The University of Chicago is one of the best universities in the country. It is very competitive, and a very particular and self-selecting school. They look for students who are a perfect fit for exactly what they offer and the community they have built. A key piece of this is that they want to see true enthusiasm from applicants, and there are few better ways to show enthusiasm than to make a commitment by applying early. This is especially important because the acceptance rate is very, very low. Most recently, it was only .

If you missed the EDI deadline, or were rejected from your first choice school EDI, show the University of Chicago that they are your top choice now by committing to attend if accepted through the EDII application cycle. In this post, we’ll help you do exactly that by breaking down the most important parts of the application and giving you approaches that can lead to an Early Decision II acceptance.

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Choosing Your Areas of Interest

For these “how to apply EDII” posts we don’t usually go into how to fill out one of the simplest areas of the college-specific supplement: what you want to study. For the University of Chicago, though, it’s worth digging in. This is because the university is deeply interested in the link between what you want to study and how you are currently pursuing those interests beyond the standard classroom offerings.

The university lets you list three interests. You can absolutely list three things, and you must list more than one, but two may be your sweet spot — and this is why. Nothing on this application is gratuitous or a throw-away. Listing an interest that doesn’t immediately click for the application reader is a problem. If they don’t see your interests expressed through what you do now, that is a big problem. So, you may want to learn German, but you shouldn’t include that as an interest if you aren’t already studying it. On the other side of the spectrum, you could list Democracy Studies despite not having taken a class in government if you had a political internship or write about politics for your school paper and highlight that in the application, or something else like that.

So, to underline our point, you should list at least two interests, but only include three if you have three to list that will make sense to the application readers given how you spend your time now.  

Supplement

The University of Chicago supplement is a thing — and we say that with a head tilt and a bit of an eye roll. It can be a ton of fun if you enjoy strange questions and challenging prompts, but it can also feel pretty painful if you’re rushing to complete an application. This is a great reason to start the University of Chicago supplement as early as you can, and to give yourself plenty of time for editing and feedback. Now onto how to write it.  

This is the preface to the prompt options for the first supplemental essay:

Choose one of the six extended essay options below and upload a one- or two-page response. Please include the prompt at the top of the page. Past extended essay prompts can be found .

We’re about to break down each of the six options, but let’s just make sure that the parameters are clear. There are six options, one of which opens the door to tons of other options (this is a door we recommend keeping closed). In response to the option you pick, you’ll write a 1-2 page essay response that is submitted as an uploaded document. Yes, you could technically submit as many pages as you want — but do not do that. Yes, you could technically squeeze as many words as you can onto two pages through tiny font and narrow margins — but do not do that. They will not interpret your avoidance of the parameters as inventiveness or creativity. They will see it for what it is. Namely, trying to get around the rules, which could be interpreted as you believing that you are better than their rules. That’s a bad taste to leave in their mouth, so don’t do it.

Now, the prompts:

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

This one is really fun, but it relies on preexisting knowledge (or access to knowledge outside of Google-ing) that you may not have. The problem with searching the internet for a “color-infused expression” is that a ton of other applicants will be doing that, too, which means it’s likely that there will be a surge of essays with the same inspiration. This isn’t great, so we recommend avoiding falling into that bucket of applicants.

To determine if this prompt is a real option for you, wrack your brain and maybe ask your family for inspiration. And remember, you’re popping a new color into an old expression. It’s “caught purple-handed,” not “caught red-handed.”  If nothing pops up, move on. If something does come up that you are excited about, it means this supplement is an option — but not necessarily that it’s your best option.

If you do decide to write in response to this prompt, keep in mind that you need to do more than just what they ask for. If you simply answer the prompt, you’ll come up with a new playful phrase and tell them what it means. But a strong University of Chicago essay doesn’t tell, it shows. So, you actually need to write a story that addresses the prompt through narrative. If a way of doing this doesn’t pop out for you, let’s move onto the next option.  

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

This prompt gets us excited. Truly. It offers an opportunity to both tell a story and speak towards the future. If you want to write to this prompt, we recommend with starting with either an experience where you had to act older than your age, or an experience where you were empowered to be young and playful and felt connected to your inner child. It could also be a story about an educator who inspired you early in your schooling by doing something creative to connect with the kids they were teaching.

