loyola university chicago essay prompts

Cracking Loyola Medical School Admissions

• Cracking Med School Admissions Team

Hi premeds! This page serves as a high-yield resource for Loyola Medical School Admissions.

So you don’t get confused when you read this blog post and other online forums, the official name of the medical school is Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Other common names include “Loyola Chicago Medical School,” “Loyola Medical School,” “Loyola University Medical School,” “Stritch” and “Stritch School of Medicine.” 

The information from this page is a GOLDEN resource. We’ve compiled it from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine website, and most importantly, from Loyola med school students themselves! You’ll get an insider perspective about the curriculum & student life.

Loyola is directly West from heart of Chicago. The University is based on a Catholic Jesuit education and there is a common mentality of “man for others” and serving others around you.

Whether you’re comparing medical schools that you have been accepted to, preparing for an interview, or wanting to learn more about Loyola Chicago Medical School admissions, keep reading! If you have questions about Loyola Medical School admissions, contact us down below. 

Table of Contents

Why choose loyola chicago medical school.

The most common reasons we’ve heard from students:

• The medical school and university are grounded in strong values, as it is based on Jesuit education
• All faculty and students think about how to improve society and the communities around them
• Flexible 4th year curriculum
• Location near Chicago

Applications

the Loyola Medical School secondary application has multiple secondary essays and takes pre-meds a long time to complete. Since the essays have a 500 word limit (and a minimum of 100 words), we suggest that you write strong stories that who various perspectives about you. Two of the essays are situational and you may not need to answer them.

Loyola Stritch School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts (2020-2021):

Essay 1)  Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become.

Essay 2)  Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have you learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. Inherent human dignity is an essential dimension of Jesuit education at SSOM. What have you learned from your concrete social justice experiences? How do you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician? 

Essay 3)  Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have you learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments.

Essay 4)  Describe your leadership style. Provide a specific example of how you have applied your leadership style. 

Essay 5)  Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem.

Essay 6)  (if applicable) Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.

Essay 7)  (if applicable) Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.

Essay 8)  (recommended for gap year and non-traditional students) If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.

Essay 9)  (if applicable) Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

Essay 10)  (if applicable) Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below.

If you have questions about your Loyola Medical School secondary application, email us at [email protected] or contact us .

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Loyola Medical School Interview Format

Loyola Medical School interviews are one-on-one traditional format.

To ace your traditional interview, you need to know how to answer common medical school interview questions. It’s important to practice, practice, practice.

Cracking Med Resources for Interviews:

• How to answer “Tell me about yourself” Medical School Interview Question
• How to answer “Why this Medical School?”
• 43 Questions To Ask Your Medical School Interviewers
• Download our Cracking Med School Admissions interview guide below

Contact us if you want to schedule a mock interview with our Cracking Med School Admissions team! Take a look at our interview packages .

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If you are prepared, the interview gives you the perfect opportunity to standout and shine by sharing with people what you are passionate about.

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Loyola Medical School Acceptance Rate

Loyola chicago medical school admissions statistics:.

• Loyola Stritch Medical School Average GPA: 3.6

How did Loyola Medical School Students Do on Their USMLE Step Exams?

• Average Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine USMLE Step 1 Score: 219
• Average Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine USMLE Step 2 Score: 243

Source: U.S. News Graduate School Rankings 2021

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The Insider’s View on Loyola Medical School's Pre-clinical Years

How to Get Into Loyola Medical School – Know the Curriculum

Stritch Medical School Curriculum Overview: 

Loyola has a pre-clinical curriculum the first two years of medical school. Then, you take your USMLE Step 1 and then do 2 years of clinical rotations. Most of your fourth year curriculum is flexible for electives, USMLE Step 2 studying, and away rotations.

Pre-Clinical Years:

The first two years at Loyola University Medical School focuses on basic biology and physiology.  You take courses such as patient-centered medicine, mechanisms of human disease, and pharmacology. To see the Stritch Loyola University Medical School’s curriculum map, check it out:  Loyola Curriculum Map

Unique highlights about pre-clinical years:

• Patient-centered medicine course
• Strong emphasis on pharmacology
• Many community engagement projects and organizations to be involved with

Taking Time Off:

Most students at Loyola University Medical School Chicago graduate within 4 years.

What students are saying about Loyola Medical School

The insider’s view on stritch medical school's clinical years.

Loyola Chicago Medical School Clinical Curriculum:

During your 3rd year of medical school, you do your core clinical rotations. During your fourth year, you have a few requirements. You have plenty of time to do advanced electives and away rotations.

The core clinical curriculum consists of:

• Surgery (8 weeks)
• Internal Medicine (8 weeks)
• Family Medicine (6 weeks)
• Pediatrics (6 weeks)
• Neurology (4 weeks)
• Psychiatry (6 weeks)
• OB/GYN (6 weeks)

Fourth Year Requirements:

• Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
• ICU (4 weeks)
• Sub-I (4 weeks)

Unique highlights about clinical years:

• Lots of flexibility during your fourth year
• Emergency medicine requirement

What students are saying about clinical rotations at Loyola Med

Where do students live?

Most students live in apartments or rent houses close to Loyola Medical School.

Getting around:

Most students have a car and a car is mostly required for clinical rotations.

Financial Considerations:

Loyola Chicago Medical School graduates have a higher loan burden than many other schools in the area. 

• Loyola Chicago Medical School Tuition: ~$63,000 + ~$14,000 room and board.
• Average indebtedness of 2019 graduates: ~$214,000

Cracking Med School Admissions Resources

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• How To Write A Personal Statement For Medical School
• Download Cracking Med School Admission’s FREE AMCAS Activities Workbook
• Premed Timeline: Planning For Medical School Applications

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OTHER SCHOOLS

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Loyola University Chicago Secondary Essay Prompts

These are the secondary application essay prompts for Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. To put your best foot forward and maximize your chance of an interview invitation, visit our secondary application editing page .

about loyola university chicago stritch sChool of medicine

Secondary Deadline : December 8, 2024 Secondary Fee : $115 FAP Waiver : Yes CASPer Required : No Screens Applications : No Accepts Application Updates : Yes

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) is committed to scholarship and the education of medical professionals and biomedical scientists. Our school, including its faculty, trainees, and staff are called to go beyond facts, experimentation, and treatment of disease to prepare people to lead extraordinary lives and treat the human spirit in an environment that encourages innovation, embraces diversity, respects life, and values human dignity.

1. Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become.(Minimum 100 Words)

2. Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. (Minimum 100 Words)

3. Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments. (Minimum 100 Words)

4. Describe your leadership style. Provide a specific example of how you have applied your leadership style. (Minimum 100 Words)

5. Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem. (Minimum 100 Words)

6. Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine? If so, please list the affiliation and their years of attendance.

*******COMPLETE QUESTIONS 7-13 IF APPLICABLE*******

7. Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.

8. Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.

