Admission

Essay Questions For Each Major

Provided below are the personal statement prompts used for each specific engineering major. Students are encouraged to use these prompts to begin drafting their personal statements.

Aeronautics & Astronautics

The personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) should describe your interest in Aeronautics & Astronautics. Explain why you would like to study in the department, your goals while in the undergraduate program, and some ideas of what you would like to do after graduation. Our department strives to understand prospective students in a holistic manner. Please include any experiences (e.g., work, internship, research, leadership, or extracurricular activities) that will give us a better understanding of your academic interests, professional goals, and personal experiences. If your experiences have given you a unique perspective that you believe will add to our student body you may choose to include that in your statement. Similarly, if you have encountered any unusual or extenuating circumstances that have affected your education, you may wish to include that information as well.
The information you provide in your personal statement will help the A&A Undergraduate Admissions Committee learn about you. We look forward to receiving your application.

Bioengineering

Please write a brief personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced for all prompts) addressing the following questions:

1. Tell us what aspect of bioengineering you are most interested in pursuing. How have you explored this interest, and how has this led to your decision to apply to the bioengineering major?
  • We recognize that students' opportunities for exploration depend on their educational institution and background. We want to understand how you have used the opportunities available to you to explore your interests, including high school or college coursework and co-curricular or extracurricular experiences.

2. Tell us more about your personal and academic journey and how you have grown during your college career. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, have contributed to the social good and a better world and/or will do so in the bioengineering program and in your career.
  • Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc.

3. Additional materials (optional): Applicants may petition the admissions committee for consideration if they are missing one or two prerequisite courses or if they plan to add bioengineering as a second degree. If you have been approved to apply with missing admission requirements or if you are interested in pursuing a double-degree, please provide additional information here.
  • Please email bioeng@uw.edu with the subject "Bioengineering undergraduate admissions petition" for approval and the prompts you should address.

Bioresource Science And Engineering

Personal Statement Write a brief, 1 page personal statement that will give the Bioresource Science and Engineering departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your background. Your statement must include your reasons for choosing Bioresource Science and Engineering, and your career objectives. You may also include other factors such as personal, family, economic and educational circumstances. Honors and Activities Please include a list of school, work or community honors and activities if applicable. Please indicate your most significant contribution, the organization name (if appropriate), and dates of service/award.

Chemical Engineering

Write a brief personal statement (approx. 1 single-spaced page). Formatting will be removed, so do not use special characters, italics, or other formatting. Proofread. Be concise.

We suggest you respond to the first question in the list, regarding your interests and goals. You can choose to address any combination of, including none or all of the additional topics in your personal statement - the admission committee uses this statement to better understand you as a person, your academic record, and your interest in chemical engineering:

  • Discuss your academic and personal interests and goals.
  • Discuss how your personal experiences prepare you to solve problems in diverse teams, and for a diverse world.
  • Discuss any activities/extracurriculars you are particularly committed to (ChemE-related or not), why you are involved in these activities, and the skills or insights you gained that you will bring into your future work.
  • Describe any challenges or hardships you have overcome in pursuing your education. For example: serious illness; disability; first generation in your family to attend college; significant financial hardship or responsibilities associated with balancing work, family, and school. Include how you persevered, and how the experience(s) impacted yourself or your education.

Additionally, please address the following if they are applicable to you:

  • If you have applied to ChemE before, please discuss what has changed or improved since your last application.
  • If you plan to complete more than one major, please provide an intellectual or career justification for the double-degree.
  • If you will take more than 4 years to graduate, please briefly explain why and discuss your plan for graduating efficiently.

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

The purpose of the personal statement is to give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. Write a brief statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) telling us about your motivation for majoring in Civil Engineering, the experiences (e.g. work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that are important to you, and your future goals.

If you have faced unusual or extenuating circumstances, you may wish to discuss this in your personal statement. For example, if you have had to overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you could describe how these challenges affected your education and impacted your academic record.

If you are requesting to apply conditionally with a missing application or enrollment requirement, please review the process for a Conditional Application and complete the request form at your earliest convenience.

Applicants who are approved to apply conditionally must address it in their personal statement when and where the outstanding course(s) will be completed.

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering

The purpose of the personal statement is to give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. Write a brief statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) telling us about your motivation for majoring in Environmental Engineering, the experiences (e.g. work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that are important to you, and your future goals.

If you have faced unusual or extenuating circumstances, you may wish to discuss this in your personal statement. For example, if you have had to overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you could describe how these challenges affected your education and impacted your academic record.

If you are requesting to apply conditionally with a missing application or enrollment requirement, please review the process for a Conditional Application and complete the request form at your earliest convenience.

Applicants who are approved to apply conditionally must address in the personal statement when and where the outstanding course(s) will be completed.

Computer Science & Engineering

Please address all the required topics below. The response under each heading should be no more than 250 words.

1. Academic History & Major Choice (Required, max of 250 words)

  • Tell us about your college career to date, describing your performance, educational path, and academic choices.
  • Share what led you to choose to study Computer Science or Computer Engineering.
  • Explain any situations that may have had a significant positive or negative impact on your academic progress or curricular choices. What happened, and what was the impact for you?
  • Transfer applicants only: What are the specific reasons you wish to leave your most recent college/university or program?

