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A Guide to the UChicago Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

Padya Paramita

July 26, 2022

You probably already know that admission into the University of Chicago, with its acceptance rate of around 5%, is far from guaranteed. But as you gear up to apply, you might get further thrown off by the essays you have to write. Alongside the required classic “why UChicago” question, this highly selective school also presents you with some rather unusual prompts in the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 .  

You don’t expect to see references to wisdom teeth or F1 racecars when you’re getting into the mindset of convincing admissions officers why you’re a good fit for a school, and yet these have been part of past UChicago prompts. It goes without saying that UChicago’s unconventional prompts aren’t your typical supplemental essay questions. But despite their unique nature, the goal of the university is the same as any other school—to understand your perspective, to get a sense of your goals, and determine whether your values align with those that UChicago looks for in its students. To guide you through each of the prompts, I have outlined the questions, how to go about tackling them, and more tips to help you write the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 .

The UChicago Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

UChicago prides itself on its thought-provoking supplemental essay prompts. Use these as an opportunity to introduce yourself, what you’re passionate about, and your ambitions and goals. Although there is no set word limit for any of the prompts, InGenius Prep counselor Natalia Ostrowski, who worked as the Assistant Director of Admissions at UChicago, recommends that you limit the first essay (“Why UChicago”) to a page (double-spaced in 12-point font). The second essay—the more unusual one of the two—should be about two pages, double spaced, and in 12-point font. 

The voice in your essay can be serious, you can let your creativity completely loose, or you can find an in-between take on any issue you’re writing about. According to Natalia, “UChicago admissions officers want to see how you connect ideas and get a front-row view into your critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and excitement for knowledge.” 

So without further ado, let’s go through all of the prompts—including each of the odd ones—for the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023, and the ways you should dissect and answer them:

Question 1 (Required)

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.

Although there is no strict word limit on this “why UChicago” essay, don’t go overboard with what you like about the university. Admissions officers already know it’s a great school. How do you narrow down what you love about the school? Well, look at the question for hints. The question asks that you elaborate on how UChicago can help meet your needs when it comes to the following:

When reading your response to this question, admissions officers are looking for whether you’ve done your homework on UChicago to determine how much you’d fit into the college. Below are a few questions that Natalia suggests you ask yourself to brainstorm for this essay:

• Why is the Core important to you? (And don’t just copy/paste what you wrote for Columbia and vice versa—they’ll know) 
• What specific majors are you interested in and why? 
• Has it always been your dream to work with [ insert professor here ] or study abroad in [ insert location here ]? Why? 
• Which activities are you excited to contribute to? Why do you want to be a Maroon (yes, UChicago has sports!)?

Emphasize the community aspect —how do you hope to find your people on campus? Is it the opportunity to participate in student organizations such as Humor Magazine or the intramural wiffleball team that call out to you? Or are you keen to explore Chicago’s Revival Community Improv Theater within walking distance of the college? You might want to continue your community involvement work from high school by participating in the Neighborhood Schools Program, The Civic Knowledge Project, or one of the college’s several organizations that help give back to the greater Chicago community. 

Since you have space, you can provide context on who you are, your passions, and the kind of values you hope to bring to UChicago. Whatever you choose to write about, make sure you prioritize what you’re looking for from your college experience and how UChicago is the ideal place to explore these interests or goals. Show admissions officers that you have done your research and can convincingly argue for your place at the school, clearly outlining the parts of campus you wish to commit to.

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose One)

Now we get to the more peculiar essays. At first—and even second or third glance—these questions are out of the box in comparison to other schools’ supplemental essays. But where do you even start? Natalia affirms that “Admissions officers want to see how your brain works. It doesn’t matter what you write about or which question you answer—your ideas and how you write about those ideas is what matters.” 

She also adds that from your essay, “Admissions officers will be able to have a glimpse of who you might be in the classroom, or when you’re deep in discussion in the dining halls or dorms, or walking through the snowy Harper Quad on your way to get some hot chocolate at Hallowed Grounds.” 

The takeaway for admissions officers reading your UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 should be to understand what makes you tick and how you are going to contribute to the community. This is the goal you should keep in mind throughout your writing process.

Essay Option 1

Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.

For those who don’t know, a palindrome is a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as civic, race car, madam—you get the picture. This is actually one of the most open-ended questions among the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 , because with a convincing enough argument, you might just be able to sway admissions officers to believe—or not—that a certain palindrome has a backstory we might not have thought about before. Here are some palindromic phrases to help get you started on your brainstorming:

• Never odd or even
• Step on no pets
• A man, a plan, a canal: Panama
• Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna
• Did Hannah see bees? Hannah did
• Sit on a potato pan, Otis
• Cigar? Toss it in a can. It is so tragic
• Eva, can I see bees in a cave?

Don’t get so caught up in finding the perfect palindrome that you miss the second half of the question: “give it a backstory.” You can use this question to discuss your potential major or favorite activity, because after all these are your supplemental essays. How can a certain law in physics explain how Otis can sit on a pan? Does the law of demand and supply in economics help answer the question of whether Hannah saw bees. This is a great question to combine both your imagination and creativity alongside your curiosity within your academic interest.

Essay Option 2

What advice would a wisdom tooth have?

Up next on the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 is another open-ended question. UChicago has used this guise of the “wisdom tooth” to see what students might value and what advice they might hold true in their daily life. Consider any advice that you’ve been given, sayings that resonate with you, words that you hold close to your heart and follow as you continue your journey as a student. Don’t use something cliche like “don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s too generic! Instead, think of advice that’s specific to your interests and goals—advice that you can then exemplify with anecdotes from your life. The more specific you get in your explanation, the better admissions officers will understand who you are and why you should be a future UChicago student.

Essay Option 3

You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?

The next prompt is another open-ended question because let’s face it “one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea,” can truly include anything. Think carefully about your interests, about areas of knowledge that you have in your arsenal, and what you think you can make a convincing argument about because, after all, you’re trying to convince Martians that humanity is worth their time! This is a prompt that you can have a lot of fun with because you don’t necessarily have to talk about something academic, although you can. Avoid common and broad topics and don’t be afraid to get niche and weird. You can talk about how sharks don’t have bones, or about why Martians should visit a certain country or spot in your hometown, you can talk about your favorite sports team and why the Martians should root for them, or you can talk about your favorite character on your favorite TV show. Regardless of the topic you choose, make sure your reasoning is compelling enough.

Essay Option 4

UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.

Here is another question you can get creative with—but this one can lean in a more academic direction than the rest of the prompts among the UChicago supplemental essay prompts 2022-2023 . For example, if you’re a visual artist you can invent a category in visual arts. However, you could—and probably should—get even more creative than that. Think out of the box. Consider both the category and what one would require to win a prize in the category. What about a Nobel Prize in driving for the best engine builder? Nobel Prize in engineering for the person who fixes door hinges the best? A Nobel Prize in Architecture for building sandcastles? No matter what the category and criteria, make sure your personality comes through in your explanation so that the admissions officers know you’re an individual to watch out for!

Essay Option 5

Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?

This question is a bit random, but I recommend it to those who are interested in a bit more creative writing in their essays rather than those who feel more comfortable with straightforward responses or academic writing. If there is a historical figure you know quite a bit about—or someone who is from your area—you probably have a grasp on their personality. As a result, you can assign them a piece of technology that you think they could use to create something revolutionary or simply have fun with. Think Einstein with an iPad, or Napoleon with a Fitbit. Why exactly are you assigning the person of your choice with the tech of your choice? Choose wisely and talk about the possibilities that could be out there!

Essay Option 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!

If you don’t like any of the other options, why not look at 30 of the previous years’ questions that UChicago has provided to inspire you. The question “What can actually be divided by zero?” might appeal to you more than any of the new prompts for UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 . And that is okay. 

Note that UChicago is giving you an incredible amount of choice here by providing access to their past prompts. If you decide to go the alternative route and come up with your own question, it HAS to be good enough. It wouldn’t be the wisest decision to go with your own silly prompt with the plethora of options in your arsenal. 

While UChicago doesn’t prefer that you answer questions 1-5 rather than 6, carefully weigh your options before you decide to pick number 6. Is there nothing you might have to say for the first five essay questions? If that is indeed the case, and you’re willing to take the risk (and UChicago appreciates risk-takers) put your unique spin on a previous—or completely original—question!

Additional Tips for Writing the UChicago Supplemental Essays 2020-2021

Now that you’ve taken a look at the prompts for the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 , here are a few tips to help your brainstorming process: 

• Standout essays for standout prompts : The prompts for the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 are without a doubt, highly unique. It’s okay to feel intimidated, and you might choose a prompt that asks for a more academic-leaning response if you’re not a creative writer. While it’s fine to find an option that’s tailored towards your assets, note that other applicants will be writing all sorts of weird and highly imaginative essays. So you need to come up with something memorable and original to stand out from the competition. 
• Consider multiple approaches : Each of the questions for the UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 has different routes you can choose. For some, such as the what would you show Martians prompt or the topic of your choice questions, you can write about anything. So don’t restrict yourself to thinking there is a right answer. While it might feel like the college may want you to answer a certain way, UChicago wants to understand your personality and background. Stay true to yourself and authentically convey who you are and the way you view the world.
• Don’t let the prompts discourage you from applying to the school : While the prompts set by the University of Chicago are definitely unusual and undoubtedly tricky, they are not impossible to answer. The school has set a standard for similarly quirky questions and hundreds of students still get in every year. So the minute you see these on the Common App, don’t be tempted to run away and remove UChicago from your school list. It’s a great school, and if you have a strong application to compete with other top students, don’t miss out on the chance just because the supplemental essays seem a little intimidating!

The UChicago supplemental essays 2022-2023 can add depth to your application and help admissions officers understand who you are and what you’re looking for from your college experience. The “why UChicago” prompt is your chance to convey how you would be a good fit at UChicago and vice versa. On the other hand, the essay question is a great component to capitalize on so that admissions officers understand your interests, creativity, and how you view the world. The task at hand might seem like a tough uphill battle, but it’s definitely not impossible. Good luck!

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University of Chicago 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 2

You Have: 

University of Chicago 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 2 essays of 1-2 pages each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Oddball

This is it, the infamous U Chicago supplemental application. These quirky prompts have been a rite of passage for generations of applicants, so before you dive in, just remember: if they could do it, so can you! Your goal in writing your Chicago extended essay should be the same as ever: to reveal something new to admissions. It might even help to have a few ideas in mind before reading through your options. These prompts are so specific and strange that, in the end, the key is just to follow your instincts. What speaks to you right away? What inspires you?

Question 1 ( Required )

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..

Think of this run-of-the-mill why essay as the overture to your magnum opus (i.e. the Extended Essay). Chicago wants you to cover all the bases – “learning, community, and future” – so as with any why essay, you’d best buckle down and do your homework. The more specific details you can incorporate into your essay, the more sincere and personal it will feel (and be!). Explore both academic and extracurricular opportunities. How will you pursue your interest in oceanography? With a major in biology and a semester in Australia? What research opportunities will you pursue? Will joining the club crew team help you feel more connected to aquatic life despite your midwest location? One thing you won’t find on the school website, though, is that third piece, that “future” thing. Think about where you’d like to be five or ten years from now – your career or the impact you’d like to have or even just a geographic location. How will a U Chicago education help you get there? How will your scholarly and social pursuits help you grow? Show admissions how U Chicago is the bridge between the person you are and the person you hope to be.

Question 2: Extended Essay ( Required; Choose one )

Essay option 1, exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary., – inspired by emmett cho, class of 2027.

Ah, an essay about balance. Typos and autocorrect come to our mind immediately, and not just because our brains often think faster than our fingers can type! The examples admissions have provided do a great job of showing how you can take this idea in multiple directions and apply it to any discipline. What about pasta sauce and our Tide To Go pens? Not a day goes by that we’re not dreaming of penne alla vodka or pappardelle with arrabbiata and the resulting stains we’ll be wearing for the rest of the night! (Just us?) Use this prompt as a way to go deeper into one (or more) aspects of your life, and remember that the prompt is merely a springboard, a jumping off point. Don’t be afraid to write and see what comes of it—you can always backspace later to undo it!

Essay Option 2

“where have all the flowers gone” – pete seeger. pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer..

– Inspired by Ryan Murphy, AB’21

Well, well, well, if this isn’t a fabulous prompt for art lovers and philosophers, alike. “What would you do?” (a thoughtful question asked by members of City High). “Are we out of the woods yet?” (a question repeated over and over by Taylor Swift).. “What’s love got to do with it?” (an evergreen inquiry from the great late Tina Turner). Think through some of your favorite tunes and select a question that strikes a chord within you (music puns!), then start writing. This is one of those prompts where your final product can vary greatly from your initial plan—or not! The important thing is not to rush the process; explore the question posed by an artist who has touched you, then leave yourself plenty of time to shape and finetune your writing into a polished essay worthy of submission to the University of Chicago. If you’re lucky, you can finish your draft weeks before it’s due. “Wouldn’t it be nice?” – The Beach Boys.

Essay Option 3

“vlog,” “labradoodle,” and “fauxmage.” language is filled with portmanteaus. create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match)..

– Inspired by Garrett Chalfin, Class of 2027

This might just be our favorite prompt of this admissions season, since you can take it in just about any direction you like. If nothing comes immediately to mind, try taking a piece of paper and writing down a list of things you like to do or aspects of your identity that are important to you. This prompt is fantastic because you can use it to write an essay about two areas of your life that may not otherwise intersect in an obvious way and give admissions a chance to better understand who you are in the process! Maybe the two words you choose are “introvert” and “performer,” because the stage allows you to express yourself in ways you never would in day-to-day life, giving you “introformer”! (Which sounds like a really cool robot, just saying.) Or perhaps you are chomping at the bit to write an essay about your experience in the Atlanta ballroom dance community as a proud Latina. “Lattrot?” Whatever two aspects of your identity, personality, or background you choose to write about, remember to have fun with it – and UChicissions (UChicago admissions) will too!

Essay Option 4

A jellyfish is not a fish. cat burglars don’t burgle cats. rhode island is not an island. write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept..

– Inspired by Sonia Chang, Class of 2025, and Mirabella Blair, Class of 2027

This playful, creative prompt will likely call to those who can think of a few examples off the top of their heads. Maybe you think of fireflies, which aren’t flies (or fire for that matter) at all, but beetles. Do you think they should be renamed accordingly, since words and categorization matter? Or do you think “fireflies” should be kept, since the name has become something bigger than the bug itself, and no one will think fondly of summers at their grandmother’s house catching “luminescent beetles”? Ultimately, your argument will (hopefully) show admissions how your brain works and pepper in a few insights as to the kinds of things you hold dear along the way.

Essay Option 5

Despite their origins in the gupta empire of india or ancient egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. what modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why.

– Inspired by Adam Heiba, Class of 2027

Calling all game-fanatics: this is the perfect opportunity to wax poetic about your favorite pastime! Whether you’re convinced that Dungeons and Dragons is here to stay or that cyborgs will be playing Uno in space station community halls in 2123, this is the opportunity for you to make your case. Now, there are some pitfalls that come with this prompt, so beware. Although admissions is asking about games, they really want to get to know the player behind the game (i.e. YOU). Use this prompt to offer admissions more insight into who you are and what makes you tick. Don’t slip down the slope of dedicating too many words to explaining rules and intricacies; instead, reflect on why you love the games you do and why you think gameplay is important to humanity or what is required to withstand the test of time. 

Essay Option 6

There are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. but of course, some rules should be broken or updated. what is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist (our custom is to have five new prompts each year, but this year we decided to break with tradition. enjoy).

– Inspired by Maryam Abdella, Class of 2026

This prompt option will likely jump out to those who have been questioning the silly little things humans do since they were toddlers. Well, here’s your chance to call us out. Maybe you’ve always been an incredibly direct person and consistently puz zled by the way the people in your community communicate between the lines. Or, perhaps there is just one unwritten rule that you’d like to strike down for the rest of eternity (NO MORE TALKING TO STRANGERS ON HIKING TRAILS!). See how you can finesse your response to reveal more information about your interests, goals, and character through an unsavory unspoken cultural agreement.

Essay Option 7

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.

We love all the prompts from the past —there are so many quirky ones! If this year’s questions aren’t inspiring you, don’t be afraid to peruse the archives to find one that stands out to you. If you belong at UChicago, there is no doubt you will find a prompt that sparks a story within you. 

We’d also like to note that this is a great opportunity for recycling essays. If you wrote a strong longform essay for another school, see if any of the old prompts work in your favor, or make up your own question custom-built for your essay. Good luck! 😊

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How to Write the University of Chicago Essays 2022-2023

UChicago is a rigorous, top-tier research university located in beautiful Hyde Park, Chicago. It’s famed for its outstanding academic programs, neo-gothic architecture, and prestigious school of economics. If you’re interested in delving deep into theory, bookishness, and the most hardcore of academic materials, UChicago might be just right for you. 

