University of Chicago essay supplements
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.
Choose one of the seven extended essay options and upload a one- or two-page response. Please include the prompt at the top of the page.
1. Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. Name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary.
—Inspired by Emmett Cho, Class of 2027
2. “Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.
—Inspired by Ryan Murphy, AB'21
3. “Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match).
—Inspired by Garrett Chalfin, Class of 2027
4. A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.
—Inspired by Sonia Chang, Class of 2025, and Mirabella Blair, Class of 2027
5. Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?
—Inspired by Adam Heiba, Class of 2027
6. There are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. But of course, some rules should be broken or updated. What is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist? (Our custom is to have five new prompts each year, but this year we decided to break with tradition. Enjoy!)
—Inspired by Maryam Abdella, Class of 2026
7. And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. 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!