9. If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.

10. Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

11-12 just minor questions (crime + program question)

13. If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.

1. Becoming a person for others is a core Jesuit value. What does this Jesuit ideal mean to you?

SSOM seeks students who are resourceful and lifelong learners who are both self-aware and adaptable. 2. Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (500 words max)

3. SSOM is a Jesuit institution that integrates values and delivers a mission-centric education. We seek to uphold and increase social justice, we value all people, and have a strong focus on caring for the underserved. How will you contribute to the diversity of the Stritch student body and community? Specifically, what unique traits, identities, experiences, skills and perspectives will you contribute?

4. Please use this space to bring the information in your AMCAS application up-to-date. Please indicate additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of activities, and anything else you feel we should know. If you have not been enrolled in coursework, please let us know what you have been doing since coursework ended.

5. SSOM follows a comprehensive process of holistic review. The committee works to ensure every applicant receives a full review of their academic and personal preparation.Please use the space below to further explain anything in your application that may help us in our review of your candidacy-gaps or delays in education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere, etc. (Optional, please limit to 1500 characters).Have you applied to Loyola Stritch School of Medicine prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to Loyola SSOM.

6. Have you applied to any medical school prior to this year’s application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to AMCAS. Please also tell us how your application has improved since your previous application.

1. Becoming a person for others is a core Jesuit value. What does this Jesuit ideal mean to you? (500 words max)

3. How will you contribute to the diversity of the Stritch student body and community? Specifically, what unique traits, identities, experiences, skills and perspectives will you contribute?

5. Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine?

6. Please use the space below to further explain anything in your application that may help us in our review of your candidacy-gaps or delays in education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere, etc. (this response limited to 1500 characters)

7.Have you applied to Loyola Stritch School of Medicine prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to Loyola SSOM.

8. Have you applied to any medical school prior to this year’s application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to AMCAS. Please also tell us how your application has improved since your previous application.

Good luck to everyone applying!

1. Becoming a person for others is a core Jesuit value. Please describe your own development in becoming a person for others. How have you demonstrated this value? (500 words max)

2. Please describe a personal challenge that required resiliency or adaptability (and the skills, resources and strategies you employed to take on the challenge). DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (500 words max)

3. How will you contribute to the diversity of the Stritch student body and community? Specifically, what unique traits, identities, experiences, skills and perspectives will you contribute? (500 words max)

4. Please use the space below to further explain anything in your application that may help us in our review of your candidacy-gaps or delays in education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere, etc. (this is an optional response limited to 1500 characters)

Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on the medical school’s website. Med School Insiders does not guarantee the accuracy of the information on this page.

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Loyola University Chicago

Academic Programs

• Art & Design
• Communication
• Engineering
• Finance/Accounting
• Government/Political Science
• Health Science
• Liberal Arts
• Performing Arts
• Social Science
• Visual Arts

Student experience

• Co-op/Internship Opportunities
• Disability Services
• Intramural/Club Sports
• LGBTQIA Services
• Military/Veteran Services
• On-Campus Housing
• ROTC Program
• Religious Affiliation
• Study Abroad
• Undergraduate Research

Application information

Find out about requirements, fees, and deadlines

Loyola University Chicago reviews applications on a rolling admission basis starting in late October. Students are encouraged to apply by the Priority Deadline of December 1 in order to be able to apply to additional scholarship opportunities.

Loyola reviews transfer students on a rolling admission basis. Students must submit an online application and official transcripts from any colleges or university they have attended. December 1 is the priority deadline for spring applicants, and June 1 is the priority deadline for fall applicants. Students who will have completed less than 20 college credit hours prior to entering Loyola should apply as first-year applicants.

Admissions office

1032 W Sheridan Rd Chicago , IL 60660 , United States of America

Phone number

773-508-3075

For first-year students

Admissions website.

www.luc.edu/undergrad

Financial aid website

www.luc.edu/finaid

For transfer students

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August 24, 2022

Loyola Stritch Secondary Application Essay Tips [2022 – 2023]

Loyola Stritch is a Catholic University founded in 1870 by Jesuits. The school of medicine is highly competitive and seeks candidates with outstanding educational success, virtue, and good judgment about truth, about right and wrong – beyond facts.

To learn more about Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, check out our podcast interview with Darrell Nabers, Assistant Dean for Admissions >>

Stritch School of Medicine 2022-23 secondary application essay questions

Stritch school of medicine essay #1.

Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become. ( Minimum 100 Words )

Jesuit thought regards a physician as inherently responsible to a higher moral order than other professions. In fact, becoming a physician should be a social / spiritual calling, though not necessarily religious – with deep sanctity for life, an abiding and growing love for humanity, and a commitment to healing and social justice.

Stritch School of Medicine essay #2

Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. ( Minimum 100 Words )

Every person has inherent and equal value by the very fact that they “are.” The cultural and social distribution of human hardship, toil and struggle is disproportionate among populations. Marginalized groups – the poor, minority populations, immigrants among them – experience hardship and injustice more extensively than the majority. An act of social justice is an action or behavior that aims to correct, reverse or alleviate the negative impact of conditions that affect one group more than another. Some social justices issues are healthcare access, food insecurity, water quality, barriers to voting rights, racial injustice, sexism, discrimination, income gaps, gun violence, equity, education quality, housing, human rights, voting access, and displacement due to warfare. How have you been involved? What have you done for others to rectify equity or equality? How will this carry over to your life of service as a physician?

Stritch School of Medicine essay #3

Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments. ( Minimum 100 Words )

Underserved and under-resourced communities can be identified by race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, education, and ability. What experience have you had serving any of these populations? What was the goal of this community service? What were your responsibilities and what was the outcome or impact of your work – did your team distribute 120 meals to senior citizens’ homes through one weekend? Did you volunteer in a free clinic in an under-resourced city neighborhood? How did this experience change you for the better as a compassionate human? What do you now know about disparity that is a direct insight gained from this community service? What challenges were present in this work that you would not have understood as well as you do now after having done this community work? Demonstrate that experience, too, is a social education.

Stritch School of Medicine essay #4

Describe your leadership style. Provide a specific example of how you have applied your leadership style. ( Minimum 100 Words )

Jesuits believe all physicians have a moral obligation to be leaders in all aspects of life. Being a leader is about virtue and self-awareness, so as to remain humble and effective in healing and caring for others. The physician emulates leadership in a way that creates leaders out of others. Love for humanity abounds and grows from good character. People are always more important than institutions. Leaders are free from the attachments of status and possessions. Leaders answer with good conscience and practice self-reflection to embody humanitarian values. Deep knowledge requires intuition and invention beyond the rationality or facts of science. Tell a story, framed in humility rather than ego, about how you have utilized some of these principles while leading a team.

Stritch School of Medicine essay #5

Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem. ( Minimum 100 Words )

Problem-resolution is often a key indicator of strong leadership. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your inventiveness and motive to do the right thing, to solve a problem without being didactic, patronizing, “better than,” without perpetuating bias, and without taking credit. What was inherently the right thing to do and why? How did you make the right and just solution happen? What outcome was there? Who benefitted?

