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The 7 UChicago Essay Prompts: How to Write Stellar Responses

College Essays

The University of Chicago is famous for its unique essay topics. They're some of the most creative and off-the-wall essay prompts you'll see when applying to colleges, and it can sometimes be confusing to know how to tackle them.

What should you write about in your UChicago essays? How can you show that you're intelligent, creative, and worthy of a place at their school? As someone who spent a long time on my UChicago essays (and who got into the school), I've figured out exactly what UChicago is looking for in these essays.

 Read on to learn all about the UChicago essays, what the admissions team expects to see in your responses, what topics you should write about, and which topics you should avoid. In this guide, we also suggest sample essay ideas for each of the 2022/2023 UChicago supplement essay prompts and analyze past University of Chicago essay samples so you can see what a great UChicago essay looks like.

What Are the UChicago Essays?

Before you can begin figuring out how you'll write your UChicago essays, you should know which prompts you'll be seeing and the rules for each one. You'll need to write two essays, and the UChicago essay prompts you must answer are commonly referred to as Question 1 and Question 2.

Question 1: Why UChicago?

The Question 1 prompt is the only UChicago supplement essay that stays the same each year, and it's also the only prompt that all applicants must answer (for Question 2 you'll have multiple prompts to choose from).

For this question, you'll need to write an essay that explains why you want to attend the University of Chicago and why you think the school is a good fit for you and your goals. UChicago doesn't have strict word limits for essays, but they suggest a response of 1-2 pages.

Here's the prompt:

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

The nice part about this prompt is that it's a pretty standard "why this school" essay . And luckily for you, we have a complete guide that walks you through how to knock this type of essay out of the park.

Question 2: Extended Essay

For Question 2, you have a choice of six essay prompts, and you'll choose the one you want to respond to. The essay prompts for this question change every year, and while there are always around six prompts, some years there may be one more or one less to choose from.

These are the more unique and offbeat essay prompts that UChicago is known for. Many of them were created by UChicago alumni and current students. Again, UChicago asks you submit a response 1-2 pages long.

Below are the essay prompts for the 2022/2023 school year.

Essay Option 2: “Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.

Essay Option 3: “Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match).

Essay Option 4: A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.

Essay Option 5: Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?

Essay Option 6: And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

The world is your oyster when it comes to answering UChicago essay prompts.

How to Answer the University of Chicago Essay Prompts

In this section, we explain what UChicago wants to see in your essays, give ideas for topics to write about for each of the essays, and discuss topics you are better off avoiding.

For this University of Chicago supplement essay, UChicago wants to know why you want to attend their school, what you hope to get out of attending, and how University of Chicago will help you achieve their goals. Basically, they want to know why you think their school is a better fit for you than all the other schools out there. For more analysis of this essay, check out our in-depth guide to the Why UChicago essay .

What Do They Want to See in Your Response?

The "why our school?" is probably the most common essay prompt you'll see on college applications. Why do schools, including UChicago, ask this question?

UChicago wants to first see that you really want to go to their school. Students who love a school are more likely to accept an offer of admission and attend it, and they are more likely to be committed to their studies, participate in extracurriculars, and give back after they graduate. Your passion for UChicago should be shining through in this essay.

Next, UChicago wants to see that you've done your research on their school and have an idea of what opportunities you want to take advantage of while there. You can do this by mentioning specific things you like about UChicago or that you plan to take advantage of as a student there. Potential things to discuss include professors you admire or are interested in working with, specific classes you want to take, and extracurriculars you want to participate in.

Finally, UChicago wants to see that you are a good match for their school. Your essay should explain how you'll make the best use of what UChicago offers, how your strengths match the opportunities they provide, and how UChicago will help you reach your goals for the future.

Potential Topics to Write About

There are many ways you could approach this essay prompt; although since UChicago is best known for its academics (as opposed to killer sports teams, for example), most people will discuss the academic side for at least part of their response. Below is a list of possible topics; most people will discuss one to three topics in their essay.

• Majors or classes you're especially interested in
• UChicago's core curriculum
• Professors whose work you admire and whom you'd like to study with or conduct research with
• Unique events like Scav and Kuviasungnerk/Kangeiko
• Research opportunities you'd like to have
• University of Chicago students you've met who you admire
• Volunteer opportunities
• Financial aid opportunities UChicago offers that make it possible for you to attend

Topics to Avoid

The key here is to avoid generic topics that could apply to practically any school or any student. You want it to be clear in your response what opportunities the University of Chicago offers you that no other school does and how you're going to make use of them. Topics that won't show this include discussing:

• How pretty the campus is
• Chicago weather
• The food on campus
• Where UChicago places on college ranking lists
• Your future major and career path without connecting it back to what UChicago offers
• Bashing other schools

The extended essay is when you can get especially creative. These prompts require you to move outside your comfort zone of typical essay topics and answer in a way that gives readers insight into who you are and what you care about. Remember: Question 2 is required, but you have six different prompts to choose from for this essay response.

Your response to Question 1 is meant to show what you like about UChicago and how you’re going to make the most of the opportunities it offers. Question 2 is less about UChicago and more about you. The admissions team wants to see who you are and what's important to you. Three main things they'd like to see in your essay response are:

• Your personality
• Your thirst for knowledge

Who are you? What have been the important events in your life? What kind of person are you? What do you love learning about? These are the questions UChicago wants you to answer. They want to know what's important to you, what events from your past shaped you, what kind of person you are now, and what you want to accomplish in the future. 

UChicago is particularly interested in students who love learning and have a lot of interests in different fields and topics. A mathematician who also does ballet? A creative writing major who started her own business? Bring it on! Make sure to show your love for learning in your essay.

Your passions and goals don't always need to be lofty though; in the second example essay below you can see how the writer took a quirky interest and managed to connect it to larger ideas. If you can connect one of your pet passions to an essay topic, do so!

The great thing about these UChicago essay prompts is you can write about almost anything you want to since they're so different from each other and give you lots of chances to be creative. And you can tackle it from any angle you want. On their website , UChicago states that "[This essay] can be approached with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between." Just remember, you want this essay to give UChicago a good idea of the type of person you are and what's important to you.

Essay Option 1

Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. Name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary.

You're allowed to let your imagination run wild with this prompt. You should try to find a pair of objects that the admissions panel didn’t think of, something wholly original that only you would think of. For this prompt, they want to see how imaginative you can be, but the most important part of this essay is justifying why your pairing makes sense and why it matters . The pair you choose will show off your personality, creativity, and cultural experiences. 

Make your response as wacky and original as you like, but remember to tie it back to yourself and your interests a nd/or potential major. For instance, say you go with the idea of an art conservator and the passage of time. You could discuss how time degrades the materials of a work of art, and then an art conservationist revitalizes the work, only to have the passage of time wear it down again. This would be an excellent segue into writing about your interest in history, creative writing, or U Chicago’s Department of Art History Conservation Science Teaching Program . 

You could also write about how you developed an interest in these subjects, and what other interests you have could be applicable . Weaving your story into your essay will show UChicago that you’re creative and intellectually curious. This can include your niche interests, quirky hobbies, or pet projects.

Essay Option 2

“Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.

This is a classic UChicago question that allows you to answer the question literally...or not. (The year I applied, the version of this question was "Describe your table.") So, if this exemple were your actual song lyric, you address, where have all the flowers gone? You could answer this literally and describe how, for instance, flowers are changing colors in response to climate change . Perhaps you could then discuss your interest in horticulture and what led you to pursue that field.

Or (as always with UChicago essays), you can take it in a totally unexpected direction. This prompt is a chance to put your interpretive and reasoning skills into action. In fact, you could almost think of it like a riddle, except that the answer is anything that you can come up with and justify:

“Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” A valid question in a world where loneliness has been declared a public health emergency and social isolation can increase the likelihood of heart disease by as much as 29% ! 

“Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?” Likely not, considering radio listening has been trending downward for years, especially amongst young listeners and Rock Music is at the lowest point in its popularity since about 1960 . Where does this leave you, a young would-be guitar player with an interest in U Chicago’s ethnomusicology program ?

“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” Perhaps you do, considering recent studies show a decline in empathy and corresponding rise in narcissism .

You get the idea. Whatever question you choose, don’t worry too much about having a great answer for it; the idea is to find a context for the question that is meaningful to you and relates to your interests , which will give UChicago insight into your values and personality, two things they want to see in these essays!

Essay Option 3

“Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match).

This prompt is a bit sillier, but you still have the chance to show U Chicago your personality and unique worldview. This prompt gives you a chance to play with language and create something that expresses a meaning that we don’t have a word for. The best way to go about this is to think of two areas that are important to you and find a pair of rhyming words related to each and combine them.

So, for instance, if you’re math-oriented but somewhat spiritual, you could take words from both mathematics and spirituality, and come up with something like “stamystics” (statistics+mystics). You could talk about how you became interested in math and how it relates to your spirituality, and so forth.

If you are more interested in sports than spirituality, you could come up with something like “mathleticism.” You could write about how you had to train your mind in order to grasp difficult or advanced mathematical concepts and, inversely, how your understanding of math deepens your appreciation of sports.

What U Chicago is looking for here is how you can connect two seemingly unrelated concepts and find a bridge between them. They’re looking for problem-solving in addition to insight into your personality.

Essay Option 4

A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.

This prompt gives you an opportunity to think about familiar things in a new way. We probably don’t think much about peanuts not being nuts, but it’s obvious once you think about it that they are legumes. But, on the other hand, they are also closely related to peas–so the name has some validity. Even though they’re not actually nuts, they do taste like nuts…so is it wrong to call them nuts? Think about other examples that exist in your fields of interest.

And of course, be sure to let your experiences, interests, and values shape the way you rename or defend your misnomer . That way, UChicago will get a good idea of who you are and what’s meaningful to you!

Essay Option 5

Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?

This prompt is your chance to be more overtly academic in your response . In writing about how this game will remain relevant in the future, you’ll be able to show your knowledge of history, culture, politics, economics, religion, scientific discovery…and so on! Choose a game that interests you in some way that you can tie into your personal history and academic interests. 

While brainstorming possible games will be really fun, the most important part of this essay is justifying why you think something that’s relevant today will continue to be relevant in the future. Think about what cultural, social, and political changes could be possible and what the implications of that could be for people today. As long as you’re creative, descriptive, and thorough, your response can range from serious to silly and meet the requirements for this prompt.

Essay Option 6

And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

If you aren't feeling any of the other five optional prompts, you can respond to this one, which asks you to choose and respond to a past UChicago optional essay prompt, or write and respond to your own prompt. With either option, you'll want to consider your identity, interests, strengths, and goals, and let those factors inform which prompt you choose, how you write your own prompt, and how you craft your response.

You may not feel up to the task of writing your own prompt, but you might like the idea of tracking down an old prompt that catches your eye. Read through the past prompts and consider which one will allow you to play to your strengths . If there's a particular experience or skill that you want to showcase in your response, select a prompt that is conducive to that.

Alternatively, if there's a specific experience you want to write about, you can write your own prompt and respond to it. To write your prompt, use the tone and structure of the existing UChicago prompts as a guide. It'll probably come as no surprise that your original prompt should fit right in with the ones provided on the application. This means you might have to be a little goofy, cryptic, or risky...and that's a good thing!

