<p>I'm applying to UChicago this fall and I'm worried that my essays are not quirky enough for the college. I'm a fairly average applicant and there's nothing that would make me stand out; I'm academically strong, straight, have both my parents, middle class (so no struggle through poverty or anything), etc. As a result, the essays that I want to write are all leaning towards the philosophical side; they reflect my outlook on life and my future in general. I was wondering if my essays would seem stale/trite/cliche? Would they lower my chances of getting in? I don't feel like my essays would make me stand out in a pool of applicants.</p>
<p>No. No. No. It’s not what you write. It’s how you write. Write genuinely. Do not write what you think they want to hear. Essays leaning to the philosophical side can make excellent topics. Make sure you give yourself time to revise for syntax / grammar. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>you don’t have to overcome anything spectacular to get into uchicago, they basically want to see an honest representation of how you think. agree with @kaukauna on not writing what you think they want. for what it’s worth, my philosophically-focused essay seemed to fare pretty well, although it’s more in how you write</p>