At the University of Chicago, 100% of them use them to a significant extent during their undergraduate studies, and I would hazard a guess that 98% (or more) use them to a significant extent throughout their careers.</p>
<p>No one thinks that every STEM student has to be able to write like Proust. But the ability to communicate ideas in language effectively, and to read other people’s communications critically, especially when one steps outside the narrow circle of one’s specific expertise and colleagues – that is absolutely critical to the kind of career every elite university wants its students to aspire to and to achieve.</p>
<p>The admissions staff does also look at things like art and music, I’m sure. But at a liberal arts university – Chicago, but also Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, and many others – the minimum requirements for admission include a far-better-than-basic ability to use language to communicate.</p>
I don’t think, as someone else suggested, that the essays are the single most important piece of one’s application. Every school that I’ve ever heard disclose this kind of thing has said that they weight transcripts the most. I’m guessing that while Chicago considers essays a lot more than most other schools do, they too still look at transcripts with the most scrutiny. </p>
<p>That being said, I think there are both good and bad reasons for weighting essays so heavily. On the one hand certain people can lie or let others write/polish their work, and a sample of two essays may not sufficiently reveal the talents/literary prowess of many applicants anyway. But essays are also the best source for revealing an applicant’s personality, and writing skills are nearly universally important. (This is kind of random, but page 4 of this report shows students at Penn valued writing skills as the 2nd most useful thing they learned in college: <a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/undergrad/reports/CAS_AlumniSurveyReport2004.pdf[/url]”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/undergrad/reports/CAS_AlumniSurveyReport2004.pdf</a>)</p>
<p>All in all, I think there is something to be said for counting the essays heavily, they just shouldn’t be of more importance than any other single factor. Of course, I probably just think this because I wasn’t creative enough with my supplemental essay and took too logical/serious an approach. Oh well, I will see how well it works out for me tomorrow.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s necessarily the extreme importance of the essay that frustrates me. I feel that in essays you can really gain insight into the actual character of the individual - more so than a GPA or SAT score will reveal. What frustrates me about the Chicago essays is that I feel often there is a lot of pressure to be “quirky” or particularly profound. I am a very frank writer and I didn’t change my writing style for Chicago. I appreciate my writing and I know of many successful writers who are like me - who show their character through stories and not through elaborate “find x” essays or strange metaphors. I feel this is almost discouraged at Chicago especially when I read the essay forum on this board that shows what a lot of EA people who were accepted wrote…</p>
<p>Idk. Just my personal opinion and therefore my perspective is skewed.</p>
<p>So a little off topic from the current flow of the thread, but any idea what time decisions will be up? The Uncommon blog is just way too vague for me :O</p>
<p>For this past December’s class of 2015 EA decisions, it was announced that decisions would be available “by 5 PM” Central on Friday 12/17. But in fact reports on CC showed that decisions were viewable by 3:14 PM Central time. </p>
<p>So, no matter what time is announced in tomorrow’s email, I would expect actual decisions to be available sooner. Someone post here when they are!</p>
<p>Assuming the top 10-20 schools take all the briliant writers/orators, then this presumes the leftover candidates, per these ad-coms, are less-than-stellar in this respect. So, perhaps, compared to the lively classroom discussions that happen 100% of the time at UofC, classrooms at all the other colleges must be rather a bore.</p>
<p>As for my personal writing skills, during the 3 decades after graduating, I confess that I hardly wrote much. Lately, other than this internet participation, I am not sure when was the last I have ever written any thing that required more than a modicum of writing skills. I think I signed a couple of checks using a pen a little while ago Yeah, my postings on this CC here are quite a brilliant writing, as far as I can tell! Maybe others are using their English skills considerably more than I.</p>
<p>However, if I had put in as much effort in learning, say the guitar, maybe I would have done a bit more.</p>
<p>I felt like my essay for UChicago was one of the best things I’ve ever written, but lately it feels like that just honestly isn’t enough, :P. I got an email a few days ago requesting some missing pages from my FinAid doc for UChicago though, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign? I’m international, though, so that could be their way of making a final cut…</p>
<p>@anyalm
I am not sure if you should consider it a ‘sign’ at all. I believe UChicago is obligated to complete your file, or at the very least, notify you.</p>
<p>^Gotta give it to them for being so student-friendly. The Office of College Admissions has twice saved me from sheer embarrassment. I would so love to hear the good news today :)</p>
<p>I’m going to do my best not to let this distract me or stress me out. I was a defferred EA applicant but I sent in a lot of updates afterwards as well as a 2 minute video I made in a media class about why UChicago should accept me. I think it was all pretty well thought out and entertaining, but who knows!? Whatever happens is going to happen right? Ah, so much easier said than believed, but if I don’t have that mindset I’m going to set myself for dissapointment throughout the next few weeks.</p>
<p>Oh man now you make me feel like I didn’t nearly do enough to up my chances after being deferred. I er. Merely sent them a short statement of continued interest and later an update that I had won a quiz bowl contest.</p>
Oh well, I will see how well it works out for me tomorrow.</p>
I feel this is almost discouraged at Chicago especially when I read the essay forum on this board that shows what a lot of EA people who were accepted wrote…</p>
Yeah, my postings on this CC here are quite a brilliant writing, as far as I can tell!