Stritch School of Medicine essay #6

Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine? If so, please list the affiliation and their years of attendance.

Stay truthful and literal. No need for stories or elaboration.

*******COMPLETE QUESTIONS 7-13 IF APPLICABLE*******

Stritch School of Medicine essay #7

Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.

Has anything changed since you submitted your AMCAS application? Changes could be demographic, academic, experiential, educational, occupational or personal. This is a straight-forward prompt. Avoid the temptation to embellish circumstances or achievements; however, if you have since co-authored a research article, for instance, feel free to date it and state it, perhaps include a formal citation.

Stritch School of Medicine essay #8

Please explain in more detail ( in less than 1500 characters ) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.

This prompt provides an opportunity to explain potentially negative or exceptional aspects of your application that have not been explained. So, a leave of absence may need context – did you take a medical leave? Did you have a sports injury requiring surgery? Did you struggle academically freshman year but found a way to turn that situation around? Did you have to work during school, raise children, care for an ailing family member and this affected your grades or community service opportunities? The tone in this prompt response should be explanatory. Carefully review your response to revise for any self-pity, anxiety, negativity or blame. Do not complain about grades, ever. Life is full of curves and detours – your ability to adapt and adjust to challenges says something important about who you are.

Stritch School of Medicine essay #9

If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.

This is an opportunity to explain employment and medical / non-medical community service. Your answer should reflect that you utilized the time since your coursework ended to build work and life experiences as a future physician while staying deeply grounded in your commitment for the welfare of others. What you have done should demonstrate an improvement in your candidacy for matriculation in medical school for having had this time.

If you are a career-changer , explain this. If you are a veteran, explain what you were doing. If you participated in AmeriCorps or a similar service organization, explain this. If you spent time fulfilling personal responsibilities, like caring for a sick family member or achieving citizenship, explain this. 

Stritch School of Medicine essay #10

Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

A reapplicant benefits from demonstrating honesty and insight into their prior candidacy for medical school, including the ability to identify and correct what may have been weak areas of research, clinical experience, academic performance, MCAT score or community service. Remember: strong preparation for medical school is a marathon not a sprint.

A word of advice for reapplicants: it is critical that you review the quality of the unsuccessful application . Do not resubmit the same application material in the same manner. Reconsider your approach, especially the quality of your writing, your letters and your application timeline strategy.

[Questions 11-12 are minor questions (crime + program question)]

Stritch School of Medicine essay #13

If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.

Stay clear and direct. There are certainly circumstances that might make perfect sense for why you did not submit a letter from a key figure or committee.

Applying to Loyola Stritch School of Medicine? Here are some stats:

Stritch School of Medicine average MCAT score: 510

Stritch School of Medicine average GPA: 3.7

Stritch School of Medicine # of matriculants: 170

Stritch School of Medicine # of applicants: 14,314

Check out the Med School Selectivity Index for more stats about top med schools.

If you would like professional guidance with your Loyola application materials,  check out Accepted’s Medical School Admissions Consulting and Editing Services , which include advising, editing, and interview coaching for Loyola’s application materials.

Loyola Stritch School of Medicine 2022-23 application timeline

Source: Loyola Stritch website

Related Resources:

• How to Create Successful Secondary Applications , an on-demand webinar
• 7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay
• 16 R’s for Medical School Essay Writing

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Loyola University Chicago

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• Secondary Essay Prompts

Secondary Essay Prompts – Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Secondary Essay Prompts for the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, IL.

2019 – 2020

• Becoming a person for others is a core Jesuit value. What does this Jesuit ideal mean to you?
• Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue.
• How will you contribute to the diversity of the Stritch student body and community? Specifically, what unique traits, identities, experiences, skills and perspectives will you contribute?
• Please use this space to bring the information in your AMCAS application up-to-date. Please indicate additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of activities, and anything else you feel we should know. If you have not been enrolled in coursework, please let us know what you have been doing since coursework ended.
• Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine?

-OPTIONAL QUESTIONS-

• Please use the space below to further explain anything in your application that may help us in our review of your candidacy-gaps or delays in education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere, etc. (this response limited to 1500 characters)
• Have you applied to Loyola Stritch School of Medicine prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to Loyola SSOM.
• Have you applied to any medical school prior to this year’s application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to AMCAS. Please also tell us how your application has improved since your previous application.

2018 – 2019

Our mission statement reflects the guiding principles of our institution. The Stritch School of Medicine is a home for all faiths, according to our Jesuit values. We believe that spirituality is an integral component of education, professional formation, and well-being. We value the opportunity to consider reflections of your own mission as it pertains to your candidacy and future professional goals. With your own personal mission in mind, please address each of the following questions (please limit your responses to 500 words or less):

1) Becoming a person for others is a core Jesuit value. What does this Jesuit ideal mean to you?

2) Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue.

3) How will you contribute to the diversity of the Stritch student body and community? Specifically, what unique traits, identities, experiences, skills and perspectives will you contribute?

4) Please use this space to bring the information in your AMCAS application up-to-date. Please indicate additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of activities, and anything else you feel we should know. If you have not been enrolled in coursework, please let us know what you have been doing since coursework ended.

5) Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine?

List relative(s), institution(s), and year(s) of graduation:

6) Please use the space below to further explain anything in your application that may help us in our review of your candidacy-gaps or delays in education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere, etc. (this response limited to 1500 characters)

7) Have you applied to Loyola Stritch School of Medicine prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to Loyola SSOM.

8) Have you applied to any medical school prior to this year’s application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to AMCAS. Please also tell us how your application has improved since your previous application.

Below are the secondary essay prompts for the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

2017 – 2018.

• The Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine community and bring educational benefits to our student body. (1000 characters)
• Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application? (1000 characters)
• Why have you chosen to apply to the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and how do you think your education at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine will prepare you to become a physician for the future? (1 page, formatted at your discretion, upload as PDF)
• SSOM seeks students who are resourceful and lifelong learners who are both self-aware and adaptable.
• Please describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. How did you resolve it? What skills, resources and/or strategies did you employ? DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue. (500 words max)

2016 – 2017

MedEdits advises against using outdated prompts for the current season.

• Becoming a person for others is a core Jesuit value. Please describe your own development in becoming a person for others. How have you demonstrated this value?
• Limit response to 500 words.
• Please describe a personal challenge that required resiliency or adaptability (and the skills, resources and strategies you employed to take on the challenge). DO NOT write about the MCAT, a course, or an academic issue.
• Please use the space below to further explain anything in your application that may help us in our review of your candidacy-gaps or delays in education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere, etc.
• This optional response is limited to 1500 characters.

Secondary essay webcast with Dr. Jessica Freedman, founder and president of MedEdits Medical Admissions.   Read more about Dr. Freedman.

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Topics covered in this presentation:

• When should I submit my secondary essays?
• Pay attention to the word/character limits.
• Can I recycle secondary essay prompts for multiple schools?
• Identify topics that you left out of your primary application.
• And, much more.

