Chicago isn’t only known for its deep dish pizza. It is also famous for being home to the prestigious University of Chicago, which has an acceptance rate in the 5% range. So, let’s learn how to make your UChicago supplemental essay question responses stand out! Applicants must complete two UChicago supplemental essays. To make your responses perfect, complete some research before! Figure out what it is about UChicago (besides deep dish goodness) that makes you want to attend their school!
The University of Chicago is also famous for having some…unique supplemental essay questions. In fact, each year they ask their newly admitted and current students to send in ideas for topics! So, put on your creative cap and get ready to have some fun while responding to UChicago’s supplemental essay questions.
Keep in mind that there are no word limits on the UChicago supplemental essays. That being said, according to UChicago 500-700 words for the extended essay and 300-600 words for the “Why UChicago?” essays are good benchmarks. Without further ado, let’s jump into acing these creative UChicago supplemental essays!
Also see: How to write an essay about yourself
Essay question #1
“How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.” (benchmark word count: 300-600 words)
This is your typical “Why us” essay. However, do not make your response boring or universal! Make it specific to UChicago. Use this space to really detail why this particular school is the perfect fit for you.
Explore both the academic and extracurricular aspects of the university that stand out from others. Maybe you are extremely passionate about majoring in biology to soon become a doctor one day. Therefore, discuss what courses, research, and study abroad opportunities UChicago has to offer that will make this goal attainable.
It is important to touch upon what you want your future to look like and how UChicago will get you to reach all of your goals. It is also important to touch upon the aspects of their school that makes them unique. What makes UChicago stand out from all of the other schools you are considering?
Overall, an admissions officer reading your essay should have a good sense of what you are looking to get out of UChicago. In addition, they should easily be able to see how much research you have done and how serious you are about attending their university.
Questions to consider
- What makes UChicago unique from other colleges?
- Why are you excited to attend UChicago?
- Why did you choose to apply to UChicago?
Also see: How to write a 500 word essay
Essay question #2: The extended essay
For the extended essay portion of your application, UChicago provides applicants with six unorthodox essay options. Each of these choices were created by UChicago alumni and students, which means these questions were made with you in mind. They also emphasize creativity and unique ideas when responding to these prompts, so try to have fun with them!
Essay Option 1
In an ideal world where inter-species telepathic communication exists, which species would you choose to have a conversation with, and what would you want to learn from them? Would you ask beavers for architectural advice? Octopuses about cognition? Pigeons about navigation? Ants about governance? Make your case—both for the species and the question.
– Inspired by Yvan Sugira, Class of 2029
When you first read this question, your first instinct might be to pick whatever species your pet is, if you have one. After all, who wouldn’t want to know what their pet would say if they could talk? But it might be a good idea to give this question a little more thought and even turn it into a little research assignment.
Nature works in a lot of strange and miraculous ways. Try thinking of some of these unique properties of animals or the extraordinary things they do to survive. Look into animals that are able to survive in really harsh environments or animals with similar or dissimilar social structures to humans. You could even go really abstract and pick a plant species!
There are plenty of creative ways to answer this question, so take your time to brainstorm and see what resonates with you.
Questions to consider:
- What are issues that humans often face that don’t seem to affect a certain species?
- Do you feel a connection to the natural world? If so, what draws you to nature?
- Are there any animals that you admire? What do you appreciate about them?
Essay Option 2
If you could uninvent one thing, what would it be — and what would unravel as a result?
– Inspired by Eitan Fischer, Class of 2027
If you’ve ever watched any science-fiction media, then you probably know that time travel can get pretty interesting. This question has a lot of layers because of the nature of time travel. Sure, you could write down a list of everything that inconveniences you and call it a day. But, then you have to remember the second part of this question. The idea that “uninventing” something could have consequences.
