Apply Like a Pro to Illinois: Examples of Major-Specific College Application Questions
If you’ve made it here, chances are you’ve reached one of the more daunting parts of college applications: the written questions.
There are two ways you can apply to Illinois: the Common App and Illinois’s own application, myIllini. In this blog, we’ll instead focus on something they both have in common: the major-specific questions .
As part of your application, you’ll have to respond to two to three major-specific prompts about why you picked your intended major(s) , each with a word limit of 150. Sound difficult? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Disclaimer: Does something seem funny about the “majors” we’ve chosen to write about? Listening to Music is a great hobby, and while you may learn about DNA Analysis in some of your classes, the majors we’ve written about are imaginary! We did this so we could show you how to best structure your responses and have a little bit of fun. Okay, okay, fun might be somewhat of a subjective term in this case. Hey, at least we’re trying.
Prompt 1: Explain, in detail, an experience you’ve had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. This can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class you’ve taken, or through something else.
Example 1: Music Listening Major
I played the triangle for four years in my high school band, and through that was exposed to genres of music I would’ve otherwise never heard. Playing the triangle was fulfilling, but I wanted to create a space specifically for listening to music. During my sophomore year, I formed a club for music listeners called “Hear There Everywhere” and have served as the president ever since. As president, I organized meetings, held outreach events to engage new members, and implemented a Playlist Friday program, where teachers play personalized playlists created by the club on Friday afternoons. I’ve always had a passion for listening to music and “Hear There Everywhere” has given me a platform to share the benefits with others. From my experiences in high school, I know the Music Listening major at Illinois is the perfect fit for me.
Example 2: DNA Analysis Major
My high school biology teacher taught me the importance of curiosity, creativity, and integrity in scientific endeavors. She inspired me to continue taking science classes throughout high school to learn as much as I could. By the start of senior year, I knew I wanted to work in a science field, but it was a trip to a forensics lab last summer that helped me decide I want to specialize in DNA Analysis. On the trip, the first place we visited was the DNA lab, where I was able to speak to the lab technician about different techniques for analyzing DNA samples. He showed me the equipment and explained how proper analysis is vital in crime investigations. After witnessing biology used in this manner, I am certain I want to pursue a career in forensics, starting with studying DNA Analysis at Illinois.
Prompt 2: Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from Illinois and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them.
Listening to music has been a passion of mine since I was very young, and I want to share that passion with others. Through the Music Listening major, I hope to build a foundation of knowledge that will support me as I pursue a career as a professional music listener. As a professional listener, I want to become a strong voice within the field that not only pushes the boundaries of what types of music are listened to, but also advocates for the inclusion of listening as an important part of the music industry. Listening is a severely underrepresented piece of the music community, and my main career goal is to bring more recognition to music listeners everywhere. Not many Music Listening programs exist, so by taking part in this major I hope to establish my voice in the movement of change sweeping the music industry.
DNA Analysis is one of the most important branches of forensics science. By choosing this major, I will learn hands-on skills that will help me find a job in a DNA lab. My ultimate career goal is to use the power of biology to help other people, and I want to do that by engaging in research and analysis to improve DNA handling in crime investigations. With this major, not only will I learn the physical techniques being used, I will also gain knowledge of the ethics behind DNA analysis and storage. Learning about the moral debate occurring in the field from professors engaging in everyday research will make me a well-rounded scientist. I want to make forensics a more equitable field, and I believe the combination of hard science and ethics taught through the DNA Analysis major will help me accomplish this goal.
See, that wasn’t so bad! We hope these major-specific college application questions seem a little bit clearer now, and you have a better idea of what to write when you sit down to craft your own responses.
Overall, the key to effective major-specific college application questions is to be clear, be concise, and to always be yourself. Happy writing!
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58 comments
Haha I can’t say I wouldn’t have at least considered ‘Music Listening’ as my major if it wasn’t an imaginary one.
Thanks for the tips and examples. It helped write the first few words of my essay…which is always the most difficult part.
