Ask away- it's UChicago Prospective Students Advisory Committee

<p>@kladkye- while it’s most common to answer one of this year’s prompts, you’re welcome to answer a previous year’s question if one stands out specifically to you- just make sure you let us know which question you’re answering.</p>

<p>Hi Grace!</p>

<p>Similar question. Will it definitely not hurt me to use a previous year’s question? I just LOVE the particle accelerator prompt and I think I could write a great essay on it. I just really want to make sure it won’t be looked down upon for lacking an original question.</p>

<p>Hi, i have a question on the ‘why chicago’ essay- does it have to be two paragraphs? the style i have chosen uses a number of small paragraphs instead of two big ones- would that be all right?
As an international applicant needing financial aid, ive heard it’s practically impossible to get into U of Chicago. Is this true?</p>

<p>Grace, same question as stated earlier, except someone on another thread said another adcom specifically told him/her not to use a previously used essay question. I’m not questioning you judgment, but would our essay be viewed in a negative light if we write an essay on previous essay question?</p>

<p>There’s no concrete way I can say that writing on a prompt from a few years ago will help or hurt; we generally prefer to see you answering a prompt from this year, or to create your own prompt, but if you absolutely feel that a previous year’s prompt is best for you you are welcome to write it and submit as if you were taking the option #5 “create your own”. The one worry, and why this might be discouraged, is that essays from previous years do circulate and we really don’t want to see the same responses to the prompts we’ve seen in years past (obviously most students would not plagiarize, but still might get ideas or inspiration from someone else’s previously written essay). What matters most is the quality of your essay, not the prompt, so as long as you feel that you can be as original and true to yourself in an essay prompt you may have seen answered before as an original prompt or one of this year’s new prompts, go for it.</p>

<p>@ Thesandman- your Why Chicago essay can take any form that you want it to, as long as it fits in the space for submission on the supplement through the Common App- no need to stick to two bulky paragraphs if you don’t wish to.
And, on your financial aid question- while international financial aid status is considered for students in admission, some international students seeking aid are accepted and thrive here. For more information about international aid, I encourage you to look here: <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/admissions/international/[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/admissions/international/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Hi Grace,</p>

<p>I was just wondering how one would go about sending in extra document(s) to boost our chances of receiving a merit scholarship? Is there a formal way to submit these kind of documents?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>hi grace, i have a question concerning FA…</p>

<p>more or less, does the Financial estimate we receive in December close to the official deal we receive in April?</p>

<p>Hey Grace, I’ve got a question on essays: is it better to present a “consistent” style in all our essays, or show that we are capable of different styles of writing in presenting different sides of us? For example, would adcoms think that I’m not being genuine if I wrote a really wacky “Why Chicago?” essay and a normal, anecdote/short story experience kind of thing (one would be really down-to-earth and direct and the other would be kind of… out there.) for my common app and possibly for my extended essay?</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>@abc- you are welcome to update us with new achievements on your Midyear Report, which has a section to talk about anything new in your life since you’ve been admitted. If you wish to send in more than you can summarize on your report, check with your regional counselor to see how they would like the document sent in. Updates on the midyear report are definitely looked at and taken seriously, so don’t feel pressured to send in tons of extra documents; make sure anything you’re sending in is truly something that can’t be summarized, and isn’t a repeat of something you’ve already sent.</p>

<p>@qwt- our office is separate from financial aid so unfortunately I’m not able to comment on how much your estimate might change; the estimates are mostly fairly accurate, but are subject to some fluctuation. Feel free to contact the office of college aid at <a href=“mailto:college-aid@uchicago.edu”>college-aid@uchicago.edu</a> if you have more questions.</p>

<p>@lycoris- there’s no real formula to the essays that we expect/want you to follow. Feel free to do whatever you feel best expresses you as a writer and student.</p>

<p>hey, I have a question about my school transcript- Ive been to two schools during my highschool years (graduated this year) and my current school (the one i graduated from) has my former schools grades on record, so my it is sending one transcript with grades from both schools.would that be ok?</p>

<p>thesandman2- as long as it shows both sets of grades, you should be fine. If the grading scheme between schools is different, or anything really about the schools is drastically different (one does not have an honors program and one does, etc) you may consider sending in an additional counselor recommendation from your old school to help explain; not required, of course, but could be useful in explaining any discrepancies between one set of grades and the other.</p>

<p>Is 850 words too long for the “Why Chicago” essay?</p>

<p>hey grace two quick questions on essays</p>

<ol>
<li>Is it ok to have an image in the extended essay? I’m telling a story and the picture (b&w) is kind of essential so…
AND</li>
<li>how does uchicago feel about using the common app additional info section for a snappy essay? some schools have said they welcome it but i haven’t heard back from my regional counselor yet. is it too much?</li>
</ol>

<p>thanks a lot</p>

<p>Will it be fine if I submit my Common App Arts Supplement online? :)</p>

<p>Hey Grace, (damnit, I’m horrible with greetings xD)</p>

<p>I was accepted EA, but I still have to send in the midyear report. By what date is this typically required/expected (and would it be a problem if the admissions office received it by mid-January-ish)?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>^They won’t be getting mine until late-January; semester doesn’t end until January 22!</p>

<p>@sandman2 - My essay was close to 1,000 words (accepted EA), so you should be fine on the length.</p>