It feels lighthearted at first. Maybe you wish math was never invented, so you wouldn’t have to take another math class ever again. But math is instrumental to so many aspects of life. If anything, try and think of things that are really superfluous because they wouldn’t have as many side effects to getting rid of them.
You could even tie this question into the current trend of overconsumption and the idea that many gadgets that are invented to make our lives easier just end up becoming wasteful.
You could also think about if you were to uninvent something, what’s something that could replace it? Perhaps you could change something for the better instead of totally erasing it from existence.
Overall, this question could definitely send you down a rabbit hole. Try to be thoughtful, but don’t get too lost in the weeds of the space time continuum.
Questions to consider:
- What are things that inconvenience you or things you find unnecessary?
- What inventions do you find important vs. unimportant?
- Are there any inventions that are currently causing more harm to humankind than good?
Essay Option 3
“Left” can mean remaining or departed. “Dust” can mean to add fine particles or to remove them. “Fast” can mean moving quickly or fixed firmly in place. These contronyms—words that are their own antonyms—somehow hold opposing meanings in perfect tension. Explore a contronym: a role, identity, or experience in your life that has contained its own opposite.
– Inspired by Kristin Yi, Class of 2029
There’s a lot of personal reflection that’ll need to be done with this question. People face a lot of opposites in their lives and many experiences where two wildly conflicting feelings can exist at once. For example, have you ever heard the expression “when one door closes, another door opens.” It’s similar to the idea that you can gain something while losing something or vice versa. When it comes to identity, sometimes it can be uniting and isolating at the same time. Remember you don’t have to share anything that you don’t feel comfortable sharing. But if you feel like you resonate with this question, then it’s a great opportunity to give admissions a deeper glimpse into your life.
Below are some other contronyms for inspiration.
Some examples of other contronyms:
- Finish – Can mean to complete something or to destroy it.
- Weather – Can mean to withstand something (like a storm) or to wear away (due to weather).
- Transparent – Can mean invisible or obvious.
Questions to consider:
- What are some moments in your life where you experienced conflicting feelings?
- What contronyms align with experiences you’ve had in life?
- Do you feel differently about any events in hindsight then you did in the moment? Why so?
Essay Option 4
The penny is on its way out—too small to matter, too costly to keep. But not everything small should disappear. What’s one object the world is phasing out that you think we can’t afford to lose, and why?
– Ella Somaiya, Class of 2028
When you start brainstorming objects that are being phased out, try and think of as many things as possible, and let the why come later. You don’t have to think of everything in one sitting. Take a day or two and challenge yourself to be observant of your surroundings. There might be many small objects that are being phased out in your home, at your friend’s house, at your job or just in your day to day life. You could even take a spin around an antique store!
Once you have your list, think about whether any of those objects should stick around. Look into their historical significance. Maybe that object isn’t the most useful or valuable, but it might have a really cool story to tell.
The penny, for example, has plenty of historical significance. Not only that, but many people consider finding one on the ground a sign of luck. Even luckier if the date the penny was made means something to the finder. Surely there are other similar objects that were useful when they were first invented for one reason, but over time have become useful for other reasons.
Below we’ll start a list of objects that have become somewhat obsolete today, but we encourage you to go from here and keep brainstorming!
Some examples of objects that are being phased out:
- Cassette tapes
- Phone books
- Chalk + chalkboards in classrooms
- Car keys (where you have to turn the physical key to start the ignition)
- Printed tickets for movies or concerts
Questions to consider:
- What is the value of history?
- How do you assign value to an object?
- How can one small object make a big impact on someone?
Essay Option 5
From Michelin Tires creating the Michelin Guide, to the audio equipment company Audio-Technica becoming one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sushi robots, brand identity can turn out to be a lot more flexible than we think. Choose an existing brand, company, or institution and propose an unexpected but strangely logical new product or service for them to launch. Why is this unlikely extension exactly what the world (or the brand) needs right now?