2. Future Academic & Career Goals (Required, max of 250 words)

  • Tell us about your future academic goals in college and your career and/or post-graduation plans.
  • How will the Allen School help you achieve your goals?
  • If you plan to pursue more than one major, tell us why both majors are important to you (if applicable).
  • If you will take more than 4 years to graduate, please briefly explain why and discuss your plan for graduating efficiently (if applicable).
  • Transfer applicants only: Why do you want to transfer to UW?

3. Commitment to Community (Required, max of 250 words)

  • Tell us about any significant communities that you are actively involved with or have recently been a part of within the past two years, and your role in them.
  • Why are you involved in these communities?
  • How did these communities benefit from your involvement? Emphasize in particular any leadership roles or impact you have had in these communities.
  • What perspectives, skills, or insights will you bring to the Allen School community or future work as a result of your participation in these communities?

4. Additional Elements (Optional, max of 250 words)

  • Tell us about how any of your identities, perspectives, or life experiences would help you contribute to the Allen School community and the computing field. This could include but is not limited to: race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, ability/disability, age, socioeconomic background, academic experience, and veteran status.
  • Describe any significant responsibilities you may have in addition to being a student (e.g. parenting responsibilities, work, familial responsibilities). What impact has this had on your college experience?
  • Provide any additional comments you would like to share with the committee.

(Same as Computer Engineering above)

(Same as Computer Engineering above)

(Same as Computer Engineering above)

(Same as Computer Engineering above)

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Prior to applying to the ECE major, please review the ECE Admissions page. Prospective students are also strongly encouraged to attend an information session prior to applying to the ECE major.

The personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) should describe your interest in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Explain why you would like to study in the department, your goals while in the undergraduate program, and some ideas of what you would like to do after graduation.

Please include any experiences (e.g., work, internship, research, leadership, extracurricular activities, community, personal, etc.) that will give us a better understanding of your academic interests, professional goals, and personal journey.

If you would like to address or clarify anything particular in your transcripts/academic record, such as challenges or hardships you have overcome that have impacted your education, you have the option to use the “Additional Comments” section to briefly explain this.

In addition, briefly address in your personal statement any of the following ONLY if applicable to you:

  • If you plan to complete more than one major, please share which majors you are planning to complete and provide why you are interested in these majors.
  • If you will take more than 4 years to graduate, please explain why and discuss your plan for graduating efficiently.
  • If you are post-baccalaureate, explain why a second bachelor's degree is necessary to reach your goals.

Human Centered Design & Engineering

Prior to applying to the HCDE major, please review the HCDE BS admission FAQs. NEW: The HCDE BS admission personal statement rubric is now available on the HCDE website. See the FAQs for Transfers and Interest Changers on our HCDE BS admission page. Prospective students are also strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment with an HCDE peer adviser prior to applying to the HCDE major.

Please provide a personal statement that will give the admissions committee an understanding of how you have explored HCDE and determined that majoring in HCDE will be the best fit for your goals. Your personal statement should include numbered responses to each of the 3 following prompts:
1. Please describe the specific activities you have engaged in to learn more about HCDE, including, but not limited to: involvement in student organizations, research, internships, projects, volunteer work, courses, or personal experiences that have helped you identify HCDE as the best fit for your interests and goals for the future.
2. Share instances from your past academic experiences that best show your ability to learn and succeed. What about these experiences contributed to your success, and how will you build on those experiences in HCDE? Please do not share information of a sensitive, traumatic, or private nature.
3. You should also discuss how your personal experiences prepare you to work successfully in diverse and interdisciplinary teams, and toward a more human-centered world. How will your identities, perspectives, and life experiences help you contribute to the HCDE community and the field?

Juniors/seniors only: Please note that the HCDE curriculum takes a minimum of 2 years to complete. If you will be applying to the HCDE major at the end of your junior year or later, please use the “Additional Comments” box in the application to briefly share why you are deciding to change your major, add another degree, or do not yet have another major in progress. Describe the reasons why you will need to extend your graduation timeline beyond 4 years/12 quarters and why this is the best path for meeting your individual academic and career goals.

Your application will be read by the HCDE B.S. admissions committee, which is composed of HCDE faculty and staff members. We suggest using specific examples in your statement and limiting it to approximately one page, single-spaced; this comes out to be roughly 750 words.

Industrial & Systems Engineering

Write a brief personal statement (approx. 1 page) that will give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. You may wish to describe your experiences (e.g., work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that have been important to you. Also, you may wish to discuss any unusual circumstances that may contribute to a better understanding of your record, or any personal hardship or barriers you have faced, and explain how they affected your education.

Materials Science & Engineering

MSE has removed the personal statement requirement for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. Please write, "N/A" in the essay submission box and complete the rest of the application and documentation requirements.

Mechanical Engineering

Write a brief personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) that will give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. You may wish to describe your experiences (e.g. work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that have been important to you. You may also use the personal statement to discuss any unusual or extenuating circumstances that may contribute to a better understanding of your record. For example, if you have overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you may describe them in the essay.