<p>Ick. If this is indicative of the kind of kid that Chicago is accepting, maybe it really isn’t the place for my son. I found it overly cute and cloying, but not inappropriate. As some one up thread pointed out it really doesn’t say much, either about Chicago or the applicant. It is all surface and no substance. This is the kid who will write twelve pages essays and miss the point every time.</p>
<p>I could see all RD applicants re-writing their essays, way to ruin someone’s holidays.</p>
<p>It’s no more inappropriate than the Swiffer commercials in which a mop is sending flowers to its former owner. It takes a genre and twists it around.</p>
<p>I also think it’s clever. And I think the student (if there really is one) has a future in advertising!</p>
<p>God bless the admission essay readers next year. The number of “love” letters will be annoying.</p>
<p>…but…very funny and sassy essay.</p>
<p>I was very amused! Thanks for posting. </p>
<p>I don’t think it was inappropriate at all. Very witty.</p>
<p>I disagree, lololu. I think it says a lot about the kid, including that he’s an engaging writer, thinks out of the box, and has a sense of humor about the application process. And he does articulate why Chicago very specifically. Cross out Chicago and put in, say, its friendly rival 45 min to the north – it doesn’t work as well. I love the reference to “putting up with your puns.”. This kid has a real sense of the college’s character and self image. Can you imagine how many deadly dull essays they receive? Good for this kid. I agree with JHS - this is a vivid illustration of how essays overcome stats.</p>
<p>I loved the essay, and I see why the dean sent it around. The essay shows how important it is to think outside the box when it comes to the essay. I also think that by sending it around, the dean would narrow the applicant pool in a good way. Students who hate the essay wouldn’t bother to apply, and that means that Chicago admissions officers wouldn’t have to bother with reading the applications of students who wouldn’t be a good fit.</p>
<p>As for the students who misread the letter and think it indicates that they should make their Chicago essays some variation of a romance theme novel – they will be making it easy for admissions officers to reject them.</p>
<p>I agree with Pizzagirl that this essay works as a Chicago essay, because the kid gets Chicago’s sense of humor. My son (also with imperfect stats) took a similar approach. It got him deferred at Georgetown, but Chicago liked him. His reasoning was that only his witty writing and whatever his teachers chose to say about him was going to get him in to some of the colleges he was reaching for.</p>
<p>OK, now you’ve gone and done it!</p>
<p>Now that you’ve posted that essay on CC, every neurotic, 4.6 GPA, 2250 SAT, varsity athlete, Eagle Scout, tuba playing, hospital volunteer will stress out over how to be so witty in their Ivy League application essay.</p>
<p>You’ve just managed to up the competitive pressure. And just when you thought it was safe to tell your kid to hit the submit button…</p>
<p>I’ll give the kid points for creativity, without going over the top as so many applicants do with their essay.</p>
<p>This thread is so interesting and important that I’ve featured it and have copied it onto the College Essays forum, so it will continue being in both Parents Forum and College Essays forum. Thank-you, Greenery for posting it.</p>
<p>I think it is a horrible essay. Nothing in it tells me why I should accept that particular applicant (quite the contrary). The fact that Chicago admitted Rohan is just another sign of the current sad state of college admission offices in this country.</p>
<p>My own background is that I’m a Harvard grad who, when I was a professor at a second tier public university, taught a feature writing class that resulted in students winning national awards for their personal essays and feature stories.</p>
<p>With that in mind, I love the essay, and I see why U of Chicago sent it around. </p>
<p>It is a perfect essay – for U Chicago, which loves quirky, witty, intellectual students, and which values fit highly. The essay would not work for virtually any other school, which is what makes it perfect for Chicago.</p>
<p>The essay reflects that the student is quirky, an excellent writer, creative, and understands U Chicago well enough to write an essay that reflects the humor, creativity, and intellectualism that the school is noted for. The essay also reflects a lot of work as well as an intimate knowledge of the university. No one can write an essay that good without putting a lot of work into it. Chicago proudly is known as the college where fun goes to die, and it seems that the student happily would fit right in.</p>
<p>Anyone who is among the many people who are repelled by the essay is not the type of person who’d enjoy attending U Chicago. Makes sense. Chicago is a good fit for relatively few people, including relatively few very smart people.</p>
<p>Those who love the essay are getting hints that Chicago might be a good fit for you – if you have the stats to get in and the work ethic to enjoy that atmosphere. As for me-- I love the essay, but would never have wanted to work as hard on academics as students love to do at Chicago. My Ivy alma mater is easier academically than is U Chicago, and that suited me fine.</p>
<p>Do not write something like this for most colleges. I think that most colleges’ admissions officers would hate this letter. They would not want something this quirky.</p>
<p>In concert with NSM’s comments - when we got this email the first thing D said was “Oh wow! This confirms they must have really liked my essay too!” She didn’t use anything close to this style or twist, but definitely took some risks, creative licenses, and employed some wit. It was something she really enjoyed writing and it came fairly easy to her, but she’d never imagine submitting to another university. I personally can’t say, but D definitely feels her essay had a lot of weight in terms of her being accepted. </p>
<p>If you study their materials and communications U of Chicago practically begs students to utilize more freedom in their essays, and I think their approach makes a lot of sense. For those who “get it” it’s very hard to simply recycle a bunch of old stuff that goes out to a lot of other schools. And that’s the point - they want something uniquely written for them that is distinguishable from the norm whether one chooses something serious or light hearted.</p>
<p>I do wonder if they will now get an onslaught of really bad essays with applicants trying to be too cute; misunderstanding this to be some kind of template (which it is not).</p>
<p>“I do wonder if they will now get an onslaught of really bad essays with applicants trying to be too cute; misunmderstanding this to be some type of template (which it is not).”</p>
<p>I’m sure they will get such essays and those will result in quick rejections.</p>
<p>The negative reactions to the essay that helped someone get an EA admit to U Chicago are a reason why I think that anyone applying to top colleges should not show their essays to others. What impresses top colleges admissions officers may not impress your parents, GCs, teachers or peers. </p>
<p>You also aren’t likely to feel comfortable taking a risk or revealing your true self if you know that your parents, etc. will be reviewing your essay.</p>
<p>haha I love it!</p>
<p>Boooo my essay is very similar. Now it’ll look like I ripped off this one</p>
<p>“It is a perfect essay – for U Chicago, which loves quirky, witty, intellectual students, and which values fit highly. The essay would not work for virtually any other school, which is what makes it perfect for Chicago.”
Exactly! I think it is was a great idea for the admissions dean to send this essay out. Chicago IS different from most colleges, and the example of this essay SHOULD give pause to many of the students who have added Chicago to their list of colleges on the basis of it’s USNWR ranking and because it is relatively easy to apply there now that the Common App is accepted. The TYPE of student that would LOVE Chicago and THRIVE there has NOT changed, despite the recent modifications to admissions procedures.</p>
<p>I love it! I laughed out loud.</p>
<p>I posted this days ago. I got 3 responses. Fail!</p>