sat essay illinois 2022

Freshman Admission Requirements

Our commitment to individual attention reaches beyond the classroom into the admissions process. To determine your academic preparedness and fit, all elements of your application will be reviewed carefully by a University professional.

Highest admission priority will be granted to students with the strongest academic records.

What Admissions Considers

• High school courses completed
• Grade point average
• SAT/ACT scores and subscores (if submitted)
• Optional academic personal statement

Academic Completion

You are required to complete a core high school curriculum that includes :

• Emphasizing written and oral communications and literature
• Mathematics - 6 semesters
•  We encourage college readiness courses like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, or fundamentals of computer programming.
• Emphasizing natural science or agricultural science
• Emphasizing history and government
• Any combination of four semesters of a language and/or fine arts, including art or music.

Grade Point Average

You’ll be required to submit a self-reported grade point average.

The middle 50% range for fall 2024 admitted freshmen was 3.3 – 4.0.

Academic Personal Statement

All applicants are welcome to submit a personal statement for review, though it is not required to complete your application. This statement may be considered along with other application materials to determine eligibility for admission. If you opt not to submit a statement and further review is needed to make an admission decision, we will request a personal statement from you at that time.

If you would like to submit a personal statement, your submission should be approximately 500 words in length and address the contributions you are prepared to make to our community, both academically and otherwise. Specifically, your statement should:

• Identify any circumstances that affected your high school academic performance, if applicable
• Make clear your commitment to academic success in college, acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses and your plans to utilize available resources
• Articulate your readiness to engage productively in our campus community outside the classroom

Standardized Test Scores

You are not required to submit a standardized test score as part of your application for admission.

You will still have the option to submit an SAT or ACT score—and if you were to do so, it could not affect your standing negatively.

Applicants who opt not to include an SAT or ACT score will be required to submit a high school transcript in order to complete their application for admission. For students whose application requires further review, additional information such as an academic personal statement may be requested.

Which Colleges Require SAT Essay in 2022-2023?

If you’re wondering which colleges require sat essay in 2022-2023, this guide has all you need to know — including how to decide whether to take the essay..

Updated by TCM Staff on 3rd September 2022

3rd September 2022

College Board has recently made major changes to the SAT essay that can affect your application

If there’s one thing that many college applicants tend to feel intimidated by, it’s the need to do well in standardized tests like the SAT. Although fewer colleges and universities continue to require the submission of standardized test scores, many still do require them. And if doing well in the SAT wasn’t stressful enough, some colleges also require the SAT essay — so there’s an additional bit of pressure to do well in that, too. If you’re one of the thousands of applicants wondering which colleges require SAT essay scores to be submitted, this comprehensive guide is for you.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a centralized examination that evaluates examinees on four grounds: critical reading, writing, mathematics, and the optional SAT essay. 

However, College Board announced in January 2021 that it would stop offering the SAT essay effective immediately. This means that no more colleges require you to take the SAT with an essay.

Read on to find out everything you need to know, including what the SAT essay is, how it is scored, what schools require the SAT essay, and more information about the news from College Board.

What is the SAT Essay?

The SAT Essay is a supplementary segment of the centralized Scholastic Aptitude Test. 

If you’ve heard about the SAT and the essay before, then you might be asking the question “is the essay required on the SAT?” The answer is simple. 

There was a time when an essay was a required portion of the test and everyone simply had to take it as part of sitting for their SATs. Because it was pretty much a required section of the SAT during that time, all colleges that required the SAT also required the SAT essay.

The essay evaluates the candidate’s comprehensive, writing, and time management skills. An argumentative passage is laid out for the applicant to study, analyze, and summarize. College Board usually assembled sample  SAT essay prompts for assistance. During the essay, examinees are allotted 50 minutes to read the prompt, analyze it, and write their responses in essay form.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that College Board made the essay optional in 2016. For this reason, many colleges and universities began dropping it from their application requirements. Even then, many colleges and universities continued to require the essay or at least recommend students to take it and submit their scores alongside their application.

Editor’s note: College Board has made a big announcement in 2021 that renders this information invalid. See their announcement below.

How is the SAT Essay Scored?

To understand how the SAT essay is scored, we must first take a closer look at the essay itself.

Every SAT Essay is comprised of a passage around 650-750 words long. You are given 50 minutes to read, analyze, and then respond to this prompt. The primary purpose of these essays is the assessment of your analysis skills. Strong essays focus on how you use evidence and reasoning alongside any other rhetorical techniques in building your convincing argument.

Essays are the same in every test. The only thing that will change is the passage or prompt you’ll be tasked to respond to.

Once you’ve completed your essay, two scorers will evaluate it. These scorers must assign a score between 1 to 4 in the three categories of reading, analysis, and writing. Once the scorers give you their ratings, scores are added up to give you a total between 2 and 8 for each of the three categories. But what do the scores mean?

• Reading - Graders will score you based on how well they think your essay showed your understanding of the passage and whether you used textual evidence to demonstrate this understanding.
• Analysis - Your score in this section is determined by how well you have analyzed the text. It also considers how you performed in explaining this analysis with reasoning, evidence, and other rhetorical techniques for persuasion.
• Writing - Your writing score is effectively based on how well you’ve used language. It takes into consideration factors such as how skillful you were in crafting responses, how clear your essay’s structure is, how clear your essay’s point or thesis is, and so on.

Do Ivy League Schools Require the SAT Essay?

It may seem surprising, but if you look at which colleges require the SAT essay, you may notice that most top schools do not make it a requirement. 

In recent years, no Ivy League schools have required applicants to submit their SAT scores with the essay. The same applies to other prestigious top-notch schools such as Caltech, Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, NYU, MIT, and more. 

Many liberal arts colleges also did not require or recommend you take the SAT with the essay.

However, it’s not just the essay that a good number of schools have been dropping as a requirement.

Many Schools Have Been Dropping the SAT Requirement

Many colleges and universities have begun dropping the standardized test requirement entirely, including some highly prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. These three institutions, among many others, have made SAT and ACT scores entirely optional in their application process. Submitting your scores will get them considered during these schools’ holistic admissions process, but your SAT scores will not put you at an advantage over others who have chosen not to submit theirs.

