University Of Chicago Admission Essay Writing Guide

Contents

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The types and prompts of application essays for Chicago University

The application process is usually a very stressful experience. The requirements of the different universities can be confusing, the optional papers may decide the fate of the applicants. The Chicago University isn’t an exception. It is famous for its complicated and provocative essay questions that change each year. The UChicago essay examples gathered for many years differ from the ones you have show that the themes can be totally unexpected, starting from “What if the moon was made from cheese?” to “What disciplines repeat themselves, except history?” Surely, no one expects you to seriously discuss the cheese moon theory.

These tasks should check the applicants’ ability to think out of the box and to wrap their mind around the unusual concepts. The second reason to choose such themes is much more pragmatic: to prevent Googling the answers. Some students-to-be, unable to bear the pre-admission stress, prefer to order these papers. It’s hard to solve tasks of this kind when you know that your future study possibilities depend on them. It is much better than Googling, but it demands a skilled writer, the one able to enroll in UChicago themselves. Luckily, we have such writers working for us. Or, if you want to try yourself, you may read through our guide and a rich variety of University of Chicago essay examples we gathered for you. Good luck with your admission!

Types of admission essays

As the UChicago admission portal states the students-to-be need three types of essays to apply. They are: a personal statement, a standard admission essay for University of Chicago about the applicant’s choice and the most tricky one: the extended essay. Let’s look through requirements and useful tips for these types.

Personal statement essay

The personal statement essay is one of the most classical papers, shared by most of the universities. They want to know who you are, what you aspire, and what you can offer to your potential Alma Mater. The University of Chicago accepts these papers through two applicants’ platforms: Coalition Application and Common Application. This essay is an essential part of any application. The National Association for College Admission Counseling states that in 2019 more than 50 percent of colleges marked the personal statement essays as moderately or considerably important. Surely it won’t substitute the good grades and the university-specific tasks, but a well-written personal essay may get you several points you need to get enrolled. No one can write about you better than yourself, but if you need a helping hand with your personal statement essay, our online service offers a wide collection of sample papers. Our professional writers are also ready to turn the brief information about you into a completed personal essay that will make you shine in the eyes of the admission commission.

Requirements

  • Usually, the personal essay shall be between 250 and 650 words long, but most of them are around the average 400 words.
  • This essay is written in free form, so there are no strict rules.

Dos

  • The personal essay is your chance to present yourself, so focus on your values, achievements, and goals. There is no space for distractions, be as precise as possible.
  • There are no special UChicago sample essays of this type, this paper is common for many colleges, so try to make it universal and easy to read for everyone.
  • Let your family or friends proofread your essay. As an advanced testing practice, you may give it to a stranger (an Internet friend who doesn’t know a lot about you for example) and ask them to imagine a person described in your paper. It will give you an understanding of the impression the readers have about you.

Don’ts

  • Don’t dedicate your essay to a single interest, achievement, or treat. Try not to use more than three sentences to describe one subject.
  • Don’t try to fit the University of Chicago expected style. Lots of “Why UChicago” essay examples follow a single pattern, but you don’t have to use it while writing another admission essay.
  • Don’t concentrate on your drawbacks. It’s great to be honest, but this paper should present your best sides, not all of them. You may feel that it’s fair to tell the university about your traits that need a bit more work, but you are stealing the space you might have used for showing your bright sides.
  • This one is obvious, but please write the true information. You may present yourself as a new superhero, but the fact check that will follow after admission will do you no good.

“Why UChicago” motivation essay

The Internet is full of UChicago supplement examples of this type because it’s the only prompt that stays unchanged year after year. Unlike the extended essay, this one is strictly required to apply for admission. It is also much more straightforward, asking you, literally, why you have chosen the University of Chicago. Despite it can look like a simple formality, it is as important as a cover letter sent together with your CV can be. It is your first impression, the sign of respect, and a demonstration of your passion and interest. A well-kept balance between emotions and research is the key to this paper’s success.

The admission staff is looking for sincere interest, the ability to browse the open sources (such as UChicago newsletters, portals, forums, and Facebook groups), and the way an applicant for bachelor and potentially master’s degree can gather and process information. You may show much, much more than you write directly, so don’t be shy and show off any relative and proven information about UChicago you may find. It will demonstrate your curiosity and ability to do research — the two most important traits for a future student.

If you don’t have time to browse through the university resources, we’re here to help! You may find dozens of “Why UChicago” essay samples on our site or pay a budget-friendly amount of money to buy some extra help. If you don’t want to waste a second, or you aren’t sure if the information in the samples is up to date, feel free to ask for our writers’ services. They will double-check all the facts to write a perfect UChicago “Why” essay for you.

Requirements

  • There is no strict limit, but the application committee strongly recommends staying between 250 and 500 words.
  • There are no strict rules either, but some unofficial guidelines still exist. Please, see the “Dos” paragraph or browse through our selection of “Why UChicago” essay samples.