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine Admissions Requirements

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Disclaimer: The information on this page was shared by students and/or can be found on each medical school’s website. MedEdits does not guarantee it’s accuracy or authenticity.

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Loyola University (Stritch) - Secondary Essay Prompts

Access our complete list of all Secondary Essay Prompts from Loyola University (Stritch) in Maywood , IL for the 2018 - 2023 admissions cycles.

1 . Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become.

2 . Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician.

3 . Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments.

4 . Describe a time you received feedback about your performance and disagreed with the feedback. What did you disagree with? How did you handle it?

5 . Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem.

6 . Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Stritch School of Medicine?

7 . Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.

8 . Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.

9 . If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.

10 . Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

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Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine Secondary Questions

Here are Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine Secondary’s secondary questions.

Note: Most of these should have a 500 word limit, but please verify, particularly for the questions that only apply to certain applicants.

1. Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become.

2. Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician.

3. Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments.

4. Describe a time you received feedback about your performance and disagreed with the feedback. What did you disagree with? How did you handle it?

5. Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem.

6. Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Stritch School of Medicine?

****COMPLETE QUESTIONS 7-13 IF APPLICABLE***

7. Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.

8. Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.

9. If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.

10. Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

11. Are you currently, or have you been, enrolled in any of the following programs?

Applicant Boot Camp or Health Equity and Advocacy Leaders (ASPIRE): Early Assurance Program (EAP): Health Professionals Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP): Loyola University Chicago undergraduate (LUC): Loyola MA in Medical Sciences (LUC MAMS): Loyola MS in Medical Physiology (LUC MSMP): Loyola Masters in Infectious Disease and Immunology (INDIRI): Proviso United with Loyola for Educational Enrichment (PULSE): Medical Minority Applicant Registry (MED-MAR):

12. Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below.

13. If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.

Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become. (100 words minimum)

Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. (100 words minimum)

Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments. (100 words minimum)

Describe your leadership style. Provide a specific example of how you have applied your leadership style. (100 words minimum)

Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem. (100 words minimum)

Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine? If so, please list the affiliation and their years of attendance.

Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know.

Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.

If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.

Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

Are you currently, or have you been, enrolled in any of the following programs? (Listed in app portal)

Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below.

If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.

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UChicago Supplemental Essay Questions

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

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

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

2024-25 UChicago Supplement

Question 1 (required).

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)

Essay option 1.

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

Essay Option 2

"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

Essay Option 3

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

Essay Option 4

"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

Essay Option 5

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

Essay Option 6

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

Some classic questions from previous years…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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2023-2024 Loyola (Stritch)

• Thread starter chilly_md
• Start date Mar 17, 2023

Full Member

• Mar 17, 2023

Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine Interview Feedback

doc_doc_goose

• Jul 3, 2023

Please post secondaries questions if you have received them!  

• Jul 5, 2023

Incoming M1 at Stritch. Wishing you all the best of luck this cycle! My best advice is for you to communicate and update the secondary portal. Try to do so monthly or bi-monthly, but make sure to do your best to make it meaningful to your growth and/or the school mission. Hope to meet some of you next year 🙂.  

km1119 said: @Kcman Loyola is one of my top schools that I would love to go. Can you please expand on what you mean by "communicating and updating the secondary portal"? I was planning on updating it in December when I received my fall grades, but I would love any advice! Btw congrats on your acceptance and I hope your M1 year goes great Click to expand...

Kcman said: Loyola is a medical school that cares a lot about getting to know it's prospective students, especially because there are so many that apply every year. Your application is initially "scored" by whoever screens it, but this "score" can be updated by what you add to your secondary portal via updates and letters of interest. The "score" has several components for holistic review, some being metrics like GPA/MCAT, but also as simple as how much interest are you showing by attending virtual/in-person visits, or showing how you are serving others or doing research/clinical work and even pursuing personal passions during this cycle. The main thing to note is everything in your secondary portal is calculated in your app score, so if you attended a virtual session maybe write an update including which one you were at along with what you've been up to. Remember you got to be in the top 5% or so of app scores to interview, so every bit counts! Click to expand...

doc_doc_goose said: "If you are currently not a full time student, please briefly describe the activities you are participating in this academic year.(100 words)" For this question, should I write what I am participating in anyway? Or no? I am doing a lot of research rn.. Click to expand...

• Jul 6, 2023

I sent my application to Loyola on 07/01 and still did not receive secondary. I have a GPA of 3.9 and MCAT 514, good amount of clinical experience, volunteering but low in research (250 hrs no publication). I worked as student tech in lab (300 hours). Do you think I am even a good candidate to apply to regular MD program for Loyola?  

Vtravel G said: I sent my application to Loyola on 07/01 and still did not receive secondary. I have a GPA of 3.9 and MCAT 514, good amount of clinical experience, volunteering but low in research (250 hrs no publication). I worked as student tech in lab (300 hours). Do you think I am even a good candidate to apply to regular MD program for Loyola? Click to expand...

traveldocMD

Would love some input: If I have a 3.2 GPA and 512 mcat do I have a chance with my low GPA? tons of service hours and good clinical experience  

traveldocMD said: Would love some input: If I have a 3.2 GPA and 512 mcat do I have a chance with my low GPA? tons of service hours and good clinical experience Click to expand...

Does someone with a low 500 or sub-500 MCAT have a good chance? I know someone that got in with a 504 (and a 122 CARS).  

km1119 said: Does someone with a low 500 or sub-500 MCAT have a good chance? I know someone that got in with a 504 (and a 122 CARS). Click to expand...

• Jul 8, 2023

Has anyone received a secondary?  

biryani26 said: Has anyone received a secondary? Click to expand...

• Jul 10, 2023

Muqsith said: Stritch is service oriented I've heard, do you have a good amount of service hours? you look like a good applicant Click to expand...

deleted1167714

• Jul 11, 2023

Prompts for this year (received earlier today): 1. Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become. 2. Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. 3. Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments. 4. Describe a time you received feedback about your performance and disagreed with the feedback. What did you disagree with? How did you handle it? 5. Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem. 6. Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Stritch School of Medicine? **** COMPLETE QUESTIONS 7-13 IF APPLICABLE*** 7. Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know. 8. Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere. 9. If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended. 10. Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission. 11. Are you currently, or have you been, enrolled in any of the following programs? Applicant Boot Camp or Health Equity and Advocacy Leaders (ASPIRE): Early Assurance Program (EAP): Health Professionals Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP): Loyola University Chicago undergraduate (LUC): Loyola MA in Medical Sciences (LUC MAMS): Loyola MS in Medical Physiology (LUC MSMP): Loyola Masters in Infectious Disease and Immunology (INDIRI): Proviso United with Loyola for Educational Enrichment (PULSE): Medical Minority Applicant Registry (MED-MAR): 12. Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below. 13. If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why.  