You can complete your UChicago application through the Coalition Application or Common Application. The essay questions for this season are on the UChicago website , and listed below. The first question, which boils down to “Why UChicago?,” is required yearly. The second question, a one-to-two page essay, is also required, but applicants can choose from a menagerie of exciting prompts that offer boundless opportunities for creativity and reflection. 

Read this UChicago essay example to inspire your writing and watch our video where we interviewed UChicago students about their essay topics.

Before You Begin Writing  

The University of Chicago’s prompts are famous (infamous? both?) for being different, quirky, and sometimes downright weird. Have you ever seen the word cheese or pie in a college essay prompt before? I’m guessing not. But don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed—the weirdness of the UChicago prompts makes them ripe with opportunity to explore your passions, interests, and personal oddities. 

You know that subject you avoid in casual conversation, because it turns you into a gushing ball of enthusiasm that could talk for hours ? UChicago wants to hear about it. Whether it’s feminist literature of Southeast Asia, modern perception of African art, or your job at Colonial Williamsburg, UChicago has happily passed you the mic. 

While your creative opportunity has few bounds, there are some key strategies to conquering the UChicago essays. Keep this checklist of things in mind as you write: 

Unconventional topics often require unconventional styles. 

UChicago essays should definitely be viewed as a piece of creative writing, rather than a dry analysis. When you are in college, you will be asked to write thesis-driven essays, but that’s not what the UChicago essays are asking for. You need to have a clear focus, but you should be comfortable disrupting the familiar rhythms of essay prose. This can mean vivid (and I mean vivid ) imagery, addressing the reader directly, sentence fragments, CAPS, lists, and anything else! Toss in some wild jargon from your field, phrases from another language, anything you’ve got—as long as you explain them. You should try to be imaginative, engaging, and colorful while maintaining an authentic voice and staying focused with your subject matter.

Communicate who you are as an academic.

The point of your essay is still to tell admissions officers about yourself. Give them an image of how you will perform in and contribute to an academic environment. You can’t just gush about your topic—you have to prove that you can engage with it at a highly intellectual level. Explain research protocol, cite specific books you’ve read, mention your AP and IB classes, or give examples of how you’ve collaborated with others to produce results. 

UChicago admissions don’t want a student who says “I love physics”; they want a student who says “I love physics so much that I stayed up until 4 am reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan, and I use meatballs to diagram the moons of Jupiter to my friends, and I took Calc III because I plan on studying mechanical engineering with a focus on aerospace materials.” Be detailed about your studies; be explicit in your interests. 

Marry yourself to your topic.

Be sure to include the first person; you are the main character here, not whatever subject you’re writing about. The subject is an avenue to tell admissions officers about you. You aren’t trying to get your latest film, your famous lasagna, or your community service project into the university— you are trying to get in . Don’t be afraid to center yourself. How do these objects from your past illuminate facets of your personality? What do your interests say about you ?

And, as always, answer the prompt!

Print out the prompt, circle key words, hang it on your mirror. Read it, then read it again, and again . Sit with the prompt, get some (probably crazy!) ideas, then repeat the process! Many UChicago prompts are dense in their weirdness. Some of them take time to even understand. Many prompts will reveal themselves to you in your everyday life (after you’ve read them over and over again). Some of them just take deep thought. The key is to keep thinking and focus on what the prompt is asking. You’ve got this!

All the UChicago Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: (required), 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., prompt 2: extended essay (required; choose one).

Option 1: Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.

– Inspired by Leah Beach, Class of 2026, Lib Gray SB ’12, and Agnes Mazur AB ‘09

Option 2: What advice would a wisdom tooth have?

–Inspired by Melody Dias, Class of 2025

Option 3: You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they’re the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?

—Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026

Option 4: UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.

—Inspired by Isabel Alvarez, Class of 2026

Option 5: Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?

-Inspired by Braden Hajer, Class of 2025

Option 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!

Prompt 1 (Required)

The pressure’s on to be unique here, since EVERY SINGLE APPLICANT to UChicago will be answering this required question. Here’s what you need to do:

Provide a tangible connection to UChicago. 

This is composed of specific elements of the university that appeal to you, and UChicago’s website is a great place to delve into these. Be sure to be “particular,” as they stipulate, and give them the “specificity” they’re asking for. Examples include research opportunities at Argonne Labs, the marketing classes in the Business School, or an internship offered through the Creative Writing program. 

Don’t write about UChicago’s general attributes, like fame, prestige, or “intellectual rigor.” And please don’t try to be clever and refute the old canard that UChicago is the place “Where Fun Goes to Die.” Application readers have seen this hundreds, if not thousands of times. And besides, why talk about a tired UChicago stereotype when you can talk about something cool? 

Describe your intangible connection as well. 

How is UChicago a place that aligns with your values, dreams, and goals? How do you vibe with it? For example, if I wanted to write about the Creative Writing internship, I would state explicitly how it draws me in: 

“ I want to attend a college that values the innovative nature of indie comics publishing as much as I do. So, I’m impressed by UChicago’s commitment to providing internships in comics writing through Bult Publishing and The Artifice magazine. One of my goals as a writer is to gain firsthand experience in comics publishing, specifically small houses, and the Creative Writing program at UChicago hits the mark, resoundingly. ”

Engage with faculty and students, if possible. 

This is a perfect place to talk about specific interactions, like sitting in on an inspiring seminar during a campus visit, hearing a professor speak, or seeing how UChicago has prepared a friend for his career. 

However, always be sure to tie these experiences into your own goals and interests! For example, don’t just name-drop a certain Professor Smith. Instead, take the opportunity to find a personal connection to Smith’s research and how great UChicago is for supporting people like her. Your format should be

        Program/Individual/Major – UChicago’s Values – My values

If you want to learn more about a specific professor or their subject, don’t be afraid to politely email them or contact their department. Many love to talk about their work and their interests, or would love to put you in touch with current students. This will better inform you about the school and give you a great edge for this prompt. And, more importantly, you’ll probably get great advice for your higher education journey. Note: the earlier you prepare for this, the better!

It’s worth noting that there is no recommended essay length, but sticking to around 500 words should do the trick. It’s long enough to share the reasons you’ll thrive at UChicago, but not too long that the admissions officers will start to get bored.

Prompt 2: Extended Essay (Required, Choose One)

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.

Prompt 2, Option 1

Was it a cat i saw yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (japanese for “the world is a warm place”). może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory..

If you love linguistics and creative writing, this is a good choice for you. You have the freedom to pick any palindrome—a word or phase that says the same thing when read forward and back—and get as creative as you like. If you speak another language or have a unique cultural background, picking a palindrome in that language would be a great way to tie in your background.

Let’s look at a few examples of how you can turn a phrase into a story:

Draw, O coward!

Bring a moment from one of your extracurricular activities to life: Little beads of sweat rolled down from my temple to my chin, carrying the stage makeup caked on my face with them. My sweaty palms fumbled by my side to grab my plastic prop sword. My scene partner’s words fell on deaf ears as my director’s voice coursed through my head. Don’t forget to hit the O, she would say. My brain lagged behind the rest of my body. Before I could process what had happened, my sword was tightly gripped in my outstretched hand and my booming voice declared “Draw, O coward!”

Si Nummi immunis (Latin for “Give me my fee, and I warrant you free”)

Discuss a social issue you deeply care about: In the DA’s office, interns don’t do much—I was your standard coffee-getter and errand-runner. The one exception: looking at bail records. Every day, I could peek at who posted bail and for how much. While I originally approached it with a child-like curiosity, it quickly became disheartening. Looking at record after record of affluent offenders who paid their fee and went about their days made my heart ache for those who couldn’t afford bail, through no fault of their own. Every morning, on my trip to the coffee shop, a little voice in my head kept telling me: Nothing will change unless you take action.

दामाद (Dāmād, Hindi for “son in law”)

Tell a story of your family: No one dares to get in between a mother and her daughter. Especially my nani and mom. So, the day my dad marched up to my nani’s door and declared he was going to marry her daughter didn’t go as anticipated to say the least. “You will never be my dāmād. She is too good for you.” Was it his goofy smile or his naan baking skills that finally won her over? Whatever it was, he carries the title of dāmād as a badge of honor now.

Prompt 2, Option 2

What advice would a wisdom tooth have.

This is the shortest option of the bunch, making it one of the most open-ended prompts. You can interpret this question from several different angles, and here are some potential ideas:

The play on words angle

Wisdom teeth are named as such because they erupt later in life, when you typically have more wisdom. Your wisdom teeth might advise you that this is true, and you could share the life lessons you’ve learned as you’ve grown older, opening each paragraph with an age and an anecdote.

The foodie angle 

If you’re a big foodie or chef, your wisdom teeth might advise you on their favorite dishes they’ve seen/chewed. You could share those dishes and the stories behind them. For example, maybe all your favorite recipes are gathered from cooking with others, and you could share the story of how your family hosted an exchange student from Portugal and how they taught you to make pastéis de nata, and how your grandmother taught you how to make her pierogies while sharing life advice with you.

The “stuck inside” angle

Many people’s wisdom teeth never see the light of day and remain impacted in their gums. This could be a segue into telling a story of how you stayed engaged when quarantined or stuck indoors during a rainy day. For example, maybe you picked up sewing during the pandemic because you couldn’t go outside and now you make historical period gowns. Your wisdom teeth might advise you that sometimes boredom or idleness can help you find new inspiration.

The relevancy angle

While wisdom teeth aren’t very useful in the modern world, It’s believed that they helped our prehistoric ancestors quite a bit. Back then, humans needed to grind raw meat, nuts, and leaves, so these extra molars made it easier to break down food. Beyond that, dental hygiene probably wasn’t the best, so humans may have lost adult teeth, which the wisdom teeth would then replace. 

If you like fiction writing, you could imagine wisdom teeth in a room with other things that were once relevant, but are now obsolete, such as floppy disks, dinosaurs, sundials, etc. What would they say to each other? What are they all doing together?

The medical angle

Wisdom teeth are actually not routinely removed in countries outside of the US. As a result, some people interpret the industry as a ploy to make money from unsuspecting patients. If you’re going into the medical or dental field, you could use this prompt as a chance to comment on the state of medicine and why you feel healthcare needs to be reformed. 

Some argue that removing wisdom teeth still reduces the chances of complications down the line, while others think the surgery is riskier than leaving the wisdom teeth in. You could use this debate as a chance to share a time you did a cost-benefit analysis on an area of your life, such as the time you were deciding whether to work at a brand-new local jewelry shop that paid less but had more opportunities for growth, or to work at a grocery chain.

Prompt 2, Option 3

You are on an expedition to found a colony on mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of martians suddenly emerges. they seem eager to communicate, but they’re the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. what do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time.

Like all the others, this prompt is another way to showcase your creativity, but it also gives you the opportunity to reveal what you value. If you love art and history, you could show the Martians Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. If you’re an avid music fan, maybe you want to teach the aliens the iconic Thriller dance. Inexplicably fascinated by science? Show your new friends the benefits of penicillin. 

What’s important about this essay is not what you pick, but how you demonstrate its importance . Forget about writing a college application essay for a minute; you are tasked with saving the entire human race. That’s a lot of pressure. Anyone could show the Martians a picture of the pyramids of Egypt, but it’s all in the story you tell that will make them appreciate this is the greatest accomplishment of humans and the true test of their capabilities.

Let’s take the example of the student who writes about penicillin. What they shouldn’t do is write “ I would show the Martians penicillin because it was one of the biggest medical advancements that allowed for humanity to conquer infections that used to be deadly, allowing people to live longer and healthier lives.” While what they wrote is true, it reveals nothing about them. The item you choose will undoubtedly be important to not just humanity, but you, so your response needs to establish a personal connection.

So what should this student do? They could start their essay by telling a story of how they plan to find a sick Martian suffering from an infection and will inject them with penicillin to show the aliens its magical healing properties. Then, this student should go into what penicillin means to them. Did they volunteer at a hospital where they witnessed people recover from infections that could be deadly because of this medicine? Maybe penicillin saved their life and allowed them to pursue their research that could be the next scientific breakthrough. 

You can get creative and playful with the story you tell about the item you chose, but if you go with this option, you’ll want to spend more of your essay focused on how that choice made a difference, not just for humanity, but in your life. 

Prompt 2, Option 4

Uchicago has been affiliated with over 90 nobel laureates. but, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory you are tasked with creating a new category for the nobel prize. explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment..

The Nobel Prize is awarded to those who have “conferred the greatest benefit to mankind” in the categories of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. Through this prompt, UChicago wants to know what matters to you, and they want to see your analytical and creative side shine through your selection process.

You can take a more straightforward angle or a more unconventional one with this prompt. A straightforward angle would involve selecting a “serious” category that fits neatly into the existing ones, such as Sustainability, Education, Technology, or Music. 

The unconventional angle would mean coming up with, well, something more unusual. Maybe you think there should be a Nobel Prize in Cooking, Hiking, Crocheting, or Speed Reading.

The category itself doesn’t matter as much as your connection to it, as you’ll need to explain why you chose it. Make sure your essay touches on both the personal significance of the category as well as its implications for mankind. For example, maybe you chose cooking because it’s soothing for you as a home chef, but it also has the power to improve the mood of those eating the meal. Food has also brought people from different backgrounds and cultures together throughout millenia. 

Continuing this cooking example, your selection criteria could involve a competition where cooks from around the world are asked to create dishes in three categories: one from their own culture, one from another culture, and a meal for ten that costs no more than $1/plate. This competition would highlight the cultural aspects of cooking, but also raise awareness of food insecurity and the challenge of creating nutritious meals at a low cost.

In addition to the criteria you need to receive the accolade, you could include examples of previous winners or people you would like to nominate for the prize.

UChicago prides itself on the accomplishments of its alumni, but the school gives every student the opportunity to excel within their own right. They want you to be a future Nobel Prize winner, so if you don’t feel like you fit into the traditional categories, here’s your chance to show them how you will succeed and change the world for the better.

Prompt 2, Option 5

Genghis khan with an f1 racecar. george washington with a supersoaker. emperor nero with a toaster. leonardo da vinci with a furby. if you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together.

There’s three important things your response to this prompt needs to incorporate: what wacky pairing you choose, what their interaction would look like, and why the world absolutely needs to witness this combo.

Let’s take a look at a sample pairing a student might choose:

Who and What?

While you could choose any random figure and item, this essay will be most successful if you choose either someone or something that has personal significance to you (although it will be strongest if both your person and technology relate to you!). So for example, if a student loves graphic design, they might choose to give Walt Disney an iPad and Apple Pencil. 

This might not be the wackiest combo they could choose, but notice how both relate to the student and their passion. Growing up on Disney animation was what prompted this student to start doodling when they were younger, which eventually led to an interest in graphic design. Their iPad is their sketchbook, home to thousands of designs that they can create at their fingertips. This student wants to see what their inspirational figure would do with the piece of technology they cherish the most.

How do they interact?

This is where you can infuse more creativity into your essay. What will separate an okay response from a good or great one is how well you can show the interaction between these two unlikely players. Using the example of Walt Disney, this student could describe some of the tools they have used and apply it to a drawing of Mickey Mouse. Maybe they think Disney would have made a new movie every week if he had that advanced technology at his fingertips and the student shares the concept behind his latest character design. 

Whatever you choose to do, the interaction of a historical figure with modern technology would be ridiculous and hilarious. If you’ve taken anything away from UChicago based on their prompts, it should be the value they place on creativity, so don’t throw away this opportunity to inject some creativity into your response.

Why should we care?

The last thing you’ll want to make sure of in your essay is to pull back from the absurdity of the moment and reflect on why this odd combination is important. Even if it only has a deeper significance to you, we still want to know why you chose this pairing over every other.

Our student would probably elaborate on what Disney animation meant to them growing up at this point in the essay. They might explain that if they were influenced by the stories and visuals Walt Disney created, they can only imagine how many more kids all over the world would have had the same experience if he was able to use modern technology to develop his projects. 

You don’t have to follow this exact model in your response, but keep these different aspects of the prompt in mind as you write. As long as you can tell an engaging story of the item and historical figure interacting, and find a personal connection, you can really pick any person and item.

Prompt 2, Option 6

In the spirit of adventurous inquiry (and with the encouragement of one of our current students) 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.

Again, this prompt is, on the surface, granting you a lot of leeway. UChicago even ends it with an exclamation point! But you should always remember: they expect a disciplined, thorough, rigorous essay. Don’t let your sense of fun and frolic drown out your serious intellectual ideas.