Dos

  • Do some research. Browse through majors or classes you want to attend, study the curriculum in general, so that you may bring your arguments.
  • Say a few words about the personalities. Are there any professors who you admire or whose books you read? Everything becomes better when it becomes personal.
  • Concentrate on the opportunities UChicago can give you later in life. The more complete your plan is, the more eager the admission committee will be to read your paper.
  • Try to say some words about each of the university’s sides: studying process, extracurricular activities, future perspectives. It will make your admission essay well-rounded.

Don’ts

  • Despite lots of colleges asking you this question, withstand the temptation to write one essay for them all and change the names afterward. The non-specific essays are obviously less impressive than personalized ones.
  • Don’t use flattery. The college team is already sure that their college is the best (they chose to work there after all). So don’t go over the top with praises. It’s better to focus on several positive traits that will help you in further study and life.
  • Don’t be overly pragmatic. No one wants to hear that you have chosen their college just because it’s the cheapest or the closest to your home. At least give them a valid reason that speaks good about you (e.g. you need to stay with your elderly relatives so that you need a college as close to your home as possible).

The Extended University of Chicago essay

The wide variety of University of Chicago supplemental essays available on the Internet shows that there are no two similar papers. It is the most complicated task of three, and, possibly, the most important. The weight of this essay heavily depends on your approach to it. Each faculty searches for different traits: creativity, precision, ability to logically defend even the most unusual thesis etc. The more right traits you show the more suitable you’ll be. Each year the UChicago provides two prompts for students-to-be. The first one is mandatory and is similar for everyone, it is the “Why UChicago” part we talked about before. The second one can be chosen from a long list of prompts.

Fun fact: lots of these prompts are taken from the tricky questions the students ask in college. So, sometimes, one of your discussion topics may become one of the UChicago supplement essay examples! The University of Chicago is notorious for its provocative prompts. But don’t worry: they aren’t invented to make your life harder. They are created to let you open up and show your character and way of thinking. Despite free form, the first two essay types were more formal.

This one allows you to share your vision, show eloquence, creativity, attention to detail and anything else you want to demonstrate. The tricky part is that you can’t get prepared for something totally unexpected, it is the hardest of all the University of Chicago entrance essays for a reason. The UChicago prompts will make you think a lot and weigh each word. We strongly recommend writing this one by yourself, but if you feel too stressed out or aren’t sure about the impression your essay will make, we are always ready to help you. The wide variety of sample UChicago essays is here for you to read. If you want our writers to write your University of Chicago application essay, please contact us and provide us with a few tips about your vision. Our experts have already served hundreds of customers all around the word and you don’t have to pay an enormous sum to get a high-quality paper. Do you want it to be more serious or humorous, more creative or precise? Our writers will do their best to write a stellar paper, but the more information you provide the better it will be.

Requirements

  • The UChicago admission commission recommends staying under 650 words. It isn’t an overly strict requirement, but they honestly admit they can get tired of reading more.
  • The “no rules” is a rule here. You shouldn’t bind yourself to any structure: unusual prompts require unusual answers. Use any form you feel comfortable and fit for the chosen topic.

Dos

  • Specify the main qualities you want to show to the admission committee. What is required for your major? Shall you show your creativity or technical thinking? Logic or the beauty of your language? It doesn’t mean that you should focus on one trait only, but a good emphasis on it may be the best option.
  • Let your fantasy loose. The best essay of this type appears when you allow you to think outside your average stereotypes. What if the Moon was really made of cheese? Will it be bigger or smaller than the rock one to maintain the same mass? Will cheese spoil in space? Could the Moon harbor life in its organic cheesy caves?
  • Try several different prompts. Write an outline for each and compare them. Possibly, you’ll find the one you have the most ideas and information about. And it could be not the one you thought at the beginning.
  • This essay requires testing more than the others. Give it to several people, friends or family members to read and evaluate. You may discuss the prompt with them additionally. Possibly, a few great ideas will be born from that discussion.

Don’ts

  • Eloquence for the sake of eloquence isn’t the best option. Try not to overuse fancy words. Think of them as spices in a dish: they can make everything better if used carefully.
  • Use the same rule for humor. Double-check your humor for offensiveness. Try to imagine yourself as an object of this joke and if you feel bad don’t use it.
  • Don’t try to copy and paste the text from somewhere else. Even the most skilled compilation will fail the plagiarism check.
  • Free form gives you great possibilities, but, unless you are trying to make a work of art for the corresponding faculty, stay faithful to logical structures. The flow of consciousness is rarely an option.
  • For safety reasons: don’t show your essay to anyone applying this year. They may be great proofreaders and testers, but later, consciously or not, they may use your ideas to apply themselves. Often people don’t realize they are using borrowed thoughts, so you don’t need to suspect everyone. But it’s better to keep your essay relatively confidential before the application process.

Wrap-up

When it comes to the University of Chicago writing supplement essays is an important part of your admission. Your grades are still the main parameter, but among the hundreds of students-to-be there almost surely will be some people with the exact same grades. That’s where your University of Chicago essay comes to play: to distinguish you from the equally successful people.

Taking writing seriously you increase your chances to get enrolled dramatically. The grades are just figures, but the admission commission are living breathing people who can have their sympathy for a passionate and creative student. The essays are your first impression, your way to say “Hello” (and, possibly, “I’m awesome!”) to the people who, possibly, will teach you for the next years of your life.

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