<p>With the optional essay on the Chicago supplement, is it truly "optional," or will my application be frowned upon because of me not writing one?</p>
<p>I didn’t write it. I got in EA (int’l with no awards or anything). I think that, when they say optional, they really mean optional.</p>
<p>Of course, RD might be a different story completely if you believe what’s being said on the boards…though still I think that, either way, it would be best not to write the essay if it feels like you’re forcing it out.</p>
<p>I would say write it. Why not? Got in EA and I wrote it, btw.</p>
<p>Sorry, just wanted to correct something; I should have said that it MIGHT be BETTER not to write it if it feels like you’re forcing it out. Of course, you could still write a good essay, but you run the risk of pushing out something utterly meaningless.</p>
<p>I didn’t write it last year. I didn’t feel that my preferences in books and movies and the like were strong enough for it to really mean anything. I agree that it shouldn’t be forced out.</p>
<p>if its good, then write it. if it sucks, then don’t</p>
<p>My son wrote it, he felt he needed every chance he could get to show that he was more than his grades and scores. His essay wasn’t very long, but it did reiterate the message that he’s quirky, not afraid to have wide-ranging taste (Tchaikovsky, Finnish metal and Kenny Rogers!) and that he can write well.</p>
<p>Your application won’t be frowned upon but you will miss a chance to convey your personality - and since plenty of people write the optional essay, you will be at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>When they mean it’s optional, they really mean it. If you feel that the optional essay really conveys who you are, then by any means write it. Last year, I did not feel that it would convey my personalities, so I did not write it.</p>
<p>I didn’t write it and was still accepted EACH :)</p>
<p>I think it depends on how well you write and how well what you write will be interpreted. Writing something that feels “forced” can sound forced and read horribly. I am a writer, though my speciality is horror fiction. A friend of mine once said after a disappointing meeting with someone he had idolized for a very long time, “The more you say, the less you are.” Sometimes that isn’t true but sometimes it is. If you just cannot find the words to write, then don’t because forcing something out can sound disingenous and may hurt you more than if you write nothing at all. Just my opinon.</p>
<p>I’m with mathmom. Don’t miss out on another opportunity to show a different side of your personality.</p>
<p>Much to my surprise (because he has griped about poetry since the 6th grade), S2 wrote mostly about poems on his Chicago optional essay. Could have knocked me over with a feather! He worked it in with who he is and what he believes, and it came out beautifully. </p>
<p>He also talked about Shakespeare and The Onion.</p>
<p>I did not write it, but I did not feel it could convey much more not already told to them in other parts of the app. I got in EA, but I have a strong overall application. If you feel doubtful of your acceptance, work hard on those essays, all of them. If your application is already sound, look at whether or not you could write something worth reading.</p>
<p>Maybe Chicago likes people who show diversity in their favorites, by which I mean both a serious side and a less serious side. Tchaikovsky + Finnish metal, Shakespeare + The Onion from the above posts, and I wrote about Kurt Vonnegut + Meg Cabot. Just a passing thought, though–obviously I don’t know for sure. 
Anyway, like others have said, it is probably safer to write it, but don’t force it. My favorites essay was not mind-blowing, just genuine and straightforward.</p>
<p>^Perhaps. I am a hardcore math/science guy and I wrote about the film 12 Angry Men and the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude.</p>
<p>I didn’t write it and was accepted EA (but I think that my other essays thoroughly conveyed my personality).</p>
<p>If you feel that your other essays show enough, then don’t force yourself to write it. On a random note, I only wrote about one thing in my optional essay…</p>
<p>My son could have written about 12 Angry Men too, he loved it. Great movie!</p>
<p>I wrote about To Kill a Mockingbird. But I’d agree with the others, if it’s going to be forced and bad, then don’t submit.</p>
<p>Personally I’d use it. I used the Why Chicago to tell them how much I loved learning. I used the Extended Essay to tell them about my psychological problems and trauma. With that, I want to tell them my dedication to music, so I’m either going to write it the baritone sax or my mp3 player.</p>