“Dear University of Chicago, It fills me up with that gooey sap you feel late at night when I think about things that are really special to me about you,” the essay began. “Tell me, was I just one in a line of many? Was I just another supple ‘applicant’ to you, looking for a place to live, looking for someone to teach me the ways of the world?”
Many students freaked out; one commented about wanting to cry, another was scared cause his followed a similar format. So, Dean James G. Nondorf sent out this e-mail trying to let students know that they could calm down, and have a little fun with this stuff.
The University of Chicago not only encourages but wants you to have fun with their essays. Before I found the news article, I was looking at the University of Chicago admissions site and was noting how interesting their essay questions were; recently, I had been reading a friend's college essays and was surprised to find that almost all of her schools' asked her to write about an activity she did and why she did it.
Some questions at Chicago included "How did you get caught? (Or not caught as the case may be.)", or a create your own. Considering I would probably be the one to comment about crying, I'm happy I came across this article. Today in class we discussed the importance of content in writing, and how it is often overlooked in writing portions of standardized tests, such as the SAT.
Would you prefer to answer prompts such as these or the more generic ones? Did you find the above essay inappropriate? Some argue the University is trying too hard...what do you think?
I've read a couple University of Chicago essay prompts over the years (I wanted to go there...apparently I was also crazy), and I found that the school has always encouraged writing essays that are creative and interesting. I don't find the essay submitted inappropriate at all, I think it's hilarious and I've always been jealous of those who can submit essays as clever and witty as that one, without coming off annoyingly.
ReplyDeleteWe were asked in class today when (in real life) creativity is really rewarded, and I think that the University of Chicago is a great example. I think that many view the school as an extremely fast-paced, hard-working, even suicide-inducing school; but I think that those people have the wrong idea. Your best serious, well thought-out and slaved-over essay isn't always what makes the best impression. Often times, I'd assume they'd only bore those who have to actually read it. I think that the choices made by University of Chicago are a great way to treat education, and I wish more colleges took their approach.