The trend of dropping standardized test scores as a requirement was noted even as early as 2018. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has accelerated this process and prompted plenty of other institutions to make their testing policies more lenient overall. This trend is welcomed by critics who have for a long time expressed how standardized testing might put underprivileged and underserved students at a disadvantage.

To compensate for dropping the standardized testing requirement, colleges and universities have instead started placing more weight on the other factors comprising a student’s application. For example, to test a student’s writing ability, colleges will look more closely at the applicant’s personal statement or their grades in subjects like English.

Editor’s note: It’s worth mentioning that some institutions, such as Harvard, have simply suspended the requirement for the coming years. However, there is no telling whether Harvard will actually reinstate this requirement after this suspension period.

College Board’s Massive Announcement in January 2021: No More SAT Essay

In a surprise announcement on January 2021, College Board stated that they are no longer offering SAT Subject Tests and the optional SAT essay. As such, both were discontinued effective immediately and were completely phased out from the SATs. Moving forward from that point, the SAT essay is no longer available — unless in circumstances outlined below.

Students from certain states may still be required to sit for the essays if it is a part of their SAT School Day administrations . 

Through SAT School Day administrations, College Board allows schools, districts, and states to offer their juniors and seniors an equalizing opportunity: sit for their SATs during a regular school day in their home school. 

Few states continue to require the essay during SAT School Day administrations. 

States that continue to require it in the academic year 2021 to 2022 include:

• New Hampshire

College Board advises that if you are scheduled to take your SATs on a school day, you should inquire with your school if the essay will be required.

Why Did College Board Discontinue the SAT Essay?

According to College Board in its FAQ , they chose to discontinue the SAT essay simply because they are adapting to students’ and colleges’ changing needs. College Board believes that discontinuing the essay allows for the streamlining of the entire process, especially for students who have more relevant methods or opportunities to show their reading, analysis, and writing skills.

College Board states that despite this discontinuation, they will continue measuring students’ writing and editing skills in other ways. An example would be the tasks on the SAT’s reading, writing, and language sections. If you wish to demonstrate your skills in reading, analysis, and writing, it may benefit you to prepare better for the pertinent SAT sections.

Should I Take the SAT Essay? How to Decide

At this point, you are no longer given the decision of whether to take the SAT essay or not. Unfortunately, since the essay has been entirely discontinued, you will not be able to sit for it anywhere. The exception, of course, is if the essay is included as part of your SAT School Day administration. And again, if the essay is included, you are simply required to take it, with no option to avoid it.

For this reason, if you are scheduled to take your SAT on a school day, you may want to check with your school guidance office and find out whether the essay will be required. Doing so well ahead of time can help you prepare well for the SAT essays so you can up your chances of getting a good score.

Which Colleges Require SAT Essay in 2022?

After all that news, you may still be wondering “which universities require SAT essay?”

In light of College Board’s huge announcement in January 2021 that eliminated SAT subject tests and essays entirely, it is no longer possible to take the SAT essay unless in certain circumstances. It is for this reason that no more colleges or universities require students to take the SAT essays .

However, if you do take the essay, you can continue to submit your scores alongside your application. Admissions officers may choose to consider your essay scores along with the rest of your application, though the choice to do so is almost always up to their discretion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do any colleges require sat with essay.

There was a time that there were indeed colleges and universities that required applicants to submit their SAT scores with an essay. However, since January 2021, College Board no longer offers the SAT essay. If you’re wondering about colleges requiring SAT essay, as of today there are no longer any.

Is the SAT essay still required?

If you’re wondering what colleges require the SAT essay, the answer is none. In January 2021, College Board discontinued SAT subject tests and the otional SAT essay, which means no more schools require it.

Does UCLA require SAT with essay?

UCLA was previously one of the schools that require SAT essay from their applicants. However, this is no longer the case since the essays have been completely discontinued.

Is SAT essay required for Harvard?

For the past couple of years, Harvard has suspended its requirement for standardized tests like the SAT or ACT in their applications to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. Harvard has pushed this suspension to the 2026 application cycle. Harvard no longer requires the SAT essay either, but if you have managed to take it you can still submit your scores for consideration .

Does SAT essay affect your score?

Since the SAT essay became optional, it no longer affects your overall SAT score. Essay scores are shown separately on your report. Note that the optional essay has been discontinued since January of 2021, and you can only take the essay under rare special circumstances discussed in the article above.

If you’re in the middle of preparing your applications for your dream schools, it only makes sense to wonder which colleges require SAT essay. Only a year or so ago, there would’ve been a big list of colleges that require the SAT essay, despite it being an optional section of the standardized test. 

However, since College Board discontinued SAT subject tests and the optional essay in January of 2021, there are no longer any colleges requiring you to submit your essay scores with your application.  

If you have managed to take the essay, you may still be able to submit your scores for consideration. Good luck!

Taking the SATs soon? Find out when you’ll get your SAT results .

Blogs you might be interested in

• How to get a perfect score on the SAT Essay?
• Can messy handwriting affect your SAT scores?
• Tips to boost your score on the SAT-Reading
• Strategies to improve your SAT Writing score

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Requirements for Admission

What are University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and build a strong application.

School location: Champaign, IL

This school is also known as: UIUC

Admissions Rate: 43.7%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is 43.7% . For every 100 applicants, 44 are admitted.

This means the school is moderately selective . The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don't, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies . We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.94

The average GPA at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is 3.94 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. This school did not officially report its average GPA, but we've estimated it here using data from over 1,000 schools.)

With a GPA of 3.94, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign requires you to be at the top of your class . You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.94, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate . This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1410

The average SAT score composite at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a 1410 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Strongly Competitive for SAT test scores.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1350, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1510. In other words, a 1350 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1510 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Section."

This is also known as "superscoring." This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all SAT test dates you submit .

Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.

For example, say you submit the following 3 test scores:

Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 1000 to 1400 in this example.

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT superscore is currently below a 1410, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it . You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.

Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 31

The average ACT score at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is 31. This score makes University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Strongly Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 30, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 34.

