The University of Chicago is a private research university located in Chicago, Illinois. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was just 7% and the undergraduate population is about 7,000. The university is known for its rigorous academics and its quirky style. In fact, few schools offer such an array of unique essay prompts as U of Chicago. (And we don’t love them!) But, if you’re dying to get into this prestigious university, we recommend checking out our tips below on how to complete the supplement:
Choose one of the six extended essay options and upload a one- or two-page response. Please include the prompt at the top of the page.
1. What if the moon were made of cheese? Or Neptune made of soap? Pick a celestial object, reimagine its material composition, and explore the implications. Feel free to explore the realms of physics, philosophy, fantasy…the sky is the limit!
—Inspired by Tate Flicker, Class of 2025
The purpose of every supplement response should be to show a part of your personality that isn’t present elsewhere on the application. The point of this is so you stand out beyond just the stack of paper in which you will otherwise exist for an admissions counselor. Luckily, U of Chicago gives the writer plenty of opportunities to do that. University of Chicago’s supplements all allow the writer to showcase creativity and curiosity. So, if these are traits you possess, put your thinking cap on. Also, keep in mind, there’s no right answer here. They don’t want you to get too lost in explaining physics. They want you to show that you’re creative and thoughtful. Tell a story here using some other celestial object than the two listed and talk about what would happen if it were, in fact, made up of something else. Have fun with it.
2. What’s so easy about pie?
—Inspired by Arjun Kalia, Class of 2025
Again, think creatively here. Don’t worry about answering the question perfectly. (There’s no perfect answer). Go on a tangent if you need to. Consider answering this question with a recipe itself or a story about why you find pie to be easy. Think outside the box. Compare the various vessels by which one could transport pie, from a McDonald’s apple pie sleeve to the prize pie at the state fair.
3. In Homer’s Iliad, Helen had a “face that launched a thousand ships.” A millihelen, then, measures the beauty needed to launch one ship. The Sagan unit is used to denote any large quantity (in place of “billions and billions”). A New York Minute measures the period of time between a traffic light turning green and the cab behind you honking. Invent a new unit of measurement. How is it derived? How is it used? What are its equivalents?
—Inspired by Carina Kane, Class of 2024, and Ishaan Goel, Class of 2025
This is a fun one and another opportunity to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. There’s also an opportunity to share a bit about your own personality. Pick a characteristic of yours (are you a good listener? A leader?) and find a way to tell a story incorporating this new unit of time. Don’t make the story grandiose, existential, or upsetting. Avoid that split-second moment in which your life flashed before your eyes when you were in a car accident as a kid. This could and should be something far more commonplace (the time between sleep and awake at night…)
4. "There is no such thing as a new idea" - Mark Twain. Are any pieces of art, literature, philosophy, or technology truly original, or just a different combination of old ideas? Pick something, anything (besides yourself), and explain why it is, or is not, original.
—Inspired by Haina Lu, Class of 2022
This one is tough because it is essentially saying everything is derivative…or is it? Pretty classic U Chicago. If this calls to you, you should answer it. If you read this question and totally lit up and you have A LOT of ideas or opinions, go for it. If not, don’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. There are other questions here for you.
Our only real piece of advice here is to probably choose one side. We think it’s more interesting to go an inch wide and a mile deep on one thing. But, if you both agree and disagree with this idea and you want to play devil’s advocate in your supplement, you might be a perfect fit at U Chicago.
5. It's said that history repeats itself. But what about other disciplines? Choose another field (chemistry, philosophy, etc.) and explain how it repeats itself. Explain how it repeats itself.
—Inspired by Ori Brian, AB’19
If you’re really interested in a niche topic and you know enough to explain how it repeats itself, literally or figuratively, go for it. Again, you don’t need to take this prompt literally.
6. In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, pose your own question or choose one of our past prompts. 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.
Normally we love the “do your thing” prompt. We always advise our students to choose the “write whatever you want” prompt on the common app. However, we don’t recommend picking this prompt. U Chicago gives you five really weird but specific prompts to choose from, and they like that about themselves. That’s plenty opportunity for you to do something creative and unique without brainstorming a new one yourself. Channel that creativity into one of the above prompts.
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.
This essay (which is mandatory) can also be read as “Why do you want to go to the University of Chicago?” We advise our students to position themselves as experts in a given niche. Hopefully, your academics and extracurriculars from the last few years reflect a highly specific area in which you’ve put a lot of effort. The purpose of this essay is to draw the connection between your current area of expertise and what U of Chicago has to offer in that area. Do a deep dive into the majors and classes. Identify one major or area of study that most closely reflects your area of expertise. Identify two upper-level classes you’d want to take. Look into the professors who teach in that major and talk about one who’s conducting interesting research. Now, discuss the relevant extra-curriculars. Finally, talk about the city of Chicago in a sentence and what it has to offer.
The best way to get a sense for a school’s particular vibe is to read the supplements. Few schools wear their cultures on their sleeves as prominently as the University of Chicago does here. If this school is the right fit for you, you’ll find these essays to be fun. Furthermore, if you’re the type of kid who would do well in this kind of learning environment, you probably thought of a few possible answers for each question immediately after reading them.
Need help writing your University of Chicago supplement? Call us. We’re experts at helping students match with their first-choice schools.