<p>Does anybody think writing about one's gender identity will be positive/negative on the application? I wrote it for colleges in the east coast but I am not sure if Chicago is liberal enough to give me credit for being frank about myself.</p>
<p>Gender identity? Does that mean you are a homo/trans/bi/inter-sexual but prefer not to identify yourself with any of these labels? (I'm behind in my PC terminology. I don't mean this to be insulting if it seems that way, seriously.)</p>
<p>And which essay? Your long one? It's not like you need to hide it (there are anti-discrimination clauses in place to take care of that), but if you really think that's the most important part of your personality, go ahead and include it.</p>
<p>Transgender is a converntional form of gender identity disorder. It is not related to homosexuality nor one's desire to stay in closet.</p>
<p>Yes, it is the long one. I am not sure if telling the admin officers about this issue is a good idea or not because I have not found very much info about the University of Chicago being liberal.</p>
<p>I'd have to disagree about UChi's sense of liberalism. Given their application and their emphasis upon the essay, they seem to have the greatest interest in unreigned self-expression that presents them with a real person with real complexities (or failing that, a reasonable facsimile thereof ;) ) as opposed to an imaged that is obviously censored and perhaps less textured. I'd venture to guess they'd actually be more accepting of potentially polemical material than the other schools.</p>
<p>That said, your essay obviously shouldn't breach the boundaries of good taste, and as you want to present yourself in a good light, when addressing a clearly personal topic, you want to appear mature and self-aware rather than, say, melodramatic, as if you are too mired in a personal issue to maintain perspective. I guess the best way to do so is to show the essay to someone, preferably someone who knows you, to review this. If you can accomplish a clear, level-headed evaluation of the role your sense of gender identity has played for you (while still adressing the prompt), I'd say go for it.</p>
<p>OOh wow!! I was thinking of writing about gender identity too... except I thought that it would be too risky with colleges. =</p>
<p>You don't need to hide it in your application, and there are gender queer students on campus. The U of C is looking into gender neutral housing options, and if you don't feel comfortable choosing "male" or "female" on your application, I think you would be fine to express that. I'm not sure how it would work as your long essay, though. Would you be following one of the prompts?</p>
<p>I have read threads about people who pont out that this year prompt is 'dull' and that Chicago won't care much if I alter it a little bit...(that's the beauty of Chicago... I guess...) I will change the prompt a little bit and add some words on the essay...</p>
<p>Bad your idea is not, good, your implementation must be.</p>
<p>how Yoda like.</p>
<p>I get sick of hearing that Chicago is not liberal. It most DEFINITELY is.</p>
<p>Chicago was one of the first universities in the country (and I really mean one of the first - not like the 200 colleges that claim to be 'pioneers' in racially integrated education, etc) to give domestic benefits to partners of GLBTQI faculty and staff. The common perception that Chicago is not a progressive school comes from the economics department, which generally supports free market/libertarian principles. This is an important influence, but not on the social liberalism of the campus, and it is certainly not the only economic voice either.</p>
<p>According to recent research being done by the interhouse council regarding gender neutral housing, which is scheduled to be available to all students in 2008, almost 25% of undergraduates consider themselves gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex. That is a HUGE number. (Unfortunately, I don't have a source for this - my overnight host, who is an organizer of the gender neutral movement at Chicago, cited this. I myself didn't believe it, but he insisted).</p>
<p>I think you would be quite fine to discuss gender identity, so long as it's a sound and original work. I think it might be hard to find creative voice in a topic like this, but that would be my only reservation. </p>
<p>My application definitely implied that I'm gay, and I was accepted EA. Don't worry about it - any concerns you might have about the admissions committee being closed minded are probably unnecessary. Just make sure that of all the things you COULD talk about, that gender identity is the topic you want to use as your personal voice.</p>
<p>It's true if you're including drunk girls at parties.</p>
<p>
[quote]
How Yoda like
[/quote]
Still stands, the point does.</p>
<p>While I'd say 25% is a little high, there is certainly a signficant presence on campus. I would actually say it's accepted to the point where a lot of people don't even think about it that much (i.e. they would think of "my friend who happens to be gay" rather than "my gay friend"). So I don't think it would have much effect either way on an application.</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, the resident GLBT population is incredibly comfortable here. I know guys in fraternities who are openly gay. This school is pretty much the definition of a tolerant, accepting liberal community - and yes, this even extends to conservative groups (something which supposedly "open-minded" east-coast schools would shudder at :-) )</p>