Even though University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 30 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 31 and above that a 30 will look academically weak.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 31 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 31.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require or recommend it.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission . Scoring a 1510 SAT or a 34 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. Because the school admits 43.7% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.

If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter. You still need to meet the rest of the application requirements, and your GPA shouldn't be too far off from the school average of 3.94. But you won't need dazzling extracurriculars and breathtaking letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.

But if your score is a 1350 SAT or a 30 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program . We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:

• PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses . You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
• We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
• Our team is made of national SAT/ACT experts . PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers . You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
• We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers .

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program , or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign here.

Application Requirements Overview

• Common Application Not accepted
• Electronic Application Available
• Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
• Letters of Recommendation Not considered
• Interview Not required
• Application Fee $50
• Fee Waiver Available? Available
• Other Notes audition or portfolio

Testing Requirements

• SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
• Scores Due in Office July 1

Coursework Requirements

• Subject Required Years
• Foreign Language 2
• Social Studies 2
• Electives 2

Deadlines and Early Admissions

• Offered? Deadline Notification
• Yes January 5 March 1
• Yes November 1 January 26

Admissions Office Information

• Address: 601 Champaign, IL 61820
• Phone: (217) 333-1000
• Fax: (217) 244-7278

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.

1920 SAT Score Standings

Here's how you compare to other students and how many colleges you are competitive for:

Out of the 1.67 million test-takers, 181974 scored the same or higher than you.

You can apply to 1213 colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.

If you apply to these schools, with this score, you have a very low chance of getting in.

Top Choice Colleges Chances

We've collected data from millions of students and thousands of colleges to figure out your chances at getting admitted with a 1920 SAT score. You'll also see how your chances improve with a higher SAT score.

To add a school to your list, type in part of the school name, choose from the dropdown, and click the button.

• be competitive for 67 more schools in the country
• raise your chances of getting into target schools from 64.15% to 67.69%

Check Out a Different Score

Curious about what your profile is with a different score? Choose any score from the entire SAT score range to see what you'd be able to do!

If You Liked Our Advice...

Our experts have written hundreds of useful articles on improving your SAT score and getting into college. You'll definitely find something useful here.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get FREE strategies and guides sent to your email. Learn how to ace the SAT with exclusive tips and insights that we share with our private newsletter subscribers.

You should definitely follow us on social media . You'll get updates on our latest articles right on your feed. Follow us on all of our social networks:

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

SAT Essay Prompts: The Complete List

SAT Writing , SAT Essay

On every SAT Essay, you'll have to read an argument meant to persuade a broad audience and discuss how well the author argues his or her point. The passage you'll have to read will change from test to test, but you'll always need to analyze the author's argument and write a coherent and organized essay explaining this analysis.

In this article, we've compiled a list of the 14 real SAT essay prompts that the College Board has released (either in The Official SAT Study Guide or separately online) for the new SAT. This is the most comprehensive set of new SAT essay prompts online today.

At the end of this article, we'll also guide you through how to get the most out of these prompts and link to our expert resources on acing the SAT essay. I'll discuss how the SAT essay prompts are valuable not just because they give you a chance to write a practice essay, but because of what they reveal about the essay task itself.

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});.

In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

SAT essay prompts always keep to the same basic format. Not only is the prompt format consistent from test to test, but what you're actually asked to do (discuss how an author builds an argument) also remains the same across different test administrations.

The College Board's predictability with SAT essay helps students focus on preparing for the actual analytical task, rather than having to think up stuff on their feet. Every time, before the passage, you'll see the following:

• evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
• reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
• stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

And after the passage, you'll see this:

"Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his] audience that [whatever the author is trying to argue for]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.

Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author]'s claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his/their] audience."

Now that you know the format, let's look at the SAT essay prompts list.

14 Official SAT Essay Prompts

The College Board has released a limited number of prompts to help students prep for the essay. We've gathered them for you here, all in one place. We'll be sure to update this article as more prompts are released for practice and/or as more tests are released.

SPOILER ALERT : Since these are the only essay prompts that have been released so far, you may want to be cautious about spoiling them for yourself, particularly if you are planning on taking practice tests under real conditions . This is why I've organized the prompts by the 10 that are in the practice tests (so you can avoid them if need be), the ones that are available online as sample prompts, and the ones that are in the text of the Official SAT Study Guide (Redesigned SAT), all online for free.

Practice Test Prompts

These 10 prompts are taken from the practice tests that the College Board has released.

Practice Test 1 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry."

Practice Test 2 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust."

Practice Test 3 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology."

Practice Test 4 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved."

Practice Test 5 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-conditioning."

Practice Test 6 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Christopher Hitchens builds an argument to persuade his audience that the original Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece."

Practice Test 7 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Zadie Smith builds an argument to persuade her audience that public libraries are important and should remain open"

Practice Test 8 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Bobby Braun builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to invest in NASA."

Practice Test 9 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Todd Davidson builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to fund national parks."

Practice Test 10 :

"Write an essay in which you explain how Richard Schiffman builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to work fewer hours."

Special note: The prompt for Practice Test 4 also appears on the College Board's site with real sample essays written in response. If you've written a practice essay for practice test 4 and want to see what essays of different score levels look like for that particular prompt, you can go there and look at eight real student essays.

Free Online Practice

This prompt comes from the College Board website .

"Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society."

This prompt comes from Khan Academy , where it is listed as an alternate essay prompt to go along with Practice Test 2:

"Write an essay in which you explain how Leo W. Gerard builds an argument to persuade his audience that American colleges and universities should be affordable for all students."

The Official SAT Study Guide 2020

The Official SAT Study Guide (editions published in 2015 and later available online for free) contains all 10 of the previously mentioned practice tests at the end of the book. In the section about the new SAT essay , however, there are two additional sample essay prompts (accompanied by articles to analyze).

Sample Prompt 1:

"Write an essay in which you explain how Peter S. Goodman builds an argument to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States."

Sample Prompt 2:

"Write an essay in which you explain how Adam B. Summers builds an argument to persuade his audience that plastic shopping bags should not be banned."

How Do You Get the Most Out of These Prompts?