Us too! You’re very welcome, and we’re glad our examples helped. Hope you have a great year, Ashvin!
I think you have a typo lol “My ultimate career goal is to us the power of biology to help other people,” I’m pretty sure “us” should be “use”
I still think this was very helpful though. 🙂
Oops! Great catch, Violet, and thanks for letting us know so we could fix it. We’re glad the information was helpful to you, typo notwithstanding!
Extremely helpful blog, especially provoking more thought into the ‘why’ and ‘so what’ aspects of choosing a particular area of study….thanks for posting these examples.
Thanks, Jahnavi; we’re so glad you found it helpful!
the guides were pretty helpful. Hope to be in UIUC next year 🙂
We’re glad that you found the info helpful, Syed, and we’re excited that you’re interested in UIUC! If you have any questions throughout the application process, don’t hesitate to contact us .
Those examples quite help me a lot. These days, I have been unable to get a handle on the essays of majors when applying for the ea of uiuc. After reading these examples, I feel I have found the inspiration. Thank you very much!
This was helpful! But for me personally, there wasn’t a singular event that led me to choose my major but rather multiple experiences over a long period of time. Is it acceptable to write about multiple experiences instead of just one?
Really appreciate the samples as they provide us with some foundation and expectation as to what information we should include within the short word limit!
That music listening major is reaaaaaaly inspiring, and DNA analysis one is helpful too, lol. Thanks a lot, I was surprised when I saw this, you college instruct us to answer!
We’re glad they helped, Kylin! Any questions as you work on your application, don’t hesitate to reach out .
Hi Allison! No, we don’t want a list of things that led to your interest in the major. Even if you’ve had multiple experiences over a long period of time, we’re looking for a more in-depth, detailed description of one of those experiences that helped draw you to that area of study. We hope this helps! Any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office .
Thanks Eshwar, we’re glad they help! And if you have any questions as you work on your application, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office .
We’re glad you found the examples helpful, Haoyu, thank you!
HI! Your examples are cool! I just wonder whether two questions shall better be related or not?
Thanks for the examples! I have a question: are you looking for experiences that explain why we decided to choose the area of study and major we chose, or is it more towards an experience that demonstrates the steps we’ve taken in our area of study? Both?
Hi Jeremy, and thanks for reaching out! Your major-specific responses help us understand why you’ve chosen that specific major and also allow us to ensure that the major will be a good foundation to achieving your goals after graduation. We hope this helps! If you have additional questions as you work, don’t hesitate to contact us directly .
Thanks, Haoyu! Your major-specific responses help us understand why you’ve chosen that specific major and also allow us to ensure that the major will be a good foundation to achieving your goals after graduation. We hope this helps! If you have more questions as you work, don’t hesitate to contact us directly .
Great examples!! I finally have an idea of what information to add in such a limited space 🙂
Thank you for the tips and examples.
Thanks, Prithvi! We’re so glad you found them helpful.
Hello, thanks for your nice and clear answers. I am using Common App (not myIllini) and I have 2 questions(I am EA applicant). The prompts #1 and #2 above are not in the Commpn App, and I see there are 2 other questions as shown below instead.
So my questions are: (1) to where and by when do we have to submit the essays for the 2 prompts above? (2) The following 2 questions look like optional but I want to write an essay for #1. I do not think I am relevant to #2 though (I have a good GPA and no drop record) so I am wondering if it is ok to enter briefly like: Not Available (for the #2 below)
2 UIUC Questions on Common App:
#1. Academic Challenges Explain any challenges (outside of COVID-related) you have faced throughout your academic career, including the dates or timeline below.
#2. If you have a low grade or a drop in grades that you have not already explained, do so below.
Thanks for reaching out, Tom! The academic challenges questions are optional. Once you click “Continue” on that page of the application, you’ll move to the academics section, where you’ll select your intended major and possible second choice. After that section, the two major-specific writing prompts will display for you to write your response. We hope this helps! If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact us directly .