Though this option allows you to write your own prompt if you so choose, it's important to remember that your response to the prompt should still focus on showcasing who you are , what strengths you will bring to UChicago as a student, and why UChicago is the perfect place for you. Don't get too carried away trying to impress admissions with punny phrases or cryptic logic; be authentic, be bold, and be you.

Some people shy away from this prompt because they feel like it's "cheating" or less impressive to not follow one of the specific prompts that UChicago gives. However, this isn't true! As long as you write a compelling essay that gives readers a better insight into who you are, your essay will strengthen your application. For what it's worth, when I applied to UChicago, this is the prompt I chose, and I was still accepted to the school.

UChicago wants you to be creative here, so there aren't many topics that are off limits. However, you're trying to convince them that you'd be a great and interesting student to add to their school, so make sure you use your essay to show who you are and why UChicago would want to admit you.

This means you should avoid responses that don't give readers a good idea of who you are. For example, if you choose essay option 1, don't just state that “taco cat” is funny because it reminds you of your favorite meme. Instead, tie it back to yourself and your life by explaining its relevance, like making tacos with your abuela and fending off the family cat’s attempts to steal tacos. 

Because these prompts are creative, it can be easy to run away with them, but always remember to answer the prompt completely and give UChicago better insight into who you are.

Additionally, don't feel that certain University of Chicago essay prompts are "better" or more impressive than others . UChicago wouldn't have chosen these essay topics if they didn't think applicants could write outstanding responses to them, so please choose the prompt that you feel you can write the best essay for.

University of Chicago Essay Examples

In this section are two University of Chicago essay examples, each written by an accepted applicant.

Below each UChicago supplement essay we discuss what makes the essay work so well.

Dear University of Chicago,

And now you inquire as to my wishes? They're simple, accept me for who I am! Why can't you just love and not ask why? Not ask about my assets or my past? I'm living in the now, I'm waiting for you to catch up, but you're too caught up in my past, I offer us a future together, not a past to dwell upon. Whenever I'm around you, I just get that tingle deep inside me that tells me you're the one; you have that air of brilliance and ingenuity that I crave in a person, you're so mature and sophisticated, originality is really your strongest and most admirable trait. I wish we could be together, I still think in my heart of hearts we were meant to be, but you have to meet me halfway, dear. I'm on one knee here with tears welling up in my eyes, the fireworks are timed and ready to light up the night sky for you, just say 'I accept...you.'

Why Does This Essay Work?

• Creative take on a standard prompt: The writer chose a very unique angle for this essay: comparing the University of Chicago to a lover. He's probably the first applicant to answer the essay prompt this way, which definitely makes this a memorable essay. In fact, UChicago loved this essay so much that they mailed it out to thousands of potential applicants (which actually got them a bit of backlash ). You absolutely don't have to take as unique an approach to this essay as the above writer did, but doing so can definitely help your essay stand out.
• It answers the entire prompt: Even though this is an unusual essay, the writer still manages to answer everything the prompt asks for. He mentions his goal for the future (to become a lawyer), mentions varied interests he has (the Gothic era, the philosopher Kierkegaard), and explains what he likes about UChicago (the brilliance, ingenuity, and originality the school offers). He even manages to mention that he visited campus three times, which shows a serious interest in the school. If you choose to write an especially offbeat essay, it's key to do what this essay did and still answer the prompt while being creative.

This essay is from several years ago, so it doesn't use a current prompt, but it's still helpful to read and analyze.

Share with us a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, blogs, magazines, or newspapers. Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own.

Now let's take a look at the successful essay:

The Illuminati changed my life. Three years ago, I found my first ambigram in one of my favorite novels, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I turned the page, and there it was: the word "Illuminati" printed into the exact center of the book. It was styled like a newspaper masthead, exquisite and complex, yet oddly symmetric. Curious, I rotated the book upside-down.

Impossibly, the inverted word was still "Illuminati." Gazing closer, I realized that the letters, I-L-L-U-M, actually shaped into a flipped I-N-A-T-I. Suddenly, I was reading it in both directions. My eyes waltzed along the broad curves and sharp twists of the calligraphy, striking poses in a glamorous font against a sheet of creamy whiteness, sliding between the dense vertical strokes, peering at the edge of the defined serif as it angled away, then bent boldly toward me. Every line was deliberate, every flourish smiling with purpose, and the whole word balanced on the delicate cord that joined two letters into one. It was unforgettable.

Ambigrams are words that can be read from different directions. Actually, "ambigram" is an umbrella term that encompasses dozens of distinct types of visual wordplay. The most popular ones are rotational, mirror image, and-my personal favorites-symbiotic ambigrams, which can spell two different things when viewed normally and upside-down.

Compelled by the striking art, I could not help but try my own hand at designing ambigrams, and slowly I felt the pitiful stick-figure artist inside me shrink away as my inner energetic graphic designer sprang up. Before early volleyball tournaments, I work myself up by filling up pages and pages of experimental letter combinations, gleefully satisfied at the way that a rounded lowercase "a" was a perfect upside-down lowercase "e." In my AP Literature class, I drew "She's a witch!" which revealed, when flipped, "Communist" to reflect Arthur Miller's contemporary motives for writing The Crucible. On a challenge from a friend, I even drew an ambigram of "Jay-Z" and "Beyonce" on a bumpy bus ride back from a leadership retreat.

In the last few months, I have also practiced drawing ambigrams as fast as I can. I dream about the day when I can effortlessly write out a message saying "Hi, how are you today?" normally and "The password is cherry268" upside-down, without pausing or rotating the paper. I imagine a world in which everyone had this ability, and could literally write two things at once. How would that change communication? Encryption? Trust? My legs swing comfortably from this innovative edge, excited to take a stab at the answers.

The best part about the ambigram is that it refuses to define itself as just one thing. It is a linguistic passion, a cryptographic endeavor, an artistic design, and an ironic illusion. I relish the fact that ambigrams force both the artist and the audience to reject first glances and embrace secret identities.

This may just be a nerdy obsession, but ambigrams have taught me far more than how to sketch fancy words. Their multidimensional truth implies that my hobbies of both writing Italian sonnets and solving logical riddles are not opposing functions of my left and right brains, but rather, a perfect conglomeration of my passion for creating and solving puzzles. The beauty of the most surprising combinations reminds me to take bold risks in both my life and my designs.

Above all else, ambigrams have taught me that I can create the impossible. I can make true and false the same word depending on something as simple as a 180-degree head turn. Victory can be defeat. Open can be closed. Am amateur piano player with an obsession for cryptology can learn how to program iPhone apps and get the game-winning kill at the varsity volleyball championship. A girl with divorced parents can make time for both families, and an inspired teenager from California can write her name into world history--both normally and upside-down.

- Samantha M.

Why This Essay Works

• Shows passion: This essay focuses on a pretty unusual and specific topic: ambigrams. While many people may not even know what an ambigram is, the writer is clearly passionate about them. She discusses how much time she spends trying to create different ambigrams, what her goals for ambigram creating are, and some of her favorite ambigrams she's created. UChicago loves people who are passionate about something, even if it's an unusual or offbeat interest. It makes UChicago believe those students will bring that passion with them onto campus.
• Gives insight into the writer's personality: The majority of this essay is about the author's interest in ambigrams, but she also manages to cleverly slip in multiple other references to her personality and interests. From her essay, we learn that she's a volleyball player, writes Italian sonnets, and loves solving puzzles. Adding these details gives UChicago a fuller look at what makes her tick.
• Connects it to a bigger picture: The writer chose to write about a very specific topic—ambigrams—but was still able to connect that to bigger concepts, such as communication, truth, and how she's able to balance her different interests. She's able to take a quirky topic and show how it influences her worldview.

Final Advice: UChicago Essays

When answering the University of Chicago essay prompts, keep in mind that the main reason UChicago is reading these essays is to find out who you are as a person and if you'd be a good fit at their school.

The University of Chicago wants students who are passionate about learning, creative, are excited to make the most of their time on campus, and have big dreams for themselves, and the UChicago supplement questions are designed to help you show these sides of yourself to the school.

For the "Why UChicago?" prompt, you'll want to show the school why you want to go there, why you think you're a good fit for the school, and how UChicago will help you achieve your goals during college and beyond.

For the extended essay, you can (and should) be more creative. These UChicago essays are more "out there," and in your response, you should show your personality and passion for learning.

For both University of Chicago essays, remember to show who you are and what you're passionate about, include details about yourself and the school to help you stand out from other essays, and mention your plans and goals for the future.

What's Next?

If you want a more in-depth look how to write about Question 1, check out our guide to the Why UChicago Essay , which includes an additional sample essay along with analysis of how to answer this prompt.

Are you working on the Common App essay ? Read our breakdown of the Common App prompts and our guide to picking the best prompt for you.

If you're planning to take the SAT or ACT one last time , try out some of our famous test prep guides, like "How to Get a Perfect Score on the SAT" and "15 Key ACT Test Day Tips."

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Unique UChicago essay questions spark students’ creativity

August 20, 2021

By Lily Levine

AB'22, Writer, College Editorial Team

Whether it is finding where Waldo really is, considering who Sally sells her seashells to or exploring what can actually be divided by zero, every University of Chicago undergraduate since the 1980s has written an essay as part of the College admissions process. 

While the first supplemental essay on the UChicago application essentially asks “Why UChicago?”, the Extended Essay encourages creative liberty and provides a window into a prospective student’s personality and passions.

The legendary UChicago Extended Essay dates back to at least 1984, when a prompt invited applicants to imagine themselves as astronauts on Mars and asked them whether they would prefer to be teleported molecule-to-molecule back to earth, or to be the person running the teleporting machine. Prompts were initially developed by College Admissions staff, but in 2000, the practice of inviting admitted students to contribute questions first began. 

According to Peter Wilson, AB’10, MBA’17, assistant vice president of enrollment and student advancement and director of undergraduate admissions, the essay gives prospective students an opportunity to demonstrate how they utilize critical thinking and rigorous inquiry to confront unfamiliar situations. 

“When students come to the College, they will invariably be met with a situation or problem they have never encountered before, be it academics-related or otherwise” Wilson said. “This prompt gives Admissions counselors a way to evaluate how students will navigate those situations once they are at UChicago.”

John W. Boyer, the dean of the College, said the fundamental idea behind the Extended Essay is to invite prospective students to be creative in a serious but intellectually playful way in response to an open-ended challenge. 

“These essays not only reveal much about the qualities of mind of our students, but they also show our students something of the intellectually dynamic culture they will be joining if they matriculate here as members of our community,” Boyer said.

Each year, applicants choose from six essay options—five are prompts selected for that application cycle, and the sixth allows applicants to choose a prompt from past years or create one of their own. 

“We offer a number of options because we understand students are different—they have different interests and backgrounds, a wide variety of experiences and views, and they engage different parts of their brains," Wilson said. "We are interested in diversity in all its forms, and a wide variety of questions allows for a wide variety of ideas to be represented."

Selecting new prompts every year begins with soliciting members of the UChicago community, both past and present, and asking them to submit ideas. Those interested in sending in their ideas for the 2022-23 application cycle can expect to see a call-for-submissions email next May.

By engaging current students and alumni in the process, the Extended Essay connects prospective students with the UChicago community. After receiving an average of nearly 1,000 essay prompt submissions each year, a small group of Admissions counselors then meet to review and finalize the year’s list. 

Grace Chapin James, AB’11, is very familiar with the process, having served as the chair of the essay committee for eight of the 10 years that she worked in the Office of College Admissions. 

