<p>I'm wondering if someone can provide inputs for each of the prompts, like what the answer is expected to convey.</p>
<ol>
<li>cultural heritage - is that reqd?</li>
<li>Dept essay</li>
<li>what do you do for pleasure?</li>
<li>trait most proud of</li>
<li>significant challenge</li>
<li>the world that you grew up in.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Don’t try to write about what you think they want. Write about what you want and be yourself. That’s the best thin g you can do for yourself.</p>
<p>
No, it’s optional.</p>
<p>OP also is seeking advice on Caltech’s forum for the essay prompts. </p>
<p>He (?) needs to get his creative juices going, without us telling him (?) how :-)</p>
<p>Think about yourself. Reflect on each essay, and what it could mean to you. No one right answer. If there were a right answer, you wouldn’t want to use it, because that’d be boring.</p>