Pick a prompt that inspires you to write, and connects with your academic interests. If a prompt jumps out at you, and you’re immediately filled with ideas, it’s probably a good fit. Just take it slowly, jot your thoughts down, and get to work. 

Involve your personal connection to that prompt. If you’re not answering any of the 6 prompts UChicago has issued this year, the onus is on you to prove that you and the archival prompt you’ve picked are a match made in heaven. This means having a lot of knowledge and personal investment in your subject matter, and an angle/perspective totally unique to you. 

If making your own question, remember this: YOUR QUESTION IS YOUR HOOK. So make sure it’s not a question that could be found on a standard-issue application, like “When did I overcome a challenge?” or “What’s a place that feels like home?” These prompts are everywhere. They won’t get the job done, and they won’t make an unforgettable first impression. But “Why did I lock myself in the basement and watch The Bee Movie for eighteen hours?” That’s a different story. 

If you look at past UChicago prompts, they tend to be fond of certain things: numbered lists, fairy tales, common phrases, and items of pop culture that can be re-contextualized. They also like hearing your answers to famous questions, and you might have a unique answer to “Et tu, Brute?” or “Do you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain?” Just remember that the novelty of the question, while the hook of your essay, is not its substance. If your biography and scholarly interests don’t involve pina coladas, or rain, you might just have to pick a different question to answer – as wonderful as that eternal question is.

UChicago essays take a lot of time and thought—but don’t overthink it. The university wants to hear what you have to say, in its full form. That’s why they give you a page limit, and not a word limit—no last minute cutting! Fully develop your ideas in a way that feels natural. If a paragraph needs to be a little thicker, or if you need to include a longer quote from your favorite author, don’t worry about it. These essays can be fun to write and extremely effective.

You can look up lots of examples of essays online, but try not to get intimidated. It’s the nature of the UChicago essays to encourage everyone to showcase their expertise—which is exactly what you should try to do! You may read sample essays and think, “Wow. I’ve never spent a month in Arizona digging up fossils. How can I ever compete?” Try to reframe the essays as a Giant Celebration of everyone’s achievements and interests not a Competition.

If you’ve written your UChicago essay and are looking for feedback, you might want to check out our free peer essay review and paid expert essay review . Since the UChicago essay prompts are weird, it’s important to get an extra set of eyes on them to make sure they are clear and engaging! You can also improve your own writing skills by editing other students’ essays.

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University of Chicago

Wise tooth anonymous, what advice would a wisdom tooth have.

What do the wings of a flightless bird, a whale's pelvis, and a human's wisdom tooth have in common? They are all vestigial structures—organs or body parts of a species deemed useless. Like all vestigial structures, many perceive wisdom teeth to lack functionality in this current day in age because the diet of humanity has tremendously evolved. Before Percy Spencer invented the microwave and James Sharp pioneered the first gas oven stove, early humans feasted on raw meat, nuts, and leaves.

How did our ancestors muster up the power to chew such rough foods?

Wisdom teeth!

Out of the forty-eight people I surveyed, only two reported that they perceived the wisdom tooth as a means of survival our ancestors depended on for survival. Everyone else claimed that the wisdom tooth is something doctors extract at a certain age to signify a rite of passage. Interestingly, both people who highlighted the wisdom tooth's role in sustaining our ancestors were 73 and 72 years old.

The limited number of people who knew about the wisdom tooth’s historical significance left me dumbfounded. If two out of forty-eight people were representative of the entire global population, then only 4% of the world understands how the wisdom tooth has functioned...

GradeSaver provides access to 2312 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10989 literature essays, 2751 sample college application essays, 911 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

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How To Answer U Chicago's Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022/23

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It has an acceptance rate of around 7%, making it one of the most prestigious and selective schools in the United States. One way in which applicants get to showcase their personality and separate themselves from the other applicants which whom they are competing against is through the U Chicago Supplementary Essays. The essay prompts serve to offer a more holistic view of each applicant to admission officers so as to allow them to make a more informed decision on whether to admit an applicant to the school. This blog serves as a guide as to how one may approach the U Chicago Supplementary Essays.

What are the University of Chicago supplemental essay prompts for 2022/23?

The University of Chicago is known for its unique and unusual supplemental essay prompts . This year wasn’t any different.

Prompt 1  (Required)

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.

Prompt 2: Extended Essay  (Required; Choose one)

Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory. - Inspired by Leah Beach, Class of 2026, Lib Gray SB ’12, and Agnes Mazur AB ‘09

What advice would a wisdom tooth have? –Inspired by Melody Dias, Class of 2025

You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time? —Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026

UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment. —Inspired by Isabel Alvarez, Class of 2026

Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together? -Inspired by Braden Hajer, Class of 2025

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!

Check out more UChicago questions from previous years

How this Economics Student got into UChicago

How to answer Prompt 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 wishes and how they relate to uchicago..

This essay prompt essentially teases students' motivations and reasons for applying to UChicago. However, instead of asking, “Why UChicago?” the admission officers have decided to ask in a more specific manner. Hence, the last you want to do is to offer generic reasons that can be “copied-paste” to any “Why (this school)” question. Instead, it would help if you had researched what academic programs and extra-curriculextracurricularpportunitiesUChicago offers.

You should be able to explain why you have chosen UChicago, backed with adequate research. In doing so, you should also be able to ascertain what kind of learning environment/ community you wish to pursue and contribute to and how UChicago can satisfy your wishes. Through your answer, it is also essential to demonstrate your enthusiasm and show how you would contribute to UChicago.

Helpful Tips for Prompt 1

1. be specific.

For example, let’s say you’re interested in UChicago’s premier economics program. You’ve taken the AP courses , completed econ-related extracurriculars , and you want that interest to guide your college experience. Research how the economics program works at UChicago, any professors whose research you might be interested in, and any student organizations that work in econ. Then, imagine how your experience will grow when you have access to those resources.

2. It’s not just about school

UChicago will receive your grades separately, so set aside your GPA . You’re not just a student in college. You’re a roommate, study partner, and gym buddy. UChicago has a reputation for attracting hard workers and prides itself on diverse student cultures. Adding that layer of depth when you’ve only got 250 words is challenging. If you’re unsure whether to describe another detail about your studies or about an extraordinary experience you had, go with the latter.

3. Stay humble

It’s not just how you’ll take advantage of UChicago’s opportunities but how your contributions will benefit others. Listing your accomplishments might sound like an excellent way to show your worth, but remember you’re joining thousands of other hopefuls from many different walks of life. If you were lucky enough to have beautiful experiences, focus on how they changed your sense of self rather than just listing positive outcomes.

4. Stay positive

Never criticize other schools. If you want to talk about UChicago’s first-year “Core Experience,” with its focus on interdisciplinary texts, don’t write negatively about how other universities lack those courses! You can build up UChicago’s unique offerings without speaking negatively about other institutions.

• Read more on how to answer the “Why This College” prompt

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How to answer Prompt 2

The University of Chicago is renowned for its provocative essay questions . These questions allow students to tell the school more about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions. Students approach these questions with absolute seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between.

Each year UChicago asks newly admitted and current college students for essay topics. They receive several hundred responses, many of which are eloquent, intriguing, or downright wacky. The questions below were inspired by submissions from UChicago students and alumni.

Choose one of the following prompts and respond in a maximum of two pages.

Essay Option 1

A palindrome is **“**a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forwards.” Here is a list of palindromes you can refer to spark some ideas.

The purpose of this prompt is for the admission officers to see how imaginative you can be . The palindrome you eventually choose and give a backstory to will illustrate your personality, cultural experiences, and creativity in a way that your academic grades or your CV cannot do.

Ideally, you should make your story as original and thought-provoking as possible and link the story to yourself or your thoughts or opinions. For example, if you choose the palindrome “Eva, can I stab bats in a cave?” , you may want to think of a story of how humans and animals interact.

It is possible to link this to the current COVID-19 pandemic, where there are theories that wildlife trade and animals such as bats are the sources of the coronavirus. You can then introduce your thoughts/ opinions on the matter. Of course, this is just one way to do this – there is no wrong way per se as long as your answer is engaging, compelling, and can demonstrate certain traits about you (e.g., being intellectually curious). If you wish to make this more personal, you can introduce other aspects of yourself through the story, such as your interests, hobbies, or projects.

Essay Option 2

Again, the admission officers are trying to test if you can think outside the box and justify your answer to the best of your ability. As long as you can explain your answer, you’re on the right track, given that the admission officers are not looking for a particular answer but a logical explanation that can demonstrate your values and personality to them.

One way to approach this question is to interpret it literally , in that your wisdom tooth was probably plucked out before college, and the experience was perhaps painful. Hence, what advice would your then wisdom tooth have given to your past self when undergoing painful experiences?

Another way to approach this question is to interpret it figuratively , in that a wisdom tooth represents obsolete events, given that the wisdom tooth eventually becomes obsolete after being plucked out. Hence, what advice can a wisdom tooth give to other things/people who seemingly have become obsolete?

In your essay, it is essential to set out how you interpret this question and then go ahead and give your answer and explain it in a way that shows admission officers that you are capable of reasoning and analytical thinking.

Essay Option 3

You are on an expedition to find a Mars colony when a group of Martians suddenly emerges from a nearby crater. They seem eager to communicate, but they're impatient and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or another idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time? —Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026

Essentially, this prompt wants to know your view on humanity . You may want to start by thinking about some art, history, or literature that you find fascinating and that can represent humanity. In choosing what you think is the most exciting thing to represent humanity, consider the values, message, and revelations that that thing conveys. In your answer, you should be able to articulate

• The thing that you have chosen
• Why have you chosen it?
• What it represents on the value of humanity
• What does it matter

Of course, there are two ways to approach this – one is by representing humanity in a positive manner and the other in a negative manner.

In the first way, you would want to persuade the Martians that humanity is worth their time by “marketing” humanity to them and showing how great it is.

Latterly, you can persuade the Martians that humanity is worth their time by showing some “crisis” of sorts and that urgent action is needed. Through your answer, the admission officers hope to gain insight into your perspective on humanity while also understanding who you are.

Essay Option 4

UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific type, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment. —Inspired by Isabel Alvarez, Class of 2026

This prompt is very broad and allows students to challenge the standard markers of glory in society . Currently, society seems to value economics, physics, and peace for the Nobel Prize. However, in answering this question, you may want to challenge this societal assumption and how society values one field/industry/issue over others.

You can talk about why other things should be recognized and included as a category for the Nobel Prize. In doing so, you can seize this opportunity to write about your passions, interests, and values.

For example, if you are very interested in baking, you can discuss creating a Nobel Prize category for baking. Let your experiences and values shape how you describe the category and its criteria. Of course, depending on how you frame this question, you can choose to be very serious or light-hearted in your response.

Essay Option 5

This prompt is more academic than the rest because it requires you to show your knowledge of history, politics, culture, and economics .

In brainstorming the historical figure, you should consider which historical figure you admire, how they have impacted the people and community they were in, and what about them resonates with you.

As for the piece of technology you wish to pair with them, think about what technology would be helpful to them, or what technology would have prompted their imagination and possibly changed their decisions, or what they would have done with this technology. This could have specific implications for the people and community they lived in. Be as creative and descriptive in your response!

Essay Option 6

And, as always… the classic choose your adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, select one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, and thought-provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, a citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

If you do not like any of the other prompts, you may engage with this prompt, which essentially gives you free reign to design any prompt or choose any of the past UChicago prompts .

Regardless of your choice, think about what you want to showcase to the admission officer. Essentially, you want to show your thoughts, values, experiences, passions, interests, etc. Hence, when choosing a prompt, you want to select something that allows you to showcase these things about yourself to a certain degree.

If you choose to craft your own prompt, be sure to use the way UChicago craft their other application prompts as a guide – this would mean that you may have to think a little out of the box, which is something that UChicago admission officers are looking out for!

Helpful Tips for Prompt 2

1. remember your purpose..

Ultimately, you want your essays to show the admissions officers a facet of your personality that they want to see at UChicago in the fall. While you should write freely, the creativity of prompts means it’s easy to deviate from the prompt. If the prompt asks you to write a letter, tell a story, or argue a point of view, make sure you’re doing that, even as your imagination runs wild.

2. Get someone (or three) to proofread.

There is no quicker essay-killer than a bad typo during the good part. While this advice applies to anything you write, it is especially crucial for this type of essay since you’re likely not sticking to a standard paragraph format. Writing dialogue, keeping tenses in a story, and even staying consistent in your tone and vocabulary isn’t easy. Pick people who know you and your voice. Increase the font size to check for spacing and spelling errors. Break down each paragraph into one-sentence summaries, and check that the flow of the essay moves smoothly.

3. If you choose to write on your own prompt, keep the scope narrow.

The “choose your own prompt” option is always a temptation. Sometimes it’s an excellent choice! But it can be hard to keep the bigger goal in mind when deciding what to write. Your purpose is to display your writing abilities on a specific topic while showing admissions a bit of your personality.

4. Admissions officers are human beings too.

UChicago’s fun prompts highlight a critical aspect of all college admission essays: no formula will guarantee entry or even predict your college experience. The answer to the prompts is not as important as how you express your thoughts. Don’t write what you think UChicago wants to hear. If you’re not confident in your humor, rely on persuasion instead. If you are excited about a contentious topic, write with the same balance and respect you’d use when talking to a human being.

Final Thoughts

The UChicago essays are offbeat and eccentric. Try to have fun with them. The committee wants you to convey a sense of playfulness, hoping these essays will help them better understand your personality.

What Makes Crimson Different

Key Resources & Further Reading

• University of Chicago University Profile
• MIT Supplemental Essay 2021/22
• Harvard Supplemental Essay 2021/22
• Columbia Supplemental Essay 2021/22
• Princeton Supplemental Essay 2021/22
• Acing your College Application Essay: 5 Expert Tips to Make it Stand Out from the Rest
• How to Tackle Every Type of Supplemental Essay
• 2021-22 Essay Prompts Common App Essay Prompts
• What are the Most Unusual US College Supplemental Essay Prompts?

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UChicago Released 2022-2023 Essay Prompts and We're Loving Them

Each year, applicants to The University of Chicago are asked to answer two supplemental essay questions. Sounds normal enough, right? Not quite – UChicago is famous for its unique essay prompts which are often creative and uniquely fun. 

Applicants are asked to submit two essays with their application. The first is the standard "why UChicago" question. The second question takes a more creative approach. The essay prompts change wildly each year–because they are submitted by current students!

The University of Chicago’s history of unique essay questions began in 1984 when the admissions staff added a fun prompt asking students to image themselves as astronauts on Mars. In 2000, UChicago students took over the task of writing essay questions. Each year, UChicago receives several hundred essay prompt submissions from students enrolled at the university and narrows it down to a handful for applicants to choose from.

When asked why they offer such unique essay prompts Peter Wilson, assistant vice president of enrollment and student advancement and director of undergraduate admissions, says: “We are interested in diversity in all its forms, and a wide variety of questions allows for a wide variety of ideas to be represented.”

2022-2023 University of Chicago Supplemental Essay Prompts

Question 1 (required): .

How does the university of Chicago, as you know it, 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: Extended Essay (Required; Choose 1)

Essay Option 1 : Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.

— Inspired by Leah Beach, Class of 2026, Lib Gray SB ’12, and Agnes Mazur AB ‘09

Essay Option 2 : What advice would a wisdom tooth have?

— Inspired by Melody Dias, Class of 2025

Essay Option 3 : You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?

— Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026

Essay Option 4 : UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.

— Inspired by Isabel Alvarez, Class of 2026

Essay Option 5 : Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?

— Inspired by Braden Hajer, Class of 2025

Essay Option 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!

Past Supplemental Extended Essay Prompts

Lost your keys? Alohomora. Noisy roommate? Quietus. Feel the need to shatter windows for some reason? Finestra. Create your own spell, charm, jinx, or other means for magical mayhem. How is it enacted? Is there an incantation? Does it involve a potion or other magical object? If so, what's in it or what is it? What does it do? — Inspired by Emma Sorkin, Class of 2021 

UChicago professor W. J. T. Mitchell entitled his 2005 book What Do Pictures Want? Describe a picture, and explore what it wants. —Inspired by Anna Andel

Heisenberg claims that you cannot know both the position and momentum of an electron with total certainty. Choose two other concepts that cannot be known simultaneously and discuss the implications. (Do not consider yourself limited to the field of physics). — Inspired by Doran Bennett, AB’07

Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Milo drives through the tollbooth. Dorothy is swept up in the tornado. Neo takes the red pill. Don’t tell us about another world you’ve imagined, heard about, or created. Rather, tell us about its portal. Sure, some people think of the University of Chicago as a portal to their future, but please choose another portal to write about. — Inspired by Raphael Hallerman, Class of 2020

Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History... a full list of unmodified majors ready for your editor’s eye is available  here . — Inspired by Josh Kaufman, AB'18

How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.) — Inspired by Kelly Kennedy, AB’10

Discover more of The University of Chicago’s past essay prompts on their admissions essay website .