“When we give people these creative questions, the goal is to open up their minds and see if they have a level of creativity or flexibility and exploration that will lend itself well to being in a UChicago classroom,” said James, who is now director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. 

Overall, Wilson says the essay shows prospective students that the University is interested in getting a sense for how they think before they step foot on campus. 

“It also signals to prospective students that we are an institution that values and celebrates novel ways of thinking and solving problems,” he added.

Below, view two of the 2021-2022 essay prompts for prospective students and the thought process behind their creation. The rest of the prompts can be found here .

Applications for the Class of 2026 are open through the Coalition and Common Applications. For more information, visit getstarted.uchicago.edu .

In Homer’s Iliad, Helen had a “face that launched a thousand ships.” A millihelen, then, measures the beauty needed to launch one ship. The Sagan unit is used to denote any large quantity (in place of “billions and billions”). A New York Minute measures the period of time between a traffic light turning green and the cab behind you honking. Invent a new unit of measurement. How is it derived? How is it used? What are its equivalents?

—Inspired by Carina Kane, Class of 2024, and Ishaan Goel, Class of 2025

The first thing that rising second-year Carina Kane, a pre-medical student and anthropology major, learned about UChicago as a prospective student was that it had unusual essay prompts. Because of this, she decided to apply.

“I really liked the freedom [of the essay], because I could pretty much choose anything and then weave whatever story or anecdote into it and make it my own question. And I definitely knew when I was answering the question that I wanted to include something that I was interested in, but I wanted to mostly talk about something that would give some indication about who I am.” 

At the end of her first year on campus, inspired by past prompts, Kane submitted her own with the goal of giving students freedom to present their stories. From chemistry to economics to architecture, nearly every field includes a unit of measurement, and Kane hopes applicants will apply their knowledge in their subject of expertise. 

“I hope students will choose something that they're really interested in, and take that freedom that comes with the question and extend their knowledge in that subject to a fantastical realm. Everything's rigid when you're working with certain subjects, and I'd hope that they could take that and turn it into something invented and imagined.”

"There is no such thing as a new idea" - Mark Twain. Are any pieces of art, literature, philosophy, or technology truly original, or just a different combination of old ideas? Pick something, anything (besides yourself), and explain why it is, or is not, original.

—Inspired by Haina Lu, Class of 2022

Haina Lu, a rising fourth-year majoring in economics and public policy, chose to submit a prompt because the Extended Essay was one of her favorite parts of the College application process. 

Her idea was partly inspired by the “ship of Theseus” paradox, which asks whether an object that has had its components entirely replaced fundamentally remains the same object. It was also inspired by late-night conversations with her housemates in Cathey Dining Hall. 

“The Extended Essay makes the overall undergraduate body more creative and colorful,” she said. “Having an Extended Essay prompt allows students to present their ideas in a more freeform way, which contributes to making a more curious and eccentric—in the best way— student body.” 

—This article also appears on the UChicago News website.

Are you seeking one-on-one college counseling and/or essay support? Limited spots are now available. Click here to learn more.

UChicago Supplemental Essays 2024-25 – Prompts and Advice

July 8, 2024

UChicago has long been known for its “provocative” essay prompts, viewing them as a chance for “students to talk about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions.” The University of Chicago admissions committee invites you to approach the UChicago supplemental essays with “utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between.” While writing this “uncommon essay” sounds like a real lark, we have to keep in mind the sobering facts that UChicago admits just 4% of applicants, and the mid-50% SAT range of those who enroll is 1510-1560. This level of competition places the UChicago essay prompts squarely in the spotlight.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into UChicago? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into the University of Chicago: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

When applying to an institution like the University of Chicago that rejects 19 of every 20 applicants, you’ll need to put maximum effort into every area of the application, including the two UChicago supplemental essays. Below are UChicago’s supplemental prompts for the 2024-25 admissions cycle along with our advice for composing a winning essay.

UChicago Essay Prompts – Question 1  (Required)

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

For the absurd level of uniqueness in the prompt choices in Question #2, Question #1 is as common as they come—the good ol’ “Why Us?” essay, Chicago style!

How to write a winning “Why University of Chicago?” essay

• Specify how you will take advantage of UChicago’s endless resources, both inside and outside of the classroom.
• Cite specific academic programs, professors, research opportunities, internship/externship programs, study abroad programs, student-run organizations, etc.
• Show evidence of how your past/current endeavors will carry over onto the University’s campus community.
• Lastly, note any special talents and passions that you bring to the University of Chicago.

Examples of items to include in a “Why UChicago?” essay

Examples of items that quality “Why UChicago?” essays may touch upon include:

• Two-thirds of UChicago professors live in Hyde Park, making for a particularly cohesive campus.
• 80% of undergrads elect to participate in undergraduate research .
• Additionally, the quarter system allows students to explore a greater number of courses each year in a more in-depth manner.
• 85% of UChicago classes enroll fewer than 25 students.
• The school has 160+ research centers, institutes, and committees.

UChicago Supplemental Essays (Continued)

• Many students win Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright Scholarships after graduation.
• The Jeff Metcalf Internship Program also offers 3,500 paid internships.
• UChicago has 450 student organizations .
• The university sponsors 66 study abroad programs in 31 cities ; many include chances to study with UChicago professors around the globe.

Of course, these are just a small sampling of the thousands of possible features that could be part of a successful essay, but we hope this helps your brainstorming session take flight!

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)

Before offering a few words about how one might address each of the following prompts, we want to stress to future UChicago applicants that there is no right way to talk about color-infused expressions, demoted planets, or Fermi estimation problems. What matters is that your response to any of the following prompts demonstrates your excellence and creativity as a writer. If the first five prompts don’t appeal to you, there is no downside in constructing your own via option #6.

University of Chicago Supplemental Essays

Essay option 1.

We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents.

An applicant can quite easily take this in a very serious or seriously humorous direction. Our only suggestion is that your rule doesn’t include the phrase, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow.” Or, it can. This is the UChicago supplemental section. Anything goes. Get weird.

Essay Option 2

“Ah, but I was so much older then / I’m younger than that now” – Bob Dylan. In what ways do we become younger as we get older?

As with all UChicago questions, you can take this in a serious or off-the-wall direction. For example, as we get older, many of us need additional physical and/or mental support, similar to young children. Alternatively, we may adopt a “younger” attitude as we get older, perhaps not caring as much about what others think about us, or vowing to live life more spontaneously. Or, you could get a little wild and talk about how the version of yourself in any given photograph will seem younger and younger the older you get. Overall, if ruminating on Bob Dylan lyrics appeals to you, knock yourself out. If not, keep moving down the list of prompts…

Essay Option 3

Pluto, the demoted planet. Ophiuchus, the thirteenth Zodiac. Andy Murray, the fourth to tennis’s Big Three. Every grouping has something that doesn’t quite fit in. Tell us about a group and its unofficial member, why (or why not) should it be excluded?

A few years back, UChicago offered a prompt for imagining that the moon was made of cheese or Neptune from soap. To that prompt, we advised that it didn’t matter if you wrote about a quasar made of Jergens Enriching Shea Butter or Jupiter’s moons constructed from Bored Ape NFTs—your imagination and writing ability are what matters here. The latter half of that advice remains applicable to this prompt. There are an endless number of interesting groups that may be worth unpacking, so if you happen to have one in mind, go wild. The explanation will be far more important than the group itself.

Essay Option 4

“Daddy-o”, “Far Out”, “Gnarly”: the list of slang terms goes on and on. Sadly, most of these aren’t so “fly” anymore – “as if!” Name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you’d bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.”

If you, as a ridiculously busy applicant, have time to spare, this is a pretty fun prompt to ponder. The only downside is that—since this is so specific— you may not be able to reuse your composition for any other college to which you are applying. That said, if you’ve always felt called to muse about the near-constant use of “Booyah” in the ’90s or reflect on a Spanish slang word from the 70s that your grandmother still says on a regular basis, your day has come.

Essay Option 5

How many piano tuners are there in Chicago? What is the total length of chalk used by UChicago professors in a year? How many pages of books are in the Regenstein Library? These questions are among a class of estimation problems named after University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi. Create your own Fermi estimation problem, give it your best answer, and show us how you got there.

This essay affords applicants a chance to flex their intellectual muscles and show off a talent for navigating complex answers. As illustrated in the built-in examples, the estimation problems may be straightforward (number of book pages in a library) or zany (total length of chalk used in a year). Your explanation of how you arrived at your answer is where the real creativity comes in.

Essay Option 6

And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

If you elect to go with an archived prompt, you can locate some past entries around the internet such as here and here . There are also a number of past prompts listed directly on the UChicago admissions website . A good number of applicants we have worked with avail themselves of the flexibility offered by this restriction-free offering.

How important are the UChicago essay prompts?

The University of Chicago lists six factors as being “very important” to the admissions committee and the essays are among them. In addition to the essays, UChicago most heavily weighs the rigor of your secondary school record, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities. Clearly, the Common App and supplemental essays are among the most important considerations for the University of Chicago in its decision-making process.

UChicago Supplemental Essays – Personalized Assistance

Lastly, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your UChicago supplemental essays, we encourage you to get a quote  today.

Ready to start working on your essays? You might consider checking out the following:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topics
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• How to Write the Community Essay
• College Essay

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2024-25 Secondary Essays

At the university of chicago, in an atmosphere of interdisciplinary scholarship and discovery, the pritzker school of medicine is dedicated to inspiring diverse students of exceptional promise to become leaders and innovators in science and medicine for the betterment of humanity..

Our mission statement is an expression of our core purpose and educational philosophy. In particular, it highlights the value we place on diversity, the creation of new knowledge, service, and leadership. We look forward to learning more about you and your alignment with our mission through the following questions.

Essay Question 1 (S uggested Word Limit: 450)

Students at the Pritzker School of Medicine complete the majority of their clinical training at UChicago Medicine (UCM). UCM is one of the  top ten most racially inclusive hospitals in the United States  with a  primary service area  of 12 South Side zip codes where poverty is over double the state level. Additionally, our students lead  six free clinics  in diverse neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago.

Please share with us the personal and professional experiences that have best prepared you to work in this diverse clinical environment.

Essay Question 2 - MD Only Applicants ( S uggested Word Limit: 450)  

All MD students participate in our longitudinal  Scholarship & Discovery  research program, which offers protected curricular time, mentoring, and funding for students to pursue their scholarly interests. Please describe your research interests and share how our research opportunities will help you advance your career goals.

Essay Question 3 (Suggested Word Limit: 450)

Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice.

Optional Additional Information

Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. For example, if you are not currently completing a degree, please share your planned or current activities for this application cycle. We suggest that you limit your text to about 300 words.

University of Chicago 2021-22 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision: 

University of Chicago 2021-22 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 2 essays of 1-2 pages each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Oddball

This is it, the infamous U Chicago supplemental application. These quirky prompts have been a rite of passage for generations of applicants. So before you dive in, just remember that if they could do it, so can you! Your goal in writing your Chicago extended essay should be the same as ever: to reveal something new to admissions. It might even help to have a few ideas in mind before reading through your options. These prompts are so specific and strange that, in the end, the key is just to follow your instincts. What speaks to you right away? What inspires you?

Question 1 (Required)

How does the university of chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to uchicago..

