UChicago Essay Guide

Welcome to the University of Chicago

So you’re interested in the University of Chicago. What drew you in? Was it the world-class research labs and opportunities? Maybe it was the mile-long list of student-run organizations, the Hogwarts-y feel of the buildings, or even the campus grass (no seriously, that grass is so plush). Regardless of what drew you in, I’m glad you’re here! You’ll get to spend your time learning a variety of subjects from the core, forming study groups, hanging out downtown, and more! The first step to getting to UChicago is applying! Learn more about that process below. 

Admissions at UChicago

For the class of 2025, nearly 40,000 applicants applied to the University of Chicago! UChicago accepted about 6.4% of applicants, and of those accepted, 83% enrolled. As you can see, UChicago is a well-desired and selective university. Some more admissions statistics are below: 

• According to the University, 200+ early admits into the Class of 2026 were first-generation students.
• The 37,977 applications received for a place in the Class of 2025 was an all-time record.

The Application Process 

Here, I’ll be detailing how to apply to UChicago via the Common App or the Coalition Application. Students can also apply to the university through the QuestBridge National College Match but should consult their website on the specifics of this process (as it involves more than just UChicago).

Step one to applying is creating a Common app or Coalition account. They both serve the same purpose- to apply to colleges, but have different interfaces. Universities have no preference to which one you use, so pick whichever one you like the best.

There are 4 rounds of admission, Early Action (non-binding), Early Decision 1 (binding), Early Decision 2 (binding) and Regular Decision. The deadlines for these applications are November 1st for EA and ED1 and January 4th for ED2 and RD. Decisions are released in December for EA and ED1, Mid-Febuary for ED2 and March for RD. 

Once you have your application account of choice, you will have to submit the following:

Application for Admission

• Your common or coalition application
• Extracurricular activities - This is a section of your Common or Coalition app, and it will have you list all of your activities, if you had a leadership role, and a description for each.  
• Your personal statement - The prompts for your personal statement are a part of your Common or Coalition app, and will be sent to every school. This is an essay that tells universities about who you are.
• Two UChicago supplements 
• Why UChicago? - This essay asks why you are interested in the University of Chicago
• Creative Prompts - This is the extended essay. Each year, UChicago comes out with a list of creative prompts, varying from “tell us about a time you got caught” to “What’s so easy about pie?” The point of this essay is to learn more about you as well, and the goal is to have fun with it! You can also choose a creative prompt from any previous year.

Application Fee/Waiver

• UChicago automatically waives the fee for students applying for need-based aid.

High School Transcripts

• This also includes a secondary school report, which is something submitted by your counselor that gives UChicago more information about your high school. You’ll also have to submit a midyear report, which is your grades from the first half of your senior year, since this wouldn’t be on your transcript yet.

Two Teacher Evaluations

• These must be submitted by teachers from an academic subject such as mathematics, social studies, history, science, English or literature, foreign language, and other courses in which you are doing substantial amounts of reading, writing, or class discussion.

Optional Materials

• Test scores (ACT/SAT)
• Financial aid application
• Video profile
• Other supplemental materials, such as art, writing, research papers, etc. 

Essay Analysis

• Prompt 1: Personal Statement, Common App Prompt 7 - “Pick a quote that describes a lot about you and explain why you connect with it.”

Response:

“Food is essential to life, therefore make it good”, by Truett S. Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A.

Growing up, my father made meals something special- we’d all sit down and talk about our days. In elementary school, I was bullied, so dinner was important to me. I had a safe place after class. That was, until my parents split up. Suddenly there was no more family dinnertime, and with that, no more safe place to unload after a hard day.

My family and I got caught up in our own worlds, and around this time I found myself busy with a new relationship and helping my mom keep up with the house. I didn’t start starving myself on purpose- it just sort of happened. My mom worked too late to have time to cook, and I was too focused on making sure my siblings were taken care of. Once I realized I was eating significantly less, it became a sport for me. I felt in control- I couldn’t stop the bullying at school, my parents from splitting, or my mom from working so late at night, but I could stop how much I was eating. I began to feel depressed and disinterested in my life. Meals are a vulnerable place, a place where I could sit down and open up as I nourished my body. Without my dad, food lost that special meaning to me, and I had lost a place where I felt safe.