Read more on application essays:

The Importance of Supplemental Essays in College Admissions

Supplemental Essay “Fun”

Application Essay Topics to Avoid

And don't forget to join the CC Community for more discussion on application essays, admission tips, and applying to college.

Sam is a freelance writer. She studied at the University of Massachusetts Boston where she earned a degree in English.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, uchicago essay - advice from a wisdom tooth.

Hi everyone, I came across an interesting essay prompt for the University of Chicago: 'What advice would a wisdom tooth have?' I'm looking for some inspiration and unique ideas to answer this question. Any creative suggestions or examples would be greatly appreciated!

Hi there! This is definitely an interesting and unique essay prompt. It gives you a chance to showcase your creativity and make your application stand out. When brainstorming for this prompt, think about the characteristics and experiences associated with wisdom teeth. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Embrace change and growth: A wisdom tooth can represent growth and maturity. For example, you could discuss how a wisdom tooth would advise one to embrace change and personal growth, even if it can be painful and challenging at times.

2. Adapt to your environment: Wisdom teeth often have to adjust to crowded spaces and unusual arrangements in the mouth. You could write about the importance of adapting to new environments and learning to fit in, even when the circumstances are less than ideal.

3. Removal and renewal: Sometimes, wisdom teeth must be extracted to maintain overall dental health. In this context, you can delve into the idea of letting go of past burdens or negative influences to allow for new, healthier experiences.

4. Surprisingly wise: Despite their troublesome nature, wisdom teeth are called "wisdom" teeth for a reason. You could explore the concept that seemingly insignificant or unwanted things in our lives can provide unexpected wisdom or valuable life lessons, if we only take the time to listen.

5. Teamwork and harmony: Wisdom teeth can impact the well-being of your other teeth or cause issues with your bite. You might discuss the importance of working together with others and finding balance in teams, relationships, or connections that contribute to your overall well-being.

Remember to think outside the box and choose a theme that resonates with your own experiences and values. Whichever direction you take, make sure your essay also reflects your personality and effectively highlights your personal strengths. Happy writing!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

College essay resources

How to ace u chicago’s supplemental essays | guide & examples, 2022-2023, school supplements.

Brad Schiller

Dear UChicago, 

“What can actually be divided by zero?” is not a “provocative essay question” — it’s a torture device!

Ok. Now that we’ve got that out of our system, let’s take a breath and find a way to ace the UChicago prompts, despite what could be (charitably) described as their “eccentric and wacky” character. 

This year, UChicago is requiring the usual “Why Chicago” question:

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.

In addition, you must write one of five “extended essay” prompts. They are [we added the bolded categories for clarity]:

• Essay Option 1 — palindrome’s backstory: Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.
• Essay Option 2 — wisdom tooth : What advice would a wisdom tooth have?
• Essay Option 3 — human race explained to Martians : You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time? ‍
• Essay Option 4 — new Nobel category: UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment. ‍
• Essay Option 5 — history/tech: Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together? ‍
• Essay Option 6 — invent your own: 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!

For sane, step-by-step advice on writing essays that dazzle in answer to these questions, meet us below the table of contents. 

(For help with all aspects of your college application, head to our College Essay Help Center .)

UChicago is looking for ability to succeed — just like every other selective college 

Certainly, UChicago is proud of its off-beat questions. But it’s important to understand that they’re still looking for the same thing in your essays as other colleges do: evidence that you’ll succeed in college and beyond . 

The way to show you’ll succeed in college is by writing about your experiences. Those experiences should showcase the 5 Traits colleges look for in applicants:

• Drive (grit)
• Contribution
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Diversity of experience

Essays play a bigger role in admissions than most students think: a strong essay (that demonstrates 1 or more of the 5 traits) can increase chances of admission by 10x . 

A strong essay is not one that lets students “tell us about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions,” even if that’s what UChicago says on their admissions page. 

Indeed, we are on record stating that colleges tell you they’re looking for one thing, but are actually looking for another . The research bears us out.

So, even though we agree you can be playful with this and “have fun!” as UChicago says in option 6, why not also be smart about it?

Let’s get granular on how. 

Q1 — Why Chicago: Talk about your own wishes + show how they relate to UChicago   

‍ The prompt is: 

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.

Our advice :

We love the last sentence in this prompt. Follow it to the T, and you should do well here:

• “Please address with some specificity  
• your own wishes and 
• how they relate to UChicago .”

Yup. That’s what we want you to do, too.

There are two reasons that colleges ask “Why Us:”

• To see that you’ll actually choose their school if you get in — (read Demonstrated Interest for more on how powerful this can be), and 
• To see if you’ll be a good fit at the school — (read “Why Us” essays to get a full sense of how admissions readers assess “fit”). 

That’s why we advise students to do 2 pieces of research for this essay:

• Self-discovery — brainstorming your own college-related interests, and 
• Internet research — looking into what UChicago has to offer.

Then, match those two together. (Exactly what the prompt itself instructs.)

What we’re adding that’s not in the prompt is a practical note on the work you need to do. 

For the self-discovery part, we literally mean you should spend some time brainstorming your 1-2 top academic interests and maybe 1-2 extracurricular interests. 

Next, research UChicago’s academic , blog , and news web pages for opportunities that you’ll take advantage of.

If you visited the campus , absolutely work those experiences into your essay. Colleges love knowing that you went to the trouble to visit, and that you liked what you found there. 

After that, writing up the essay is just a question of describing your interests and naming a few UChicago resources that match well with them. One example is below.  

Word count note : While Chicago doesn’t give one, we suggest keeping to the 300-500 range.  

Q1 — Why Chicago: Example

Before we begin, please note that Prompt strongly believes influencers shouldn’t influence your college essays and that, for essays that get published in flashy places , you don’t know if the essay got that student in or if they got in despite what was maybe a bad essay. 

Take this example with a grain of salt:

Movies mean everything to me. I’ve been featured on three film podcasts — in one, I corrected the hosts, who claimed Marilyn Monroe had never written memoirs. She did. Naturally, it’s a book I own and have read avidly. Another podcast featured my voicemail defending Grand Budapest Hotel as the best Wes Anderson movie, and then again later defending Black Panther as the best Marvel movie.

That’s why I assess college by this metric: will their education allow me to graduate from leaving voicemails about movies to actually talking about them in an in-depth way — maybe as an academic in film studies, maybe as a podcast host, maybe simply to my friends as an avid fan whose job is something completely different. 

UChicago stood out to me as a place where I could major in cinema while also pursuing the broad, meaningful education that will arm me to explore the big questions in life — the ones I love exploring in the movies today. 

When I visited campus, Prof. Allyson Nadia Field had just made the news for identifying the first Black on-screen kiss. I sought her out because this discovery is in sync with my particular interest in showing film history as more diverse than our culture tends to remember it. (Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was one of Hollywood’s first female producers?) It so happened that Professor Field gave a short public lecture during my visit, and I was able to attend. 

During my visit, I spent time with another Cinema student, Jameson, who I found through a friend of a friend. I had a blast in his human biology class, with an exceptionally charismatic professor, and then got to see a clip of Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali and discuss it for 45 minutes. (When I got home, I rented the movie from the library and have now watched the entire trilogy, which has become one of my favorites). Like me, Jameson started a “student film school,” though his is for college students. Though I couldn’t be there for the screening (weekly on Thursdays), we spent an hour discussing how he should follow up his last showing of The 400 Blows , finally deciding that Linklater’s Boyhood would make a fun and illuminating sequel of sorts. 

At UChicago, I know I will keep being challenged, keep learning, and keep exploring the life questions that matter most. 

• Word count: 398
• Note on links: we added them so you could see what programs they related to. You don’t need to link to UChicago sources in your essay.  
• The student comes across as dynamic — taking many actions that reveal 1 or more of the 5 Traits, including intellectual curiosity (their deep interest in cinema), and drive/initiative (seeking out a professor, seeking out a student with similar interests as themselves). 
• The reader is left with the clear sense that the student knows what UChicago has to offer and would do well there. 

Q2 — 4 tips for 5 “wacky” questions

Ah! Here we are at UChicago’s “fun questions” again. Let’s set down some ground rules so we can get our bearings. 

Tip #1 — Decide what you want to say first.

These “fun” questions are really excellent at distracting you from the 5 Traits, and we don’t want that. 

Yes, you should actually try to have fun with them — answer them in the playful spirit in which they’re asked. But also remember that they are a tool admissions officers are using to see if you’ll succeed on their campus. Show them something impressive!

So begin with a brainstorm (if you haven’t done it already) on your academic, extracurricular and just regular interests and the experiences you’ve had that showcase them. Then, decide which of these are most worth sharing. 

Then — and only then — read over these 5 options and see if one of them stands out as a good prospect for the experiences you’d like to share.

Tip #2 — Brainstorm a few lines on each question

After — only after — you’ve done the brainstorming above, another exercise might be to see where each prompt takes you. These questions can go in so many different, unpredictable directions, that it’s worth putting a small amount of effort into each, to see if one surprises you with what it inspires you to say. 

We say only to do this after your brainstorming because you want those experiences to be in mind as you tackle these questions.

Tip #3 — Word length is up to you, but in the past UChicago limited this essay to 650

We suggest aiming for 300-600 words. Definitely not more than 650. Edit, cut, get a little zippy.

Q2 — The “wacky” questions we like best (and why)

While we admit that these questions can take you to many unpredictable places — you might see value in a prompt that we’re missing — we think some will tend to lead to better essays than others. 

Option 2 — wisdom tooth : What advice would a wisdom tooth have?

Why #2 is great :

• Wisdom is a great asset in a college student — UChicago is probably looking for it! And you’ve probably got some hard-earned wisdom you can share.
• Ex : wisdom learned from working as a cashier, observing tired people doing their mundane chores on a Friday night. What have you learned? How have you used that knowledge?
• Ex: for the film student from the Why UChicago? example above: what film has the most wisdom (bonus if it’s somehow tooth-related — Little Shop of Horrors perhaps)? How do they apply it in their life? Or, what did they learn trying to get a “film school” going within a high school? Was it hard? What did they do? What unique wisdom did they acquire? 

Option 3 — human race explained to Martians : You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?

Option 4 — new Nobel category : UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.

Why 3 & 4 are good — 

#3 - human race :

• This is a great one for showing off intellectual curiosity . If you have a “song, image, memory, proof, or other idea” that you particularly love, use this as your opportunity to talk about why you love it and what you’ve done to engage with it . (The second part’s really important, hence the bold italics. UChicago is more interested in what you’ve done to pursue your intellectual curiosity than per se being as enchanted with Little Shop of Horrors as you might be). 
• Ex: The film student could go on about Grand Budapest Hotel showcasing human worth (and how they know that), or Black Panther, or even How to Marry a Millionaire — as  long as they focus on their engagement with the film rather than just the film itself. 
• Danger — the “memory” in this prompt strikes us as potentially a bad idea. If your memory showcases why the human race is worth saving, it seems likely to be about someone else doing something good (not you because that might come off as too boastful). But you shouldn’t write your essay about someone else. Someone else isn’t trying to get into UChicago. You are. UChicago wants to read about you.

#4 - Nobel category :

• Again, this is good for showcasing intellectual curiosity . Use it to talk about the things you’ve done even if you’re not arguing you deserve a Nobel!
• Ex: The film student might talk about creating a Nobel for movies and argue why Marilyn Monroe should have won it for inventing a new comic language within the stale confines of sexpot roles; for adding lines that gave screwball movies depth; and for producing a new type of cinema. Naturally, the student should focus on the actions they took to learn these things about Marilyn, not just on how great Marilyn (aka: a person not trying to get into UChicago) might be. 

Option 6 — invent your own

Obviously this is a great way to showcase an experience that really shows off your best attributes. On the other hand, you need to put thought and effort into some sort of clever question that leads you to that, and that seems both hard and risky. 

If this one appeals to you, and you think of something you love, go with it. But if you’re just trying to get the job done, our advice is go with 2, 3 or 4 above, and call it a day.

LEAST PROMISING

Option 1 — palindrome’s backstory: Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.

Option 5 — history/tech: Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?

Why 1 & 5 are least promising — 

Disclaimer — both of these have almost certainly led to great essays already! We’re just saying we think they’re the hardest to nail, and the most likely to get you off-course. Do pursue these if they work for you, but do so aware of the potential pitfalls:

#1 - palindrome

• The issue here is that the question is asking you to give a backstory to a nonsense phrase. We don’t see any great ways to link that to your experiences that demonstrate 1 or more of the 5 traits. But if you don’t do that, you’re wasting space on your application that you should be using to boost your admission chances. 

#5 - history/tech

• In this case, it’s hard to square focusing on this unique pairing of historical person/piece of technology and also painting a compelling portrait of yourself. Again, why waste precious space on an application on anything but showing what an exciting contributor you’ll be to their campus?

Q2 — Examples

We’re giving just two examples — for prompt #2 (the best) and #3 (one of the 2 second-best prompts). That should be enough to get you inspired. 

#2 - wisdom example : What advice would a wisdom tooth have?

Wisdom teeth help us grind things up so we can digest them. They grow in late in life, sometimes painfully. Actually, mine were removed when I was a junior. 

However, I grew a different set of wisdom teeth when I decided to start a film club at my high school as a sophomore. I thought starting a film club would be an easy sell. Who doesn’t like movies? But like a grinding molar erupting in the back of your mouth, this experience was painful.

My goal was to introduce great movies to the student body that they might not otherwise see. I teamed up with a friend who loves Hitchcock as much as I do. She was game. After securing the necessary permissions to show the movie at 4pm on a Friday in the assembly room, we heavily advertised beautiful Grace Kelly and Jimmy Steward clinging to a window ledge in Rear Window . How could it fail? 

Yeah. A film from 1954 is not an easy sell to teenagers who can go home and watch TikTok all night, as it turns out. We tried again and failed again. My friend was out. 

But I still had my dream — injecting great movies into the bloodstream of our high school. And my first step was to switch from an “injection” metaphor into something a little gentler. I shouldn’t be imposing great movies into people’s lives. I should be inviting students to get to know great movies. I looked to chess for my next move — the Chess Club is surprisingly successful at our school. I asked its founders — two seniors at the time, which I found really scary — if they had any tips for me. 

They did! They also set me up with their teacher advisor, who became a huge asset for the film club. They also told me I had to recruit new co-founders before starting again — another huge part of the club’s eventual success. 

That week, I recruited broadly for co-founders. The club’s first meeting had 10 students eager to be a part of it! Our first discussion was about our mission and how to go about it. It took us three meetings before we decided we wanted to showcase movies that brought the school together — that were events . 

Our first “event” was a sing-a-long Frozen . We worked hard to get ~100 students to show up that night. (That’s almost a fifth of our school population!) It was a big hit, which we created with four “previews” during assemblies and lots of bold advertising — think: Elsa helium balloons and that kind of thing.

Since then, the movie club remains one of the most popular clubs. About a dozen full-time members discuss which movies to show, how they’ll bring the school together, how to promote them, and — of course there has to be one nerdy part — overanalyze them deeply at lunch the following Mondays. These analysis sessions generally have 20-30 students partaking. 

Our great successes have been sing-along Sound of Music , dress-as-your-favorite Marvel character Black Panther and dress-as-your-favorite Star Wars character Star Wars (the original). 

But I’m most proud of the fact that we got big(ish) audiences for come-with-a-bird The Birds (Hitchcock, 1963), dress-as-a-flapper/gangster Some Like it Hot (1959 black and white!!!), and, my crowning achievement: The Third Man (black and white, 1949). There was no gimmick on that one — we just advertised that everyone who made it through the movie would get a “cinephile snob” certificate, and we awarded them to 87 students at the end. 

Wisdom, I’ve learned, is that your best chance to achieve your goal is if you’re willing to be open and inviting on how you get there.  

• Word count : 628 — a bit on the long side.
• This essay shows off initiative, intellectual curiosity and drive . 
• The student has clearly learned a lot about how to make things happen — bringing people in, as opposed to imposing something on people.  
• The student obviously cares deeply about old and unusual movies, a wonderful asset in a potential college student. 
• The student worked hard to make something interesting, unique, and lasting happen at their high school. Any admissions officer would be itching to get that student onto their own campus.

#3 — human race explained to Martians : You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time?