Think of this run-of-the-mill why essay as the overture to your magnum opus (i.e. the Extended Essay). Chicago wants you to cover all the bases – “learning, community, and future” – so as with any why essay, you’d best buckle down and do your homework. The more specific details you can incorporate into your essay, the more sincere and personal it will feel (and be!). Explore both academic and extracurricular opportunities. How will you pursue your interest in oceanography? With a major in biology and a semester in Australia? What research opportunities will you pursue? Will joining the club crew team help you feel more connected to aquatic life despite your midwest location? One thing you won’t find on the school website, though, is that third piece, that “future” thing. Think about where you’d like to be five or ten years from now – your career or the impact you’d like to have or even just a geographic location. How will a U Chicago education help you get there? How will your scholarly and social pursuits help you grow? Show admissions how U Chicago is the bridge between the person you are and the person you hope to be.

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)

Essay option 1, what if the moon were made of cheese or neptune made of soap pick a celestial object, reimagine its material composition, and explore the implications. feel free to explore the realms of physics, philosophy, fantasy…the sky is the limit.

—Inspired by Tate Flicker, Class of 2025

Your answer to this prompt should ultimately speak to your passions. Maybe Jupiter is made up entirely of salt water because you can’t think of anything cooler than alien sharks (and you’re an aspiring marine biologist). Perhaps Saturn is made up of string because you recently discovered a love for knitting and you would take full advantage of this bountiful new resource. If Pluto is made up of trampolines, would you take your love of gymnastics to new heights? (We’re too punny!)

Whatever the celestial object is made of, it has to link to some kind of story or revelation about yourself. You need to know what you’re choosing, why you’re choosing it, and how it relates to something about you that admissions doesn’t yet know.

Essay Option 2

What’s so easy about pie.

—Inspired by Arjun Kalia, Class of 2025

You could take this prompt as face value and literally write about pie. Maybe you’re a novice baker or pie serves as the centerpiece of all of your family reunions. Does pie smooth out  social interactions with your relatives? (Who can question you about your career path and life goals when they have a mouthful of delicious pumpkin pie in their mouth?!) 

On the other hand, maybe this prompt isn’t about pie at all. Or, if it is, perhaps you don’t think there’s anything easy about pie. This prompt can be interpreted in a hundred different ways. The extent to which you can push this open-ended question is virtually limitless. Admissions is looking to see how you think, process, and approach. So, flex your imaginative muscles and take the metaphor off a cliff (in a good way). In the end, if this prompt doesn’t speak to you, don’t worry, there are plenty of others to choose from!

Essay Option 3

In homer’s iliad, helen had a “face that launched a thousand ships.” a millihelen, then, measures the beauty needed to launch one ship. the sagan unit is used to denote any large quantity (in place of “billions and billions”). a new york minute measures the period of time between a traffic light turning green and the cab behind you honking. invent a new unit of measurement. how is it derived how is it used what are its equivalents.

—Inspired by Carina Kane, Class of 2024, and Ishaan Goel, Class of 2025

This question can be reflective of so many aspects of your life. It can refer to a subject that you enjoy studying, a place that is important to you, or a hobby you’ve invested a lot of time into. This prompt is meant for fun, so don’t hesitate to tap into your comedian side or engage in wordplay. Are the hours between dinner and twilight the “construction-zone,” as you try makeup tutorials in your free time? (Repurposed phrases are encouraged!) If this prompt appeals to you, your answer will become abundantly clear. What do you want admissions to know about you? You can make almost any topic work for this prompt, so long as you have the proper segue.

We here at CEA have a different definition of a New York Minute, which is the time it takes a New Yorker to mute the monitor in the backseat after getting into a cab. If we were responding to this prompt, we might explore what it’s like to grow up in a city filled with distractions or what it’s like to be part of a super fast-paced environment. 

The new unit of measurement you invent could be the octave your mom manages to reach when breaking into one of her hyena laughs (her “wild-note”), or the force in which your dog is able to wag his tail and knock over literally everything (the “demolition-wag”). Let your mind wander and see what comes up for you!

Essay Option 4

“there is no such thing as a new idea” – mark twain. are any pieces of art, literature, philosophy, or technology truly original, or just a different combination of old ideas pick something, anything (besides yourself), and explain why it is, or is not, original..

—Inspired by Haina Lu, Class of 2022

This prompt is for all the creatives out there. Like the rest of the University of Chicago’s prompts, it doesn’t really matter which side you take, so long as you’re using the prompt to write about something that is important to you. Maybe you want to write about recent social justice movements like Black Lives Matter or #MeToo . Are they introducing new ideas? Not necessarily. Does that mean they’re not important for us to engage with and pay attention to? Absolutely not. 

You can also argue that everything is new. Sure, every piece of music is composed of the same notes, but those notes can be arranged in an infinite number of ways, evoking joy with that classic G-major and melancholy with those minor keys. You could argue that, every time you play a song, it’s for the first time because it will never be played exactly the same way twice. Or you could argue that ideas are reflective of the times in which they are introduced, and thus, they’re always brand new because they’re explored through the lens of a new chapter in history. If this prompt calls to you, follow the sound, and we’re sure you’ll come up with something great (and maybe even new)!

Essay Option 5

It’s said that history repeats itself. but what about other disciplines choose another field (chemistry, philosophy, etc.) and explain how it repeats itself. explain how it repeats itself..

—Inspired by Ori Brian, AB’19

This prompt serves you with a fun, creative way to nerd out about an intellectual interest of yours. However, what you choose to focus on doesn’t have to be something related to your major or long-term goals; it can just show admissions that you’re multifaceted and think about things creatively.

Maybe you’re a music-lover and want to write about how lyrics or choruses repeat themselves. Or, perhaps, you’re an avid reader and you’ve read or seen the plot of Pride and Prejudice at least seven times (each time with a different title and new characters, despite being the same storyline). Maybe you’re a science geek and want to talk about asexual bacteria and how it replicates/repeats itself all the time. So long as you’re having fun while responding to this prompt, you’re doing it right!

Essay Option 6

In the spirit of adventurous inquiry (and with the encouragement of one of our current students) choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). be original, creative, thought provoking. draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the university of chicago; take a little risk, and have fun.

We love all the prompts from the past —there are so many quirky ones! If this year’s questions aren’t inspiring you, don’t be afraid to peruse the archives to find one that stands out to you. If you belong at UChicago, there is no doubt you will find a prompt that sparks a story within you. 

We’d also like to note that this is a great opportunity for recycling essays. If you wrote a strong longform essay for another school, see if any of the old prompts work in your favor, or make up your own question custom-built for your essay. Good luck! 😊

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, university of chicago essay questions.

I'm really excited about applying to the University of Chicago, but I've heard they have some pretty unique essay questions. Could you share what their current essay questions are and any advice on how to tackle them creatively and effectively? Thanks so much!

I'm glad to see that you're excited about applying to the University of Chicago! It's true that they're known for having innovative essay prompts that can be both challenging and fun to answer. While I'd recommend visiting their admissions website ( https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/essay-questions) to get the most up-to-date list of essay questions, I can provide you with some general advice on how to tackle these unconventional prompts creatively and effectively.

1. Embrace the unconventional nature of the prompts: Unlike many other schools, the University of Chicago intentionally designs its essay questions to be offbeat and thought-provoking. When reading your response, admissions officers are looking for the same qualities. Keep an open mind, and don't be afraid to explore unusual ideas, scenarios, or perspectives.

2. Show your intellectual curiosity: At its core, the University of Chicago is an academically rigorous institution. They want students who genuinely enjoy thinking critically and delving deeper into topics. When approaching their essay questions, use them as an opportunity to show off your intellectual curiosity and genuine interests.

3. Make it personal: Even though the essay questions might be unusual, this is still an opportunity for you to showcase who you are and what makes you unique. Find a way to make the prompt relevant to your life experiences, passions, or values, so it still functions as a genuine reflection of your personality.

4. Don't shy away from humor: A little bit of humor, when used appropriately, can make your essay stand out from the crowd. Given the nature of the University of Chicago's prompts, there might be more leeway to incorporate humor into your response compared to other schools. Just make sure that your humor is appropriate and doesn't detract from the overall message or quality of your essay.

5. Edit and revise: As with any essay, effective writing requires multiple drafts and revisions. Even if you have a brilliant idea, it's crucial to fine-tune your essay until it's polished and well-structured. Ask for feedback from teachers, friends, college counselors, or parents to ensure you're presenting your ideas in the best possible way.

For more information on these essays click here: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-uchicago-essays-2023-2024

Remember, the University of Chicago's unique prompts are designed to encourage creativity and critical thinking – two qualities that the school highly values. Don't be afraid to take risks and explore new ideas in your essays; this might just be what sets you apart from other applicants and helps you craft a truly memorable response. Good luck!

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2 Great UChicago Essay Examples

UChicago is famous —or shall we say infamous—for their highly-quirky essay prompts. In previous years, students have been tasked with mind-boggling questions like “Find X,” or “A hot dog might be a sandwich, and cereal might be a soup, but is a __ a __?”

These essays may seem silly, but they invite students to share their personalities and perspectives as fully as they wish. UChicago is looking for creative thinkers, and these essays help them distinguish the “kind” of applicant they want. After all, most applicants will have stellar grades and test scores, so these essays are your chance to stand out and beat the odds of the very low acceptance rate.

UChicago requires two essays—one that is a typical “ Why This College? ” prompt, and the other, your choice among seven zany prompts. The seventh option actually allows you to make your own prompt, or pick one from previous years.

In this post, we’ll go over some strong UChicago essay examples from real applicants and share what they did well and what could be improved.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our UChicago essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts. 

Essay Example #1

Prompt: “There is no such thing as a new idea” – Mark Twain. Are any pieces of art, literature, philosophy, or technology truly original, or just a different combination of old ideas? Pick something, anything (besides yourself), and explain why it is, or is not, original.

As I entered the bare-walled room, I could see the sky was painted blue through the tinted windows. It was my first day in my new high school where I’d have to spend the next two years. I wanted to make new friends.

I started walking towards a boy, introduced myself and exchanged pleasantries. After a few minutes of conversation, the topic of music came up and I introduced him to my love for the iconic classical ambient hit ‘Clair de Lune’. He put on my headphones, the song started playing, and he was amazed by the music’s ethereal, mellow, and serene chords. Or so I thought.

You know that awkward feeling when you show a funny video to your friends and nobody laughs? It was equivalent to that.

As days passed, I started noticing everyone was only listening to the loud pounds of the bass, the buzz saw synths, the crispy hi-hats, and every other element found in Electronic Dance Music, also known as EDM. Realizing that people in my school didn’t like Clair de Lune because they were emotionally invested in only the EDM genre, I had an idea– “What if I create an EDM remix of Clair de Lune to reach out to the audience of both genres?”

I tried to understand what the composer was trying to express through his composition and attempted to create an impression of the classical piece. The main challenge was to add musical elements from relatively two of the most unconventional music genres– Classical and EDM. Incorporating the rich and sometimes heart-wrenching chord structure of Clair de Lune to the multiple layers of EDM saw synths, I adjusted the volume of my instruments to the intensities with which the notes needed to be played and panned the sound in different directions to set the appropriate ambiance.