Thank you so much for writing this blog. I was stuck on where to begin but these example essays made it very clear how to craft my essays and show my goals.
Hope I can be there at UIUC next year:)
Thank you for this information. I hope I get into UIUC next year!!
Thank you so much for this information! I feel a lot more prepared for writing my supplemental after this!
Thanks for the essay examples, it was extremely helpful. Looking forward to finishing my application 🙂
These examples are super helpful! Thank you so much.
I noticed that both of the academic challenge and grade drop explanation questions are optional. I don’t have a lot to fill out because I already used the Common App additional info sections for that.
If I leave these blank or shallow for UIUC, will it impact my application and admissions consideration at all? Or, is it truly just an area to express extra info if necessary?
Hi Ethan, yes, in not fully answering the major-specific questions, it could negatively impact your consideration. You’re welcome to use the same or similar information that you included in your Common App essay or additional information sections. We hope this helps. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us directly .
Thanks for the example!
I think you have a couple of typos in your examples.
“share the benefits with other” I think it should be “others” instead.
“my main career goal is to bring more recognition to musics listeners” I think it should be “music” instead.
Indeed we did, so we’ve made some edits. Thank you for catching them, Pranav!
Thank you so much for the great examples! It really helps provide me with a solid start and understanding of how to approach essays! Much less daunting than expected!
This is really helpful .Thank you!
Thanks so much, Advaith; we’re glad the examples helped!
Thanks, Aayush; we’re so glad you found the examples helpful!
Thank you for these examples! My mind was scrambled while thinking of what to write!
I wanted to say that this blog and the comments are both very helpful. I was going to contact the admissions office regarding these questions (like how specific the responses they need to be, how many things we could talk about, etc.), but this blog cleared most of my doubts. Thank you for posting these examples!!
This was a very great helpful blog. I am a senior in high school and just submitting my apps and this gave me an idea of how to do the essays for UIUC Thanks so much.
Thank you! I have an idea of what it should sound like now. What would you suggest if I’ve already covered the information a question asks for in the personal statement?
Thank you so much for this guide, it made the writing process significantly easier!
Is the second prompt more of a “Why UIUC” prompt? As in, do we write details about why we want to attend UIUC or details about why we want to do CS?
Thanks so much for the examples, super helpful with starting off the supplemental essays!
These are some great examples and they helped me a lot with writing my own which was pretty intimidating at first! Y’all were also funny with the music listening major— I wish!!
HI Arnav! For the second prompt, it’s more about you and less bout UIUC; we’re more interested in what you want to do with a degree in CS. We hope this helps!
Hi Shrujana, we’re glad the examples helped! If you’ve already covered the information a question asks for within your personal statement, some options could be to provide a different experience in your major-specific answer, elaborate more fully in the personal statement, or choose a different question for your personal statement. Whatever makes the most sense to you and will give our admissions counselors the most helpful information!
Hi UIUC Admissions, I am planning on listing “undeclared” on my major because I am interested in a few different areas such as Business and Psychology. Can you provide an example for someone who is not sure what they want to major in?
Thanks for the suggestion, Melissa. Although we won’t be able to do this in time for this year, we’ll see what’s possible for future years!
you the goat fr
Hey UIUC, I am so thankful for this content put out! This got me through my drafting sessions and now I am ready to submit my application. Looking forward to become a fighting Illini next year :))
AHH you do amazing work UIUC admissions blog! Thank you!
Hahahaha. Very creative! I like the example of music learning as a major. This was very helpful and look forward to applying to UIUC🙂👍
Very helpful information thank you
Thanks a lot for this post. I’ve been having a bit of writer’s block to start these responses and this gave me a better idea on how to start!
Thank you! These examples were very helpful in writing my essays. I appreciate this resource a lot.
Hi UIUC Team, thank you for this very helpful blog post. I now have a better idea how to fit my response in 150 words! Do you have anything similar for 2nd choice major? I can’t wait to be at UIUC next year. Thank you.