The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson easily shows that humanity is worth Martians’ time. This movie honestly portrays the worst in humanity, which is the only way to make our redemption believable — if the idea doesn’t showcase us at our worst, Martians will just take a look at the Wikipedia entry under “Holocaust” (or many, many others) and toss it out.

But Grand Budapest draws on the writings of Stephan Zweig, an exiled Austrian writer who killed himself out of hopelessness during WWII. The movie itself shines light on “this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity,” in the form of Nazi-like fascists, the tragic, war-torn backstory of the protagonist, Zero, and an unjust prison sentence. 

However, it also shows us the power of love, poetry, and excessive perfume-wearing to serve as the “faint glimmers of civilization” that are all humanity needs to justify a Martian’s time.

In fact, the figure of M. Gustave inspired me in starting the popular film club that plays monthly, well-attended movies at our high school. I loved the idea of a man who packs a fancy bottle of wine (and an ice bucket!) for the train ride he is planning to escape the authorities. Similarly, I thought, high school is usually the province of Tiktok and Marvel movies, but why not try for something more?

Once I learned some tricks for being as gracious to guests as M. Gustave — not imposing my choices on an extremely un-interested student population, but instead working with a broad swath of students to choose and promote movies that will be meaningful to many — I found that I’d achieved a goal that brought the school together while also helping to bring undervalued movies to the attention of my peers. 

• Word count: 289 — maybe on the short side for this essay. 
• This essay shows intellectual curiosity (description of the movie), as well as a little bit of drive/initiative (stuff about the club).
• This essay is less good than the wisdom tooth essay because it spends more time on M. Gustav — a fictional character not interested in admission to UChicago — and less time on the student writing it. 
• Nevertheless, the student’s description of the movie does show great attention to detail and analytic powers, which are always good assets. 

Helpful info on all the “other” stuff you’ll consider as you apply to UChicago (and other schools)

A few helpful resources for the non-supplement parts of your application:

• Common App : Since UChicago uses the Common App , read our guide to acing everything to do with writing your Common App application . 
• Whether to submit test scores: UChicago is test-optional for Fall 2023. Our test-optional article will guide you through the tricky waters of making this decision. 
• Early options: UChicago offers everything — Early Action, Early Early Decision I, and Early Decision II . Read our Early Admissions article so you know how to approach this decision. 

BTW, here’s our guidance for approaching any college supplement + here’s where you can find our guides for almost every college’s supplements . 

Feeling inspired? A great place to start is at our College Essay Help Center . 

More articles on Prompt.com’s admissions-boosting methods:

• Work with a college essay coach
• Strong essays increase your chance of admission by up to 10x
• Don’t let influencers influence your college essays
• Should I apply test-optional?
• Early admissions: Everything you need to know
• College Essay Help Center

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Impacted Teeth: A Radiographic Pictorial Essay

Beena varma r.

1 Associate Professor & Head, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Royal Dental College, Chalissery, Palakkad, Kerala, India.

Nidhin J Valappila

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Royal Dental College, Chalissery, Palakkad, Kerala, India.

Nimisha Mathew

3 Lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Royal Dental College, Chalissery, Palakkad, Kerala, India.

Introduction

Mammalian development shows increased progressive uneruption, impaction and agenesis which may lead to extinction of a few teeth. A report of a 13,000- to 15,000-year-old skeleton of a 25- to 35-year-old woman excavated in France in 1911 showing impacted wisdom teeth may contradict the theory of dietary change [ 1 ]. In 1992 the World Health Organization stated that one of the goals for the year 2020 was people with a functional and esthetic dentition of at least 20 teeth throughout their life without any dental prosthesis [ 2 ]. Impaction is the failure to erupt due to a physical barrier whereas primary retention is failure of eruption before gingival emergence without any barrier or ectopic position and secondary retention is failure to attain occlusal position without any physical barrier [ 3 ].

This article is based on a retrospective radiographic survey of few panoramic and intraoral radiographs of the archives of Royal Dental College and the author’s personal collection. Various radiographic presentations of impacted teeth are analyzed. Attempt is made only to see the types of impaction as evidenced in the radiograph and not any statistical analysis. Recently the importance of teeth as a model organ system for evolutionary studies is being highlighted [ 4 ] [ Table/Fig-1 , ​ ,2 2 , ​ ,3 3 , ​ ,4 4 , ​ ,5 5 , ​ ,6 6 , ​ ,7 7 , ​ ,8 8 , ​ ,9 9 , ​ ,10 10 , ​ ,11 11 , ​ ,12 12 , ​ ,13 13 , ​ ,14 14 , ​ ,15 15 , ​ ,16 16 , ​ ,17 17 , ​ ,18 18 , ​ ,19 19 , ​ ,20 20 , ​ ,21 21 , ​ ,22 22 , ​ ,23 23 , ​ ,24 24 , ​ ,25 25 , ​ ,26 26 , ​ ,27 27 , ​ ,28 28 , ​ ,29 29 , ​ ,30 30 , ​ ,31 31 , ​ ,32 32 , ​ ,33 33 , ​ ,34 34 , ​ ,35 35 ].

Impacted central incisors The patients gave histories of trauma of the deciduous tooth. The permanent tooth has a dilaceration at the cementoenamel junction in both cases. Similar cases are reported in literature

Bilaterally impacted maxillary canine with retained deciduous lateral incisors and canines

Impacted maxillary canine with deciduous canine in situ with no signs of resorption

Impacted maxillary canine with minimal resorption of deciduous canine. Note the dilaceration of roots of premolars at the cervical one- third

Shows horizontal impaction of mandibular right canine. Left canine has normaly erupted

Horizontally impacted teeth obstructed by odontome

Impacted mandibular canine with associated cystic lesion

Another case of impacted mandibular canine with other anomalies like odontome and associated cystic lesion

Another case of both maxillary and madibular canine impaction with other anomalies like odontome and associated cystic lesion in the mandible

Developing maxillary third molars with taurodontism of maxillary second molars. Mandibular second molars also shows mild increase in pulp chamber. These have high chance of getting impacted. Impaction may be associated with other anomalies

Mesioangular impaction of maxillary third molar

Vertical impaction of maxillary third molar

14 Distally and horizontally impacted maxillary third molar. Most maxillary impactions may be asymptomatic or may cause TMJ problems in the long run. In this patient who presented with TMJ pain, one of the contributing factors for the TMJ changes is the impacted tooth. The impacted tooth was an incidental finding

A rare case of maxillary first molar impaction. First permanent molar usually get impacted due to ectopic eruption and this may lead to resorption of primary second molar distal root which in turn may cause root resorption and early loss [ 5 ]

Horizontal impaction of mandibular third molar

Non syndromic multiple impacted teeth -. Elongated styloid process also seen

A case of impacted mandibular third molar

Vertical impactions with distally developing cystic lesion ,Fig 19 the third molar shows dilaceration also

Panoramic radiograph of a patient taken before complete denture prosthesis fabrication. Impacted third molar (Pell & Grigory Class III) Patient was asymptomatic.

Impacted mandibular third molars in a buccolingual direction (Winter’s classification 5)

Cropped view of panoramic radiograph showing fracture along impacted third molar (mesioangular impaction). Impacted tooth is a weak area in the bone and Impacted third molars are susceptible areas causing mandibular angle fracture

Mesioangular impaction of third molar with an associated large radiolucent lesion and distal root resorption of second molar. They are prone to induce cystic changes

Pell & Gregory Class II impacted third molar with a radiolucent lesion extending to the neck of the condyle. The tooth is inverted and is associated with cystic degeneration of bone with extensive resorption necessitating considerable bone resection and facial deformity. Hence when suspected of impaction periodic radiographic evaluation is warranted

An asymptomatic horizontal impaction of third mandibular molar Surgically challenging because of its close proximity to the mandibular canal

Horizontally impacted mandibular third molar with dilacerated roots with root close to the mandibular canal. This is also a surgical challenge

Mesioangular (placement) impaction of mandibular third molar with interdental bone resorption and root resorption of second molar. Secondmolar shows proximal caries & periapical pathology

A mesioangular impaction of mandibular third molar with a developing cystic lesion below the crown

Vertical impaction of mandibular third molar with dilaceration of root. Tooth is decayed with periapical pathology close to the mandibular canal; a challenge to the oral surgeon

Impacted inverted mesiodens

Impacted inverted mesiodens . Fig 33 shows two inverted mesiodens

Multiple impacted supernumerary teeth in the maxillary region. (Similar to Fig. 1 & 2 ) Supernumeraries may occur unassociated with syndromes

This article is an attempt on retrospective analysis of radiographs showing impacted tooth. The variety and types of impaction prevalent seems more than what is reported in the literature, at least in this part of the country where this analysis was done. This invites further detailed studies on the causes and frequencies of impacted tooth and the pathology associated with them.

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Wisdom Tooth Wisdom: The Best Advice You Never Knew You Needed

• Last updated Jan 04, 2024
• Difficulty Beginner

• Category Wisdom Teeth

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your teeth could speak and share their wisdom with you? Well, today we are going to venture into the imaginative world and imagine what advice a wisdom tooth might have for us. Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to develop and typically appear between the ages of 17 and 25. While some people are fortunate enough to have these teeth grow in properly, many others experience pain, swelling, and even complications when these teeth try to make their entrance. So, let's hear it from the wise old tooth and see what wisdom it has to offer us.

What You'll Learn

How can a wisdom tooth provide advice in an essay, what wisdom or insights could a wisdom tooth offer in an essay, how can a writer incorporate the perspective of a wisdom tooth into their essay, in what ways could a wisdom tooth's advice be relevant and impactful in an essay, how can a writer make their essay engaging and interesting while discussing advice from a wisdom tooth.

The wisdom tooth is a commonly discussed topic when it comes to dental health. Often associated with pain and discomfort, it is usually recommended to have them removed. However, what if I told you that a wisdom tooth could provide advice in an essay? This may sound strange, but let's explore how this is possible.

Scientifically speaking, a wisdom tooth is the third molar located at the very back of the mouth. It typically erupts between the ages of 17 and 25, which is considered the "age of wisdom." Symbolically, this tooth represents the growth and maturity that comes with age. So, metaphorically speaking, a wisdom tooth can provide advice by representing the knowledge and wisdom gained through life experiences.

Drawing from personal experience, we can understand how a wisdom tooth can offer valuable advice. Just like how we learn from our own mistakes and experiences, a wisdom tooth can be seen as a physical reminder of the lessons learned over time. In an essay, this could be translated into sharing personal stories, anecdotes, and insights gained from various life situations. By incorporating these experiences, the essay becomes more authentic and relatable.

Now, let's break down the process of how a wisdom tooth can provide advice in an essay.

Step 1: Reflection – Before writing the essay, take some time to reflect on your life experiences and the lessons you have learned. Consider the challenges you have overcome, the relationships you have built, and the moments that have shaped you.

Step 2: Identify the lessons – From your reflection, identify the key lessons that you want to share. These could be lessons about resilience, persistence, compassion, or any other valuable trait you have developed.

Step 3: Craft your narrative – Once you have identified the lessons, craft a narrative that effectively communicates the wisdom gained from these experiences. Use storytelling techniques to engage the reader and make your advice memorable.

Step 4: Provide examples – To support your advice, provide specific examples and anecdotes that demonstrate the lessons learned. These examples can be personal stories or stories of others that have inspired you.

Step 5: Reflect on the relevance – Remember to reflect on the relevance of your advice in the context of the essay prompt or topic. Make sure that your advice is tailored to fit the specific situation or problem being discussed.

By following these steps, you can effectively use a wisdom tooth as a metaphorical tool to provide advice in your essay. Not only will you add depth and authenticity to your writing, but you will also leave a lasting impression on your readers.

In conclusion, a wisdom tooth can serve as more than just a dental annoyance. It can provide valuable advice in an essay by symbolizing the knowledge and wisdom gained through life experiences. By reflecting on personal experiences, identifying key lessons, crafting a narrative, providing examples, and reflecting on relevance, a wisdom tooth can become a powerful tool for conveying wisdom and insights. So, don't underestimate the potential of a wisdom tooth when writing your next essay!

How Can a Wisdom Tooth Lead to a Sinus Infection?

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Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to emerge in the oral cavity. They typically appear between the ages of 17 and 25. These teeth can provide valuable insights and wisdom in various contexts, including scientific, personal experience, step-by-step guidance, and real-life examples. In this essay, we will explore the wisdom and insights that a wisdom tooth can offer.

From a scientific perspective, wisdom teeth have been a subject of interest for researchers and dental professionals. They have studied the evolutionary aspect of these teeth and their relevance in modern humans. Some scientists argue that wisdom teeth were necessary in our ancestors who had larger jaws and needed the extra molars to chew tough and coarse foods. However, as human jaws have evolved over time and become smaller, wisdom teeth often don't have enough space to erupt properly, leading to various dental problems. This scientific insight shows how our bodies have changed over time and how wisdom teeth may no longer serve a functional purpose in modern humans.

On a personal level, many individuals have experienced the challenges and discomfort associated with wisdom teeth eruption. Wisdom teeth can be a source of pain, infections, and crowding in the mouth. Understanding the personal experiences of individuals who have gone through the process of wisdom teeth removal can provide valuable insights. They can share stories about their dental journeys, including the decision to remove the teeth, the recovery process, and the overall impact on their oral health. This personal experience insight helps individuals who are facing the prospect of wisdom teeth removal to feel more informed and prepared.

Providing step-by-step guidance on the process of wisdom teeth removal can also offer wisdom and insights. Explaining each stage of the procedure, from the initial consultation to the post-operative care, can help individuals understand what to expect. In this step-by-step approach, insights can be shared on the importance of proper oral hygiene, the need for pain management, and the potential risks and complications. By providing this guidance, individuals can make informed decisions and take necessary precautions during the wisdom teeth removal process.

Real-life examples of wisdom teeth complications can also shed light on the potential risks and outcomes. For instance, sharing stories of individuals who have experienced infections, nerve damage, or other complications during or after the removal can serve as a cautionary tale. By highlighting these real-life examples, individuals can understand the potential consequences of neglecting the need for wisdom teeth removal or not following post-operative care instructions. These examples can offer wisdom and insights that can help individuals make more informed decisions regarding their oral health.

In conclusion, wisdom teeth, despite being vestigial in modern humans, can offer wisdom and insights in various contexts. From a scientific standpoint, studying the evolutionary aspect of wisdom teeth provides insights into the changes in our bodies over time. Personal experiences of individuals who have undergone wisdom teeth removal offer valuable insights and preparation for those facing the same procedure. Step-by-step guidance on the process of wisdom teeth removal provides wisdom and insights to ensure informed decision-making. Real-life examples of complications associated with wisdom teeth removal serve as cautionary tales. All these insights contribute to a greater understanding of wisdom teeth and their impact on oral health.

Exploring the Post-Op Dilemma: Can I Masturbate After Wisdom Tooth Removal?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience life from the perspective of an inanimate object? We often ponder the experiences of humans or animals, but have you ever considered what it might be like to view the world as a wisdom tooth? In this article, we will explore how a writer can incorporate the perspective of a wisdom tooth into their essay and provide some creative examples to bring this unique viewpoint to life.

Research and understand the wisdom tooth:

Before diving into writing from the perspective of a wisdom tooth, it is important for the writer to research and understand the anatomy, function, and purpose of this particular tooth. Learning about the stages of eruption, common issues associated with wisdom teeth, and the overall placement within the mouth will provide a strong foundation for the writing process.

Utilize scientific knowledge and terminology:

Incorporating scientific knowledge and terminology can lend credibility to the perspective of the wisdom tooth. The writer can describe the development of the tooth from the dental follicle to the eruption into the oral cavity, using accurate dental terms such as dental papilla, alveolar bone, and enamel. This scientific approach will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic and engage readers who value scientific accuracy.

Example: "As a wisdom tooth, I slowly formed within the jawbone, nestled within the dental follicle. Over time, my roots elongated, reaching into the alveolar bone, anchoring me firmly in place. The enamel covering my rows of cusps provided a durable and protective layer, allowing me to withstand the tremendous forces of chewing and grinding."

Incorporate personal experiences:

While wisdom teeth cannot actually express emotions or thoughts, writers can use their creativity to imagine what it might be like for these teeth to take on a persona. Writers can illustrate the potential discomforts associated with wisdom tooth eruption, such as pressure against neighboring teeth or aching as the tooth pushes its way through the gum tissue. This personal touch will allow readers to empathize with the wisdom tooth's journey.

Example: "As I began to emerge from my boney bed, I felt the weight of the world pushing against me. The pressure against my neighbors was palpable, causing them to shift uneasily as they made way for my arrival. The gum tissue stretched and strained to accommodate my eruption, causing a dull ache that seemed never-ending. I longed for the relief that would come once I had emerged fully into the oral cavity."