A few weeks later, I uploaded my work to the various Discord music servers that I am a part of with shaky hands. Nervous of what people might interpret my work to be, I awaited the replies I would receive. The server was filled with users from North America, and since I was in India, I realized that most people weren’t active at midnight when I uploaded my mix. I called it a night and went to sleep. When I woke up, my inbox was flooded with a mix of appreciations and suggestions. The users from the server really liked my idea and it went on to become a weekly competition where everyone would try to incorporate multiple genres into one song. I also made my classmates listen to the mix and later made friends who were interested in music production.

Music has constantly been transcending and bridging different identities cross-culturally through the fusion of genres. The key lies in capturing the emotions and the structure linked to the song, but most importantly, working to understand diverse cultures.

This raises a critical question– are the genres we listen to now truly unique on their own or just a complex amalgam of countless genres throughout history? The answer is that it depends on how experienced an artist is at the art of impression. Honoring instead of degrading, studying instead of skimming, crediting instead of plagiarizing, and transforming instead of imitating will lead an artist to a remix instead of a rip-off. As an artist keeps repeating this process, they’ll make unique decisions– maybe they’ll add an inimitable form of reverb on the synth or include a cymbal crash in their alien music structure. Regardless, those small changes and preferences– in the long run– will amount to a magnitude of alteration in style and develop a completely new identity for an artist. This is when the art practically becomes original while bearing into itself countless unoriginal remixes and impressions of different songs, artists, and genres.

What This Essay Did Well

This essay is a great example of taking a prompt that seemingly has nothing to do with the student on the surface and turning it into an exposé of the student’s personality and interests. The point of every college essay is to reveal who you are, so even when the prompt asks for something unrelated like a piece of art or technology, the ability to tie that back to you is key.

The reader is taken on a journey from seeing the defeat this student felt when no one liked their music taste, to their determination to produce a remix, to the success and positive impact caused by their creativity. Having a well-defined beginning, middle, and end creates a good pace and makes it easy to follow.

Another positive aspect of this essay is the way the student describes music and their process. When you write about your hobbies or interests in an essay, your passion, as well as your expertise, should shine through. The reader can clearly tell this student cares about musical motifs and sound mixing through their description of classical and EDM music, but they also demonstrate their knowledge in this area by explaining the steps they took to produce a remix.

What Could Be Improved

While this student did a great job of turning this prompt into a story about themselves, a definitive answer to the prompt fell through the cracks. After an entire essay focused on them, the student generalized in the last paragraph in an attempt to answer the prompt. The result was an essay that ended on a good note, but didn’t leave the reader with a final impression of the student.

To make sure the ending was as strong as other parts of the essay and that there was a concrete answer to the prompt, this student should have tied the lessons they learned through their experience into their perspective on originality.

For example, they could have decided there’s no such thing as originality because even when they were developing their remix they relied on known aspects of music to recreate genres. On the flip side, they could have concluded that of course there are new ideas because even though they had influences, the comments on the Discord server said they had created something no one had ever seen before. 

It’s okay to take a stance in a prompt like this one. You aren’t being evaluated on whether you picked the “right” answer because there is no right answer. The important part is to connect the answer back to the rest of the essay, and thus emphasize how the answer relates to you.

Essay Example #2

Prompt: Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History… a full list of unmodified majors ready for your editor’s eye is available here. —Inspired by Josh Kaufman, AB’18 

When I shared the video of me eating fried insects in Thailand, my friends were seriously offended. Some stopped talking to me, while the rest thought I had lost my mind and recommended me the names of a few psychologists. 

A major in Gastrophysics at UChicago is not for the faint hearted. You have to have a stomach for it! I do hope I am accepted to it as it is the only University in the U.S. with this unique major. My passion for trying unique food such as fish eye has made me want to understand the complexities of how it affects our digestive system. I understand that Gastrophysics started with a big pang of food, which quickly expanded to famish. Bite years are used to measure the amount of food ingested. I look forward to asking, “How many bite years can the stomach hold?” and “How do different enzymes react with the farticles?” 

Gastrophysics truly unravels the physics of food. At UChicago I will understand the intricacies of what time to eat, how to eat and how food will be digested. Do we need to take antiparticle acid if we feel acidity is becoming a matter of concern? At what angle should the mouth be, for the best possible tasting experience? When I tried crocodile meat, I found that at a 0 degree tilt, it tasted like fish and chicken at the same time. But the same tasted more like fish at a negative angle and like chicken at a positive angle. I want to unravel these mysteries in a class by Professor Daniel Holz in gravitational gastrophysics, understanding the unseen strong and weak forces at play which attract food to our stomachs. 

I find that Gastrophysics is also important for fastronomy. I want to learn the physics of fasting. How should we fast? Hubble bubble is a good chewing gum; an appetite suppressant in case you feel pangs of hunger. I have read how the UChicago Fastronauts are stepping up to test uncharted territories. Intermittent fasting is a new method being researched, and UChicago offers the opportunity for furthering this research. Which is better: fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8, or fasting for 24 hours twice a week? It is just one of the problems that UChicago offers a chance to solve. 

I can also study the new branch it offers that uses farticle physics. It is the science of tracking farticles and how they interact with each other and chemicals in the stomach space. It could give rise to supernovae explosions, turning people into gas giants. It would also teach about the best ways to expel gas and clean the system and prevent stomach space expansion. 

I want to take Fluid dynamics 101, another important course in Gastrophysics; teaching about the importance of water and other fluids in the body, and the most important question: what happens if you try to drink superfluids? 

I hope to do interdisciplinary courses with observational gastrophysicists and work with environmental science majors to track how much methane is given by the human and animal gastrointestinal tract in the atmosphere and how much it contributes to the global climate change. I believe, with the help of courses in date science, they have been able to keep a track of how much methane is entering each day, and they found that during Dec 24-Jan 3 period, a spike in the methane and ethane levels could be seen. Accordingly, algorithms are being programmed to predict the changes all year round. I would love to use my strong mathematical background to explore these algorithms. 

These courses are specially designed by the distinguished faculty of UChicago. Doing interdisciplinary research in collaboration with biological science students to determine what aliens may eat, with fart historians to know more about the intestinal structure of medieval Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish and French people to better their lives is what I look forward to. The Paris study abroad program is an immersion course into fastronomy, where I will have the opportunity to test my self-control with all the amazing French food and desserts around! 

My stomach rumbles now, so I am going out to try out new food – hopefully it will be in Chicago a few months later. 

What the Essay Did Well

This is a fun essay! This student’s voice is present and their goofy personality is especially evident. Not only did they change the name of their major, but this student incorporated word play throughout the essay to showcase their imagination. Phrases like “the big pang of food”, “bite years”, “fastronauts”, and “farticle physics” keep the tone lighthearted and amusing. 

Beyond the humor and creativity that makes the reader chuckle—always a great way to stand out—this student still manages to incorporate aspects of their real intended major that fascinate them. While it might take a little extra connecting the dots to get from gastrophysic to astrophysics courses, the reader still understands what this student wants to study at UChicago and how they might use this knowledge.

While this essay definitely takes some risks, it’s safe to say that they paid off. They are able to delve into their love for astrophysics all while maintaining vivid, engaging language. The writing style is simultaneously playful and mad-scientist-esque. Truly “geeking out” about their interests makes for a great essay.

Even extremely creative essays like this one can always be made stronger. In this case, it would have been nice to get more background on what drew this student to astrophysics (not gastrophysics). We get a sense for their love of trying new foods, but the essay is lacking an explanation that relates to astrophysics. 

Obviously, in an essay about gastrophysics, astrophysics would be out of place. But given this student’s level of creativity, they could have found a punny way to tie their interest in space into the essay. It doesn’t need to be too extensive, but since this effectively serves as UChicago’s “Why This Major?” essay, a strong essay should include more background on why the student wants to pursue their actual major (not the fake one).

Where to Get Your UChicago Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your UChicago essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

UChicago Essay Examples

Uchicago essay examples .

As one of the world’s top-ranked universities, the University of Chicago deeply values inquisitive and creative learners. For that reason, UChicago essays that worked are some of the most captivating and unique college essays out there. Hopeful applicants will benefit from reading UChicago essay examples. In fact, beyond just reading UChicago essay examples, closely analyzing UChicago essays that worked is an excellent way to prepare. 

Are you thinking of applying to UChicago but not sure what goes into writing UChicago essays that worked? You’re in the right place! In this article, we’re going to read some UChicago essay examples and see why they impressed admissions.

In this UChicago Essay Examples article we’ll look at: 

• Recent UChicago essay prompts
• Several real University of Chicago essay examples
• Why the UChicago essay matters 
• Tips for writing a UChicago essay, and more!

As one of the best universities in Illinois , the Midwest , and the world, UChicago demands top-tier essays. And with our expert analysis of UChicago essay examples, you’ll be better prepared to craft your own.. 

How many supplemental essays does UChicago have?

There are two supplemental essays required for the UChicago application. These prompts can be found on the university’s site as well as in the Coalition Application or Common Application . It’s important to note these prompts—and, accordingly, UChicago essay examples—vary from year to year. However, you’ll find similarities among UChicago essays that worked regardless of the prompt. 

The first prompt is required of all students and is essentially a “why UChicago” essay. A “why UChicago” essay that works will follow the general framework of any other “why school” essay. 

UChicago essay examples for the second required essay change the most between admissions cycles. This is because the second essay responds to one of several prompts created by UChicago students.

For both required UChicago essay examples, there is no set word limit. However, the University of Chicago admissions office suggests 650 words for the UChicago extended essay example. As for the “why UChicago” essay, the suggested word limit is lower, at 250-500 words. Regardless of your final word count, UChicago essays that worked use their words effectively, as we’ll see soon.

What are the University of Chicago supplemental essay prompts?

UChicago essays that worked will respond to the unique prompts in an innovative and inquisitive manner. That being said, UChicago essay examples vary greatly as the prompts change yearly. 

UChicago posts its current prompts as well as some of the favorite prompts of the past years. In fact, you can even find past favorite University of Chicago prompts from as far back as the nineties. As prompts change, so do UChicago essay examples; however, elements of Uchicago essays that worked are pretty constant. With that said, let’s look at the current UChicago essay prompts.

The first UChicago essay prompt is required of all students:

How does the university of chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to uchicago., the second essay—the uchicago extended essay.

The second required essay for the UChicago application is inspired by current students. In the most recent application cycle, it asks students to respond to one of the following options:

Essay Option 1:

Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary. – inspired by emmett cho, class of 2027, essay option 2:, “where have all the flowers gone” – pete seeger. pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer. – inspired by ryan murphy, ab’21, essay option 3:, “vlog,” “labradoodle,” and “fauxmage.” language is filled with portmanteaus. create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match). – inspired by garrett chalfin, class of 2027, essay option 4:, a jellyfish is not a fish. cat burglars don’t burgle cats. rhode island is not an island. write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept. – inspired by sonia chang, class of 2025, and mirabella blair, class of 2027, essay option 5:, despite their origins in the gupta empire of india or ancient egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. what modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why – inspired by adam heiba, class of 2027, essay option 6:, there are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. but of course, some rules should be broken or updated. what is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist (our custom is to have five new prompts each year, but this year we decided to break with tradition. enjoy) – inspired by maryam abdella, class of 2026, essay option 7:, and, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option in the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). be original, creative, thought provoking. draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the university of chicago; take a little risk, and have fun.

Soon, we’re going to check out some UChicago essay examples. However, you may notice that our UChicago essay examples don’t respond to the current prompts. That doesn’t mean that these UChicago essay examples aren’t helpful! Responses to these prompts will vary greatly based on each student’s story. All UChicago essays that worked are valuable tools to aid you in writing your own college essays. 

