Question 1

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.*

Question 2  
Choose one of the six extended essay options below and upload a one- or two-page response.

1. We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026

2. “Ah, but I was so much older then / I'm younger than that now” – Bob Dylan. In what ways do we become younger as we get older? – Inspired by Joshua Harris, Class of 2016

3. Pluto, the demoted planet. Ophiuchus, the thirteenth Zodiac. Andy Murray, the fourth to tennis's Big Three. Every grouping has something that doesn’t quite fit in. Tell us about a group and its unofficial member, why (or why not) should it be excluded? – Inspired by Veronica Chang, Class of 2022

4. "Daddy-o", "Far Out", "Gnarly": the list of slang terms goes on and on. Sadly, most of these aren’t so "fly" anymore – “as if!” Name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you'd bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.” – Inspired by Napat Sakdibhornssup, Class of 2028

5. How many piano tuners are there in Chicago? What is the total length of chalk used by UChicago professors in a year? How many pages of books are in the Regenstein Library? These questions are among a class of estimation problems named after University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi. Create your own Fermi estimation problem, give it your best answer, and show us how you got there. – Inspired by Malhar Manek, Class of 2028

6. And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). 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!  

Supplemental Materials: Optional Art, Creative, Research, or Other Supplements

Students may submit supplemental material representing a significant talent, passion, or achievement by self-upload through their UChicago Account. These materials include, but are not limited to, creative writing projects, highlights from music/dance/visual art/theater performance, school capstone projects such as AP Capstone or the equivalent, research projects, business plans, or other work of note. Students may also elect to submit results of AP exams on an optional and self-reported basis. 

About Chicago

• Chicago, IL
• Founded in 1890
• Private institution
• Total undergraduate enrollment in previous year: 5,388
• Urban campus
• 4.8% acceptance rate

School Is Known For 

• Rigorous academic and enrichment programs
• Booth School of Business
• Law School
• Pritzker School of Medicine
• Harris School of Public Policy
• Former President Barack Obama taught at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years 

Culture 

• Rich campus life in a big-city setting
           • Situated in Hyde Park in Chicago
• The Chicago Maroons
          • 18 NCAA Division III teams that compete in the University Athletic Association 
          • Strong basketball and wrestling programs

• Majority of students live on campus
          • Freshmen required to live on campus 
          • On-campus students are placed in "houses" within their dorm, which serve as tight-knit communities and provide academic and social support

• More than 450 student organizations
• 94 Nobel Prize winners