Now that you have all the prompts released by the College Board, it's important to know the best way to use them. Make sure you have a good balance between quality and quantity, and don't burn through all 14 of the real prompts in a row— take the time to learn from your experiences writing the practice essays.

Step By Step Guide on How to Practice Using the Article

#1: Understand how the SAT essay is graded .

#2: Follow along as we write a high-scoring SAT essay, step by step .

#3: Plan a set of features you'll look for in the SAT essay readings and practice writing about them fluidly. This doesn't just mean identifying a technique, like asking a rhetorical question, but explaining why it is persuasive and what effect it has on the reader in the context of a particular topic. We have more information on this step in our article about 6 SAT persuasive devices you can use .

#4: Choose a prompt at random from above, or choose a topic that you think is going to be hard for you to detach from (because you'll want to write about the topic, rather than the argument) set timer to 50 minutes and write the essay. No extra time allowed!

#5: Grade the essay, using the official essay rubric to give yourself a score out of 8 in the reading, analysis, and writing sections.

#6: Repeat steps 4 and 5. Choose the prompts you think will be the hardest for you so that you can so that you're prepared for the worst when the test day comes

#7: If you run out of official prompts to practice with, use the official prompts as models to find examples of other articles you could write about . Start by looking for op-ed articles in online news publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, LA Times , and so on. For instance, the passage about the plastic bag ban in California (Official SAT Study Guide sample essay prompt 2, above) has a counterpoint here —you could try analyzing and writing about that article as well.

Any additional articles you use for practice on the SAT essay must match the following criteria:

• ideally 650-750 words , although it'll be difficult to find an op-ed piece that's naturally that short. Try to aim for nothing longer than 2000 words, though, or the scope of the article is likely to be wider than anything you'll encounter on the SAT.
• always argumentative/persuasive . The author (or authors) is trying to get readers to agree with a claim or idea being put forward.
• always intended for a wide audience . All the information you need to deconstruct the persuasiveness of the argument is in the passage. This means that articles with a lot of technical jargon that's not explained in the article are not realistic passage to practice with.

What's Next?

We've written a ton of helpful resources on the SAT essay. I f you're just getting started, we recommend beginning with our top SAT essay tips for a quick overview of the essay task and what you need to know.

A little more familiar with the SAT essay but still not quite sure how to write one? Follow along with our step-by-step guide to writing the SAT essay .

Looking to earn a high score? Learn what it takes to get the highest score possible on the SAT essay here .

Plus, if you want a reference linking you to all of our great articles on the SAT essay, be sure to check out our ultimate SAT essay guide .

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

First-Year Requirements

• Undergraduate
• Requirements & Deadlines
• You are here

Did you know?

First-Year Applicants

First-year applicants are currently enrolled in high school, or have not attended college since graduation. If that doesn’t apply to you, select a new application type .

Application Pathways

UIC has two main pathways for first-year admission. Each pathway to admission has its own advantage. Be mindful of requirements and dates when choosing the one that’s right for you.

Learn more about application plans.

Here’s what you need to apply

All first-year applicants must meet these requirements to complete an application.

• Complete the Common Application online, including the specific questions and essays for UIC under the "My Colleges" tab. See  application tips for details.
• Submit the $60 nonrefundable application fee or fee waiver.*
• Send official high school transcripts.
• Optional: Send ACT or SAT scores (S ee our test optional FAQ ) . Please note, if you choose to submit a score ("Test Inclusive"), you must provide a score report. We do not accept self-reported scores. We will accept scores if listed on the high school transcript, or an unofficial test report with identifying information (name, test date). We do not accept "super scores." To get a copy of your SAT score, you can visit this link.

*Fee waivers are only accepted for domestic applications. We do not offer application fee waivers for international students at this time.

Learn more about credential submission.

What we review

Factors for admission.

UIC admissions counselors review your application for academic preparedness and potential contribution to the UIC community. Here’s what we’re reviewing on your application. 

• Course selection and rigor (see our recommendations below ) 
• Grade point average (see our admitted student profile below )
• Quality of writing
• Demonstration of academic interest
• Identification of any current circumstances that contributed to your high school performance
• ​ Each College within the University has its own criteria when selecting applicants for admission. For example, STEM-related fields (i.e. engineering, computer science, biological sciences, and pre-health majors) may have different expectations for performance in high school math and science while other majors may emphasize strong grades in english. If applying for a STEM major, we strongly recommend taking four years of math and science in high school.
• ​ ACT or SAT scores are not required for admission but will be reviewed if provided. 
• AP or IB scores are not required but will be reviewed if provided.

Planning pays off

Plan your high school coursework.

While not required for admission, completed coursework in the subject areas listed below can make prospective first-year applicants more competitive. 

Additional Tips

• Take advantage of honors, AP, or IB and other college preparatory courses offered at your high school. When reviewing course rigor, our review team takes into consideration the coursework available at your high school.  
• Submit letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors, or extracurricular activity supervisors.
• Submit the Common Application mid-year report when your first semester grades from senior year become available.

Admitted Student Profile

Middle 50 percent of the admitted fall 2023 first-year class.

The values listed below represent the middle 50 percent of students who were admitted to UIC last year. They are not cut-offs for admission. In fact, 25 percent of admitted students fell below these ranges and 25 percent above. 

• We offer a test-optional pathway for admission and about two-thirds of applicants chose to be reviewed without a test score. We have split the profile into a test-optional profile and a test-inclusive profile.
• We know that numbers don't tell us the whole story. Remember while reviewing these charts that we conduct a holistic review of your application based on multiple factors not represented in these charts. 

Test Optional Profile

Test inclusive profile, other requirements, additional requirements may apply:.

• An essay for each program submitted with the application.
• Two recommendations submitted through the Common Application or via mail.
• International applicants . Must meet the core first-year requirements as well as display evidence of English competency and financial certifications. See  Undergraduate International Admissions Requirements  for details. 
• a list of all subjects/courses attempted by year.
• grades and/or examination results received (both passing and failing).
• maximum and minimum grades obtainable.
• number of units earned.
• High school graduates who have never attended another college or university must submit evidence of graduation from an accredited high school or submit passing scores on the General Educational Development (GED) test.
• Applicants to performance programs.  An audition is required for admission to all performance degree applicants. For audition requirements for theatre programs, please visit the Theatre Department's Auditions webpage , for Music programs, please visit the Music Department's Auditions webpage . 

