The actual UChicago 2013-2014 essay questions are up.

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Great bunch of prompts this year. </p>

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<p>2013-14 essay questions:
Essay Option 1.</p>

<p>Winston Churchill believed "a joke is a very serious thing." From Off-Off Campus’s improvisations to the Shady Dealer humor magazine to the renowned Latke-Hamantash debate, we take humor very seriously here at The University of Chicago (and we have since 1959, when our alums helped found the renowned comedy theater The Second City).</p>

<p>Tell us your favorite joke and try to explain the joke without ruining it.</p>

<p>Inspired by Chelsea Fine, Class of 2016
Essay Option 2.</p>

<p>In a famous quote by José Ortega y Gasset, the Spanish philosopher proclaims, "Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia" (1914). José Quintans, master of the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago, sees it another way: "Yo soy yo y mi microbioma" (2012).</p>

<p>You are you and your..?</p>

<p>Inspired by Maria Viteri, Class of 2016
Essay Option 3.</p>

<p>"This is what history consists of. It's the sum total of all the things they aren't telling us." — Don DeLillo, Libra.</p>

<p>What is history, who are “they,” and what aren’t they telling us?</p>

<p>Inspired by Amy Estersohn, Class of 2010
Essay Option 4.</p>

<p>The mantis shrimp can perceive both polarized light and multispectral images; they have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Human eyes have color receptors for three colors (red, green, and blue); the mantis shrimp has receptors for sixteen types of color, enabling them to see a spectrum far beyond the capacity of the human brain.</p>

<p>Seriously, how cool is the mantis shrimp: mantisshrimp.uchicago.edu</p>

<p>What might they be able to see that we cannot? What are we missing?</p>

<p>Inspired by Tess Moran, Class of 2016
Essay Option 5.</p>

<p>How are apples and oranges supposed to be compared? Possible answers involve, but are not limited to, statistics, chemistry, physics, linguistics, and philosophy.</p>

<p>Inspired by Florence Chan, Class of 2015
Essay Option 6.</p>

<p>In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, pose a question of your own. If your prompt is original and thoughtful, then you should have little trouble writing a great essay. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun.</p>

2

<p>This is the reason why I’m excited for college applications.</p>

3

<p>SeaSwallowed - if you are excited for the UChicago essays, then you may very well be the type of person they are looking for.</p>

4

<p>To many people, these essay topics are too far fetched. It’s not clear that using unusual essay topics remains the best way to select applicants given the U. of C.'s recent rise in popularity.</p>

<p>Although Penn tends to be more vocational, its essay topics seem more down to earth.</p>

<p>[Essays</a> - Freshmen - Penn Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/freshman-admission/essays]Essays”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/freshman-admission/essays)</p>

5

<p>@rhg3rd I disagree. Given their ever increasing applicant pool its important for them to continue to select the type of student that they want at the university. I think having abstract topics like this allows them to retain their unique students. Some applicants simply aren’t a good fit for uchicago and admissions officers can see this pretty clearly through the applicant’s essay.</p>

6

<p>I agree with Mikee2014. Chicago needs to continue weeding out those individuals that truly want to attend Chicago…and these essays makes one go the extra mile to “throw” in an application.</p>

7

<p>I’m not even applying but I still want to write these.</p>

8

<p>I liked the essays, they were fun. UChic essays allow people to showcase their wit, and I’d rather go to college with smart witty folk than reclusive geniuses.</p>

<p>I wish there was a short question though, like the least guidance the better. Where’s Waldo?, Find X, How do you feel about Wednesdays?</p>

9

<p>I didn’t like no.2 or 4. The others are good though.</p>

10

<p>I absolutely adore these prompts! :smiley: I think I’m going to go with option four for my essay. :)</p>

11

<p>Crap, I can’t help but think about writing about Kant for the fourth prompt… this is what UChicago has done to me.</p>

12

<p>I love all of these!
Number one: “without ruining it.”
That’s hilarious, wish I was applying to UChicago just to write their essays!</p>

13

<p>I echo the sentiment that Prompts #2 and #4 seem a little bit lackluster, but maybe I just have poor taste.</p>

<p>I’m partial to #3 myself … that one’s just built for people interested in philosophy of history.</p>

14

<p>I’m definitely answering #5! Great question.</p>

15

<p>how long is this essay supposed to be?</p>

16

<p>Should these essays be more academic or funny?</p>

17

<p>^
Either, I assume.</p>

<p>I’ve decided I might apply after all.
Does the extended essay actually have to be about me? I think I show my personality in my actual writing, but other than that it’s not at all about my life.</p>

18

<p>no it doesn’t have to be about you, but it should say something about you</p>

19

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</p>

<p>That’s perfect. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.</p>

20

<p>If the personal statement says something that the supplement essay already does, is it bad?</p>