As an admissions counselor and UChicago alumna, one of my favorite things to do is talk about the university and all it has to offer! One of the easiest ways for students to let me know they are just as excited as I am about UChicago is through the first required essay of their UChicago application, what we in College Admissions call the “Why UChicago?” essay. As you are beginning your college application process, you may notice that many of the schools you interested in have a similar “Why X University?” prompt. I wanted to provide some tips as you begin writing these essays and familiarizing yourself more with different colleges and what they have to offer.
-
Be specific! Off the bat, this is the best way to let the person who is reading your application know that you are excited about their school. I recommend that students employ something called the White-Out Test after they have finished writing their “Why X University?” essay. To use this test, read through your finished essay and “white-out” any mentions of a school’s name. If it’s still clear which school you’re talking about, congratulations! You have passed the White-Out Test. If you can’t narrow down what university you are talking about, go back through your essay and make it more specific. Maybe instead of just mentioning a university being in a large, urban city, you could mention the specific neighborhood the university is in and how that will promote your growth and education. Instead of talking about the unique education provided by an institution, maybe you could mention particular majors or classes and why you are excited about them. Overall, the White-Out Test is a great way to check if your “Why X University?” essay is specific enough!
-
Avoid just listing out different things available at a particular school. While creating a list of different clubs, classes, professors, or other offerings at a particular school may be a great way to begin outlining your “Why X University?” essay, oftentimes the most memorable “Why UChicago?” essays take a more creative approach. Some of my favorite and most memorable essays I have read included a letter to UChicago from a secret admirer, an essay written from the prospective of the ivy on campus, and an essay that explored all of the implications of the question “Why?” and how UChicago was the best place to get those questions answered. It was immediately clear to me that these students both knew what UChicago had to offer them and, more importantly, that they understood UChicago’s spirit and our foundational ideals of intellectually inquiry and curiosity. Writing this essay in a unique format can help you stand out in a sea of applicants!
-
Talk to current students to help better understand a college’s environment. There is no better way to learn about a university than through students that currently attend. While lots of information is available online through course catalogs, information sessions, and a university’s website, talking to current students can provide a unique perspective into everyday life, what courses are most popular, and some great student groups. Conversations you have with current students can be great to highlight in your “Why X University?” essay. Students are readily available to speak to current students either online through email or in-person once campus tours start back up. Reach out to askastudent@uchicago.edu to chat with a current UChicago student and get any of your questions answered (and check out what other schools may offer to connect with current students)!
-
Don’t use templates. While it can be very tempting to use a template when you are writing your “Why X University?” essays, it is pretty easy for an admissions counselor to spot when you are just changing the university’s name in an essay. Each school you are applying to is unique and offers its students different things, so make sure that your essays are also unique and highlight those different offerings!
-
Proofread before you hit submit! Because you won’t be using templates to write your “Why X University?” essays, you can avoid the dreaded situation of submitting an essay to a university with a different university’s name in it. However, it is still important to proofread to double and triple check that you are not making any grammatical or spelling errors and that your essay flows. Oftentimes when I want to get a paper proofread, I will pass it off to a trusted friend to get another set of eyes on it. Getting someone else’s perspective will help with catching any major errors as well as making sure that your point is coming across clearly and concisely!
While everyone’s “Why X University?” essay is going to be unique and tailored to their personal interests, this list of tips should be a good way to get started thinking about what you want to write and how you want to write it. Best of luck to everyone writing these essays and make sure to reach out to collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu if you have any questions. Now get writing!