Provide relatable examples and analogies:

In order to make the perspective of a wisdom tooth relatable to readers, writers can use analogies or comparisons. For instance, they can compare the eruption of a wisdom tooth to the growth and maturity of a person. This will allow readers to connect on a more personal level and understand the wisdom tooth's journey in a more familiar context.

Example: "Just as a person must face challenges and overcome obstacles to grow and mature, I too had to navigate my own path to reach my destination. The eruption of a wisdom tooth is akin to the challenges and discomforts we face in life, tests that shape us and pave the way for our continued growth."

Incorporating the perspective of a wisdom tooth into an essay can provide a unique and engaging viewpoint for readers. By conducting research, utilizing scientific knowledge and terminology, incorporating personal experiences, and providing relatable examples, writers can create a captivating narrative that brings this often overlooked dental organ to life. So next time you sit down to write, don't be afraid to explore the world through the eyes of a wisdom tooth!

How to Safely Sneeze After Wisdom Tooth Removal: Tips and Precautions

Wisdom teeth are the third molars that erupt in the back of the mouth during late adolescence or early adulthood. These teeth can often cause pain and discomfort, leading to the need for their removal. However, beyond their physical presence, wisdom teeth can offer some valuable advice that can be relevant and impactful in an essay. In this article, we will explore the ways in which a wisdom tooth's advice can be incorporated into an essay.

Scientific Perspective:

From a scientific perspective, wisdom teeth offer insights into the evolutionary process. These teeth were useful for our early ancestors, who had a larger jaw size and needed the extra molars to chew the tough, coarse foods they consumed. However, as humans evolved and their diet became more refined, there was a reduced need for these extra molars. Incorporating this scientific perspective can add depth and context to an essay, especially when discussing topics related to human evolution or dental health.

Personal Experience:

Many individuals have the personal experience of having their wisdom teeth removed. This common dental procedure often involves some level of anxiety and discomfort. Drawing on personal experience, an essay can discuss the physical and emotional impact of wisdom tooth removal. This can be particularly relevant when writing about topics related to healthcare, pain management, or personal growth through overcoming challenges.

Step-by-Step Approach:

Just as the removal of wisdom teeth follows a step-by-step process, so too can an essay benefit from a structured approach. By using the metaphor of wisdom tooth removal, an essay can outline a step-by-step process for solving a problem, achieving a goal, or analyzing a complex issue. This can be particularly impactful when writing in the fields of education, psychology, or business. This approach provides a clear framework for the reader to follow and helps to organize the essay's content effectively.

Examples and Analogies:

Wisdom tooth removal can serve as an analogy to convey complex ideas or concepts in a more understandable manner. By comparing the experience of wisdom tooth removal to a challenging situation or a difficult decision, an essay can make the topic more relatable and accessible to the reader. This technique is especially useful in persuasive writing, where the goal is to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint or argument.

In conclusion, a wisdom tooth's advice can be relevant and impactful in an essay in several ways. From a scientific perspective, they offer insights into human evolution and dental health. Personal experiences of wisdom tooth removal can provide a relatable and emotional connection. A step-by-step approach can help structure an essay effectively, and analogies can make complex ideas more understandable. So, the next time you're writing an essay, consider incorporating the wisdom tooth's advice to enhance the content and engage your readers.

Understanding the Natural Process: Do Wisdom Teeth Fall Out on Their Own?

Writing an essay with a unique perspective can be a great way to engage readers and make your piece stand out. One intriguing approach is to use the voice of a wisdom tooth to offer advice. This creative twist adds a touch of humor and originality, making the essay both engaging and interesting. In this article, we will explore some tips and strategies on how a writer can effectively accomplish this.

Start with a captivating introduction:

To grab the reader's attention from the beginning, start your essay with an attention-grabbing introduction. Introduce the wisdom tooth as a quirky character who has witnessed and acquired wisdom through decades of observing daily life within the mouth. Engage the reader's curiosity by mentioning that this wise tooth has gathered invaluable advice to share.

Create a relatable persona for the wisdom tooth:

To make the essay engaging, it is important to develop a distinct persona for the wisdom tooth. Give it a voice and make it relatable to the readers. Use humor, sarcasm, or even empathy to make the tooth come alive. By imbuing the wisdom tooth with human-like characteristics, the reader will be more likely to connect with its advice and the overall message of the essay.

Provide practical advice with a twist:

While the essay is meant to be entertaining, it should also offer practical advice. Use the wisdom tooth as a vehicle to deliver this advice in a unique and memorable way. Make sure the advice aligns with the persona of the tooth and is relevant to the topic at hand. For example, if the essay is about overcoming fear, the wisdom tooth could advise embracing challenges with a toothy grin and reminding the reader that sometimes it's necessary to bite down and bear it.

Incorporate personal anecdotes and experiences:

To make the essay more interesting and relatable, consider sharing personal anecdotes and experiences related to the topic. For example, if the essay is about making wise decisions, recount a personal story where a decision had a significant impact. By incorporating real-life experiences, the essay becomes more engaging and allows the reader to connect with the written piece on a deeper level.

Use vivid imagery and descriptive language:

Engaging essays often use imagery and descriptive language to captivate readers' senses. Paint a vivid picture of the wisdom tooth's world, its surroundings, and the situations it encounters. This helps the reader visualize the advice being given and adds depth to the story. For instance, describe the tooth's perspective on other teeth, the taste of different foods, or the sensation of chewing. By appealing to the reader's senses, the essay becomes more engaging and memorable.

In conclusion, writing an essay from the perspective of a wisdom tooth offers a creative and engaging approach to deliver advice. By introducing a unique character, providing practical advice, incorporating personal experiences, and using vivid language, the writer can make their essay both interesting and captivating. So go ahead, embrace the quirkiness of a wisdom tooth and transform your essay into a memorable piece that leaves a lasting impression on your readers.

Understanding the Natural Process of Wisdom Teeth: Can They Emerge Without Extraction?

Frequently asked questions.

To ease the pain and discomfort of your wisdom tooth coming in, you can try using over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Applying a cold compress to your cheek can also help reduce swelling and numb the area. Additionally, rinsing your mouth with warm saltwater can help alleviate pain and promote healing.

If your wisdom tooth is causing significant pain, infection, crowding of other teeth, or other dental issues, your dentist or oral surgeon may recommend extracting it. Wisdom tooth extraction is a common procedure that can prevent further complications and improve oral health.

The recovery time after a wisdom tooth extraction can vary from person to person. Generally, it takes about a week to fully recover. During this time, you may experience swelling, discomfort, and some bleeding. It's important to follow your dentist's or oral surgeon's instructions for post-operative care and take any prescribed pain medications.

Like any surgical procedure, wisdom tooth extraction carries some risks and potential complications. These can include infection, dry socket (a painful condition where the blood clot that forms after extraction becomes dislodged or dissolves), nerve damage, and temporary or permanent numbness or tingling in the mouth, lips, or tongue. However, serious complications are rare, and your dentist or oral surgeon will take steps to minimize the risks.

If you are experiencing pain, swelling, infection, or any other concerning symptoms related to your wisdom teeth, it is advisable to consult a dentist or oral surgeon. They can evaluate your condition and determine the best course of action, which may include extraction or other treatments. Regular dental check-ups can also help monitor the development of your wisdom teeth and identify any potential problems early on.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 7 uchicago essay prompts: how to write stellar responses.

College Essays

The University of Chicago is famous for its unique essay topics. They're some of the most creative and off-the-wall essay prompts you'll see when applying to colleges, and it can sometimes be confusing to know how to tackle them.

What should you write about in your UChicago essays? How can you show that you're intelligent, creative, and worthy of a place at their school? As someone who spent a long time on my UChicago essays (and who got into the school), I've figured out exactly what UChicago is looking for in these essays.

 Read on to learn all about the UChicago essays, what the admissions team expects to see in your responses, what topics you should write about, and which topics you should avoid. In this guide, we also suggest sample essay ideas for each of the 2022/2023 UChicago supplement essay prompts and analyze past University of Chicago essay samples so you can see what a great UChicago essay looks like.

What Are the UChicago Essays?

Before you can begin figuring out how you'll write your UChicago essays, you should know which prompts you'll be seeing and the rules for each one. You'll need to write two essays, and the UChicago essay prompts you must answer are commonly referred to as Question 1 and Question 2.

Question 1: Why UChicago?

The Question 1 prompt is the only UChicago supplement essay that stays the same each year, and it's also the only prompt that all applicants must answer (for Question 2 you'll have multiple prompts to choose from).

For this question, you'll need to write an essay that explains why you want to attend the University of Chicago and why you think the school is a good fit for you and your goals. UChicago doesn't have strict word limits for essays, but they suggest a response of 1-2 pages.

Here's the 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.

The nice part about this prompt is that it's a pretty standard "why this school" essay . And luckily for you, we have a complete guide that walks you through how to knock this type of essay out of the park.

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Question 2: Extended Essay

For Question 2, you have a choice of six essay prompts, and you'll choose the one you want to respond to. The essay prompts for this question change every year, and while there are always around six prompts, some years there may be one more or one less to choose from.

These are the more unique and offbeat essay prompts that UChicago is known for. Many of them were created by UChicago alumni and current students. Again, UChicago asks you submit a response 1-2 pages long.

Below are the essay prompts for the 2022/2023 school year.

Essay Option 2: “Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.

Essay Option 3: “Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match).

Essay Option 4: A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.

Essay Option 5: Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?

Essay Option 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!

The world is your oyster when it comes to answering UChicago essay prompts.

How to Answer the University of Chicago Essay Prompts

In this section, we explain what UChicago wants to see in your essays, give ideas for topics to write about for each of the essays, and discuss topics you are better off avoiding.

For this University of Chicago supplement essay, UChicago wants to know why you want to attend their school, what you hope to get out of attending, and how University of Chicago will help you achieve their goals. Basically, they want to know why you think their school is a better fit for you than all the other schools out there. For more analysis of this essay, check out our in-depth guide to the Why UChicago essay .

What Do They Want to See in Your Response?

The "why our school?" is probably the most common essay prompt you'll see on college applications. Why do schools, including UChicago, ask this question?

UChicago wants to first see that you really want to go to their school. Students who love a school are more likely to accept an offer of admission and attend it, and they are more likely to be committed to their studies, participate in extracurriculars, and give back after they graduate. Your passion for UChicago should be shining through in this essay.

Next, UChicago wants to see that you've done your research on their school and have an idea of what opportunities you want to take advantage of while there. You can do this by mentioning specific things you like about UChicago or that you plan to take advantage of as a student there. Potential things to discuss include professors you admire or are interested in working with, specific classes you want to take, and extracurriculars you want to participate in.

Finally, UChicago wants to see that you are a good match for their school. Your essay should explain how you'll make the best use of what UChicago offers, how your strengths match the opportunities they provide, and how UChicago will help you reach your goals for the future.

Potential Topics to Write About

There are many ways you could approach this essay prompt; although since UChicago is best known for its academics (as opposed to killer sports teams, for example), most people will discuss the academic side for at least part of their response. Below is a list of possible topics; most people will discuss one to three topics in their essay.

• Majors or classes you're especially interested in
• UChicago's core curriculum
• Professors whose work you admire and whom you'd like to study with or conduct research with
• Unique events like Scav and Kuviasungnerk/Kangeiko
• Research opportunities you'd like to have
• University of Chicago students you've met who you admire
• Volunteer opportunities
• Financial aid opportunities UChicago offers that make it possible for you to attend

Topics to Avoid

The key here is to avoid generic topics that could apply to practically any school or any student. You want it to be clear in your response what opportunities the University of Chicago offers you that no other school does and how you're going to make use of them. Topics that won't show this include discussing:

• How pretty the campus is
• Chicago weather
• The food on campus
• Where UChicago places on college ranking lists
• Your future major and career path without connecting it back to what UChicago offers
• Bashing other schools

The extended essay is when you can get especially creative. These prompts require you to move outside your comfort zone of typical essay topics and answer in a way that gives readers insight into who you are and what you care about. Remember: Question 2 is required, but you have six different prompts to choose from for this essay response.

Your response to Question 1 is meant to show what you like about UChicago and how you’re going to make the most of the opportunities it offers. Question 2 is less about UChicago and more about you. The admissions team wants to see who you are and what's important to you. Three main things they'd like to see in your essay response are:

• Your personality
• Your thirst for knowledge

Who are you? What have been the important events in your life? What kind of person are you? What do you love learning about? These are the questions UChicago wants you to answer. They want to know what's important to you, what events from your past shaped you, what kind of person you are now, and what you want to accomplish in the future. 

UChicago is particularly interested in students who love learning and have a lot of interests in different fields and topics. A mathematician who also does ballet? A creative writing major who started her own business? Bring it on! Make sure to show your love for learning in your essay.

Your passions and goals don't always need to be lofty though; in the second example essay below you can see how the writer took a quirky interest and managed to connect it to larger ideas. If you can connect one of your pet passions to an essay topic, do so!

The great thing about these UChicago essay prompts is you can write about almost anything you want to since they're so different from each other and give you lots of chances to be creative. And you can tackle it from any angle you want. On their website , UChicago states that "[This essay] can be approached with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between." Just remember, you want this essay to give UChicago a good idea of the type of person you are and what's important to you.

Essay Option 1

Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. Name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary.

You're allowed to let your imagination run wild with this prompt. You should try to find a pair of objects that the admissions panel didn’t think of, something wholly original that only you would think of. For this prompt, they want to see how imaginative you can be, but the most important part of this essay is justifying why your pairing makes sense and why it matters . The pair you choose will show off your personality, creativity, and cultural experiences. 

Make your response as wacky and original as you like, but remember to tie it back to yourself and your interests a nd/or potential major. For instance, say you go with the idea of an art conservator and the passage of time. You could discuss how time degrades the materials of a work of art, and then an art conservationist revitalizes the work, only to have the passage of time wear it down again. This would be an excellent segue into writing about your interest in history, creative writing, or U Chicago’s Department of Art History Conservation Science Teaching Program . 

You could also write about how you developed an interest in these subjects, and what other interests you have could be applicable . Weaving your story into your essay will show UChicago that you’re creative and intellectually curious. This can include your niche interests, quirky hobbies, or pet projects.

Essay Option 2

“Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.

This is a classic UChicago question that allows you to answer the question literally...or not. (The year I applied, the version of this question was "Describe your table.") So, if this exemple were your actual song lyric, you address, where have all the flowers gone? You could answer this literally and describe how, for instance, flowers are changing colors in response to climate change . Perhaps you could then discuss your interest in horticulture and what led you to pursue that field.

Or (as always with UChicago essays), you can take it in a totally unexpected direction. This prompt is a chance to put your interpretive and reasoning skills into action. In fact, you could almost think of it like a riddle, except that the answer is anything that you can come up with and justify:

“Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” A valid question in a world where loneliness has been declared a public health emergency and social isolation can increase the likelihood of heart disease by as much as 29% ! 

“Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?” Likely not, considering radio listening has been trending downward for years, especially amongst young listeners and Rock Music is at the lowest point in its popularity since about 1960 . Where does this leave you, a young would-be guitar player with an interest in U Chicago’s ethnomusicology program ?

“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” Perhaps you do, considering recent studies show a decline in empathy and corresponding rise in narcissism .

You get the idea. Whatever question you choose, don’t worry too much about having a great answer for it; the idea is to find a context for the question that is meaningful to you and relates to your interests , which will give UChicago insight into your values and personality, two things they want to see in these essays!

Essay Option 3

“Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match).

This prompt is a bit sillier, but you still have the chance to show U Chicago your personality and unique worldview. This prompt gives you a chance to play with language and create something that expresses a meaning that we don’t have a word for. The best way to go about this is to think of two areas that are important to you and find a pair of rhyming words related to each and combine them.

So, for instance, if you’re math-oriented but somewhat spiritual, you could take words from both mathematics and spirituality, and come up with something like “stamystics” (statistics+mystics). You could talk about how you became interested in math and how it relates to your spirituality, and so forth.

If you are more interested in sports than spirituality, you could come up with something like “mathleticism.” You could write about how you had to train your mind in order to grasp difficult or advanced mathematical concepts and, inversely, how your understanding of math deepens your appreciation of sports.

What U Chicago is looking for here is how you can connect two seemingly unrelated concepts and find a bridge between them. They’re looking for problem-solving in addition to insight into your personality.

Essay Option 4

A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.

This prompt gives you an opportunity to think about familiar things in a new way. We probably don’t think much about peanuts not being nuts, but it’s obvious once you think about it that they are legumes. But, on the other hand, they are also closely related to peas–so the name has some validity. Even though they’re not actually nuts, they do taste like nuts…so is it wrong to call them nuts? Think about other examples that exist in your fields of interest.

