From the course: College Prep: Writing a Strong Essay

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Unusual essay prompts or supplements

Unusual essay prompts or supplements

From the course: College Prep: Writing a Strong Essay

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Unusual essay prompts or supplements

- [Narrator] Most college application essays fit a fairly standard mold, challenges, formative experiences, obstacles overcome, or justifications of interest. But what if you're asked to write in response to one that is completely outside the normal range? The University of Chicago has a reputation for its unconventional essay prompts. As they explain on their website, students can approach these prompts with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between. The Chicago Admissions Office actually gets some of its prompts from current and newly admitted students. They choose at least one or two out of the hundreds of responses they receive. Take this one for example, inspired by Raphael Hallerman from the class of 2020. "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." This trend of…

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