– Inspired by Julia Nieberg, Class of 2029
This question is super fun, especially if you’re looking to study branding or business in college. It’s also a great opportunity to show that you are a creative problem solver, which is exactly what branding experts need to be.
Start by thinking of some brands that you used to love, but are struggling to maintain relevance. You could also start at the opposite end and think of issues in the world that need solutions. Get creative and don’t be afraid to think of something totally out there!
Questions to consider:
- What are some brands that have not made efforts to innovate and stay relevant?
- What are some inventions or ideas you’ve had and what brands would you NOT think of producing them?
- Why do you think branding and innovation is so important to consumers?
Essay Option 6
“Statistically speaking, ice cream doesn’t cause shark attacks, pet spending doesn’t drive the number of lawyers in California, and margarine consumption isn’t responsible for Maine’s divorce rate—at least, not according to conventional wisdom. But what if the statisticians got it wrong? Choose your favorite spurious correlation and make the case for why it might actually reveal a deeper, causative truth.”
– Inspired by Adam DiMascio, Class of 2025
Odds are, you don’t have a list of spurious correlations ready to go, so it’s time to do some research! If you’ve studied science, one of the first things you learn is that correlation doesn’t equal causation. This is a super fun opportunity to play with the opposite idea. It might take some creative storytelling to tell a narrative that explains why one crazy statistic is true. Because of this, the crazier the statistic the better! We put together a list of spurious correlations to get you started.
Some examples of spurious correlations:
- The number of public school students in the 11th grade correlates with the circulation of the “this is fine” meme.
- The popularity of the name Annabelle correlates with the number of UFO sightings in South Carolina.
- The per capita consumption of margarine correlates with the divorce rate in Maine.
Questions to consider:
- What tone do you want the essay to be?
- Are you interested in pursuing statistics? If so, what sources do you use to find accurate statistics?
- How do you prove causation?
How to know which extended essay prompt to respond to
UChicago offers applicants a variety of unique extended essay prompts to respond to. Due to the creative nature of these essays, it can be difficult to determine which one is the “right” one to respond to. Ultimately, you should respond to the option that sparked an immediate idea after reading. This will make your writing process easier and will be the most closely aligned to your interests which is all you need to write an amazing essay!
Remember, if none of these prompts speak to you, you can always respond to a prompt from previous years. There are a lot of fun and unique UChicago prompts out there waiting for you! Plus, if you find nothing that resonates, you even have the option to write your own prompt!
Next steps after applying to UChicago
Now that the fun is over, and you have completed your UChicago supplemental essays – it is time to celebrate! Treat yourself to some deep dish pizza because you are one step closer to the Windy City!
Now, continue to show that you are interested in the university! You can do this by following their social media accounts, scheduling a tour, and reaching out to their admissions officers. Doing any of these will prove you are willing to take the next step with UChicago.
After you have proven your interest in the school, time to sit back and relax! All the hard work is over. Soon enough, you will be relaxing in a dorm that overlooks the city skyline of Chicago.
Further reading: When Should I Apply to College?
Additional resources
We know that being a student applying for colleges is not easy. There are a lot of tough choices that need to be made when it comes down to selecting a college. Once you start hearing back from colleges you should use our college comparison spreadsheet to help you. You can also check out our guide to how many schools to apply to in order to ensure you’ve got yourself covered.
In addition, be sure to check out our free scholarship search tool to help you choose a financially smart educational institution! It is always important to consider finances when selecting a college. Good luck on your college journey! Remember you will always end up where you need to be!
- Fill out your FAFSA application
- Learn about the CSS Profile
- Get started on your financial aid appeal letters
Additional colleges to consider
- Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
- University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
- Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA)
- New York University (New York, NY)
- Columbia University (New York, NY)
Frequently asked questions about the University of Chicago supplemental essay prompts
How should I approach brainstorming for the University of Chicago essays?
Can I reuse my Common App personal statement for one of the supplemental essays?
When are the application deadlines for the University of Chicago?
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