And of course, be sure to let your experiences, interests, and values shape the way you rename or defend your misnomer . That way, UChicago will get a good idea of who you are and what’s meaningful to you!

Essay Option 5

Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?

This prompt is your chance to be more overtly academic in your response . In writing about how this game will remain relevant in the future, you’ll be able to show your knowledge of history, culture, politics, economics, religion, scientific discovery…and so on! Choose a game that interests you in some way that you can tie into your personal history and academic interests. 

While brainstorming possible games will be really fun, the most important part of this essay is justifying why you think something that’s relevant today will continue to be relevant in the future. Think about what cultural, social, and political changes could be possible and what the implications of that could be for people today. As long as you’re creative, descriptive, and thorough, your response can range from serious to silly and meet the requirements for this prompt.

Essay Option 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!

If you aren't feeling any of the other five optional prompts, you can respond to this one, which asks you to choose and respond to a past UChicago optional essay prompt, or write and respond to your own prompt. With either option, you'll want to consider your identity, interests, strengths, and goals, and let those factors inform which prompt you choose, how you write your own prompt, and how you craft your response.

You may not feel up to the task of writing your own prompt, but you might like the idea of tracking down an old prompt that catches your eye. Read through the past prompts and consider which one will allow you to play to your strengths . If there's a particular experience or skill that you want to showcase in your response, select a prompt that is conducive to that.

Alternatively, if there's a specific experience you want to write about, you can write your own prompt and respond to it. To write your prompt, use the tone and structure of the existing UChicago prompts as a guide. It'll probably come as no surprise that your original prompt should fit right in with the ones provided on the application. This means you might have to be a little goofy, cryptic, or risky...and that's a good thing!

Though this option allows you to write your own prompt if you so choose, it's important to remember that your response to the prompt should still focus on showcasing who you are , what strengths you will bring to UChicago as a student, and why UChicago is the perfect place for you. Don't get too carried away trying to impress admissions with punny phrases or cryptic logic; be authentic, be bold, and be you.

Some people shy away from this prompt because they feel like it's "cheating" or less impressive to not follow one of the specific prompts that UChicago gives. However, this isn't true! As long as you write a compelling essay that gives readers a better insight into who you are, your essay will strengthen your application. For what it's worth, when I applied to UChicago, this is the prompt I chose, and I was still accepted to the school.

UChicago wants you to be creative here, so there aren't many topics that are off limits. However, you're trying to convince them that you'd be a great and interesting student to add to their school, so make sure you use your essay to show who you are and why UChicago would want to admit you.

This means you should avoid responses that don't give readers a good idea of who you are. For example, if you choose essay option 1, don't just state that “taco cat” is funny because it reminds you of your favorite meme. Instead, tie it back to yourself and your life by explaining its relevance, like making tacos with your abuela and fending off the family cat’s attempts to steal tacos. 

Because these prompts are creative, it can be easy to run away with them, but always remember to answer the prompt completely and give UChicago better insight into who you are.

Additionally, don't feel that certain University of Chicago essay prompts are "better" or more impressive than others . UChicago wouldn't have chosen these essay topics if they didn't think applicants could write outstanding responses to them, so please choose the prompt that you feel you can write the best essay for.

University of Chicago Essay Examples

In this section are two University of Chicago essay examples, each written by an accepted applicant.

Below each UChicago supplement essay we discuss what makes the essay work so well.

Dear University of Chicago,

And now you inquire as to my wishes? They're simple, accept me for who I am! Why can't you just love and not ask why? Not ask about my assets or my past? I'm living in the now, I'm waiting for you to catch up, but you're too caught up in my past, I offer us a future together, not a past to dwell upon. Whenever I'm around you, I just get that tingle deep inside me that tells me you're the one; you have that air of brilliance and ingenuity that I crave in a person, you're so mature and sophisticated, originality is really your strongest and most admirable trait. I wish we could be together, I still think in my heart of hearts we were meant to be, but you have to meet me halfway, dear. I'm on one knee here with tears welling up in my eyes, the fireworks are timed and ready to light up the night sky for you, just say 'I accept...you.'

Why Does This Essay Work?

• Creative take on a standard prompt: The writer chose a very unique angle for this essay: comparing the University of Chicago to a lover. He's probably the first applicant to answer the essay prompt this way, which definitely makes this a memorable essay. In fact, UChicago loved this essay so much that they mailed it out to thousands of potential applicants (which actually got them a bit of backlash ). You absolutely don't have to take as unique an approach to this essay as the above writer did, but doing so can definitely help your essay stand out.
• It answers the entire prompt: Even though this is an unusual essay, the writer still manages to answer everything the prompt asks for. He mentions his goal for the future (to become a lawyer), mentions varied interests he has (the Gothic era, the philosopher Kierkegaard), and explains what he likes about UChicago (the brilliance, ingenuity, and originality the school offers). He even manages to mention that he visited campus three times, which shows a serious interest in the school. If you choose to write an especially offbeat essay, it's key to do what this essay did and still answer the prompt while being creative.

This essay is from several years ago, so it doesn't use a current prompt, but it's still helpful to read and analyze.

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.

Now let's take a look at the successful essay:

The Illuminati changed my life. Three years ago, I found my first ambigram in one of my favorite novels, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I turned the page, and there it was: the word "Illuminati" printed into the exact center of the book. It was styled like a newspaper masthead, exquisite and complex, yet oddly symmetric. Curious, I rotated the book upside-down.

Impossibly, the inverted word was still "Illuminati." Gazing closer, I realized that the letters, I-L-L-U-M, actually shaped into a flipped I-N-A-T-I. Suddenly, I was reading it in both directions. My eyes waltzed along the broad curves and sharp twists of the calligraphy, striking poses in a glamorous font against a sheet of creamy whiteness, sliding between the dense vertical strokes, peering at the edge of the defined serif as it angled away, then bent boldly toward me. Every line was deliberate, every flourish smiling with purpose, and the whole word balanced on the delicate cord that joined two letters into one. It was unforgettable.

Ambigrams are words that can be read from different directions. Actually, "ambigram" is an umbrella term that encompasses dozens of distinct types of visual wordplay. The most popular ones are rotational, mirror image, and-my personal favorites-symbiotic ambigrams, which can spell two different things when viewed normally and upside-down.

Compelled by the striking art, I could not help but try my own hand at designing ambigrams, and slowly I felt the pitiful stick-figure artist inside me shrink away as my inner energetic graphic designer sprang up. Before early volleyball tournaments, I work myself up by filling up pages and pages of experimental letter combinations, gleefully satisfied at the way that a rounded lowercase "a" was a perfect upside-down lowercase "e." In my AP Literature class, I drew "She's a witch!" which revealed, when flipped, "Communist" to reflect Arthur Miller's contemporary motives for writing The Crucible. On a challenge from a friend, I even drew an ambigram of "Jay-Z" and "Beyonce" on a bumpy bus ride back from a leadership retreat.

In the last few months, I have also practiced drawing ambigrams as fast as I can. I dream about the day when I can effortlessly write out a message saying "Hi, how are you today?" normally and "The password is cherry268" upside-down, without pausing or rotating the paper. I imagine a world in which everyone had this ability, and could literally write two things at once. How would that change communication? Encryption? Trust? My legs swing comfortably from this innovative edge, excited to take a stab at the answers.

The best part about the ambigram is that it refuses to define itself as just one thing. It is a linguistic passion, a cryptographic endeavor, an artistic design, and an ironic illusion. I relish the fact that ambigrams force both the artist and the audience to reject first glances and embrace secret identities.

This may just be a nerdy obsession, but ambigrams have taught me far more than how to sketch fancy words. Their multidimensional truth implies that my hobbies of both writing Italian sonnets and solving logical riddles are not opposing functions of my left and right brains, but rather, a perfect conglomeration of my passion for creating and solving puzzles. The beauty of the most surprising combinations reminds me to take bold risks in both my life and my designs.

Above all else, ambigrams have taught me that I can create the impossible. I can make true and false the same word depending on something as simple as a 180-degree head turn. Victory can be defeat. Open can be closed. Am amateur piano player with an obsession for cryptology can learn how to program iPhone apps and get the game-winning kill at the varsity volleyball championship. A girl with divorced parents can make time for both families, and an inspired teenager from California can write her name into world history--both normally and upside-down.

- Samantha M.

Why This Essay Works

• Shows passion: This essay focuses on a pretty unusual and specific topic: ambigrams. While many people may not even know what an ambigram is, the writer is clearly passionate about them. She discusses how much time she spends trying to create different ambigrams, what her goals for ambigram creating are, and some of her favorite ambigrams she's created. UChicago loves people who are passionate about something, even if it's an unusual or offbeat interest. It makes UChicago believe those students will bring that passion with them onto campus.
• Gives insight into the writer's personality: The majority of this essay is about the author's interest in ambigrams, but she also manages to cleverly slip in multiple other references to her personality and interests. From her essay, we learn that she's a volleyball player, writes Italian sonnets, and loves solving puzzles. Adding these details gives UChicago a fuller look at what makes her tick.
• Connects it to a bigger picture: The writer chose to write about a very specific topic—ambigrams—but was still able to connect that to bigger concepts, such as communication, truth, and how she's able to balance her different interests. She's able to take a quirky topic and show how it influences her worldview.

Final Advice: UChicago Essays

When answering the University of Chicago essay prompts, keep in mind that the main reason UChicago is reading these essays is to find out who you are as a person and if you'd be a good fit at their school.

The University of Chicago wants students who are passionate about learning, creative, are excited to make the most of their time on campus, and have big dreams for themselves, and the UChicago supplement questions are designed to help you show these sides of yourself to the school.

For the "Why UChicago?" prompt, you'll want to show the school why you want to go there, why you think you're a good fit for the school, and how UChicago will help you achieve your goals during college and beyond.

For the extended essay, you can (and should) be more creative. These UChicago essays are more "out there," and in your response, you should show your personality and passion for learning.

For both University of Chicago essays, remember to show who you are and what you're passionate about, include details about yourself and the school to help you stand out from other essays, and mention your plans and goals for the future.

What's Next?

If you want a more in-depth look how to write about Question 1, check out our guide to the Why UChicago Essay , which includes an additional sample essay along with analysis of how to answer this prompt.

Are you working on the Common App essay ? Read our breakdown of the Common App prompts and our guide to picking the best prompt for you.

If you're planning to take the SAT or ACT one last time , try out some of our famous test prep guides, like "How to Get a Perfect Score on the SAT" and "15 Key ACT Test Day Tips."

Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Wisdom Teeth Removal: Is Wisdom Tooth Surgery Really Necessary?

M any of you have probably suffered through the pain that your third molars – or ‘wisdom teeth' – caused some years back. Somewhere along the line a dentist, orthodontist, or oral surgeon probably advised you to remove them. But for what reason? They may have told you that wisdom teeth can force your other teeth to become crooked or cause a lot of pain. They may have given no explanation at all other than it's just what you do when you reach a certain age, usually in your late teens or early twenties.

Studies are mounting, however, and suggest that routine wisdom teeth removal is a waste of time. They aren't hurting me. I don't feel any discomfort. If I don't absolutely have to, I'd rather not. Those are all phrases present-day dentists and oral surgeons probably hear day in and day out based on the evidence. So, could your wisdom tooth surgery have been entirely unnecessary?

What are Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth are your third and final set of molars that usually develop in late adolescence. If they grow in healthy and properly aligned, you're in luck! It seems rare for this to happen in comparison to wisdom teeth that grow in horizontally and need to be removed. But what for?

Doctors advise you to remove misaligned (and possibly impacted) wisdom teeth because they can potentially damage surrounding teeth, nerves, or your jawbone. There's even more cause for concern if you have a wisdom tooth that's partially erupted because its small, hard-to-reach opening makes it difficult to clean and prone to bacteria, infection, tooth decay, jaw stiffness, and more.[1]

The Necessity of Removing Your Wisdom Teeth

It's important to realize that we can't generalize about something like wisdom teeth. Everyone's bodies are shaped differently, grow differently, and have different chemical makeups. This makes wisdom teeth removal a case by case basis.

But one study in the American Journal of Public Health stated that dentists and oral surgeons extract 10 million wisdom teeth from 5 million people every year in the United States. These procedures total a whopping $3 billion dollars.

With these removals come pain, swelling, bruising, malaise, and the risk of permanent paresthesia (i.e., numbness or the lip, tongue and cheek caused by nerve injury during surgery). As a result, patients take an average of 11 million days off due to "standard discomfort or disability."[2]

Some people may be able to forgive the pain as it's something that can easily happen in wisdom tooth removal. What's alarming, however, is that over two thirds of extractions, associated costs, and injuries that occur are unnecessary. The researchers even went so far as to say that this "constitutes a silent epidemic that afflicts tens of thousands of people with lifelong discomfort and disability."[2]

In an interview with The New York Times , chairman of orthodontics at the University of Washington in Seattle Greg J. Huang said, "Everybody is at risk for appendicitis, but do you take out everyone's appendix?"

Woman has one question she asks at every interview, which always gets her the job

On the other hand, one expert weighs in: "It's hard to get a percentage, but probably 78 to 80 percent of people do not meet the criteria of being able to successfully maintain their wisdom teeth," said Dr. Louis K. Rafetto, who headed the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.[3]

Clearly, there are professionals in the field who don't see the value in wisdom teeth removal, at least to the extreme that it occurs. When is it necessary then?

Who Really Requires Wisdom Teeth Removal (and When)

According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), you should get remove your wisdom teeth. But only if a dental professional has provided evidence that shows a necessary need. In fact, APHA opposes prophylactic removal (i.e., it's intended to prevent disease) and claims that procedures such as this "[subject] individuals and society to unnecessary costs, avoidable morbidity, and the risks of permanent injury."[4]

Generally, people are between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five when they undergo wisdom tooth surgery. Although, your personal growth and development determine this. So, it's possible for them to come out before or after this time frame if absolutely necessary. Below, we outline when you probably should and shouldn't remove your wisdom teeth:[1,5,6]

You Don't Need to Remove Wisdom Teeth If They're…

• Healthy (i.e., no tooth decay or inflamed gums)
• Fully erupted
• Properly aligned and not interfering with any neighboring teeth
• Easy to clean while you brush and floss

You Do Need to Remove Wisdom Teeth If They're…

• Completely impacted (i.e., hidden under the gum and can't erupt) which can lead to cysts that damage the root of other teeth
• Half erupted with openings or gum flaps that are prone to bacteria accumulation and cavities
• Causing overcrowding which can make straight teeth crooked or damage neighboring teeth
• Responsible for any oral pain
• Contributing to soft tissue or gum infections
• Resulting in tumors
• Forcing tooth decay on neighboring teeth that are beginning to break

If you or someone you know is considering a surgery like this, send this article their way. Of if they've already scheduled a wisdom teeth removal, suggest these natural remedies. They're perfect for keeping your mouth, teeth, and gums clean and healthy pre- and post-surgery!

• [1] https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/wisdom-teeth#1
• [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963310/
• [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06consumer.html?_r=0
• [4] https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2014/07/24/14/29/opposition-to-prophylactic-removal-of-third-molars-wisdom-teeth
• [5] https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/wisdom-teeth-removal-necessary
• [6] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wisdom-teeth/expert-answers/wisdom-teeth-removal/faq-20058558

The post Wisdom Teeth Removal: Is Wisdom Tooth Surgery Really Necessary? appeared first on The Hearty Soul .

28 American Foods That Are So Toxic They Are Banned In Other Countries

UChicago Supplemental Essay Questions

The University of Chicago has long been renowned for our provocative essay questions. We think of them as an opportunity for students to tell us about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions. They can be approached with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between.

Each year we email newly admitted and current College students and ask them for essay topics. We receive several hundred responses, many of which are eloquent, intriguing, or downright wacky.

As you can see from the attributions, the questions below were inspired by submissions from UChicago students and alumni.

2023-24 UChicago Supplement

Question 1 (required).

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: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)

Essay option 1.

Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. Name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary. – Inspired by Emmett Cho, Class of 2027

Essay Option 2

“Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer. – Inspired by Ryan Murphy, AB’21

Essay Option 3

“Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match). – Inspired by Garrett Chalfin, Class of 2027

Essay Option 4

A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept. – Inspired by Sonia Chang, Class of 2025, and Mirabella Blair, Class of 2027

Essay Option 5

Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why? – Inspired by Adam Heiba, Class of 2027

Essay Option 6

There are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. But of course, some rules should be broken or updated. What is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist? (Our custom is to have five new prompts each year, but this year we decided to break with tradition. Enjoy!) – Inspired by Maryam Abdella, Class of 2026

Essay Option 7

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!