• Jul 12, 2023

Kings_Fan said: Prompts for this year (received earlier today): 1. Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become. 2. Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at SSOM. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician. 3. Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments. 4. Describe a time you received feedback about your performance and disagreed with the feedback. What did you disagree with? How did you handle it? 5. Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem. 6. Have you or any of your relatives attended or been employed by Loyola University Chicago or the Stritch School of Medicine? **** COMPLETE QUESTIONS 7-13 IF APPLICABLE*** 7. Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know. 8. Please explain in more detail (in less than 1500 characters) anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere. 9. If you have not been enrolled in coursework for over two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended. 10. Have you applied to SSOM prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to SSOM and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission. 11. Are you currently, or have you been, enrolled in any of the following programs? Applicant Boot Camp or Health Equity and Advocacy Leaders (ASPIRE): Early Assurance Program (EAP): Health Professionals Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP): Loyola University Chicago undergraduate (LUC): Loyola MA in Medical Sciences (LUC MAMS): Loyola MS in Medical Physiology (LUC MSMP): Loyola Masters in Infectious Disease and Immunology (INDIRI): Proviso United with Loyola for Educational Enrichment (PULSE): Medical Minority Applicant Registry (MED-MAR): 12. Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below. 13. If you did not submit an advisor or committee letter, please tell us why. Click to expand...

sy6313 said: Were there word limits? Click to expand...

YoungForever

• Jul 13, 2023

Anyone still waiting for the secondary? I have not received anything yet.  

ii_manifestation

YoungForever said: Anyone still waiting for the secondary? I have not received anything yet. Click to expand...

Kcman said: In the past I believe the limit was 500 words (you can go over a little in some places, I did). When you get the secondary it's usually in the introductory text box and not in the questions themselves. Just make sure to read and someone else can verify for sure. Click to expand...

• Jul 14, 2023

born-business

still waiting  

medicallyfragile

I was verified 5/31 and I am still waiting, so I assume that its just going out in waves  

• Jul 16, 2023

question 2&3 seem so similar lol  

born-business said: still waiting Click to expand...

mango_med said: Does SSOM prefer students that went to their undergrad? Click to expand...

• Jul 17, 2023

OOS secondary received an hour ago, verified today 7/17 (submitted app 6/12)  

outcastdoodle

oos secondary received 1 hour ago  

medicallyfragile said: I was verified 5/31 and I am still waiting, so I assume that its just going out in waves Click to expand...

For the secondary question that says, " Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic or parking violation? If the answer is yes, please explain below." Did you just leave the text box blank if you haven't been? There was no way to say "No," so I wasn't sure if I should just leave the box blank or type no in it.  

kaleidoscope1202

Anyone still waiting on getting a secondary?  

kaleidoscope1202 said: Anyone still waiting on getting a secondary? Click to expand...

+ IS  

• Jul 18, 2023

OOS Secondary received.  

gobills123 said: Yeah I am too. I was verified 6/2 Click to expand...

mickeymice said: OOS Secondary received. Click to expand...

Plain-spoken Texan

dracotarg said: really? can u share the prompts Click to expand...

• Jul 19, 2023

TerrificQuote23 said: The minimum word count is 100 words, but I'm not sure there's a maximum. For one of the prompts, I randomly put in 600+ words to see if it would stop me from going further, but it didn't. So, I think if there is a maximum, it is probably 600+ words. Click to expand...

+1 OOS  

Hippo.Jr said: +1 OOS Click to expand...

Does Loyola screen for secondaries? was verified July 13th and thought I would get one by now  

kaleidoscope1202 said: Does Loyola screen for secondaries? was verified July 13th and thought I would get one by now Click to expand...

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The 7 UChicago 2024-2025 Essay Prompts: How to Write Stellar Responses

College Essays

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

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

 Read on to learn all about the UChicago essays, what the admissions team expects to see in your responses, what topics you should write about, and which topics you should avoid. In this guide, we also suggest sample essay ideas for each of the 2024/2025 UChicago supplement essay prompts and analyze past University of Chicago essay samples so you can see what a great UChicago essay looks like.

What Are the UChicago Essays?

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

Question 1: Why UChicago?

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

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

Here's the prompt:

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

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

Question 2: Extended Essay

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

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

Below are the essay prompts for the 2024/2025 school year.

Essay Option 2: “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 

Essay Option 3: 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 

Essay Option 4: "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

Essay Option 5: 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

Essay Option 6: And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

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

How to Answer the University of Chicago Essay Prompts

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

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

What Do They Want to See in Your Response?

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

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

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

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

Potential Topics to Write About

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

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

Topics to Avoid

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

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

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

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

• Your personality
• Your thirst for knowledge

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

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

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

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

Essay Option 1

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.

You can let your imagination run wild with this prompt. Think of an expression that includes a color that isn't one of those mentioned in the prompt. Spend some time on this! For this prompt, UChicago wants to see how imaginative you can be, but the most important part of this essay is justifying what your new expression means and why it matters.

Make your response as wacky and original as you like, but remember to tie it back to yourself and your interests . For instance, instead of "seeing red" you could change the expression to "seeing lavender." This could mean, instead of the anger that accompanies seeing red, seeing lavender is when you're purposefully calm and thoughtful about things. 

For example, you might be "seeing lavender" whenever you do your daily meditation, or go for a nature walk, or get into a flow state when painting, coding, or working through geometric proofs.  Weaving your story into your essay will show UChicago that you’re creative and intellectually curious, two characteristics they love to see in applicants.

Essay Option 2

"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?

This is a classic UChicago question that allows you to answer the question literally...or not. (The year I applied, the version of this question was "Describe your table.") If you choose to answer this question literally, you could discuss having a greater appreciation for simple pleasures than you did when you were younger. For example, that you eat ice cream for breakfast more now than you ever did as a kid because there's no one to stop you. Be sure to use specific examples and tie them back to who you are as a person and what your values are.

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

A less literal interpretation could discuss how, as we get older, we build a time capsule inside ourselves full of memories that we can visit at any time which allows us to return to whatever age we like. 

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

Essay Option 3

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?

There are a lot of ways to tackle this prompt. All you need to do is choose a group and discuss which of its members doesn't fit in. Again, spend some time deciding on an option you can write thoughtfully about. Are you a movie buff who hates  The Godfather Part III?  A Harry Potter fan who has never understood why Slytherin still exists? Maybe you've just never understood why boredom is considered as bad as the other deadly sins?

What U Chicago is looking for here is your creativity as well as your interests/values.  If you chose  The Godfather  movies as your grouping, you could discuss how important good writing is to you and how The Godfather Part III  didn't match the heights achieved by its two predecessors. You could then tie that into being, say, a future English major and how effective writing has impacted your life and your career decisions.

If you chose to discuss why boredom shouldn't be considered one of the seven deadly sins, you could discuss times being bored have helped you achieve breakthroughs in life: maybe they taught you how to create your own fun, or reflect on your future.

Essay Option 4

"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.”

This is a classic off-the-wall UChicago prompt. If you choose to answer it, you'll give your best defense to a slang word or phrase that's no longer in style. An interesting aspect is that the slang can be in any language. So if you strongly feel that the French need to bring back saying "Zut alors!" this is your chance to make your case.