Demystifying the UChicago Extended Essay

When considering how to write a UChicago extended essay example, think about how unique all of the UChicago uncommon essay examples are. There is no one-size-fits-all way to craft impressive UChicago essay examples; rather, there are infinite ways to approach them. 

While that may feel overwhelming for some students, try to focus on the creative liberty the UChicago essay examples allow. Because the University of Chicago essay examples are so unique, students have a grand opportunity to express themselves. 

What’s the goal of UChicago essay examples? Well, the UChicago extended essay example has a slightly different goal than “why UChicago” essay examples. The prompts are admittedly “provocative.” After all, this competitive university wants the most curious, inquisitive minds in the nation. Accordingly, successful UChicago essay examples prove that admitted students aren’t afraid of thinking out of the box. 

In the end, although the prompts seem quite different from other college essays, the goal is the same. UChicago essays that worked share more about each student: their interests, background, life experiences, or tastes. The exciting part about the UChicago uncommon essay examples is the rare opportunity to embrace your quirkiness or get serious. The choice is yours! 

UChicago Extended Essay Example

The first of our UChicago uncommon essay examples touches on some themes common in more traditional diversity/background/life experiences prompts. Read the first of our UChicago essay examples closely. How does the writer share more about themselves in an eloquent manner while still responding to this unique prompt?

UChicago Extended Essay Prompt:

A neon installation by the artist jeppe hein in chicago’s charles m. harper center asks this question for us: “why are you here and not somewhere else” (there are many potential values of “here”, but we already know you’re “here” to apply to the university of chicago; pick any”here” besides that one). – inspired by erin hart, class of 2016..

In a culture where Bollywood’s ‘item girls’ receive fame and glory for their provocative dancing and scant clothing, I am often filled with shame and even disgust for my own Indian heritage. Films and television soaps reinforce gender stereotypes of dominating male characters, while their female counterparts are either passive homemakers or desirable ‘item girls.’ These movies are mainstream and celebrated in my culture, watched by children and grandparents alike.

How can I embrace and respect my culture if this inequality pervades? Because I notice these things, and define them as blatantly sexist, does that make me less Indian?

In a culture where dowries are still regularly exchanged between families, I cannot help but notice the objectification of women that is culturally acceptable and ubiquitous. I cannot understand how Indian women all over the world permit their future family to request money and goods equivalent to their supposed ‘worth.’ This is the feminist and Western approach to dowries However, if I look closer, there can be a degree of justification to this practice. The parents-in-law are given money and luxurious goods for the bride in order to protect her if her husband and breadwinner can no longer work.

While this reasoning does offer some justification for the persistent existence of dowries in the 21st century, it brings new objections to the presumption that the bride will not contribute to the family’s income. I see the world through two lenses as the clash between Eastern and Western culture pervades my every thought and action.

During rare family gatherings, the few times I get to see my extended family, the joy of the reunion is mellowed by what I see. The men and children lounge into the couches, sipping tea and crunching bhel (Indian snack), while chuckling and debating over current events. In the kitchen congregate the women, busy cooking and giggling with each other, but in a constant frenzy to prepare the next meal or brew more tea. Distracted by the simmering chai, this room lacks the same fervent discussion of prevalent global issues. The living room and kitchen stand divided between the men and women. As a female young-adult, I am confused as to where I belong- to which room do I go? While we are one family, the divide remains firm. I feel sick to my stomach, as I alone perceive the waves of sexism that ripple beneath our facade.

Adding to this confusion are my looks. I am a rich mocha, but with too much crème, and suddenly I no longer look Indian. My unique ringlets add fuel to my accusers’ claims. Too pale, and too many curls. I have been called nearly every ethnicity in the globe, from African-American to Latina to Russian. When I explain my Indian heritage, aghast, they cry, “But you can’t be Indian!” Hurt, I leave questioning my appearance and the personality I project.

On the other hand, Hindu culture reveres female empowerment through the worship of powerful female deities such as Kali and Lakshmi. This hypocrisy baffles me. Why I am here? Why am I Indian, when everyone questions my ethnicity, and I, myself, question certain practices?

I realize, I am here to question and ponder, because thinking about the life and environment in which you live is critical. Because the fact remains that I absolutely love my culture. The passionate, unrequited urges to dance at every occasion in a flurry of vibrancy cannot be found anywhere else. I love the intrinsic and irrevocable respect for the knowledge and experiences elders bring. Also, I appreciate the emphasis on family as ultimate supporters and best friends. I even love the sense of duty and service that being a daughter brings. Outwardly, perhaps, I don’t conform to the typical model of an Indian girl, reserved and soft-spoken, with thick, straight hair and rich mocha skin, but I have the heart and soul of one.

Why This UChicago Essay Worked

With endless ways to respond, this writer’s UChicago extended essay example offers the reader a unique look into her life. She contemplates the many clashes in her own culture and her way of thinking and navigating the world. However, in her final reflection on precisely why she’s “here,” she affirms the centrality of her culture to her sense of self. 

The author of the first of our UChicago essays that worked dissects aspects of her culture that disquiet her. The reader sees an inquisitive person who’s always questioned cultural norms that others within her family might not have. Of course, she doesn’t completely reject a culture because she doesn’t completely agree with it. On the contrary, she’s able to find and appreciate the parts that have shaped her into who she is. Additionally, while she may not exemplify what’s “typical” of her culture, she recognizes that it’s nevertheless intrinsic to her experience. And she loves it. 

UChicago essays that worked often show growth. In the first of our UChicago uncommon essay examples, the writer shows how she’s navigated the inner conflict she experiences around her culture. In the end, even though she doesn’t come to a conclusive answer, the writer accepts the ongoing process of questioning. Moreover, she recognizes her culture and her surroundings aren’t mutually incompatible, but that she must find her own balance. This willingness to accept ambiguity and keep questioning is certainly important at an elite institution like UChicago. 

More UChicago essay examples

Let’s continue with the UChicago uncommon essay examples. Again, as you read this UChicago extended essay example, note features common among college essays—not just UChicago essay examples. 

UChicago Essay Prompt:

Share with us a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, blogs, magazines, or newspapers. feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own., uchicago essay example.

Downton Abbey makes me fantasize about the elaborate fashions of the 1900s, with long taffeta gowns and hats bursting with feathers and jewels, each lady is a vision of elegance. Each episode and season leaves me fascinated by the grandeur and magnificence of the house, which stands in stark contrast with the peeling grey wood of the downstairs kitchens and servant halls. The servant’s staircase is shabby and dull, and runs parallel to the vibrant tapestry-covered marble staircase for those upstairs. I am puzzled by the smooth refinement of upstairs, juxtaposed with the panting bustle of downstairs.

I constantly marvel at the writers’ ability to craft characters to whom I can relate, despite the gap of a century. The world they lived in is so vastly different from today, yet people of all ages experience comparable emotions such as jealousy, passion, and shame. I am left breathless by the fact that each character faces similar challenges of familial disappointment, honor, and struggle to find a purpose in life; just as we do today.

Technology may change, but human nature remains the same. In addition, the rich historical background of Downtown Abbey provides intricate context to the larger historical events I learn in class. I am transported from merely learning about the implications of World War 1 and the Spanish Influenza, to learning about how these impacted the daily lives of people.

Downton Abbey is more than merely a television show to me. Calling my grandmother in England to discuss in the elaborate plot twists and new character developments has brought us together for a shared passionate experience in the same living room. We avidly discuss Mary’s slew of new suitors and Daisy’s latest heartbreak via video chat. Excitedly we giggle over birth of baby George and Ms. Pattmore’s witty retorts. In a unique twist, Downton Abbey has become something that transcends the thousands of miles that separate us.

In addition, Pride and Prejudice couples my love of fairytales with my irrevocable feminism.

Forever imprinted in my mind is the first time I attempted to read Jane Austen’s masterpiece, as a plucky third grader who brought the book to reading circle. At that young age, I was merely fascinated by the drama of five girls, each with their own tantalizing personality. But now, I realize the subtle life lessons concealed within each page. This novel makes me squash my teenage urges to judge and categorize people instantly, instead realizing that there is something to be learned from all people from all walks of life- especially the people from whom I am the most different. This subtle yet sparkling wit of Mr. Bennett reminds me to laugh more at the chaos and confusion life often brings.

The dysfunctional and hilarious family dynamic provides comedic relief and reminds me of the 19th century equivalent of a reality show. I admire Jane Austen’s subtle yet thought-provoking feminism through Elizabeth, as she pokes fun at her best friend for marrying without love for money and position, something she could never do. Also, I am inspired by Elizabeth’s passionate resolve against being ‘anybody’s fool! I am drawn by my love for English literature, which provides a window to discover historical intricacies that mirror a universal human experience.

Why This UChicago Essay Stood Out

The second of our UChicago essay examples hooks the reader and shows the author’s ability to connect with others. Much more than simply saying, “I like Downton Abbey because of the costumes”, the writer describes in detail the wardrobe and architecture. UChicago essays that worked provide ample details to help the main idea—and the writer—come to life for the reader.

Then the writer goes on to show how humans share the same feelings and experiences, which transcend time periods. This shows the reader how the writer is capable of empathizing and relating to people even through their differences. As the author points out, human nature is the same no matter the time period. Their personal understanding of this will ideally motivate humanistic, world-changing work at UChicago and beyond.

Focusing on the personal impact

Although this writer includes their grandmother in the essay, notice that the focus comes back to a lesson. Writing about experiences with friends or family in college essays is by no means off limits. However, those who do so should use a strategy like this essay. In other words, the essay should ultimately discuss personal impacts or lessons on character. 

Finally, the writer touches on the book Pride and Prejudice and the feminism portrayed within the book. Through this point, we learn more of the author’s values as well as traits in characters—in people—that they admire. She again ties the book to the underlying theme of her essay which is the universal human experience. 

This multifaceted essay engages the reader, answers the prompt, and allows some insight into the author’s values and way of thinking. 

How do you write a UChicago essay?

Logically, University of Chicago essay examples vary: a UChicago extended essay example differs in many ways from UChicago essay examples. However, while UChicago essays that worked may look very different, they serve the same greater purpose. Above all, writers must show admissions who they are and why they belong at UChicago. 

“Why UChicago” essay examples will follow the format of a “why school” essay. Students should get specific as they reference opportunities, programs, faculty, or extracurriculars found only at UChicago. Additionally, UChicago essay examples should demonstrate just why the writer belongs on campus. How do your values align with those of the university? What will you bring to the school’s community? UChicago essays that worked should also show that UChicago is a good fit for the student—it goes both ways. 

More ‘Why School’ essay examples

Before writing, check out some successful “why school” essay examples from a variety of different schools. Of course, pay special attention to the “why UChicago” essay examples. Additionally, don’t miss essay tips from the University of Chicago admissions team. Given the competitiveness of UChicago admittance, UChicago essays that worked must all stand out.

Why This College Essay Sample

As for the UChicago uncommon essay examples, they can be approached in a myriad of ways. Firstly, be sure to choose the topic that excites you the most. Which immediately catches your eye? If you can’t decide, brainstorm for each first to see what you can write. Then, choose the topic with the most potential for a meaningful essay you want to write. Successful UChicago uncommon essay examples are founded on genuine excitement about the essay, so choose a topic that excites you. 