Some classic questions from previous years…

Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History... a full list of unmodified majors ready for your editor’s eye is available here . —Inspired by Josh Kaufman, AB'18

You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time? —Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026

Who does Sally sell her seashells to? How much wood can a woodchuck really chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Pick a favorite tongue twister (either originally in English or translated from another language) and consider a resolution to its conundrum using the method of your choice. Math, philosophy, linguistics... it's all up to you (or your woodchuck). —Inspired by Blessing Nnate, Class of 2024

What can actually be divided by zero? —Inspired by Mai Vu, Class of 2024

The seven liberal arts in antiquity consisted of the Quadrivium — astronomy, mathematics, geometry, and music — and the Trivium — rhetoric, grammar, and logic. Describe your own take on the Quadrivium or the Trivium. What do you think is essential for everyone to know? —Inspired by Peter Wang, Class of 2022

Subway maps, evolutionary trees, Lewis diagrams. Each of these schematics tells the relationships and stories of their component parts. Reimagine a map, diagram, or chart. If your work is largely or exclusively visual, please include a cartographer's key of at least 300 words to help us best understand your creation. —Inspired by Maximilian Site, Class of 2020

"Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" - Eleanor Roosevelt. Misattribute a famous quote and explore the implications of doing so. —Inspired by Chris Davey, AB’13

Engineer George de Mestral got frustrated with burrs stuck to his dog’s fur and applied the same mechanic to create Velcro. Scientist Percy Lebaron Spencer found a melted chocolate bar in his magnetron lab and discovered microwave cooking. Dye-works owner Jean Baptiste Jolly found his tablecloth clean after a kerosene lamp was knocked over on it, consequently shaping the future of dry cleaning. Describe a creative or interesting solution, and then find the problem that it solves. —Inspired by Steve Berkowitz, AB’19, and Neeharika Venuturupalli, Class of 2024

Joan of Arkansas. Queen Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Babe Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mash up a historical figure with a new time period, environment, location, or occupation, and tell us their story. —Inspired by Drew Donaldson, AB’16

Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Milo drives through the tollbooth. Dorothy is swept up in the tornado. Neo takes the red pill. Don’t tell us about another world you’ve imagined, heard about, or created. Rather, tell us about its portal. Sure, some people think of the University of Chicago as a portal to their future, but please choose another portal to write about. —Inspired by Raphael Hallerman, Class of 2020

What’s so odd about odd numbers? —Inspired by Mario Rosasco, AB’09

Vestigiality refers to genetically determined structures or attributes that have apparently lost most or all of their ancestral function, but have been retained during the process of evolution. In humans, for instance, the appendix is thought to be a vestigial structure. Describe something vestigial (real or imagined) and provide an explanation for its existence. —Inspired by Tiffany Kim, Class of 2020

In French, there is no difference between “conscience” and “consciousness.” In Japanese, there is a word that specifically refers to the splittable wooden chopsticks you get at restaurants. The German word “fremdschämen” encapsulates the feeling you get when you’re embarrassed on behalf of someone else. All of these require explanation in order to properly communicate their meaning, and are, to varying degrees, untranslatable. Choose a word, tell us what it means, and then explain why it cannot (or should not) be translated from its original language. —Inspired by Emily Driscoll, Class of 2018

Little pigs, French hens, a family of bears. Blind mice, musketeers, the Fates. Parts of an atom, laws of thought, a guideline for composition. Omne trium perfectum? Create your own group of threes, and describe why and how they fit together. —Inspired by Zilin Cui, Class of 2018

The mantis shrimp can perceive both polarized light and multispectral images; they have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Human eyes have color receptors for three colors (red, green, and blue); the mantis shrimp has receptors for sixteen types of color, enabling them to see a spectrum far beyond the capacity of the human brain. Seriously, how cool is the mantis shrimp: mantisshrimp.uchicago.edu What might they be able to see that we cannot? What are we missing? —Inspired by Tess Moran, AB’16

How are apples and oranges supposed to be compared? Possible answers involve, but are not limited to, statistics, chemistry, physics, linguistics, and philosophy. —Inspired by Florence Chan, AB’15

The ball is in your court—a penny for your thoughts, but say it, don’t spray it. So long as you don’t bite off more than you can chew, beat around the bush, or cut corners, writing this essay should be a piece of cake. Create your own idiom, and tell us its origin—you know, the whole nine yards. PS: A picture is worth a thousand words. —Inspired by April Bell, AB'17, and Maya Shaked, Class of 2018 (It takes two to tango.)

“A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.” –Oscar Wilde. Othello and Iago. Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. Autobots and Decepticons. History and art are full of heroes and their enemies. Tell us about the relationship between you and your arch-nemesis (either real or imagined). —Inspired by Martin Krzywy, AB’16

Heisenberg claims that you cannot know both the position and momentum of an electron with total certainty. Choose two other concepts that cannot be known simultaneously and discuss the implications. (Do not consider yourself limited to the field of physics). —Inspired by Doran Bennett, AB’07

Susan Sontag, AB’51, wrote that “[s]ilence remains, inescapably, a form of speech.” Write about an issue or a situation when you remained silent, and explain how silence may speak in ways that you did or did not intend. The Aesthetics of Silence, 1967. —Anonymous Suggestion

“…I [was] eager to escape backward again, to be off to invent a past for the present.” —The Rose Rabbi by Daniel Stern Present: pres·ent 1. Something that is offered, presented, or given as a gift. Let’s stick with this definition. Unusual presents, accidental presents, metaphorical presents, re-gifted presents, etc.—pick any present you have ever received and invent a past for it. —Inspired by Jennifer Qin, AB’16

So where is Waldo, really? —Inspired by Robin Ye, AB’16

Find x. —Inspired by Benjamin Nuzzo, an admitted student from Eton College, UK

Dog and Cat. Coffee and Tea. Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. Everyone knows there are two types of people in the world. What are they? —Inspired by an anonymous alumna, AB'06

How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.) —Inspired by Kelly Kennedy, AB’10

Chicago author Nelson Algren said, “A writer does well if in his whole life he can tell the story of one street.” Chicagoans, but not just Chicagoans, have always found something instructive, and pleasing, and profound in the stories of their block, of Main Street, of Highway 61, of a farm lane, of the Celestial Highway. Tell us the story of a street, path, road—real or imagined or metaphorical. —Anonymous Suggestion

UChicago professor W. J. T. Mitchell entitled his 2005 book What Do Pictures Want? Describe a picture, and explore what it wants. —Inspired by Anna Andel

“Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.“—Miles Davis (1926–91) —Inspired by Jack Reeves

University of Chicago alumna and renowned author/critic Susan Sontag said, “The only interesting answers are those that destroy the questions.” We all have heard serious questions, absurd questions, and seriously absurd questions, some of which cannot be answered without obliterating the very question. Destroy a question with your answer. —Inspired by Aleksandra Ciric

“Mind that does not stick.” —Zen Master Shoitsu (1202–80)

Superstring theory has revolutionized speculation about the physical world by suggesting that strings play a pivotal role in the universe. Strings, however, always have explained or enriched our lives, from Theseus’s escape route from the Labyrinth, to kittens playing with balls of yarn, to the single hair that held the sword above Damocles, to the Old Norse tradition that one’s life is a thread woven into a tapestry of fate, to the beautiful sounds of the finely tuned string of a violin, to the children’s game of cat’s cradle, to the concept of stringing someone along. Use the power of string to explain the biggest or the smallest phenomenon. —Inspired by Adam Sobolweski

Have you ever walked through the aisles of a warehouse store like Costco or Sam’s Club and wondered who would buy a jar of mustard a foot and a half tall? We’ve bought it, but it didn’t stop us from wondering about other things, like absurd eating contests, impulse buys, excess, unimagined uses for mustard, storage, preservatives, notions of bigness…and dozens of other ideas both silly and serious. Write an essay somehow inspired by super-huge mustard. —Inspired by Katherine Gold

People often think of language as a connector, something that brings people together by helping them share experiences, feelings, ideas, etc. We, however, are interested in how language sets people apart. Start with the peculiarities of your own personal language—the voice you use when speaking most intimately to yourself, the vocabulary that spills out when you’re startled, or special phrases and gestures that no one else seems to use or even understand—and tell us how your language makes you unique. You may want to think about subtle riffs or idiosyncrasies based on cadence, rhythm, rhyme, or (mis)pronunciation. —Inspired by Kimberly Traube

In 2015, the city of Melbourne, Australia created a "tree-mail" service, in which all of the trees in the city received an email address so that residents could report any tree-related issues. As an unexpected result, people began to email their favorite trees sweet and occasionally humorous letters. Imagine this has been expanded to any object (tree or otherwise) in the world, and share with us the letter you’d send to your favorite. -Inspired by Hannah Lu, Class of 2020 

You’re on a voyage in the thirteenth century, sailing across the tempestuous seas. What if, suddenly, you fell off the edge of the Earth? -Inspired by Chandani Latey, AB'93 

The word floccinaucinihilipilification is the act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant or of having no value. It originated in the mid-18th century from the Latin words "floccus," "naucum," "nihilum," and "pilus"—all words meaning “of little use.” Coin your own word using parts from any language you choose, tell us its meaning, and describe the plausible (if only to you) scenarios in which it would be most appropriately used.  -Inspired by Ben Zhang, Class of 2022 

Lost your keys? Alohomora. Noisy roommate? Quietus. Feel the need to shatter windows for some reason? Finestra. Create your own spell, charm, jinx, or other means for magical mayhem. How is it enacted? Is there an incantation? Does it involve a potion or other magical object? If so, what's in it or what is it? What does it do?  -Inspired by Emma Sorkin, Class of 2021 

Imagine you’ve struck a deal with the Dean of Admissions himself, Dean Nondorf. It goes as follows: you’re guaranteed admission to the University of Chicago regardless of any circumstances that arise. This bond is grounded on the condition that you’ll obtain a blank, 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, and draw, write, sketch, shade, stencil, paint etc., anything and everything you want on it; your only limitations will be the boundaries of both sides on the single page. Now the catch… your submission, for the rest of your life, will always be the first thing anyone you meet for the first time will see. Whether it’s at a job interview, a blind date, arrival at your first Humanities class, before you even say, “hey,” they’ll already have seen your page, and formulated that first impression. Show us your page. What’s on it, and why? If your piece is largely or exclusively visual, please make sure to share a creator's accompanying statement of at least 300 words, which we will happily allow to be on its own, separate page. PS: This is a creative thought experiment, and selecting this essay prompt does not guarantee your admission to UChicago. -Inspired by Amandeep Singh Ahluwalia, Class of 2022

Cats have nine lives, Pac-Man has three lives, and radioactive isotopes have half-lives. How many lives does something else—conceptual or actual—have, and why? -Inspired by Kendrick Shin, Class of 2019

If there’s a limited amount of matter in the universe, how can Olive Garden (along with other restaurants and their concepts of food infinity) offer truly unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks? Explain this using any method of analysis you wish—physics, biology, economics, history, theology… the options, as you can tell, are endless.  -Inspired by Yoonseo Lee, Class of 2023 

A hot dog might be a sandwich, and cereal might be a soup, but is a ______ a ______? -Inspired by Arya Muralidharan, Class of 2021 (and dozens of others who, this year and in past years, have submitted the question “Is a hot dog a sandwich,” to which we reply, “maybe”)

“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” – Jessamyn West -Inspired by Elizabeth Mansfield, Class of 2020

Who will Trump pick as his running mate? In 2024, the ‘Veepstakes’ are higher than usual

Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University

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Being second in line for leadership of the most powerful country in the world is not an easy job. But for Mike Pence, vice president under Donald Trump, things were even harder than usual.

As insurrectionists descended on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, they had a specific target in mind – the outgoing vice president. They built a wooden gallows, and called out for him by name: “Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!”

As the extensive congressional hearings into the insurrection later documented, the threats were not hollow. One informant told FBI investigators that “if given the chance”, certain far-right insurrectionists would have tried to kill him. Pence escaped with his life, but only just .

The insurrectionists, as a federal investigation alleges, were drawn to the Capitol by Trump, who had just lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. They were after Trump’s VP because, as one later claimed, he had “ betrayed ” Trump by not refusing to certify the election results.

The job of vice president of the United States is not a normal one at the best of times. The person chosen to run alongside Trump in this year’s election will no doubt be keeping Pence’s experience in mind. It will likely be someone who can convincingly pledge undying loyalty to Trump. The former president – and his supporters – will expect nothing less.

Speculation over who that person might be is heating up, and Trump, as usual, is relishing drawing out the process in order to gain as much attention as possible. So, who – and how – will he choose?

Making race a priority

A vice presidential candidate is usually chosen based on a political calculation. For instance, the running mate can be seen to offset a presidential nominee’s weaknesses (be they real or perceived).

The relatively young northerner John F. Kennedy, for example, chose the much more politically experienced southerner, Lyndon B. Johnson. Barack Obama, running to be the first Black president, similarly chose the older and more experienced – and reassuringly white – Biden.

In his first run, Trump settled on Pence to offset his perceived weakness with evangelical voters – a critical mobilising base to any Republican candidate.

Read more: Why 'wokeness' has become the latest battlefront for white conservatives in America

Viewed through this lens, the commonly accepted wisdom is that Trump has both a race and a woman problem, and that he should choose a VP candidate who can address at least one of those concerns.

In the first category, the leading candidates appear to be two men who ran against Trump for this year’s nomination – Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Scott – a South Carolinian that Bloomberg has dubbed “Trump’s New Black Best Friend” – is the only Black Republican in the Senate. He has certainly indicated he is keen for the job, professing his love for Trump and recently announcing his engagement (being single is generally regarded as a political liability ).

During the Republican campaign for the presidential nomination, Ramaswamy had presented himself as the newer, shinier Trump. In one memorable moment in the debates, he was first to raise his hand when the candidates were asked who would still support Trump if he is convicted of a crime. Ramaswamy also quickly endorsed Trump when he dropped out.

Trump would no doubt be pleased with such public professions of loyalty. But there is no indication Trump considers race to be a problem for his candidacy – in fact, quite the opposite.

Trump has been leaning in to increasingly extreme racist rhetoric. If he thought race mattered to his chances, he would likely be behaving differently. Trump’s political rise began with his racist “birther” conspiracies about Obama. It is not a stretch to suggest many of his supporters would baulk at a ticket that wasn’t entirely white.

Why a conservative woman might make sense

In the second category, the accepted wisdom is that Trump’s “ woman problem ” is a direct result of the signature achievement of his administration: the appointment of three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, which subsequently led to the overturning of Roe v Wade.

As Biden put it recently , candidates underestimate the political and electoral power of women at their peril.

Among the leading women Republican VP candidates are Elise Stefanik, a congresswoman from New York, and Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota.

The fact both are considered leading candidates reveals the political calculations behind Trump’s possible selection. While Trump has flip-flopped on abortion restrictions himself, both Stefanik and Noem have extremely conservative positions on reproductive rights.

And given what we know about Trump’s views on women, it seems likely his judgement would be almost entirely aesthetic. There is a very specific political reason why Noem has grown out her hair and gotten new teeth.

Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Green is often added to this list, but may have slimmer chances. While she literally wears her Trump loyalty on her head , she attracts a lot of attention. And Trump does not much like to share the spotlight.

It’s also entirely possible Trump will go with a wildcard candidate. He is increasingly resentful of what we could loosely characterise as “establishment” political advice designed to curb his worst instincts. His campaign is now almost entirely based on a desire for revenge and retribution against the people he believes held him back.

There has never been a reason to believe Trump will follow conventional political wisdom.

The stakes are higher than usual

Given the cult of personality that has developed around Trump, some argue his choice of running mate is unlikely to shift many votes. As a result, it doesn’t actually matter all that much.

Other keen watchers of American politics, though, argue the opposite. Given the advanced ages of both Trump and Biden, the VP pick is more important than usual, not least because of the higher-than-normal chance this person could be elevated to the Oval Office at some point.

Read more: Biden and Trump, though old, are both likely to survive to the end of the next president's term, demographers explain

In Trump’s case, some argue that if he wins, he will be a “lame duck” president from day one since it would be his second term in office. So, all eyes will be on his VP as the presumptive nominee for 2028.

This glosses over the very real questions about the continuity of constitutional law under a second Trump presidency, and ignores the noises Trump supporters are already making about trying to remove presidential term limits. It also assumes that, like Pence, Trump’s next VP would choose to put their own political future or American democracy above being an enthusiastic supporter of Trump’s authoritarianism. This is unlikely.

Like everything this time around, the stakes are higher than usual.

• Donald Trump
• Vice President
• 2024 US presidential election
• Vivek Ramaswamy

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