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How to Write the UIUC Supplemental Essays 2024–2025
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The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is known for their diverse and academically rigorous academic programs . Every year, thousands of applicants seek to follow in the footsteps of UIUC alumni, including film critic Roger Ebert, writer Dan Savage, and scientist Temple Grandin. But completing your UIUC supplemental essays is easier said than done. Looking to better understand how to approach the UIUC prompts? Let’s dive in.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s 2024-2025 Prompts
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign asks for applicants to complete two or three essay questions depending on their choice of major (or lack thereof). Below, you can preview the two prompts for students who have selected a major, the two prompts for students entering undeclared, and the one additional prompt for students intending to double major (including with an undeclared second major). Each response should be approximately 150 words.
If You’re Applying to a Major :
- Explain, in detail, an experience you’ve had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. This can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class you’ve taken, or through something else.
- Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from UIUC and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them.
If You’re Applying to Our Undeclared Program in the Division of General Studies:
- What are your academic interests? Please include 2-3 majors you’re considering at Illinois and why.
- What are your future career or academic goals? You may include courses you took in high school and how these impacted your goals.
If You’ve Selected a Second-Choice Major (Including Undeclared ):
- You have selected a second-choice major. Please explain your interest in that major or your overall academic or career goals.
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General Tips
Each of these prompts, no matter your choice of major or lack thereof, asks you to explore your academic interests and how those interests relate to your postgraduate goals. Even if you have a specific major or two in mind, your future career goals might be murky. That’s okay!
According to the National Center for Education Studies, about 30% of students change their major in college at least once. Far more students end up pursuing careers, plural, that they didn’t originally plan on. And according to the World Economic Forum, the jobs of future might look completely different than those we have today. To put it another way, your future career might not have been invented yet. For these reasons, you should feel comfortable keeping an open mind about your employment future and indicating that openness in your essay.
This is mind, you may have difficulty approaching these questions about your major and career. So let’s break it down. What are your academic interests , and, given these interests, what jobs would allow you to pursue those interests further? Determining these two simple pieces of information should help guide your essays.
UIUC Short Essay Questions: If You’re Applying to a Major
Explain, in detail, an experience you’ve had in the past 3 to 4 years related to your first-choice major. this can be an experience from an extracurricular activity, in a class you’ve taken, or through something else. (150 words or fewer).
This prompts asks you to provide an example of the impact of your academic interests on your life. This example could be a single occasion when you witnessed the power of medicine and resolved to pursue a degree from UIUC’s College of Applied Health Sciences. If you’re a future English major, maybe there’s a book you want to write about that had a particularly significant impact on your perspective. Or perhaps you pursued your interest in social justice through a summer internship that led you to choose Political Science as your major.
Note a few key quantities in the prompt: you need to explain “ an experience in the past 3 to 4 years.” Based on this information, the admissions officers are likely seeking to hear about a singular high school experience that you have had. Don’t feel pressure to describe a life-changing moment. Keep your response specific and concise, and you’ll be golden.
Describe your personal and/or career goals after graduating from UIUC and how your selected first-choice major will help you achieve them. (150 words or fewer)
This prompt permits a broad response, encompassing personal and/or career goals. That said, you first need to narrow that response to goals related to your first-choice major. Then, you need to narrow those goals down to just your 1-3 most important goals.
In the event that you haven’t decided on a career path, even though you’ve picked your major, a few Google searches can help guide you in the right direction. What careers relate to your first-choice major? If there are many career paths associated with this major, then you may want to list a few options in your response that are most inviting to you. Regardless of what personal or career goals you choose to explore in this short essay, be specific (even if brief) as to why these are your goals and how your major will help you get closer to these goals.