My life continued like this until my freshman year. I felt more distant from everyone than ever- my mom had a new boyfriend, my siblings and I went to different schools, and my relationship was strained from transitioning to high school. But when I felt alone, I had my calorie tracker, reminding me that I was doing “so well”. It wasn’t until I was curled over a toilet in my school’s bathroom that I realized that what I was doing wasn’t healthy. 

I decided to go into the culinary program at my school. I wanted to repair my strained relationship with food. We spent a lot of time cleaning and tasting, but I focused more on how to make the foods, develop the flavors, and present the meals. The more I worked with food, the more comfortable I got with it. That summer I also got my first job at Chick-fil-A. The thing about Chick-fil-A is that you must have that “My Pleasure” attitude. Through this job I was surrounded by positivity, and I learned how to create that positivity and share it with the guests that walked in the door every day. Learning how to connect with other people helped me feel less isolated, which helped me reach out to my family and start going to therapy. I started to take an active interest in my life and future.

Now that I had grown more comfortable with food, I started to feel more secure. Having an outlet like cooking gave me a place to destress the way I used to at dinner. I was learning how to make good food, and eventually, I wanted to eat good food too.

The reason this quote resonates with me is because a large part of my journey thus far has been food-related. However, this quote means more than just food to me, for it says food is essential to life. Before, I didn’t feel as if I were living, I was merely going through the motions of life. Once I began to enjoy food, I began to enjoy life, and recreate the safe place I had when I was young. Now, cooking and eating are a large part of who I am today. So yes, food is essential to life. And by making it good, you make life worth living.

Highlights:

A good personal statement does not have to be traumatic or overly deep. I encourage you to choose a story that you feel truly represents yourself. Is there a mantra you live by? Is there an important part of your identity that you want the admissions office to know about you? Whatever your prompt or story is, make sure that it reflects you, and is in your own voice. Do NOT feel pressured to write about your mental health or other polarizing topics. I encourage students to imagine a story that they feel must be told for anyone to truly know them, and then tell that story.

• Prompt 2: Creative UChicago Prompt - Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures.

Response:

What is fiction? According to Webster’s Dictionary, fiction is defined as “an assumption of a possibility as a fact irrespective of the question of its truth.” Its synonyms are fabrication, figment, and fable: “a narration intended to enforce a useful truth.” Its antonym, reality, is defined by the same dictionary as “something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily.” Its synonyms? Actuality, fact, and truth.

Therefore, fiction is based upon truth, and reality is truth.

While reality may be defined on paper as something that wholeheartedly exists, it is not represented this way in actuality. We live in a world where some things aren’t directly said. Using metaphors allows one to add a stronger and more sensitive context to the truth. For example, congratulating a couple on “tying the knot” implies something more binding than just getting married. Similarly, telling someone that a loved one passed away goes down easier than just saying that they died.

Reality also changes with the times. Before the heliocentric model in the 16th century, Earth really was the center of the universe. This was fact, Until Copernicus came along and proved that the sun was the “center of the universe”. Then this became reality. In modern times, we know that the universe is too vast for this to be accurate, however, the sun is the center of our solar system. As research and knowledge accumulate, our realities change. They are added to, subtracted from, and sometimes changed altogether.

Keeping up with reality can be as difficult as the tortoise racing the hare. However, when I use this allusion, you know exactly what I am referring to. Stories, fables, fiction have remained concrete for eons. They do not change. They are not subject to revision as we learn; the tortoise will always beat the hare despite the difference in speed, the mouse will always help the lion, the golden rule stays golden, and so on and so forth. These stories have remained so for generations. It is in stories that we find truth.

We use stories to help children grasp truths. They learn that slow and steady will win the race, and to always help others. Stories are also used to help grasp difficult truths. After all, children don’t understand why grandpa never visits, even if he’s dead, or why their father never came home, or why they need to brush their teeth. So, we tell them that grandpa is living in a cloud palace and one day they’ll meet again, and that it’s okay, because daddy just left to buy some milk. That brushing their teeth keeps the monster under the bed away. Children may not understand the reality of death, divorce, or cavities, but can understand the fictions we use to deliver the message.

Adults use this strategy as well. It’s a part of rationalization. It may not be with direct fictions, such as fables or stories, but with subtle convictions. Athletes convince themselves that a gold medal will change their lives, even if it will sit on a shelf for the following decades, allowing them to have the ambition to give it their all. Students convince themselves that an extra five minutes of sleep will really change their day, even though this is scientifically inept, allowing them to wake up and go to school.

