The College at the University of Chicago is a liberal arts school within a research university in Chicago, Illinois. The approximately 6,300 undergraduate students at the University of Chicago are known for being passionate, smart, and insatiably curious. The College has rigorous academic distribution requirements, and the Ivy League-tier academics come with an Ivy League-tier admissions process. The acceptance rate is 6%.
The University of Chicago supplement is notoriously quirky, but — despite some wild wording — the first question is deceptively straightforward.
Question 1 (Required)
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.
Yes, you are correct; the wording of this question is a little bit weird. “Satisfy your desire” and “some specificity” are wonky ways of wording a standard “Why us?” question. Why the unnecessary obfuscation? Because it’s the University of Chicago. They like to make you work for things.
Approach this prompt as you would any other “Why Us” supplement. Start with an anecdote that spotlights what you want to learn and how you learn best. Follow by…
Clearly stating your intended major
Sharing one or two professors you’d like to study under and why
Naming one or two academic programs you’d like to take part in
Emphasize that how UChicago approaches academics is how you’d like to ‘do’ college
Once you’ve addressed the academic stuff, it’s important to leave room for what you’d be doing outside of your rigorous course of study. What is a club, student organization, campus publication, or athletic program you’d like to be involved with? How would you contribute and add value?
Finish by returning to that anecdote you started with. You don’t need to tie everything up with a neat bow, but a satisfying conclusion is always appreciated.
Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)
Once you’ve gotten through the straightforward “Why us?” prompt, it’s time for the UChicago quirk-fest. The second essay is quite possibly the most perplexing essay in all of college admissions, especially among top-tier liberal arts schools.
This is the Economics 101 or First-Year Organic Chemistry of supplements. If it feels overwhelming, that’s because they want it to be that way. It’s a weeding out process. You sink or swim, and a lot of students opt out of applying to the University of Chicago simply because of this supplement.
Typically, we go through each of the options the University of Chicago gives you and try to guide you towards how to tackle them. This year, we’ve decided that us doing so may do more harm than good. You have so many options (literally, dozens) that giving you a guide may actually steer you away from that which would resonate most. Instead, read through the prompts one-by-one and winnow them down, looking for what calls to you. Lean into your quirk and creativity and be willing to do something you don’t expect of yourself. Stretch the definition of an ‘essay.’
If you are qualified to apply to the University of Chicago, you are clever. You are smart. So, instead of stressing about being clever, focus on showing the most confident version of you. And, most of all, tell them a killer story.
The University of Chicago supplement is a lot, we know. It isn’t the longest supplement you’ll likely have to tackle, but it’s a beast. If you need help taming it, send us a note. We help exceptional students get into outstanding colleges.