As with the other prompts, the specific slang you choose doesn't matter (as long as it's not offensive); it's your explanation of why it's meaningful to you. For such a quirky prompt like this, it's easy to get carried away with humor or cleverness and make an argument that's very interesting but doesn't actually give UChicago insight about yourself. By all means, choose any obscure slang you'd like, but make sure that, when you describe why you like it, that you're giving insight into your personality, interests, experiences, and/or values.

Essay Option 5

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.

This prompt is your chance to be more overtly academic in your response . In choosing and working through a Fermi estimation problem, you’ll be able to show your interest in any topic like history, art, economics, science, etc. 

Coming up with an accurate estimate may seem like the most intimidating part of the prompt, but it's actually the least important part. UChicago is much more interested in  how  you came up with your estimate than how accurate it is. That means you'll need to explain your train of thought clearly and thoroughly. 

For example, say you decide to estimate how many drops of rain fall on Lake Michigan each year. A logical first step would be learning the surface area of Lake Michigan. You'd then need to find the annual rainfall in the area. After that, you'd calculate the volume of rainfall that actually falls on the lake, such as by multiplying the lake's surface area by the rainfall depth. You'd then need to convert that value to drops of water, and you'd have your answer.

UChicago wants to see your logic and reasoning skills here , so break the problem down into as many steps as you need and clearly explain how any why you completed each step.

Essay Option 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

University of Chicago Essay Examples

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

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

Dear University of Chicago,

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

Why Does This Essay Work?

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

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

Share with us a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, blogs, magazines, or newspapers. Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Samantha M.

Why This Essay Works

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

Final Advice: UChicago Essays

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

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

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

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

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

What's Next?

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

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

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

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

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University of Chicago 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action/Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 2

University of Chicago 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 2 essays of 1-2 pages each

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Oddball

How to Write The UChicago Essays

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

UChicago Prompt Breakdowns

Question 1 ( required ), how does the university of chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to uchicago..

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

Question 2: Extended Essay ( Required; Choose one )

Essay option 1, we’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed” or “tickled orange” give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents., – inspired by ramsey bottorff, class of 2026.

This is a great question for artists, those of you with synesthesia, or anyone who’s been down the rabbit hole of seasonal color theory on social media. If you have strong associations with different colors or are language-obsessed, then this is a great chance to combine logical and creative thinking to breathe new life into these old sayings. Look at a rainbow or color wheel and see if any feelings or ideas jump out to you. Maybe you feel a certain calm when you see fuchsia, so “out of the fuchsia” might mean a solution that came from deep meditation, a practice introduced to you by your late grandfather. Perhaps you associate sky blue with familial love, and “a blue thumb” would mean someone who is very in tune with their family, culture, and traditions. Ultimately, your argument will (hopefully) show admissions how your brain works and pepper in a few insights as to the kinds of things you hold dear along the way.

Essay Option 2

“ah, but i was so much older then / i’m younger than that now” – bob dylan. in what ways do we become younger as we get older, – inspired by joshua harris, class of 2016.

This prompt will surely appeal to the philosophers among you, as it invites you to consider the trajectory of a person’s lifetime. With such a broad field to choose from, your answers can vary from the biological (some of our blood cells regenerate every four months , so they are always younger than the rest of us) to the comedic ( embracing cartoons that you used to pretend you were too old for ) to the profound (dementia patients reverting to childhood). As you brainstorm, make a list of all possible examples of this phenomenon and choose the ones that get you excited and that you can weave together into an essay that reveals what matters to you. Remember, admissions wants to see both creative thinking and strong analytical capabilities while learning what makes you tick. If anyone else could put their name at the top of your essay, you haven’t identified the right topic yet.

Essay Option 3

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.

If you love finding patterns, solving puzzles, or identifying what holds groups together, this is the prompt for you! As you go through your daily life, start observing and jotting down instances of “the odd man out.” As your list increases, see which ones jump out to you. Maybe you have the perfect explanation for why Washington, DC can’t become a state. Perhaps you’re ready to defend the tomato’s inclusion as a vegetable even though it’s technically a fruit. As with the other prompts, your choice can be as serious or frivolous as you like, as long as it is well reasoned and creative! 

Essay Option 4

“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.

As language nerds, we at CEA love this prompt, which is perfect for pop culture buffs, linguistics fans, or those of you whose parents think their generation’s slang is “da bomb!” You can approach this either by choosing an old slang term you like and expounding upon it or by identifying gaps in our current English language use and finding a term to fit; what ideas or emotions are we leaving unexpressed without some crucial piece of missing slang? Sure, we can say something is “all that,” but do we need to indicate it’s “all that and a bag of chips ”? Maybe! Note that the prompt also allows you to choose slang from other languages, so those of you with multicultural backgrounds can highlight that through your choice of phrase. Bonus points if you weave in multiple examples as the prompt does so effortlessly!

Essay Option 5

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.

Finally, a prompt for the mathematically inclined! The key here is to think of an estimate that is aligned with your interests. If you’re an electrical engineering nerd, maybe you want to estimate the number of circuits in UChicago’s Physics Building. If you love anime, maybe you’ll estimate the number of pen strokes in an episode of your favorite show. If you’re into fashion, perhaps you’ll estimate the number of stitches sewn into Janelle Monáe’s Met Gala gown. As with many questions on your math tests, this prompt asks you to show your work, so be sure to share every step you took to arrive at your answer. Remember, the goal is not necessarily to get the answer right, but rather to learn more about you and how your brain works. Don’t be afraid to get weird!

Essay Option 6

And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option in the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). be original, creative, thought provoking. draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the university of chicago; take a little risk, and have fun.

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

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

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Loyola University Chicago begins accreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission

September 17, 2024

Loyola University Chicago is preparing to undergo its next comprehensive institutional evaluation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) during the 2024-25 academic year. This important process reaffirms the University’s commitment to providing high-quality education and maintaining excellence in all aspects of its operations.  

The HLC is an independent corporation that accredits degree-granting post-secondary education institutions in the United States. Since its founding in 1895, the HLC has been one of the leading regional institutional accreditors, evaluating universities’ effectiveness in fulfilling their educational missions based on a rigorous set of quality standards.  

Loyola first earned its HLC accreditation in 1921, and its accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in June 2015 after a successful comprehensive evaluation and site visit. The upcoming evaluation will follow the Open Pathway model, a ten-year cycle that ensures continuous improvement and adherence to quality standards.  

Preparing for the 2025 Comprehensive Evaluation  

The 2025 reaccreditation process includes several key events that involve the entire university community. Some highlights of the planning and next steps include:  

• Assurance Argument: The university will deliver a written document, the Assurance Argument, detailing how it meets the five Criteria for Accreditation set by the HLC. Multiple cycles of drafting and reviewing this document have been ongoing, with input from the HLC Leadership Team. Drafts will be shared with larger groups for feedback this fall.  
• Student Survey: In January, the HLC will distribute a student survey to gather insights from the student body.  
• Information Sessions : In January, Loyola will host a series of information sessions designed to inform and engage the university community. These sessions will provide insights into the accreditation process and the HLC’s criteria for evaluation.  
• Site Visit: A peer review team will conduct a site visit on March 17-18, 2025, to assess Loyola’s adherence to HLC standards.  

