<p>UChicago just released the essay questions through email! Voila:</p>
<p>1.What's so odd about odd numbers? Inspired by Mario Rosasco, Class of 2009. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>In French, there is no difference between "conscience" and "consciousness". In Japanese, there is a word that specifically refers to the splittable wooden chopsticks you get at restaurants. The German word “fremdschämen” encapsulates the feeling you get when you’re embarrassed on behalf of someone else. All of these require explanation in order to properly communicate their meaning, and are, to varying degrees, untranslatable. Choose a word, tell us what it means, and then explain why it cannot (or should not) be translated from its original language. Inspired by Emily Driscoll, an incoming student in the Class of 2018</p></li>
<li><p>Little pigs, french hens, a family of bears. Blind mice, musketeers, the Fates. Parts of an atom, laws of thought, a guideline for composition. Omne trium perfectum? Create your own group of threes, and describe why and how they fit together. Inspired by Zilin Cui, an incoming student in the Class of 2018</p></li>
<li><p>Were pH an expression of personality, what would be your pH and why? (Feel free to respond acidly! Do not be neutral, for that is base!) Inspired by Joshua Harris, Class of 2016</p></li>
<li><p>A neon installation by the artist Jeppe Hein in UChicago’s Charles M. Harper Center asks this question for us: “Why are you here and not somewhere else?” (There are many potential values of "here", but we already know you're "here" to apply to the University of Chicago; pick any "here" besides that one). Inspired by Erin Hart, Class of 2016.</p></li>
<li><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></li>
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<p>The questions this year really encourage personal creativity (3,4,6) and #1 is the "really open to interpretation question." Excited to get started!</p>
<p>@AnnieBeats haha actually I saw your post go up a few minutes after this one in the other forum. The more people who can see it the better. I guess we were both super excited </p>
<p>Mine was 805 words, my why uchicago one was 494. The long one is supposed to be around 2 pages long but there doesn’t seem to be a rigid length requirement, and the why uchicago one is capped at 500.</p>
<p>uchicago rising first year here…no hard length limit just try to keep it under 2 pages single or double spaced and the why chicago and favorite things about half a page single spaced. the favorite things can also be a list, although mine was an essay</p>
<p>Looking for some clarification on prompt 3. I’m not sure if the prompt is simply requesting three things that are all related, or if it wants me to write about three groups of three like in all the examples (three pigs, three bears, three Musketeers, etc.). What do you guys think? Group of three singles, or three triplets?</p>
<p>@LedPolice My daughter had the same question and wrote to the school to ask, and received the following response “How you interpret the essay question is really up to you. The good news is there is not a wrong answer and it’s not a trick question.”</p>
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