teacher write a draft of an essay for you to tweak and then submit? Definitely not.
the school’s published policyChecked Sep 8, 2026
Our reading
Caltech requires the essay to be the applicant's own work but explicitly permits AI for grammar and spelling review of completed essays, for generating brainstorming questions, and for researching the application process, and resolves uses on neither list with a trusted-adult test whose own worked example is a teacher reviewing a student's essay.
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When you request a review for a California Institute of Technology supplement, the feedback is grounded in exactly what you see here: the prompt itself, its word limit, and what the school publishes about its values and programs. That's the whole claim — calibrated to the prompt and the school's own published guidance, scored against a consistent rubric. Not insider knowledge, and never a rewrite: Second Read is a coach, not a ghostwriter. It flags weaknesses and tells you what to fix and why; it never writes a sentence of your essay.
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