For example, in 4th grade Mr. Carpenter would dip behind a blackboard, put on a lab coat and those silly glasses with a nose and mustache attached, and take on a whole different persona as a comical, Bill Nye-esque science teacher. He was decades older than his students, but was confident embracing his inner child to connect with those in his class. For his students, this experience was transformational, and influenced them far beyond 4th grade.

Now, you University of Chicago essay shouldn’t focus entirely on something that happened years ago, but a story like this (which is true, by the way) should serve as the jumping off point for an essay that digs into what it means to be young and ways that ‘thinking young’, or even ‘acting young’ can further your educational experience and growth.

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

This is another really interesting prompt, but we treat it as fairly self-selecting. If you aren’t immediately drawn to it, it isn’t a good option for you. The University of Chicago gives you so many options that there is little reason to force a supplement to work for you. Instead, pick your most perfect fit.

If you think this prompt could be your perfect fit, aim to focus on a grouping (and the odd one out) that connects to something you want to emphasize in your application that isn’t already included. For example, maybe there is something that is a strong central focus in your academic pursuits, but that you haven’t mentioned otherwise in your application. Or maybe it’s something extracurricular that you’ve made a major priority, and you want the application readers to know that. Whatever the ‘thing’, use it as the central message of your supplemental essay rather than spending the whole time debating over or arguing for your grouping. The grouping should make sense, and simply serve as a way into your story.

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

It’s interesting how many of the prompts this year are focused on language, and this prompt is another example of that. We don’t love this prompt, though, unless (and you may notice that this is a theme) you have an idea that immediately pops into your mind.

For example, if there is an old-school phrase a person you care for deeply uses that may be a great way into a story about a relationship that has shaped you. It’s important, though, that this supplement doesn’t become an essay about someone else. When you write about a person who is important to you, it’s easy for you to get lost in the mix. That is sort of the worst case scenario because, while the essay may be amazing, it won’t serve the purpose you need if you want to get into the University of Chicago.

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

If you are a prospective STEM major, this prompt may feel like your perfect fit. We challenge you, though, to work against impulse. If you’re a math or science person, pick a different prompt that challenges you to tap into your humanities mind. If you are a humanities person, consider challenging yourself with this prompt. By showing a different side of your brain, you can illustrate for the University of Chicago that the type of creative and lateral thinking that comes naturally to you.

But what estimation problem to propose? Find inspiration from the things that you care about. Don’t propose something just because you think it’s clever. Much better to have a less clever question on its face, but that is truly connected to who you are, than to have a super snazzy question that falls flat because it isn’t deeply related to who you are.

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!

Now, this is the question to avoid unless you absolutely must. Why? Because there are so many prompts that you could pick, and they get really wild and weird, and that is honestly overwhelming. But if you want to dig around to find your perfect prompt, go for it and be brave!

Then, the University of Chicago has one more question:  

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. 

• Word count? None.

• Page limit? None.

• Is that frustrating? Yes.

We recommend treating this as a classic “Why Us?” essay with some wiggle room for additional creativity. When working with students, we keep the response to a single page, size 12 font, standard margins, and there’s a lot you can do on that page.

Start with a story that introduces something important to you regarding learning and/or community that is connected to why you want to go to the University of Chicago. This may sound a little vague, so let’s give an example. Maybe you want to study a science, and you love lab work. You could start this essay with a paragraph-long story about a specific experience doing a lab-based project.

Then you’ll share what you want to study, and why, specifically referencing things at the university that connect to that lab, research, and maybe collaborative learning interest. This could include classes, research programs, professors, clubs, or even study abroad or summer programs. The key is to be specific, and to make it really clear that you know the university and how you’d use the resources they offer to reach your educational and personal goals while contributing back to their community.  

Close the supplement by clearly stating that (and why) the University of Chicago is your best fit.

Applying to the University of Chicago is an experience in and of itself. It can be equal parts overwhelming and illuminating, and giving yourself time to go through the roller coaster of emotions this applicant can incite is important.

If you’re running out of time and aren’t sure how to get the University of Chicago application done in time, we can help. Email us to learn more.