Accreditation by the HLC provides assurance to the public that an institution meets the agency’s stated requirements and criteria. This reaffirmation is critical, as students attending accredited institutions can secure federal financial aid and loans.  

Shaping the future of Loyola  

The accreditation process is a collective effort involving the entire Loyola University Chicago community. By participating and providing feedback, faculty, staff, and students contribute to shaping Loyola’s future and ensuring it continues to uphold the highest standards of excellence.  

Stay tuned for more updates and information about the accreditation process at LUC.edu/accreditation .  

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UC Essay Prompts 2024-2025: Tips for Success

It’s November, and you’re hunched over your laptop staring at the UC application portal. You’ve already hit submit on your GPA and test scores. But then, you scroll down to the part labeled “Personal Insight Questions.” That’s when the real work begins. You know these UC PIQs matter — big time. These are your chance to show the admissions team who you are beyond your grades and numbers.

Over 200,000 students apply to UC schools every year, all competing for the same spots. The UC essay prompts are what will make you stand out. 

The good news is you’ve got options. With 8 prompts to choose from, you get to select the 4 that let you share your unique experiences, whether it’s how you lead, your creative side, or how you’ve handled challenges. The prompts may seem tricky, but with some thought and the right approach, you can use them to show the real you. 

Let’s get started.

UC Personal Insight Questions: How Does It Work?

When you’re working on your UC application, the PIQs are where things start to get real. The University of California system wants more than just your grades and test scores — they want to know who you are. 

That’s where these UC essays come in. Here’s the deal: the UC PIQs give you the chance to share experiences and qualities that don’t fit into numbers or transcripts. They want to know what makes you unique, and this is your chance to tell them. If you're struggling and considering to pay for paper writing , EssayPro is here to assist.

You’ll choose 4 out of 8 prompts , and each of your responses can be up to 350 words long. You have some flexibility here, which is great. You get to decide which prompts allow you to share the most about yourself.

The purpose of these UC essays is simple, too: they let the admissions team see the real you. These essays are a way to highlight personal stories, accomplishments, and qualities that may not show up in other parts of your application. Maybe you’re great at organizing community events, or perhaps you’ve developed a talent for solving complex problems. Whatever it is, the UC PIQs help you show that off in a way that numbers just can’t.

• Choose 4 out of 8 prompts. You can mix and match which ones resonate with you most.
• Word limit? 350 words per response. It’s short, so make every word count.
• No pressure, but this is important. Your UC PIQs are a big part of how the admissions team will evaluate you. So, spend time choosing the prompts that give you the best shot to stand out.

Key Deadlines

For Fall 2025 admission:

• Application opens: August 1, 2024
• Submission window: October 1 – December 2, 2024
• You can start early, but the final deadline to submit is December 2, 2024, at 11:59 PM PST . Don’t cut it close: give yourself plenty of time to review and edit your essays before submitting!

Here’s what to keep in mind when you're figuring out how to write UC essays: don’t overthink it. Focus on authenticity and specific examples . Admissions officers have seen it all, so skip the clichés and get real. You don’t need to have climbed Mount Everest or cured a disease — talk about what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown, and what matters to you. 

UC Essays, Handled

EssayPro’s pros make writing UC essays easy. You pick the prompt, we do the rest.

What’s Your Goal on Your UC Application?

When writing the UC essay prompts, keep your goal clear: you want to stand out in a good way. This means showing the admissions team how you're different from other students applying from your school or community. 

But it’s not just about being different; it’s about demonstrating that you’ve made the most of the opportunities you’ve had. 

Most importantly, you want to connect your experiences to the key points of comprehensive review. Show them not just what you’ve done, but how it’s shaped who you are and what you’ll bring to UC.

If you’re wondering, “Who can write my admission essay ?” , EssayPro has the expert writers you need. 

How to Prepare for a UC Essay

Getting ready for the UC essay prompts can feel overwhelming, but there’s a process to make it manageable. Here’s what you need to do:

• Understand the prompts : First, take some time to really go through all eight UC personal insight questions. Read them carefully and see which ones spark ideas or memories. The goal is to show who you are outside of your grades, so think about moments that highlight your personality and experiences.
• Pick the right prompts : You only need to choose 4 out of 8 PIQ prompts, so pick the ones that let you show off different sides of yourself. Maybe one prompt is perfect for talking about a leadership role, while another lets you explore your creative side or how you overcame a tough situation.
• Brainstorm ideas : Now’s the time to start jotting down ideas. Think of specific events or experiences that answer each prompt. Did you lead a project at school? Help a sibling with a challenge? These real-life examples make your essays stronger and more relatable.
• Reflect on what you learned : Don’t just write about what happened. Focus on how these experiences shaped you. How did they change your perspective or teach you something important? This is where your essays will stand out, by showing not just what you did, but how it impacted you.
• Outline before you write : A simple outline can help you organize your thoughts. Think intro, main example, reflection, and a strong ending. This way, when you start writing, you’re not staring at a blank page trying to figure out where to begin.
• Be real and specific : Skip the vague stuff like “I’m a hard worker” or “I overcame challenges.” Get into the details. What exactly did you do? How did it feel? Why does it matter to you? These specifics will make your essay stand out from the generic answers other students might write.
• Edit, revise, repeat : Don’t worry if your first draft isn’t perfect — it’s not supposed to be. Write it all out, then come back to it with fresh eyes. Tighten things up, cut out the fluff, and make sure your essay is clear and engaging. And remember, each essay should show a different side of you.

Lastly, manage your time. These essays are important, so don’t leave them until the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and revise. Trust me, when you see your polished UC PIQs, it’ll be worth it!

UC Essay Prompts: Questions & Guidance

When it comes to the personal insight questions, the key is to be yourself. These questions are designed to let you express who you are, what matters to you, and what you want to share with the UC admissions team. 

Our guidance for each question is here to help if you get stuck, but ultimately, it’s about showing your personality. These essays aren’t about giving the “right” answer — they’re about giving your answer. 

So, take the time to reflect on your experiences and write in a way that feels true to you.

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

Whether you were a team captain, a mentor to someone younger, or simply the one who took charge when things needed to get done, leadership can come in many forms.

• Focus on a key moment: Think about a time when things didn’t go as planned and you had to step up. Maybe your group project was falling apart, and no one was taking charge, so you organized a plan and assigned roles. 
• Emphasize teamwork and delegation: Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself. Did you ever lead a group where you had to rely on others? Talk about how you delegated tasks and trusted your team to handle their parts. 
• Reflect on personal growth: A true leadership experience leaves you different from how you started. Did leading a group teach you something new about patience or compromise? 

