If I am choosing to write about the UC PIQ #6, does the academic subject that I am inspired by have to be a major?

Hi @NT08!

I think it's worth considering what purpose these essays serve: colleges are looking to build a well-balanced class of students who succeed in a diverse array of fields. A "why major" prompt is your opportunity to explain your passion for a subject, which will help convince admissions officers that you're a good pick to represent that major in their class. If you can't explain why you're interested in your intended major, then admissions officers aren't going to be as confident in your success as an alumni.

So, why do you want to major in environmental science over psychology? Whatever the reason, you'll need to make a convincing case for yourself as to why you want to study environmental science. Try thinking about the things you like about psychology and seeing what's similar or different with environmental science. Or perhaps you could say that you were originally interested in psychology, but couldn't see yourself doing it as a career — and you see your environmental science studies as an evolution of that original passion.

However you go about it, you'll need to make a convincing case for the subject you're majoring in. Otherwise your admissions officers will be left wondering: "why don't they just major in psychology?"

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi there @NT08,

Your subject does not have to correlate to your major. Many students choose to take this path to demonstrate a logical trajectory from their profile to their major to their career for admissions officers. However, you should choose the subject that best reflect your intellectual curiosity organically and which you've pursued in a way that you're excited to write about.

Hope this helps!