<p>I really like the prompt " write page 217 of your 300 page autobiography"</p>
<p>Taboo for uchicago bc old?</p>
<p>What about common app?</p>
<p>That, to my knowledge, is an old Penn prompt, not a UChicago one. Anyway, I’d advise against using an old Chicago prompt (and advise especially against using another school’s prompt) as I think the point of even using that option is to show your creativity. Others may disagree, but that’s my $.02…</p>
<p>You can do whatever you want on your application</p>
<p>Chicago can do whatever it wants in reviewing it, including rejecting you because you can’t follow instructions. </p>
<p>look at it this way: What would the reader think about the kid who is so independent that he rejects all the current prompts for one that has been discussed all over the internet? Creative? Bozo?</p>
<p>I can think of far more negative consequences than positive.</p>
<p>IMHO, most adults do not find it cute when someone ignores instructions.</p>
<p>Don’t write on an old prompt.</p>
<p>To be honest, I did include a small reference to an old prompt (from the year before) in my essay, but I still wrote on the actual topic, which I think is why it slipped through.</p>
<p>The idea itself isn’t terrible, but, if I remember correctly, the final option on the unCommon supplement is “create YOUR OWN prompt.” You would be ignoring the prompt’s directions by using a preexisitng prompt idea.</p>
<p>Well if the direction says “Create your own prompt” then writing about an old one isn’t a original one that you created.</p>
<p>I would recommend not using an old prompt.</p>
<p>I’ll venture a no. Like others have said, it’s “create your own”.</p>
<p>Yeah, the instruction, “create your own”, is pretty straight forward. Make an original one.</p>
<p>I’m going to disagree with everyone here: I just graduated from UChicago, and when I applied four and a half years ago that was pretty much exactly the prompt I made… clearly, it was not a killing blow to my application, and I do not think it would be to yours, either. I think the admission officers care a lot more about what you write and how you write it, not whether the question is sufficiently original or whether your essay answers one of the pre-made prompts exactly. They’re just interested in getting to learn something more about you.</p>
<p>That said, I am not an admissions officer or anything, so do not take my word as law. All I have to go on is my own experience.</p>
<p>I object to your question, and question your premise!</p>
<p>Why are you writing essays now? You will have the time later during the school year, trust me. Get back into the school year, get a couple school essays under your belt, and then worry about outlining. I swear you’ll see a marked improvement in your writing from the beginning of this process till the end. The colleges you care about the most should be the ones you write about closest to the deadline. My $.02</p>
<p>squishytize me captain</p>
<p>I know this board is pretty old now, but for other people Googling UChicago essay help like me… I emailed undergraduate admissions a few months back specifically asking if I could use an old prompt and they said yes - just choose option 6 (the “create your own” option) and write your prompt at the the top. My tour guide on campus also said that we can use old essay prompts. Is it recommended? I’m really not sure. I’m a little nervous about doing it, but I do have written proof that they said it was okay. I guess it comes down to whether you want to take the risk. If you think you can write significantly better using one of the old prompts, I say go for it. Otherwise, it may be safer to stick to your current year’s prompts.</p>
<p>“create your own prompt” is not equal to “use an old prompt or one someone else made”.</p>
<p>I feel like any prompt used in recent years is something the admissions officers are heartily sick of by now. I bet if they read one more “Where’s Waldo” essay they are going to puke… they have already read THOUSANDS of essays on any prompt used in the past several years. Which makes it very, very hard to do something truly creative that no one else has done with that prompt. If you are going to create your own prompt, then do something original. Also… some prompts in a given year get a lot more essays written than others. “Where’s Waldo” is an example. I have the impression that a huge % of applicants picked that prompt last year. My kid picked a “lesser traveled” prompt last year from the list (and got in). My suggestion is to examine next year’s prompts and pick one that doesn’t seem as “shiny” as the rest. Can’t know what this is in advance, of course! But I think the really open ended ones (Where’s Waldo, Find ‘x’, etc.) tend to draw a lot of applicants.</p>
<p>International95, I’m aware of that, hence why I bothered emailing admissions about it to double-check. Here’s a direct quote from the email I got back: “You are most definitely welcome to use one of our previous prompts, as long as you write what your prompt is at the top of your document.”</p>
<p>Also, intparent has good advice. I’m just saying that if for some reason that’s how it works out, using an old essay is an option. It might not be the absolute best, but it’s there.</p>