<p>Does UChicago read both the common app essay and the UChicago essay?</p>
<p>I am planning on writing my Common app essay about how i'm living as an exchange student in a bilingual region in Spain and how it has affected my world view ect.</p>
<p>And i am planning to write my Chicago essay on the "live the question" prompt and just let my creativity take in a completely different direction that will probably have nothing to do with me personally. It will include some of my ideas and thoughts but it wont be very personal. I probably wont even mention myself in it. </p>
<p>Is this a good way to approach it:</p>
<p>Common app essay-personal, adjusting to new environment, show how passionate i am about learning, maybe show a little emotion about missing home ect</p>
<p>Chicago essay- have fun writing a seemingly rediculous yet hopefully clever response to "at present you need to live the question", hopefully showing a little more writing talent than the common app essay, wont be very personal</p>
<p>I'm doing the live the question prompt also.. and Im trying to reveal too different sides of me in the essays. Showing them all I have to offer. Both essays tell them something about me.</p>
<p>my thought would be that they don't weigh one inherently over the other. I trust them when they say they're just looking for an accurate representation of who we, as applicants, are. With that in mind, I think they look at everything in our file, and then form their opinion of us.</p>
<p>however, i, too, am only applying this year. good luck to you guys. hopefully we will be students at Chicago together.</p>
<p>so, the main thing is to show them that you are an intelligent kid with a passion for learning that really wants to go to UofC, right?</p>
<p>so, when they say that essays are the most important part of the application, they really mean that they want students that fit what their looking for and that the essays are generally the best way to show that, as opposed to just looking for the best writers. Correct?</p>
<p>Chicago admits for its faculty. They want students who like inquiry, who handle ideas well, and who will be great to have in a course. Essays (and recommendations) should reflect that.</p>
<p>First of all, essays are not the most important part of the application; the transcript is. The "Chicago cares so much about their essays" line comes from the fact that they are so unusual compared to other school's prompts. I'm sure they are very very important, but I also think it's incorrect to assume that an amazing essay will salvage an application that otherwise doesn't show potential.</p>
<p>I think the main "thing" is to show who you are. There are so many different kinds of students here in a sort of ridiculous and marvelous way. Most people here, though, are not as zany as the questions may have you believe. What we are, though, are people who care about school and who want to learn and play with ideas. That can be either explicit or implicit.</p>
<p>I'm applying to UChicago too. Remember that chicago has 2 required essays on its supplement. This first is one essentially about why you want to go there, and the 2nd is the one I think you guys are referring to. The first can be very important too because if you write "I'd like to major in engineering..." guess who's not getting into Chicago. So I guess I'm saying, make sure you know chicago and I'll give you guys a tip I picked up from the UChicago regional rep: Chicago is very proud of their core curriculum. That's all I'll say ;) think about it.</p>
<p>"First of all, essays are not the most important part of the application; the transcript is. The "Chicago cares so much about their essays" line comes from the fact that they are so unusual compared to other school's prompts."</p>
<p>from the uchicago profile on collegeboard.com:</p>
<p>Very important admission factors:
Character/Personal Qualities
Application Essay
Recommendations
Rigor of secondary school record
Talent/Ability</p>
<p>Important admission factors:
Class Rank
Extracurricular Activities
Volunteer Work
Academic GPA</p>
<p>Considered:
Alumni Relation
Interview
Racial/Ethnic Status
Standardized Test Scores
Work Experience
First generation college student
Level of Applicant's Interest
A note about the college's admission requirements: Secondary school record, recommendations, essay very important, as are talent/ability and character/personal qualities.</p>