University of Southern California Essay Prompts 2026-27

About 250 words. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

1. Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.

   About 250 words

1. Describe yourself in three words.

   3 words max

   Guides say 25 characters per word. USC publishes no limit. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

2. What is your favorite snack?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

3. Best movie of all time?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

4. Dream job?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

5. If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

6. Dream trip?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

7. What TV show will you binge watch next?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

8. Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

9. Favorite book?

   100 characters max

   Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

10. If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?

    100 characters max

    Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

1. The USC Student Commitment charges Trojans to "value honest, open communication and robust debate," and to "champion ideological diversity and embrace freedom of expression." Describe a time when you disagreed with someone you know about something important to you. Did you change your mind or reach common ground?

   About 250 words

   About 250 words. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

2. Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break.

   About 250 words

   About 250 words. Only applicable if you have an educational gap. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

1. The Cinematic Arts Personal Statement will be read by the admissions committee as a measure of creativity, self-awareness and vision. We are looking for a sense of you as a unique individual and how your distinctive experiences, identities, values, and/or views of the world have shaped who you are and what you want to say as a creative filmmaker. We want to know about the kind of stories you want to tell.

   500 words max

   500 words or less, submitted through SlideRoom. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

2. Describe how you handled a difficult situation that you have faced with other people in your creative life.

   500 words max

   500 words or less, submitted through SlideRoom. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

3. A critique of your own media sample, brief and in the form of notes you would give the filmmakers as if you had not made the film yourself. Do not describe your film or your intention; the film should speak for itself.

   150 words max

   150 words or less, submitted through SlideRoom. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

400 words or less. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

1. A description of a four-minute film that contains no dialogue. It can be fiction or non-fiction. The story has to be communicated visually.

   400 words max

2. A dialogue scene between two people in screenplay format.

   400 words max

1. Write a creative essay or short story that evokes an understanding of how you became who you are. We are looking for a sense of you as a unique individual and how your distinctive experiences, identities, values, and/or views of the world have shaped who you are. It is not a resume.

   About 500 words

   Autobiographical character sketch, 1 to 2 pages. USC states this limit in pages, not words. Counted here at 250 words a page, so treat the number as a guide rather than a cap. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

2. Write a scene between two very different kinds of people who get stuck in an elevator on New Year's Eve. Please use screenplay format.

   About 1250 words

   Creative challenge A, 2 to 5 pages. Both challenges are required. USC states this limit in pages, not words. Counted here at 250 words a page, so treat the number as a guide rather than a cap. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

3. Write a scene between two people (e.g., a parent and child, roommates, spouses, etc.) who live together. The first character strongly desires to go out; the second desperately wants the first to stay home. Emphasize visual elements as well as dialogue. Please use screenplay format.

   About 1250 words

   Creative challenge B, 2 to 5 pages. Both challenges are required. USC states this limit in pages, not words. Counted here at 250 words a page, so treat the number as a guide rather than a cap. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

4. Convey in writing the greatest challenge you have faced and how you responded to it. The challenge may be of any kind you care to write about: physical, emotional, moral, creative, personal, professional or some other sort.

   About 500 words

   1 to 2 pages. USC states this limit in pages, not words. Counted here at 250 words a page, so treat the number as a guide rather than a cap. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

5. When did you want to be a writer? Why do you want to be a writer? What keeps you writing?

   300 words max

   No more than 300 words. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

1. Why do you wish to pursue the BS in Music Industry degree at USC Thornton? Besides having a passion for music, what makes you an ideal candidate for this program?

   550 words max

   Statement of purpose, 400 to 550 words. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

2. Which of the following statements best describes your career goals in the music industry? Briefly explain your choice. Either: I am primarily focused on building my career as a professional artist, performer, songwriter or producer. Or: I am primarily focused on building a career supporting artists, performers, songwriters or producers other than myself, in business, strategic planning, legal advising or creative development roles.

   70 words max

   Not to exceed seventy words. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

100 to 350 words. Awaiting 2026-27 confirmation

1. If you were to create a new flavor Oreo for your favorite artist, which artist would you select, and what flavor Oreo would you create?

   350 words max

2. If you had to sit between two (2) genres on an airplane, what would they be, and what type of passenger are they?

   350 words max

3. If streaming disappeared tomorrow and you are tasked with advising an up-and-coming artist/band with no major record label support, what is your first move to help them survive?

   350 words max

4. What would happen if Dolly Parton worked from 10 to 6?

   350 words max

5. If you were stranded on a deserted island with only enough battery life remaining to listen to one song, which song would you select, and why?

   350 words max

250 words or less, submitted through SlideRoom. Cycle confirmed on the page: audition selections announced 18 December 2026, live auditions 16 to 17 January 2027.

1. Think about the dancers you train with now. What role do you naturally play in that group, and what do you think your peers would say you bring to the room?

   250 words max