You may want to free write to get your ideas flowing. From there you can choose the “meat” of your essay out of a slew of words. University of Chicago essay examples must be unique to get you admitted. UChicago essay examples that worked ranged from serious to humorous. Don’t be afraid to have fun and get creative. The main goal is to share with admissions more about yourself. And, of course, show off your writing chops!

Determining a College Essay Topic: Reflection Exercises to Try

Does UChicago care about supplemental essays?

In short, yes, absolutely! Understanding why different University of Chicago essay examples had success will do wonders for students writing their essays. The essays are a pivotal part of the UChicago application. And as one of the best universities in the nation, UChicago wants students with well-crafted essays

Of course, there are many factors that contribute to college acceptance, such as GPA and extracurriculars. Students will want to polish each part of the application, which starts early with your high school curriculum choices.

Making sure that you meet all of the University of Chicago requirements and the UChicago application deadline is also imperative. After all, there’s no use in writing perfect UChicago essay examples if your application is incomplete or late. Start planning your application early so you have documents in hand well before the deadline. With this in mind, most colleges use a holistic evaluation process when considering candidates. With such unique essay prompts, it’s clear that University of Chicago admissions wants students who rise to the occasion. That means students who passionately, creatively, and inquisitively respond to the prompts. 

You’ll notice that all the UChicago essay examples provide some valuable insight into the writer’s life and personality. These wouldn’t have been apparent from other parts of the application. That is to say, your essays should help to fill in your picture, so to speak. Admissions officers read essays to learn more about students to ensure that their values and goals align with the university. 

Need more help with your UChicago essays?

While we’ve checked out a couple of UChicago essays that worked, there are plenty more resources on the topic! In fact, you can check out more University of Chicago essay examples and see just why they worked, too. Reading UChicago uncommon essay examples will help inspire you to write your best UChicago extended essay example. 

The UChicago acceptance rate is one of the most selective in the nation at 5.4% . In light of that, applicants should do everything possible to make their application stand out. Read our how to get into UChicago guide for more tips on being a competitive candidate. 

While our “how to get into” guides cover each step of the application process, we have additional resources beyond UChicago essay examples. Watch our webinar for more valuable insight on how to write and edit your own UChicago essays. You can also take a look at UChicago admissions’ announcement of the most recent prompts in the video below.

Chicago Essay Examples – 5 Takeaways

What have we learned from these UChicago uncommon essay examples? Here are 5 key things to keep in mind to make sure that your University of Chicago essay examples are successful. 

5 Tips for Writing Chicago Essay Examples

1. start early.

This goes for all aspects of the college journey, from the demographic info to the essays. The UChicago application deadline can creep up with everything else busy high schoolers have going on. Don’t let it take you by surprise! Specifically, successful University of Chicago essay examples have almost certainly undergone more than one revision. Start your essays well before the UChicago application deadline to make plenty of time to brainstorm, outline, draft, and edit. Before applying, check out all of the application deadline options to see what works best for you!

2. Choose your topic carefully

In order to write your best essay, you’ll want to choose the topic that most excites you. Which prompt caught your immediate attention? And, can you respond fully to the prompt in a way that shows more of your personality and values to the University of Chicago admissions team? The strongest University of Chicago essay examples brimming with passionate language and excitement.

3. Get creative

You’ll notice that UChicago uncommon essay examples usually hook the reader. This is where the favorite writing phrase comes in handy: show, don’t tell. When writing your essays, don’t merely list your points. Captivate the reader with descriptive language and attention-grabbing narrative strategies. The successful University of Chicago examples almost read like a story that you just don’t want to put down. 

4. Meet the requirements

While there is no official word limit for the UChicago uncommon essay examples, there are “recommendations”. Successful University of Chicago essay examples are often 250–500 words for the first prompt and about 650 for the second. Obviously, be sure to answer both required essays!

5. Show who you are

This is the most important part of all college essays. Of course, comprehensively answering the prompt is also vital, but applicants must also tell admissions about themselves. Don’t just repeat other parts of your application; use the essays to share something about yourself that admissions wouldn’t see otherwise. Most importantly, be yourself! One of the most common mistakes applicants make is trying to write something that University of Chicago admissions officers want to read. Answer the prompts in an authentic and unique way. 

Overall, remember that UChicago uncommon essay examples are an opportunity to stand out among a pool of qualified candidates. At one of the most selective universities in the nation, UChicago uncommon essay examples catch the eye of the admissions team. So, be sure to read several UChicago uncommon essay examples possible before starting your own. They’ll surely spark inspiration as well as show what’s worked in the past. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed after dissecting the UChicago uncommon essay examples, don’t worry! CollegeAdvisor’s Admissions Experts help students in every step of the college application journey, specifically with the University of Chicago requirements. They offer personalized support with everything from creating a college list to writing essays to applying for financial aid. 

Don’t focus on rankings and acceptance rates when planning your essays—just creatively show who you are through your prompt responses. Have fun when writing each UChicago essay! After all, people call them “uncommon essays” for a reason. UChicago wants you to think outside of the box when responding to their one-of-a-kind UChicago essay prompts. 

Sarah Kaminski wrote this article. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality

The Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality BDP allows students to examine the institutions that shape the origins, functions, and effects of the criminal legal system—from policing, to courts, to prisons—in social life. Drawing on insights from sociology, law, history, government, social work, education, and ethnic and gender studies, among other disciplines, students in this BDP will explore different perspectives on the centrality, legitimacy, and impact of the criminal legal system in the United States in its current form, historically, and comparatively. In addition to learning about the system’s form and function, students will learn about research-based approaches to understanding the causes and consequences of individuals’ involvement with the system, with attention to its intersection with race, ethnicity, gender, citizenship, and other categories of identity and the ways in which social inequalities affect and are affected by the system. Students will consider what crime is, how we define crime, and how society responds to behaviors defined as crime. 

The Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality BDP helps prepare students to pursue a variety of career paths, whether working directly in parts of the criminal legal system, on policy or advocacy related to the system, or in intersecting fields such as education, social work, or journalism. Through the Connecting Experiences component of the program, students interested in pursuing graduate school or careers related to this topic will benefit from the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research and/or internship experiences related to the criminal legal system. 

For a complete list of courses and requirements, view the Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality BDP curriculum sheet .

Requirements

With 19 credit hours of coursework and Connecting Experiences, students may earn a BDP certificate in Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality.

Courses counting toward a BDP in Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality may also satisfy core, major, and elective requirements in a student’s degree plan. With planning, the BDP should not add time to students’ UT careers but instead helps students choose the courses they already have to take in an integrated way.

Foundation Course [4 hours]

Foundation Courses introduce key methodologies and issues related to Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality, and examine how social inequality intersects with the criminal legal system.

• Forum Seminar
• Foundation Course

Courses in a Strand [9 hours]

Students must complete 9 credit hours of approved Strand Courses from the following categories:

• Social Inequality
• Law and Policy
• Application Across Fields

Connecting Experiences [6 hours]

BDP advisors assist students in finding meaningful connecting research and/or internship experiences related to Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality.

Integration Essay

Students write a three to four-page essay written at the end of the BDP experience, drawing together the different pieces of the BDP .

Faculty Panel

An interdisciplinary faculty panel guides students in choosing courses and identifying connecting research and internship experiences that allow them to explore issues related to Criminal Law, Justice & Inequality as they connect to students’ majors and career goals.

Unique UChicago essay questions spark students’ creativity

Prompts encourage applicants to think beyond traditional admissions essay conventions and freely express themselves.

Whether it is finding where Waldo really is, considering who Sally sells her seashells to or exploring what can actually be divided by zero, every University of Chicago undergraduate since the 1980s has written an essay as part of the College admissions process. 

While the first supplemental essay on the UChicago application essentially asks “Why UChicago?”, the Extended Essay encourages creative liberty and provides a window into a prospective student’s personality and passions.

The legendary UChicago Extended Essay dates back to at least 1984, when a prompt invited applicants to imagine themselves as astronauts on Mars and asked them whether they would prefer to be teleported molecule-to-molecule back to earth, or to be the person running the teleporting machine. Prompts were initially developed by College Admissions staff, but in 2000, the practice of inviting admitted students to contribute questions first began. 

According to Peter Wilson, AB’10, MBA’17, assistant vice president of enrollment and student advancement and director of undergraduate admissions, the essay gives prospective students an opportunity to demonstrate how they utilize critical thinking and rigorous inquiry to confront unfamiliar situations. 

“When students come to the College, they will invariably be met with a situation or problem they have never encountered before, be it academics-related or otherwise” Wilson said. “This prompt gives Admissions counselors a way to evaluate how students will navigate those situations once they are at UChicago.”

John W. Boyer, the dean of the College, said the fundamental idea behind the Extended Essay is to invite prospective students to be creative in a serious but intellectually playful way in response to an open-ended challenge. 

“These essays not only reveal much about the qualities of mind of our students, but they also show our students something of the intellectually dynamic culture they will be joining if they matriculate here as members of our community,” Boyer said.

Each year, applicants choose from six essay options—five are prompts selected for that application cycle, and the sixth allows applicants to choose a prompt from past years or create one of their own. 

“We offer a number of options because we understand students are different—they have different interests and backgrounds, a wide variety of experiences and views, and they engage different parts of their brains. We are interested in diversity in all its forms, and a wide variety of questions allows for a wide variety of ideas to be represented,” Wilson said. 

Selecting new prompts every year begins with soliciting members of the UChicago community, both past and present, and asking them to submit ideas. Those interested in sending in their ideas for the 2022-23 application cycle can expect to see a call-for-submissions email next May.

By engaging current students and alumni in the process, the Extended Essay connects prospective students with the UChicago community. After receiving an average of nearly 1,000 essay prompt submissions each year, a small group of Admissions counselors then meet to review and finalize the year’s list. 

Grace Chapin James, AB’11, is very familiar with the process, having served as the chair of the essay committee for eight of the 10 years that she worked in the Office of College Admissions. 

“When we give people these creative questions, the goal is to open up their minds and see if they have a level of creativity or flexibility and exploration that will lend itself well to being in a UChicago classroom,” said James, who is now director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. 

Overall, Wilson says the essay shows prospective students that the University is interested in getting a sense for how they think before they step foot on campus. 

“It also signals to prospective students that we are an institution that values and celebrates novel ways of thinking and solving problems,” he added.

Below, view two of the 2021-2022 essay prompts for prospective students and the thought process behind their creation. The rest of the prompts can be found here .

Applications for the Class of 2026 are open through the Coalition and Common Applications. For more information, visit getstarted.uchicago.edu .

In Homer’s Iliad, Helen had a “face that launched a thousand ships.” A millihelen, then, measures the beauty needed to launch one ship. The Sagan unit is used to denote any large quantity (in place of “billions and billions”). A New York Minute measures the period of time between a traffic light turning green and the cab behind you honking. Invent a new unit of measurement. How is it derived? How is it used? What are its equivalents?

—inspired by carina kane, class of 2024, and ishaan goel, class of 2025.

The first thing that rising second-year Carina Kane, a pre-medical student and anthropology major, learned about UChicago as a prospective student was that it had unusual essay prompts. Because of this, she decided to apply.

“I really liked the freedom [of the essay], because I could pretty much choose anything and then weave whatever story or anecdote into it and make it my own question. And I definitely knew when I was answering the question that I wanted to include something that I was interested in, but I wanted to mostly talk about something that would give some indication about who I am.” 