Related Resources

• Summer Session
• Honors College
• UIC Academic Calendar

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF THE UIC ANNUAL SECURITY AND FIRE SAFETY REPORT

The University of Illinois Chicago is pleased to share the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report with all prospective students. The report contains information regarding campus security and personal safety including topics such as: crime prevention, public safety authority, crime reporting policies, fire safety, disciplinary procedures, and fire statistics in UIC residential facilities and crime statistics for the three previous calendar years. The full text of this report is available online at ready.uic.edu . If you would like to receive a copy on paper, visit the Office of Preparedness & Response, located at 1140 South Paulina Street, Suite 109, Chicago, IL 60612.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

Undergraduate Admissions

Deadline Update: We want to ensure anyone applying for federal financial aid has enough time to make an informed decision regarding their college choice! For this reason, we're extending our enrollment decision deadline to May 15.

Requirements for First-Year Applicants

As you prepare, we want you to know the things we expect from our applicants. You may also want to take a look at our application process and how we review .

Course Rigor

Taking advanced classes can increase your chance of being accepted to Illinois, as tougher coursework proves you like a challenge and are willing to work hard. Taking rigorous coursework in subject areas related to your future major also demonstrates an interest and strong foundation in your future academic track. We want you to challenge yourself given what's available at your school, provided you can still be successful inside and outside of the classroom.

Coursework & Grades

Following are the kinds of courses you need to take while in high school and the number of years you need to take them. You should work to consistently make strong grades in these courses. One semester of a college course will equate to one year of high school coursework.

• English : 4 years required
• Math : 3 or 3.5 years required, 4 years recommended
• Social sciences : 2 years required, 4 years recommended
• Lab sciences : 2 years required, 4 years recommended
• Language other than English : 2 years required, 4 years recommended
• Flexible academic units : 2 years required, 4+ years recommended

View acceptable courses

Extracurriculars

When we review your application, we want to know what's important to you. The quality of your involvement outside the classroom is much more important than quantity. Take part in the activities you're passionate about and enjoy. We take notice when you demonstrate leadership skills and show long-term commitment to the things you love.

When we review your application, we want to know what’s important to you. The quality of your involvement outside the classroom is much more important than quantity. Take part in the activities you're passionate about and enjoy. We take notice when you demonstrate leadership skills and show long-term commitment to the things you love.

Related Experiences

If you know what major you want to pursue, seek out experiences and opportunities related to it now. Doing so will not only show your passion and motivation, but it will also help you get a feel for your potential field. If you don't know what you want to do yet, don't stress! This is your chance to explore any areas of interest you might have.

Test Scores

Act/sat (if provided).

We accept either the ACT or SAT, and we don't prefer one over the other. If you provide your scores, they will be used in our decision-making process, as well as for course placement and academic advising. They may also be a factor when it comes to scholarship and aid decisions. For the middle 50% score range, view our class profile .

• ACT test dates
• SAT test dates

TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo English Test

A TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test score may be required or strongly recommended to demonstrate a command of the English language.

Want more info?

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the University of Chicago Essays 2024-2025

The University of Chicago is famous for its unconventional supplemental essay prompts, and this year is no exception. While there is one traditional prompt that asks you to write about your interest in UChicago, the star of your essay package will be your response to one of six incredibly outside-the-box prompts (with the sixth being a choose your own adventure).

Because the brainstorming you’ve done for all your other college essays is unlikely to help much here, you want to make sure you leave yourself extra time to really give these prompts the attention they require. One thing you’ll quickly realize is there’s no way to “brute force” your answer—you just need to be patient and let your ideas develop.

In this post, we’ll break down each prompt for you, so that, while you’ll still have to harness your own creativity, you can be confident in your overall approach.

Read these UChicago essay examples written by real students to inspire your own writing!

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.

Strategies can include vivid (and we 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!

UChicago Supplemental Essay Prompts

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 own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

Prompt 2:  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 on our website .

Option A: 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

Option B: “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

Option C: 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

Option D: “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

Option E: 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

Option F: 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!

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 pressure’s on to be unique here, since EVERY SINGLE APPLICANT to UChicago will be answering this required “Why School?” 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, Option A

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 .

Brainstorming Your Topic

Like many of UChicago’s prompts, while the topic here is incredibly quirky, you actually do have a clear anchor for your brainstorming: expressions that include a color. To start your brainstorming, you’ll want to generate a list of such expressions, but to do so, we’d advise against just sitting there and wracking your brain.

Instead, you’ll likely find that trying to think of these expressions using context will be more productive. For example, think about whether there are any phrases you use often that could work. Maybe you’ve described yourself as a black sheep before, or when you talk about your best friend, you say they have a heart of gold.

Or, just glance around wherever you’re sitting, and see if anything inspires you. Maybe your mom’s Halloween decorations remind you of “white as a ghost.” Or the nice china that’s out for your dad’s birthday makes you think of being “born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”

The main thing is to just give yourself time, and jot down any potential options as they come to you. If you think of something during soccer practice, make a note to yourself on your phone during your next water break, and add it to your running list later. Don’t count on remembering something the next day–there’s no guarantee it’ll stick in your brain, no matter how brilliant it is!

Try to come up with 5-10 possibilities. You can have more if you want (although at a certain point continuing to brainstorm likely won’t be particularly productive), but you don’t want to have fewer. If you only have two to choose from, you might find that neither is strong enough to support a whole essay.

Once you have those possibilities, think about which ones speak to you the most, and then think of how you’d want to revise them, and which revised versions are most compelling. Which new color you choose, and why, is entirely up to you–maybe you just want to swap in your favorite color, or maybe you think first of what you want your new expression to mean, and work from there. 