While reality is inconsistent, and requires an open mind keep up with- fiction provides us not only with consistency, but the ability to describe truths, understand them, and the openness to be susceptible to change.

Highlights:

For this essay, you will also notice strict adhesion to the prompt. In every essay you write, every single piece of it should relate to the prompt. If someone lost the prompt, the essay should make it clear to the reader what the prompt asked. With that being said, I had fun with the prompt. This was something that genuinely interested me. To address the prompt, I began with dictionary definitions, and wove these themes throughout my essay. When I found the word fable in a definition, I used this to mention how fables are used to tell the truth, and tied in growing up as adults use rationalization in a similar way. In general, creative prompts should be exactly that- creative. It’s easy to tell if someone is writing an essay just because they have to, vs. writing an essay that they are engaged with and interested in. 

• Prompt 3: Why UChicago Prompt - 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.

Response:

I am excited to explore biology and genetics, as well as take classes in sociology and anthropology. Growing up, I’ve always been drawn to STEM fields. I want to help others medically and believe that it is important to understand both the biological aspects of life as well as the sociological. By understanding where people come from and why, I will have a deeper understanding of biological concepts as they apply to human life. Attending Title 1 schools means that my education has been compromised. Classes I take are mostly focused on meeting graduation requirements rather than one’s academic interests. I’d like to study at UChicago where the core curriculum means that my educational opportunities are limitless. Rather than worrying about whether my elective courses count for graduation, I’ll have the opportunity to explore classes during sit-ins before the drop period, as well as study in laboratories with professors and with TAs after class to feed my curiosity.

I also wish to pursue my education at UChicago for the community. UChicago is in an urban area, but also surrounded by nature in areas such as Hyde Park and the Osaka Garen, an environment where I’ll get to fully immerse myself in my studies. Students at UChicago care about their education, and it is here where I’ll find students who are engaged in their classes, rather than just floating by in hopes of “making it through”. I wish to collaborate with my peers when learning and making new discoveries. In high school, I find myself being the only person in the group to do the assignments, but this won’t be the case at UChicago. Professors at UChicago are innovative and work in their subject, so I know that my professors are just as interested in my classes as I will be. I hope to research with professors such as Hae Kyung Im to learn more about molecular biology and genetics through real-world applications.

The University of Chicago has many dining halls and dining experiences, such as at Harper Court. At my high school, I am in the culinary academy, so food is important to me. Knowing that I’ll experience a top-notch education is important, but food nourishes the body. Having nutritious foods available to fuel my studies is important, as it shows me that at UChicago, my life outside of the classroom will be rich as well. I hope to live a healthy lifestyle, and UChicago’s dining halls ensure this with their variety of options. I also study in cafes; which UChicago has plenty of scattered around campus, and enjoy learning about other cultures through food. UChicago’s dining hall’s themed nights will give me the chance to delve into other cultures while on campus. Overall, UChicago will give me the opportunity to make the best of my education. Having access to great professors with laboratory equipment, as well as living in an environment where students are ambitious and care about their studies and having great food to fuel my educational journey draw me to this institution.

Highlights:

Note how for each specific thing I mentioned for the university, I tied it back to how this would best serve my education. I like to imagine that you’re writing an essay selling yourself- pretend the school is asking you to attend, and you’re explaining to them how their attributes appeal to you and will support your education. 

Also, notice how I made sure this was personal to both myself and UChicago. I mentioned specific UChicago places and people, such as professors, Harper Court, and different parks and gardens. This demonstrates the research I did on the University before attending. You should NEVER recycle your “why us” essay for colleges. Make sure each one is specific to the university, and try to add things that aren’t on the college’s website. Make sure you share your own personal anecdotes as well. The admissions office already knows about the university they work at- they want to learn more about you as well. I did this by tying in my academic interests in STEM, as well as my culinary experience and the importance of culinary in my life, which ties in with my personal statement as well.

Get Essay Help

Applying to UChicago is certainly a big endeavor, and you must ensure your essays are up to par. Consult with a PathIvy counselor today to receive guidance in putting your best writing forward.

Written by Isabeau Burnett, PathIvy UChicago University Ambassador