At the end of her first year on campus, inspired by past prompts, Kane submitted her own with the goal of giving students freedom to present their stories. From chemistry to economics to architecture, nearly every field includes a unit of measurement, and Kane hopes applicants will apply their knowledge in their subject of expertise. 

“I hope students will choose something that they're really interested in, and take that freedom that comes with the question and extend their knowledge in that subject to a fantastical realm. Everything's rigid when you're working with certain subjects, and I'd hope that they could take that and turn it into something invented and imagined.”

"There is no such thing as a new idea" - Mark Twain. Are any pieces of art, literature, philosophy, or technology truly original, or just a different combination of old ideas? Pick something, anything (besides yourself), and explain why it is, or is not, original.

—inspired by haina lu, class of 2022.

Haina Lu, a rising fourth-year majoring in economics and public policy, chose to submit a prompt because the Extended Essay was one of her favorite parts of the College application process. 

Her idea was partly inspired by the “ship of Theseus” paradox, which asks whether an object that has had its components entirely replaced fundamentally remains the same object. It was also inspired by late-night conversations with her housemates in Cathey Dining Hall. 

“The Extended Essay makes the overall undergraduate body more creative and colorful,” she said. “Having an Extended Essay prompt allows students to present their ideas in a more freeform way, which contributes to making a more curious and eccentric—in the best way— student body.”

—This story was also published on the College website .

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Essay writing tips.

As a former English and Spanish major, I have written a lot of essays. A lot. And as an admissions counselor, I’ve had the opportunity to read more essays than I’ve written in my entire life.

I really enjoy reading and writing (and even editing) essays, so for this post I thought I’d give you all some essay writing tips. I was initially planning to specifically focus on college application essays, but since it’s the end of the school year and many of you are probably working on final essays for some of your classes, I thought I’d broaden my advice a little bit. Hopefully you’ll find each of these tips helpful, whether you’re working on an essay for an English class or for a college application!

• Make sure you actually answer the prompt. This piece of advice might seem very obvious, but it’s something that often trips people up. I’ve read several essays where people don’t actually answer the question that was posed. I’ve even been guilty of this at times. There are a lot of things you have to focus on when you write an essay: structure, gathering details, grammar, etc. Sometimes people get so focused on all of those things that they never end up actually answering the prompt, or they briefly address the prompt and then veer off to talk about something that’s only tangentially related. One way of tackling this problem that I’ve found helpful is making sure to write your thesis statement before you write any other part of the essay. Depending on the type of essay you’re writing, this thesis may be a little bit vaguer or a little bit more explicit; the important thing is that your essay does have a central “point.” Once you’ve done that, ask yourself: “Does this thesis statement answer the prompt?” If it does, you’re on the right track! From there, each time you finish a paragraph, come back to that thesis statement and make sure that what you’ve written supports it. You may end up needing to tweak your thesis as you write and examine your evidence more closely (this almost always happens to me), but each time you do, double-check to make sure that it still answers the essay’s prompt.
• Don’t skip the pre-writing process. Before I write an essay, I always take some time to outline. First, I try to come up with a rough number of paragraphs that I want my essay to be. From there, I make a note of the evidence I’ll be using for each paragraph and write a brief description for myself of how I’m planning to use that evidence in my argument. This may seem like extra work, but it actually saves a lot of time later on in the process. You don’t have to think about what you should be doing next while you’re writing, which saves you from having your writing flow interrupted. Outlining also helps you stay on track and keeps you from repeating points you’ve already used earlier in the essay or leaving important things out. No matter what kind of essay you’re writing, outlining is sure to make the overall process easier.
• Do at least one round of edits. It drives me absolutely crazy when people tell me that they submitted a first draft without even looking it over once. One time, I edited nine different drafts of a paper before I turned it in (my friends still make fun of me about this to this day). I wouldn’t recommend doing this, but there is a happy medium to be found between nine drafts and one draft. To state the obvious, giving an essay at least a second read will help you catch small errors like grammar mistakes. It can also help you notice problems with the content. Hopefully you won’t have to do a complete overhaul with your second draft, but even doing some light editing can make the paper a million times better.
• Start early. If you want to write a second draft, it’s important to give yourself enough time to do so. I know it’s easier said than done to start something early. I can procrastinate with the best of them, but starting an essay early makes things easier all around. In addition to having enough time to do a second draft, you’ll also be less stressed. One of my biggest regrets to this day is not starting my college application essays earlier. I could have saved myself a lot of stress and worry by starting them a bit earlier in the school year, or maybe even toward the end of the summer before my senior year. The same thing applies to essays for school. It’s unlikely you’ll start working on any essays for your classes months in advance (unless it’s something like an IB Extended Essay), but even just starting to brainstorm ideas as soon as you get the prompt for an essay can make a huge difference.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but don’t let your voice get lost. Getting help with your essays is always a great idea. Whether you ask a peer or a teacher to look at an essay before you submit the final version, getting a second pair of eyes on something you’ve written is always helpful. When you write an essay, you can get so entrenched in the material that you’re not able to see the mistakes anymore. Having someone else look at the essay can help you catch errors and see things that aren’t necessarily bad but could use some improvement. It’s also important to make sure that you ask the appropriate person for advice. Another way of putting that is to think about who is the most qualified to look at a particular essay. For example, teachers and counselors are both great resources, but the former is probably a better person to ask for help with essays for class, while the latter is definitely who you should go to for help with college essays. With all of that being said, you also need to stay true to your own voice when you’re writing an essay. Taking the advice of others can be helpful, but at the end of the day, it should be your work and your unique voice that is showcased in the final product.
• Have fun with it! This can be easier said than done at times, but you should try your best to have fun with whatever it is you’re writing. Sometimes you might have to write about something that’s not super interesting to you, but try to find some way to psych yourself up and get excited. And if you do have a choice between multiple prompts (like for our Uncommon Essay ), don’t just go for the one that sounds the easiest. Go for the one that most stands out to you! I can tell you that my writing was always miles better when I was working on something that I was excited about.

There’s a lot more that goes into essay writing, so this list of tips isn’t exhaustive, but hopefully they are a good starting point (or reminder!) for you. Best of luck to all of you essay writers out there, no matter what you’re writing your essay for! Now get writing!

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Test Your Knowledge of Chicago, the Host of the Democratic National Convention

By Mitch Smith and Julie Bosman Aug. 18, 2024

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The Democrats are arriving in Chicago, the country’s third-largest city, for their first in-person convention in eight years. The gathering comes at a pivotal time for the party, which switched its presidential nominee only weeks ago, and for the city, which is regaining its swagger after a pandemic slump.

How much do you know about Chicago? Take our quiz to find out.

Few cities can boast nicknames as plentiful, and evocative, as Chicago. Everyone knows it is called the Windy City, which is not really about the weather. But that moniker is just one of many. Which of the following is NOT a Chicago nickname?

City in a Garden

Second City

Paris of the Plains

City of Big Shoulders

Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue is perhaps the most famous stretch of pavement in the Midwest. Though it has struggled with vacant storefronts in recent years, the street is still home to high-end shopping, luxury hotels and notable architecture. What is that road called?

The Marvelous Mile

The Magnificent Mile

The Midway Mile

The Miracle Mile

Hollywood has long looked to Chicago for both storytelling inspiration and a rich setting for filming movies. From the options below, select the three that were primarily shot on location in Chicago.

“The Fugitive”

“The Untouchables”

“Bridesmaids”

Mayor Brandon Johnson emerged from a large field of candidates last year to unseat the incumbent, winning over voters by spelling out a progressive vision for Chicago and emphasizing his range of professional experience. Which of these jobs did Mr. Johnson NOT hold before becoming mayor?

Sous chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant

Cook County commissioner

Labor union organizer

Social studies teacher

Chicago is no stranger to hosting national political conventions, including the 1860 Republican convention that led to Abraham Lincoln’s nomination and the 1968 Democratic convention that included violent clashes between the police and protesters. Who was the most recent major-party presidential candidate to be nominated at a convention in Chicago?

George W. Bush

Ronald Reagan

Michael Dukakis

Bill Clinton

Chicagoans love to spend the summer enjoying the Lake Michigan shoreline. But a portion of one North Side beach has been off limits to sunbathers in recent years because birds of which endangered species have nested there?

Piping plover

Mississippi sandhill crane

Laysan duck

Ivory-billed woodpecker

The Barack Obama Presidential Center, a museum honoring the country’s first Black president, is under construction on Chicago’s South Side. It is about a mile away from a museum of Black history named after the first non-Indigenous permanent resident of Chicago. What was that person’s name?

Jane Addams

Catherine O’Leary

Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable

Louis Jolliet

Though their fandom has not always been rewarded, Chicagoans love their sports. The city, after all, has been the professional home of legends like Michael Jordan, Bobby Hull, Frank Thomas and Walter Payton. Which of these events has Chicago NOT hosted in the last decade?

World Series

W.N.B.A. Finals

NASCAR race

One of Chicago’s largest employers was once a U.S. Steel mill on the city’s southern lakefront. The site of that mill has sat largely empty since it closed in the early 1990s. This summer, officials announced plans to build what there?

A Google data center

An artificial intelligence research center

A new campus of Northwestern University

A quantum computing facility

The television show “The Bear” is filmed in Chicago and dramatizes life in a professional kitchen. Al’s, a real-life restaurant that resembles one in the show, serves an Italian beef sandwich that is a mainstay of casual Chicago dining. According to the restaurant, what is the proper posture for eating an Italian beef topped with hot giardiniera?

Standing in a gangway

The Italian Stance

The Beef Bend

The Chicago Squat

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• News Release

To mask or not to mask: That is still the question

‘Subtle nature of new evidence on masking means leadership decision-making will be really hard’

Media Information

• Release Date: August 23, 2024

Media Contacts

Kristin Samuelson

• (847) 491-4888
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Journal: The BMJ

CHICAGO --- Despite the association between mask mandates/mask wearing and reduced death rates during the pandemic, masking remains controversial and highly politicized, with many people still asking, “do masks work, and should they be recommended?”

In an editorial about the use of surgical face masks in public, published today, Aug. 23, in the BMJ , Northwestern Medicine internal medicine experts Drs. Jeffrey Linder and Rachel Amdur make the case for masking but acknowledge it’s not a cut-and-dried topic.

The editorial is in response to recent findings from a Norwegian study published in the BMJ , which found modest benefits from masking.

Media interested in speaking to the experts should contact Kristin Samuelson at [email protected] .

The experts can speak about to media about:

• Why mixed evidence on masking makes it difficult for public health officials to craft masking guidelines
• The merits of masking and when mask mandates make sense
• Who should mask and when
• What could happen if future, more dangerous variants emerge or future pandemics occur
• The medical implications of mask bans, such as the recently signed law in Nassau County, New York

“The way masks work is more complicated than simply blocking the transmission of infectious droplets or virus between people,” said Linder, chief of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The mixed, subtle nature of the evidence means leadership decision-making is still going to be really hard.”

“This recent study shows that masking can lead to reduction in transmission, but there are likely behaviors (i.e. avoiding crowds, isolating when ill) that also contribute to reduced transmission,” said Amdur, assistant professor of medicine (general internal medicine) at Feinberg. “Public health officials would need to consider multiple measures, including mask mandates, if more dangerous variants emerge or in the case of future pandemics.”