Either way, remember that you shouldn’t be afraid to get creative! If you want to talk about being a periwinkle sheep, or having a heart of vermillion, you can do so. Just make sure you’ll be able to show that you have a reason for choosing such an unusual, specific color–you don’t want to seem like you just cracked open the thesaurus for fun.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Once you’ve chosen your “new hue,” your focus should shift to the second half of the prompt: what it represents, as that’s what you’re going to spend your essay explaining. There are two main things you want to keep in mind as you write:

Creativity 

You’re probably already sick of hearing this tip, but UChicago wouldn’t ask such unusual questions if they wanted ordinary responses. So, don’t have your new hue represent the same thing but with a different color swapped in. For example, being a periwinkle sheep shouldn’t just mean you’re the most whimsical person in a group. 

Rather, try to show off your ability to put your own spin on something. Being a periwinkle sheep could instead mean that you have a lot of friends, but also a strong sense of your own identity–periwinkle is close enough to white that such a sheep could fit in, but also distinct enough that it will be noticeably different from the rest of the flock.

Your Own Personality

As unconventional as UChicago’s prompts are, ultimately your goal is the same as in any other college essay–you want to teach admissions officers about who you are, and why you’d be an asset to their campus community. So, your explanation of your new hue should connect to your own life, not just talk about the expression you’ve created in an academic sense.

For example, maybe you use the idea of a periwinkle sheep to explain how you’ve struggled to find your own identity in high school, and often latched on to different hobbies or friend groups, but since you discovered how much you love cooking, you feel much more grounded.

The connection doesn’t have to be this direct–you can still demonstrate who you are even if you wouldn’t use your new expression to describe yourself. As an alternative, you could draw a comparison between being a periwinkle sheep and doing puzzles, one of your favorite hobbies, by explaining how in a periwinkle sheep, like in a puzzle, you can simultaneously see all the different pieces of who they are and the full picture. You could then talk about some of your favorite puzzles over the years, and what you learned about yourself from assembling them.

However direct or indirect your approach is, make sure that you incorporate plenty of specific anecdotes and experiences from your own life. In other words, show, don’t tell. Just stating that you struggled to find your identity doesn’t teach admissions officers much, because that’s true of many people in high school. Instead, describe some of the specific things you latched onto while trying to find yourself, and reflect on how you felt about them at the time, whether positive or negative, and how you’ve grown since then.

Prompt 2, Option B

“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 is the most open-ended of UChicago’s prompts this year, so if you’re a philosopher at heart, this could be the prompt for you! If, however, you want a little more structure to guide your thinking, you’ll likely want to choose one of the other options, which do more to provide you with a specific (if unconventional) topic.

If you do decide to tackle this one, you’ll want to start your brainstorming by asking yourself some broad questions, which will hopefully eventually lead you to a more focused idea that you can structure your essay around. For example:

• What do you associate with youth?
• What do you associate with growing older?
• Reflect on your own life: when you compare your childhood to today, how has the way you view the world changed or stayed the same?
• What are your goals for the future, and how do you see lessons from your past helping you achieve them?

Once you’re thinking generally about youth and aging, start trying to generate a list of memories or experiences you’ve had that reflect your thoughts about this topic. Grounding your ideas in specific examples will ensure that admissions officers can easily understand what you’re trying to say. 

Remember, they aren’t reading this essay by the fire at home–they’re reading dozens of essays a day. If there are any points they don’t immediately understand, they don’t have time to reflect on them, even if they’d like to, because they have so many applications to get through. So, clarity is absolutely essential.

For example, maybe you want to write about living in the moment. You might reflect on the happy summer afternoons you spent at your local playground as a kid, and how you could always find something to do. You could then think about how that connects to recent efforts you’ve made to spend less time on your phone, to encourage yourself to instead do things like play with your family dog, or help your parents with cooking dinner, that you won’t be able to do once you go to college.

This is the kind of prompt where brainstorming is more than half the battle. Before you actually start writing, make sure you have a comprehensive outline that includes your overarching point, examples that illustrate that point, and the connections between these examples.

The connections in particular are key. Since the topic of this essay is so abstract, you want to make sure that you concretely connect each anecdote to the next. If you leave the connections up to your reader, they might not have time to make them on their own, and even if they do, there’s no guarantee they fit the different pieces together correctly.

Additionally, do keep in mind that this is still a college essay, which should demonstrate who you are, and in particular your readiness for this next step in your educational journey. Since this prompt is centered around your thoughts on quite a personal topic, making the connection between your ideas on that topic and your identity as a whole should be easier than with some of the other options. 

Still, you want to make sure that your readers–who, remember, are complete strangers with only a small amount of background context on you from your common app info session–will be able to identify key personality traits from your essay that will help distinguish you from other applicants. You don’t want to just seem reflective, as all applicants who respond to this prompt will likely come across as reflective.

Instead, think of more distinctive traits that you pride yourself on in general, like your sense of humor, your love of giving thoughtful gifts, or your passion for ancient history. Choose 2-4–you don’t want to go overboard, as then your essay will be difficult to follow–and think about how you can incorporate those details into your essay. 

You can do so in big ways, by choosing anecdotes that clearly illustrate them, or small ones, like a quick line comparing something in your life to the Egyptian Empire. The key is just that, after finishing your essay, UChicago admissions officers will understand what makes you, you, not just what you think about aging.

Mistakes to Avoid

Again, this is the most philosophical prompt, so you’ll want to take care that your essay doesn’t accidentally become too academic. Your goal isn’t to provide a template for how people should live their lives, but to explain how your thoughts on aging reflect your intellect, curiosity, and overall potential as a UChicago student. 

If you’re unsure whether your essay is striking the right tone, asking friends, teachers, or family members to take a look is a great idea. Someone who doesn’t already know what you’re trying to say can usually give you a more objective sense of whether what you’re trying to communicate about yourself is coming across clearly.

Prompt 2, Option C

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 .

Like the first prompt, and unlike Option B, this option gives you narrow parameters for your brainstorming, which is both helpful, as you know what to focus on, and difficult, since those parameters are around a topic that you’ve likely never spent much time thinking about.

You’ll likely find that trying to think of unofficial members right off the bat will be challenging. Instead, start a step further back, with just groups. These could be sports teams, musical bands, groups of fictional characters, categories like the colors of the rainbow, or just about anything you can think of that refers to a well-defined set. 

