Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (650 Words) My devotion to community is central to who I am. A few years ago, I discovered the strongest community I have ever been a part of, and in an unlikely place. Its members are close and welcoming, and it has formed around a common interest,...

remaining suggestions. After making these changes, do you want to give it to your folks to read? You may wish to include an additional essay if you feel that the college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about yourself or your accomplishments. You may write on a topic of your choice, or you may choose from one of the following topics: - Unusual circumstances in your life - Travel or living experiences in other countries...

What matters to you, and why? (250 word limit) Sitting down to intense philosophical discussion is a regular occurrence among my friends and me. For instance, the other day in math class we had a substitute teacher and were instructed to work on our own. Not that my two best friends and I don’t all love multivariable calculus, but with no restrictions conversation subtly transitioned from double integrals to arguing about what is important in life. Before long we had...

Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate -- and us -- know you better. (250 word limit.) Dear future roommate, Congratulations on making it into Stanford! I’m sure we’ll get along splendidly and I hope we have plenty of common interests. Much of the time I’ll be out of the way, either on my computer or reading, which I...

In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, pose a question of your own. If your prompt is original and thoughtful, then you should have little trouble writing a great essay. 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. (500 words) Prompt: What is the fourth dimension, and why? There is no “the” fourth dimension; all dimensions are created...

Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?(*) (200-250 words) My world is the one I have created. I love music, and play in my school’s top orchestra, concert band, and marching band. I love physics and math, and research them on my own while taking the most advanced courses in these fields (and others) my school has to offer. I love...

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. (250) I lean towards the conceptual, the theoretical and the abstract rather than the real-world manifestations of knowledge. While it is incredible to actual utilize both special and general relativity to make GPS targeting accurate, I still prefer the mathematical discoveries of these ideas...

Share with us a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, blogs, magazines, or newspapers. Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own. (250) I possess unbounded respect for J.R.R. Tolkien and the works he has produced. The Hobbit was my childhood companion, my bedtime story whose themes I used to help me understand the world, and its 1977...

What matters to you, and why? (250 words) What matters to me is intellectual curiosity. Learning something new about the world gives me joy not only at the moment of learning but also in the future as I find a way to connect this knowledge to other ideas and other people. Throughout life, I am constantly driven to learn new things that lead me down unexpected paths and introduce me to new friends. For this reason, I often have fascinating, insightful,...

Oberlin is a place of intense energy and creativity, built on a foundation of academic, artistic, and musical excellence. With its longstanding commitments to access, diversity, and inclusion, Oberlin is the ideal laboratory in which to study and design the world we want. What does your Oberlin look like? Throughout my life I have concentrated most of my efforts on academics and music. Beginning piano at age 5, trumpet at age 9, all while taking the most rigorous academic courses offered to...