I was wondering whether the UChicago Supplement responses were supposed to be fun and light-hearted or serious essays? I have two possible options, so if somebody could help me decide which one to use, I’d be very grateful. Thanks!
Either can work, if by “serious” you mean asking (and trying to answer) a tough question. The important thing is to zig while most applicants zag.
Unless you have a very unique background, the college could easily have 100 RD applicants just like you, and will admit maybe 5 of them. What makes you stand out among those 100? At UChicago, the answer for most admitted students will lie in their essays.
As long as your essay has a chance to really catch an AO’s eye, it can be fun, serious, or both - just don’t write something generic.
@sansculottes and @NotVerySmart, I would suggest communicating further by PM. You are both non-US based applicants, and I suspect have some common background which could be useful.
@sansculottes, good luck!
I’m no expert, but I was admitted EA with no hooks (from a fairly uninteresting background.) My essay was very sincere and I didn’t try to make any jokes or gimmicks. However, it wasn’t really serious in any way. I just wrote what I was thinking and I guess admissions was into it.
Uchicago just wants to see you think. It doesn’t have to be an intriguing personal story or a revelation. Mine was neither. Be yourself, be thoughtful, take your time. That’s all the advice I can really give.