Ideally, you’ll also have some personal interest in the groups you consider. If you think of the Rolling Stones because they’re your dad’s favorite band, but you don’t know anything about them, you’ll likely struggle to write an effective essay.

As you consider different groups, think about whether there’s an unofficial member. For a lot of groups, there might not be. But, as always with a UChicago essay, being creative is the whole point, so don’t discard any of your options without first thinking a little more deeply about them.

For example, maybe you’re thinking about ingredients, and your mind goes to s’mores. Even though most people probably wouldn’t think beyond the classic marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker, maybe your family has always included bananas, so that’s the “unofficial member” you want to write about. That totally works! If anything, other people not thinking of this idea is a positive–this is your essay, after all.

Your unofficial member can also be more obvious. Maybe you’re a huge Star Wars fan, and have always thought the main trio of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia should in fact be a main quartet, and include Chewbacca. This being a more widespread inclusion/exclusion debate shouldn’t scare you off. So long as you feel a genuine personal investment in Chewbacca’s inclusion in the group, you’ll be able to write an excellent essay on this topic.

One last thing to note is that the group, and unofficial member, you choose doesn’t have to be famous. UChicago says explicitly that they want you to tell them about the group, so it’s okay if they don’t have prior knowledge of it. You could even choose one from your personal life–for example, maybe one of your cats is a dog at heart, and always joins your two dogs on their romps in the backyard. 

While that kind of topic might seem mundane or silly, in reality extremely personal topics can often stand out the most, as there’s a much lower chance of anyone writing about something similar. Plus, the whole point of college essays is to give admissions officers a sense of who you are on a daily basis, beyond the numbers in your transcript and activities list, and an “ordinary” topic is often a natural way to provide that information.

Of course, there are countless ways to write a strong essay, so if you can’t think of a highly personal topic, don’t panic! Our point is just to not rule out such topics as you brainstorm, as they can often be highly effective.

Like with many UChicago prompts, there are two prongs here: laying out an unusual topic for you, and then telling you what to do with that topic. Here, your task is to explain whether or not your unofficial member should be included, and why. Do remember, though, that your overarching goal is, as always, to use your justification to demonstrate something about who you are, and why you would be an asset to the UChicago community.

If, say, you’re using the s’mores example above, your argument for inclusion shouldn’t be based on the natural flavor of the banana balancing the other, processed ingredients. Instead, think about how your opinion connects to your values, or other key features of your identity.

For example, maybe you compare each ingredient to one of your core personality traits. The graham cracker could be your resilience, the chocolate your empathy, the marshmallow your love of daydreaming, and the banana your love of the outdoors. You could then justify your position by explaining how all four things are necessary to create a full picture of who you are.

Alternatively, for the Star Wars example, maybe you write about how, as a kid, you had a hard time making friends, and seeing a band of heroes which included a creature of another species was inspiring for you. You could talk about how Chewbacca gave you confidence that you could find belonging without changing who you are, and then describe how you carved out a key role for yourself on your high school volleyball team, despite not being tall.

If these justifications seem too personal, that’s actually a good sign! The point of this essay isn’t to convince the whole world to put bananas on their s’mores–the point is to convince UChicago admissions officers to accept you. So, the more personal, the better.

Along those same lines, you want to make sure to incorporate plenty of specific anecdotes. Don’t just say “I found belonging on my volleyball team.” Instead, describe how, at tryouts, you felt your familiar insecurity, until one of the coaches, who also wasn’t tall, took a personal interest in you and encouraged you to concentrate on your passing, with the goal of becoming a defensive specialist who wouldn’t need to play at the net.

The more you can let admissions officers live your experiences alongside you, and witness your thoughts and feelings firsthand, the more invested they will be in your candidacy.

The biggest potential pitfall with this essay is choosing a group that isn’t clearly defined. Since your goal is to use your opinion on this matter to showcase who you are more generally, you don’t want to have to spend a whole bunch of space explaining what your group, and unofficial member, even is. Creativity is a plus, but shouldn’t come at the expense of being efficient with your words.

Prompt 2, Option D

“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 .

For the previous prompts, we’ve encouraged you to brainstorm your topic in an indirect way, because their focus is on such unusual things. For this prompt, however, just reflecting on your favorite slang expressions that have gone out of style will likely be effective, since slang by definition is something that you’re exposed to in everyday life.

You can also consider the following questions to further inspire you:

• Are there any books or movies from past generations that you enjoy? What kind of slang do they use?
• Are there any slang terms you’ve heard your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. use that you enjoy?
• Have you ever watched or read an interview with a celebrity from the past and enjoyed a slang expression they used?

Note that, while the examples listed are mainly from the 60s-80s, UChicago is allowing you to cast a broad net, over slang expressions from “any decade or language.” So, if there’s a term you remember from your childhood, that’s fair game! You could even go further back, to terms you may have heard in movies from the 1900s, or even further back than that, to terms that you may have read in, say, Shakespeare.

If you know any other languages, you can also draw on them, but do remember that the term you choose still needs to be outdated. If you learned the non-English language in school, rather than natively, you might not know much about past slang, but resist the temptation to look up terms just to write a standout essay. You’ll need to justify your desire to bring back this term, after all, which will be difficult to do if you don’t actually know anything about it.

Choosing a compelling slang term is key, but that’s just the first step to writing a strong essay. The bulk of your response will be dedicated to explaining “why you totally ‘dig it.’”

This explanation should go beyond just talking generally about liking the sound of the word, or feeling it picks out something distinctive that other words don’t quite capture. You can start there, but you should quickly get to making a connection between this word and your own personality. After all, the point of this essay isn’t to teach UChicago about a new piece of slang–it’s to teach them about you!