Additional research into the specific opportunities offered by your first-choice major at UIUC can help you flesh out this essay. Perhaps UIUC’s Experimental Music Studios will set you up for your dream career as a film composer. Or perhaps the research division of UIUC’s Program of Actuarial and Risk Management Sciences particularly interests you. A specific response can effectively demonstrate your deep interest in the learning opportunities available to you at UIUC. Moreover, you will show the admissions officers that you are serious about achieving your goals through your UIUC education.
UIUC Short Essay Questions: If You’re Applying Undeclared
What are your academic interests please include 2-3 majors you’re considering at illinois and why. (150 words or fewer).
Even if you’re applying undeclared, you likely have more than one academic interest. Don’t hold back: interdisciplinary interests that don’t necessarily align with a certain major are totally fine to discuss. In fact, discussing the ways your academic interests overlap or have evolved may help your reader better understand why you are choosing to enter undeclared.
Students entering college undeclared tend to start from one of three places. One, they’re deciding between similar majors. Two, they’re deciding between completely unrelated majors. Three, they have zero clue what majors speak to them. Let’s discuss each of these situations briefly.
In situation one, you can just list those similar majors in this essay and discuss the interests that underpin them. Consider the following questions: Why are these your interests? What skills would you like to gain by studying these topics? What specific programs at UIUC will support these interests?
In situation two, you can list your top two or three majors and (concisely and precisely) explain your interest in them. Consider the same questions posed in the last paragraph. However, keep your responses brief so that you have space to address the very different fields that engage you. Alternatively, you can focus on the interdisciplinary overlaps between your diverse interests.
In situation three, you may want to take the time to do a bit more research and soul-searching for tackling this question. Remember, you don’t have to eventually choose the majors you list in this essay! If you get stuck, look up UIUC’s list of majors and start crossing out all of the majors that don’t interest you. Keep narrowing it down as much as you can! Take comfort that you’re not really closing those doors yet.
What are your future career or academic goals? You may include courses you took in high school and how these impacted your goals. (150 words or fewer)
This prompt asks you to explore your goals for the future. If you look at your upcoming college experience, you may have some specific goals already. For instance, maybe you’re set on taking a computer science course, despite hoping to major in the arts. In this essay, you can explore why that is one of your goals. If you wish, you can move on to describing how that goal could impact your future career.
This question doesn’t require you to connect your career goals to your potential choice(s) of major. Therefore, you could describe an academic goal that isn’t related to your course of studies. Maybe it’s important to you to take philosophy courses to learn more about ethical questions and develop your opinions. Explain the motivation behind your academic goal(s) to the reader in this essay, and you’ll have a compelling narrative.
That said, if you choose to focus on career goals, those goals should be at least somewhat connected to whatever you’re considering majoring in. Otherwise, you risk giving the impression that you have not thought deeply about the purpose of your college education and its impact on your life. The connection does not need to be obvious or direct, though. This is especially true if you’re planning to work in an interdisciplinary, dynamic field. As long as you identify that connection in your essay, you’ll be fine.
UIUC Short Essay Questions: If You’ve Selected a Second Major (Including Undeclared)
You have selected a second-choice major. please explain your interest in that major or your overall academic or career goals. (150 words or fewer).
This extra essay response is applicable to applicants who wish to double-major. This is even if you are undecided about your second major. For instance, you might be certain about your intended degree in the Department of Economics , but you’re hoping to simultaneously pursue your passion for the arts while in college. Knowing exactly which arts degree you’d like to pursue isn’t necessary for selecting the second major option on your application. Regardless, just knowing that you would like to pursue two majors isn’t sufficiently detailed. In most cases, students will need to at least gesture toward their area of interest for the second major.
That said, this essay question gives you space to provide the color about that second major, no matter what it is. How does it fit with your first-choice major? Most importantly, how do those majors work in conjunction to bring you closer to your goals? Showing the admissions officers that you have thought deeply about these questions will give them the confidence that you are academically capable of pursuing a double major. So do your best to bring specificity, clarity, and depth to this essay and show UIUC that you’re ready!
If you need help polishing up your UIUC supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
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