<p>can I use another college essay for Uchicago essay. It's not as creative as Chicago wants, but it still conveys me well. Do they just rate your essay based on originality and creativity, or can it just be like a regular common college essay?</p>
<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I am a student in Cupertino, Ca and my college counselor sucks! Don't they all? Puleeeze help me! </p>
<p>If anyone knows of a good one in the Cupertino area let me know...I am aiming at top schools like Chicago, Penn etc. </p>
<p>byeeeeeeeeeee</p>
<p>A regular common college essay should be original and creative already. If it's not, you should take another look at it. I used the same essay for Chicago as I did for many other schools (a sentence or two and the title varied a bit between applications), but the essay was somewhat original and creative in the beginning. You shouldn't be gimmicky, but any good essay or paper will be original and creative.</p>
<p>If the idea behind my essay and the experience I'm writing about it unique, can it make up for a lack of originality in my writing style and structure?</p>
<p>I am working with a Chicago Alum on my essays. he stressed how unique chicago is and there is no limit to how creative you can be. they call it the uncommon app for a reason...i have seen people do a movie script as their essay</p>
<p>if they even suspect that it is the common app essay they will ding you</p>
<p>I dont think they care what you write about so long as yoru voice and personality can be seen. Bonus points for creativitly and originality (these probably get you in)</p>
<p>Isn't the whole point to get in? Don't apply unless you really want to go...</p>
<p>I said originality probably gets you in. There are many people who get into UChicago and do not have off the wall essays. There are a fair number of people who get in with out using very original essays. While UChicago will hold it against you (a lot) to recycle essays, they can't hold it against you to not write something copletely off beat. They have to eventually realize that applicants have school, other apps, ECs, and a bunch of other stuff so not everybody has the time to come up with an incredibly original essay and make it great. Just by writing something new, that obviously isnt recycled from annother college essay, they know you are serious about UChicago.</p>
<p>Colleges don't care about that BS. Everyone is busy. But when a kid with a 2400 and a 4.0 (UW) can create a masterpiece you are up against tough competition. Find the time or risk rejection. if you can't do what they feel is needed you are probably not a good fit. That is the point of their essay. To weed out the people who aren't a good fit.</p>
<p>I think you should write one specifically for UChi. I was originally gonna use my common app essay, but decided to try a UChi topic out. It turned out 1000 times better, and much more fitting for the school.</p>
<p>Chimi-</p>
<p>You've got a Chicago alum helping you?? Not fair! lol. </p>
<p>BTW, I agree that Chicago looks for creativity and originality. BUT, you should still be YOU. If you are not a very "out of the box" freethinker that will be evident in your essay. I think the whole point of The College Essay is to be who you are...if YOU are as boring as watching paint dry on a wall (highly unlikely) then be that! IMO, at least, the best essays are those that come from the heart...that come alive, and while reading, you feel as though that person is sitting in front of you, or you can picture that person in your head. The essays that bomb are those that are lifeless, dull, those are the ones that are easy to reject because there is no human behind the words!</p>
<p>And I'll never understand people who apply to Chicago but don't really want to go there. Just stupid, IMO.</p>
<p>Chimi, not everyone who goes to UChicago is a free thinking, outoftheboxer. Some people are normal and rational. I would never recomend recycling an essay for any school, but you have to admit, it gets hard to come up with a competely off the wall topic that you can write about for two pages and still make sense.</p>
<p>i used the penn page 217 essay for chicago and got in. it was probably a bad idea though. it was a fairly unique interpretation of the prompt which may be why it worked, but just change the prompt to something that still applies to the essay.</p>
<p>I think the Page 217 essay for Penn makes sense because it does demand creativity. I suspect some might pull it off with the Stanford picture essay as well. Common App is hard to do. </p>
<p>I agree with everything Penn had to say. </p>
<p>I am getting help from a Chicago Alum but paying for it. He is a private college admissions counselor. If you want to win the game you gotta play with all the tools my friends.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If the idea behind my essay and the experience I'm writing about it unique, can it make up for a lack of originality in my writing style and structure?
[/quote]
Your structure absolutely does not have to be unique. People try to get all gimmicky and weird and unique with U of C essays, and it's not needed at all. A good writer will have a somewhat original and creative writing style or voice. It doesn't have to be "out there," though.</p>
<p>My essay, with a few small changes (as I said a sentence or two and the title), fit every school I applied to, and only one school had the common app. It was not Chicago specific, but I did get it to fit one of the prompts by addressing a very narrow aspect of the prompt. If yours can do that, great. Otherwise, feel free to write a creative question and use the last essay option. If you feel that your essay isn't right for Chicago, write a new one; however, if you are happy with the essay you have, feel it's well written, feel it shows you well, and have had a couple other people--such as your english teacher and college counselor--agree with you, then by all means use it.</p>
<p>I do not believe Chimi is correct when he/she says the essay is meant to weed people out and needs to be far out there in order to be successful. I also do not believe it's true that they'll reject you if they suspect you used a common app essay.</p>
<p>^They wont reject you, but it hurts some. Sort of like a few minor gramatcal errors (these are easy to rid your essay of and if you truly did not wait till the last minute, your essay would be flawless gramatically). Chimi is buying his/her way into college and trying to justify the expenditure. </p>
<p>For UChicago you just need to have more than a "common app" essay. Chicago weeds out applicants by it's reputation as the school where fun goes to die, and it's repuation that you need an insightful essay to get in. While you cannot use a general essay and expect to be very successful, it is possible, if the essay is well written and expresses who you are. It is best to come up with an off the wall topic and have an incredibly unique essay, but there is no need to spend days to come up with the perfect topic. UChicago only gets applications from people who want to go there. Quote from one of my friends: "I was planning to apply, but they don't use common app and the essays are too much work." She was weeded out. For those of us who truly want to go to UChicago, lots of the competition doestn bother to apply, whether it is because of the essays, because they do not use common app, because it is in the ghetto (not really) or because it is the place where fun goes to die (not 100% true).</p>
<p>^ I agree 100%. While I do not attend U of C, I myself have witnessed the "weeding out" occurring before the application itself is even submitted. I have heard people comment on the reputation and say they would not be happy at a school with those sorts of people. I do not think the reputation is entirely true (99%), but I understand what I am getting myself into by applying. </p>
<p>Would you want to write three essays and pay $60 for a school you are only mildly interested in? Even if you do recycle essays, you would have to do a bit of tweaking to fit common app essays into Chicago style...and vice verse</p>
<ol>
<li>I am not paying for pre-written essays</li>
<li>The private counseling industry is very big and very real. You are all facing competition who have hired additional help in one way or another. Ever heard of SAT Prep? How about tutoring for Math 2C?</li>
<li>My counselor refuses to write anything but he's there to offer guidance, answer questions about all colleges (not just Chicago), tell me what they are and aren't looking for. How is what he does different from asking your friend or a teacher to look? The key positive difference is that he is motivated by money and I am motivated by getting in. He can never say he is too busy like a friend might. I can count on him on the last night before the deadline if I need to. </li>
<li>Some such counselors do basically write the essay for you and I disapprove of that.</li>
<li>Based on my goals, my grades and scores, and my extra-curriculars I qualify for top schools yet I see 2400s get rejected as often as MVPs and ASB Presidents. Nothing is enough anymore and that's where the essays come in. I am blessed to have parents that support me and are happy to help me get extra help but we aren't rich.</li>
</ol>