For example, say you choose the term “eighty-six,” which was used in the 1950s as a verb, which meant to throw someone out of a place. Maybe your elderly neighbor taught you this expression when you were helping him weed his garden as a kid, and you continued to weed together, “eighty-sixing” the invasive plants, all the way up until he passed away last year. You could talk about how he became a mentor for you during the time you spent with him in the garden, and 

The last thing you do want to make sure to do is actually answer the question, and explain why you want to bring this term back. Even if you tell a rich, captivating story, if you leave that element out, the essay will feel incomplete. You don’t have to spend a ton of space on it, but you do want to make sure your reasoning is connected to the story you’ve told. For the above example, a quick line in the conclusion would do the trick, along the lines of:

“By bringing ‘eighty-six’ back into common lingo, I hope that others find, like I did, that throwing something out can, paradoxically, lead to treasures boomeranging back to you: wisdom, connection, and a friend who I will remember for the rest of my life.”

You don’t necessarily have to have a preexisting personal connection to the term you choose, although that will streamline your writing process. But if you’re thoughtful about meaningful experiences you’ve had that could have some relation to your term, you can definitely use the essay itself to make that link.

For example, say you instead had heard the term “eighty-six” in a movie, and had looked up the definition, but hadn’t thought much more about it, even though you thought it was a fun expression. 

In this essay, perhaps you reflect on how your affinity for the term shouldn’t be surprising, as many of your favorite activities involve eighty-sixing: as a diver, you’re always throwing yourself off the board; as an older brother, you love picking up your much younger siblings and throwing them onto the bed; and a lifelong dream of yours is to go skydiving, which you have been trying to convince your parents to let you do for your 18th birthday.

This essay might conclude with something like: “When I one day convince people to start saying eighty-six again, perhaps it will be with a new connotation: not just throwing someone out of something, but also into something new, and potentially wonderful.”

One last note: while the bulk of your essay should be explaining the significance of the term, you still do need to introduce it and provide a definition. There are a lot of different ways you can do this effectively, but one thing you definitely don’t want to do is just say “The slang term I would bring back is [x], which means [y].” Such a dry approach is unlikely to do anything to grab admissions officers’ attention.

Instead, describe the moment when you first heard this term, or an experience you’ve had that illustrates its meaning. This kind of “in medias res” (Latin for “in the middle of things”) strategy does much more to immediately get admissions officers personally invested in your story and curious about your personal perspective, compared to a literal definition that they could find in any old textbook.

As always, creativity is of the essence. While the first terms that come to mind might be ones like “groovy” that are widely known as outdated, these likely won’t make as strong of an impression on admissions officers as ones that feel more distinct to you. As noted above, your ultimate goal is to use the term to illustrate something about yourself, and that will be easier if you choose a somewhat unique term.

Prompt 2, Option E

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.

Like Option D, as far as UChicago prompts go, this is one of the more straightforward ones to brainstorm for, as estimations are likely something you have occasionally wondered about in your regular life. Maybe you’ve often looked at your family’s pet parrot and wanted to know how many feathers she has, or you’re a soccer fan and you’d love to know how many miles Lionel Messi has run in games across his career.

One piece of advice that will help once you get to actually writing your essay is to brainstorm estimations that, like the examples above, have some connection to your personal life. As always, your goal is to use your quirky topic to shine light on some key aspects of your personality, and that will be much harder to do if your estimation doesn’t have anything to do with your interests or who you are. In other words, if you don’t like soccer, the Lionel Messi example probably won’t lead to a good essay.

One last thing to keep in mind: you can get creative with the actual thing you’re estimating. The examples given by the prompt include a “how long” question, not just “how many” ones. Some other things you could measure include:

• Weight: What is the total weight of all the kebab carts in New York City?
• Sound: How loud would every cat in the world purring simultaneously be?
• Speed: How fast would a cart being pulled by every horse in the world go?
• Price: How much would it cost to buy every item ever signed by Paul McCartney?

And don’t be afraid to even go beyond these suggestions!

Once you’ve chosen a Fermi estimation problem, your task is twofold: answer it, and explain how you did so. But remember (especially if you’re a STEM person), this is a college essay, not a math problem. So, your goal actually isn’t to provide an accurate estimate, but to “solve” the problem in a way that shows UChicago how you think, and proves you have ability to get creative.

Your answer doesn’t even have to be an actual number. For example, you could “answer” the cats purring question poetically, by comparing the sound to other things–quieter than dogs barking, but louder than footsteps in fresh snow. You could also take a humorous approach, and say that Lionel Messi must have run at least 3 miles in his career.

Of course, you are also welcome to take an honest stab at the estimation. The specific approach you take is not what matters–what matters is that, in providing your answer, you teach admissions officers something about yourself. They aren’t reading this essay to actually learn how many feathers a parrot is, but to learn how well you would fit into the UChicago campus community, so that is the question that should be at the forefront of your mind as you write your essay–your answer should draw on your own experiences and background, not parrot feather density and your estimate for how many square inches of skin your bird has.

For example, maybe in justifying your earnest estimate of 2,318 feathers on your parrot, you talk about the summer you spent volunteering at a local owl rescue center, where you learned owls have around 10,000 feathers. You then talk about the yearly trips you have taken to visit your family in Puerto Rico, and how the drastic difference in climate between where you’re from and the tropics, your parrot’s native home, makes you think he would have about ¼ as many feathers as an owl.

Or, for one of the unconventional approaches, maybe in talking about all the world’s cats purring simultaneously, you contrast the comfort you got from your cat purring on your chest every morning with the motivation you got from your barking dog, which was abrasive enough to jolt you out of bed. You could then talk about losing your cat one snowy winter night, and how even though you were both soaked and freezing by the time you found her, and came down with pneumonia the day after, there was a peace in your reunion unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.

The main thing you want to avoid with this prompt is forgetting to respond to some piece of it. Remember, you’ve been given three tasks:

• Create your own Fermi estimation problem
• Give it your best answer
• Show us how you got there

The thing you’re most likely to accidentally gloss over is giving your best answer to the problem. While “showing your work,” aka explaining your personal connection to this estimation problem, should absolutely be the main focus of your essay, and, as noted above, your answer doesn’t even have to be direct, you do want to make sure you provide an answer of some sort. Given how much thought UChicago puts into choosing their essay prompts, you never want to leave any element unaddressed. 

Prompt 2, Option F

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.

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 . 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.

If you need feedback even faster, you can get a free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts