University of Chicago

18 Successful UChicago Essays

Updated for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

About UChicago

The University of Chicago is a private research institution with a strong history and dedication to education quality, located in the lively, diverse city of Chicago. Founded in 1890, UChicago has long been a national leader in research, academic rigor, and cutting-edge technology. Known for its strong humanities and social science programs—particularly its economics department—the University of Chicago houses Nobel Prize-winning faculty and over 15,000 students from all walks of life. The school is also known for its deep commitment to social justice, and it has projects centered around economics and poverty, the environment, and global health. For students hoping to access a vibrant campus culture at an excellent Midwestern school, the University of Chicago is an incredible option.

At a glance…

Acceptance Rate

7%

Tuition

$60,552

Average Cost

$28,517

Average SAT

1537

Average ACT

35

Location

Chicago, IL

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Real Essays from UChicago Admits

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.

Reading about random things is fun. No seriously, have you ever tried it? Well, let me explain it to you! If a stranger could take a peek in my search history, they would find me dual-tasking subjects that have little to no connection, and leave with a puzzled look on their face. My after-midnight reading about the Collatz Conjecture is balanced with watching countless UChicago student videos filled with squirrels and hammocks. On other nights, they would see me looking through the New York Times, reading about the international disagreements of America, Russia, and China, all the while scrolling through the university’s vast, fascinating—and quite funny—meme Facebook page.

Because of my interest in exploring different topics, it has come to the pressing time where I need to make an important decision—which thematic track of global studies would I like to pursue at the University of Chicago? Law, Borders, and Security lets me dive into the complexities of borders, and how people immigrate to other countries to uncover new opportunities, as my Jamaican parents did. During high school, I conducted an independent study on misinformation and global politics. While researching, it led me to discover the ways these two things can create false perceptions concerning countries and migration. Reading the syllabus for Professor Solomon's course “Anthropology of Borders,” has made me excited to study the trends and practices of border crossings, and how the police and military play a role. However, the connections between different aspects of human life, from urbanism and environmentalism, compel me to consider the Health, Environment, and Urban Studies track. Getting lost in sustainable cities through my [Name Redacted] research, I learned about governance and the established policies for urban farming, while developing new solutions for food insecurity. Because of this, I wish to take Professor Schlutz’s course “Philosophies of Environmentalism and Sustainability,” allowing me to study the philosophical nature of land ethics, and the ways that humans have treated land.

Fueled by my night time Google searches, I’ve found myself intrigued with the stars up above and our genetic code. But there’s an easy fix for this, which also happens to be my favorite part of UChicago: the Core. My desire to take classes in these subjects is allowed by the various options within the interdisciplinary curriculum, and supported by the average class size of under twenty. I can apply all my searching and reading by being allowed to pick and choose what kind of classes I can take to fulfill the requirements. I can ultimately learn more about why stars shine so brightly and the development origins of cells. And, I can even ramble on and on about what I’ve learned to my future inquisitive and motivated UChicago classmates. Speaking of classmates, I have big plans to develop future friendships. Being able to spend time in one of many libraries—with my personal favorite being the automated Mansueto—we can study topics we’re deeply passionate about. At Hallowed Grounds, I can grab a snack and laugh with them over The Shady Dealer. And on Wednesdays, we can drink $1 milkshakes, while walking around the main Quad and talking about our lives.

UChicago allows me to keep up with my love for discussion and diplomacy through its Debate Society and Chicago Model United Nations. Providing accurate reporting is very important, so I aspire to get involved and become a positive influence in the UChicago journalism community. I wish to continue my journalistic writing I did throughout high school, by joining the university’s student newspaper, The Chicago Maroon, where I can report on campus, and cultural news. UChicago also fosters my interest in discovery and understanding, so I hope to conduct research in the Energy and Environment Lab. Here, I’m able to combine everything I did during my [Name Redacted] research, including when I studied the connection between food production and economics. I’m excited to work in this Lab where I can learn more about various aspects of city sustainability, including how to limit the impacts of air pollution and improve urban settings.

Ultimately, the university fulfills my desire to continue giving back, as many of my weekends are spent tutoring children in my city. The Neighborhood Schools Program allows me to keep my passion for mentoring by being able to help children around Hyde Park excel in various subjects. But, with everything that UChicago offers, it has left me with one final question: What impact do I wish to make? I have hopes of becoming knowledgeable about the laws that govern us in order to help people, but I also wish to pursue deeper research of global issues to benefit others. However, no matter where my future at UChicago takes me, I want to have a bit of fun by writing about it too.


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Essay by Neverland

Political Science Major (Maybe Pre-Law we'll see lol) at the University of Chicago

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