<p>If i was too lazy to write a unique essay for chicago, and just decided to choose option 5 and submit an essaying talking about my love for running, would that be really bad. I mean, the essay itself is very sincere and well written. But, would adcoms just see this as a way to get out of answering a unique prompt and probably reject/defer me? Besides that, I'm a pretty strong applicant (2310, strong gpa, strong ec's/recs). I'm also getting help from the coach at chicago. But, would this hurt my chances? Should I just pick a topic and think of something creative?</p>
<p>I think it would. Their essays are abstract for a reason. They want you to spend some time with this application and not copy and paste from another college's prompt.</p>
<p>cory - are you applying ea?</p>
<p>It's not going to help. But that doesn't make it a really bad idea. It's probably better than a half-baked, rushed "creative" essay. And if it's basically well-written and you have the coach's real support, you could easily get accepted anyway.</p>
<p>Why don't you try to write a better essay quickly, then see which one you feel best about using?</p>
<p>yes i am applying EA. Alright, i wrote essay topic 1. My next question is, can I put a supplemental essay in the additional comments section? This is what i've been doing for other schools, but I feel weird putting an essay in the "comments" section.</p>
<p>edit: or should I submit it as a supplemental essay with the supplemental form?</p>
<p>alright i think i'm going with my older essay. My response to essay topic 1 isnt too great, and I think i'm better off submitting a good, sincere response.</p>
<p>Ultimately you need to go with your gut feeling on this. Obviously Chicago and its applicants are known for being a little quirky and having interesting perspectives, but submitting an essay that you can say "no one else could've written this" about is going to be fine, in my opinion. Sincerity in that kind of essay is better than a "creative" essay that sounds contrived.</p>
<p>right. thanks for the help guys. I made the prompt itself comical, but fitting, so that should add a nice touch.</p>