Example Scenarios:

• Perhaps you spent hours figuring out how to help your younger sibling with math, finding creative ways to explain concepts. 
• Or maybe you were in charge of a group of kids at a summer camp and had to teach them a complicated dance routine. You worked through frustration, found a way to motivate everyone, and got the job done.

The key to answering UC prompts is to find a moment that highlights your leadership skills, but more importantly, shows who you are when things aren’t easy. 

2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

Creativity isn’t just about art or music — it’s how you solve problems, think differently, and come up with new ideas. Whether it’s inventing a clever solution, thinking outside the box, or creating something unique, this UC personal insight question is your chance to show how your creative side works.

• Think beyond traditional creativity: Creativity can show up anywhere: organizing an event, fixing a broken gadget, or finding a new approach to a school project. It’s about how you approach problems and bring fresh ideas into everyday situations.
• Be specific: Focus on a real moment when your creativity came through. Did you figure out a unique solution when things went wrong? Or bring new energy to a project that needed help?
• Highlight impact: Show how your creative thinking made a difference. Did it improve something? Help others? Solve a problem no one else could?
• When your family’s Wi-Fi crashed, you used a backup router and created a temporary fix to keep everyone connected during an important meeting.
• You turned a boring class presentation into an interactive quiz game, getting your classmates excited and engaged in the lesson.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

We all have something we’re naturally good at or something we’ve worked hard to master. This UC PIQs prompt is your chance to talk about that talent or skill that really sets you apart and how it’s grown with you over time.

Need inspiration? Check out Common App essay prompts examples for ideas on how to present your best self.

• Focus on passion and dedication: Maybe you were always great at playing the guitar, but after years of practice and attending workshops, you’re now composing your own music. Show the journey, not just the result.
• Demonstrate how it helps others: Think about how your talent impacts others. Maybe your skill in graphic design led you to help classmates design their own posters or even create logos for local businesses. 
• Tie it to future goals: Your skill likely plays a role in what you want to do in the future. Maybe your love for math led you to tutor struggling classmates, and now you dream of becoming a math teacher or an engineer. 
• You’ve always been the one fixing tech problems at home, ever since you were a kid who loved tinkering with gadgets. Over time, this talent grew, and now you’re helping classmates troubleshoot their devices or leading a tech club at school.
• Writing has always come naturally to you, but over the years, you’ve turned it into something bigger. From writing short stories in your free time to leading the school newspaper, your love for writing has helped you express yourself.

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

These UC personal insight questions are all about how you made the most of a great opportunity or pushed through a challenge that could have held you back. Whether it’s something positive or an obstacle, it’s about your growth and perseverance.

• Focus on how it changed you: Did you get into a special program or face a real struggle in school? Share how the experience made you grow. Did it build your confidence, teach you something new, or change the way you see things?
• Be detailed: Don’t just mention the opportunity or barrier — get into the story. What steps did you take to succeed or overcome? What was difficult about it, and how did you push through? Show the real effort you put in.
• Show your perseverance: If it was a barrier, focus on how you didn’t give up. Maybe you struggled with a subject or had to balance work and school, but through hard work and determination, you found a way to succeed.
• You got accepted into an advanced STEM program that allowed you to work in a lab with real scientists. The hands-on experience not only deepened your love for science but gave you a real sense of direction for your future.
• English wasn’t your first language, and school was tough at first. You took extra classes, practiced every day, and eventually became confident enough to join the debate team and even help other students struggling with language barriers.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

Challenges can shape who we are, and this UC essays prompt is about sharing a tough experience, how you handled it, and how it affected your academic path.

• Lean into the emotional side: Challenges shape who you are. Maybe your challenge was balancing school and taking care of a sick parent, and it felt like you had to grow up faster than your friends. Share how this situation pushed you emotionally.
• Step-by-step process of overcoming it: Big challenges can seem impossible when you’re in the thick of them, but breaking them down makes them feel more manageable. Did you ask for help? Change your study habits? Find a new way to manage your time?
• How it shifted your perspective: Did this challenge change the way you approach education or life in general? Did it push you to work harder? Help you develop new skills? Make you more focused?
• When a family member became seriously ill, you had to take on extra responsibilities at home, which was a huge adjustment. You had to learn how to balance taking care of things at home with keeping up in school. 
• You’ve struggled with dyslexia for years, making reading assignments especially tough. But instead of letting it hold you back, you worked with a tutor, used new study techniques, and developed strategies to excel in your classes.

6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

We all have that one subject that really sparks something in us. This UC prompts question is your chance to talk about what gets you excited about learning and how you’ve taken that interest beyond the classroom.

• Make your excitement jump off the page: When you talk about your favorite subject, don’t just say you love it — show it. Maybe you remember the first time you mixed two chemicals in a lab and saw an unexpected reaction. Let your passion leap out.
• Show your dedication outside of class: Passion doesn’t stop at the classroom door. Maybe you spend your weekends watching YouTube tutorials on astrophysics. The fact that you go out of your way to learn more on your own.
• Connect it to your bigger dreams: If your passion for a subject is shaping your future, explain how. For instance, maybe your love for environmental science has led you to take action — perhaps you started a local initiative to clean up your community.
• You’ve always been fascinated by the human body. In class, you soaked up everything about cell biology, but it didn’t stop there. You volunteered at a local hospital, shadowing doctors and learning about how different systems work in real-life medical cases. 
• You love reading about historical events, but you’ve taken it further by starting a history club at school. Outside of class, you’ve attended local history lectures and even wrote an article on a lesser-known historical figure for the school newspaper.

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

This UC essay prompts question is about showing how you’ve made an impact. It’s not about grand gestures — sometimes, the small things you do make the biggest difference.

• Focus on small actions with big impact: You don’t need to have led a massive change to make a difference. Maybe you noticed that your school didn’t have enough after-school activities, so you started a debate club. 
• Share your motivation: What inspired you to act? Maybe growing up, mental health was a topic that was never discussed in your household, so when you saw classmates struggling, you wanted to create a safe space for them. 
• Show the ripple effect: Did your efforts continue to make a difference even after you moved on? Did it improve the environment around you? Bring people together? Solve a problem?
• Noticing the lack of a proper recycling system at your school, you took the initiative to start one. You gathered a group of volunteers, worked with the administration, and got it up and running. 
• You saw a need in your local community during the pandemic, so you organized a group to deliver groceries to elderly neighbors. This simple act of kindness made a big difference for people who couldn’t safely leave their homes.

8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

Here’s where you can get a little personal. These personal insight questions let you share something that hasn’t come up yet in your application but still plays a big role in who you are. 

• Share a story that really matters to you: Think about something that’s helped shape your character but hasn’t fit into the other questions. Maybe you’ve spent years caring for a grandparent, and through that experience, you’ve learned about patience.
• Focus on qualities that set you apart: You don’t need to list more achievements. Instead, focus on what makes you tick. Maybe you’re the person who always brings people together, whether it’s organizing a game night for friends or starting a project.
• Connect it to the UC community: Think about how these qualities will help you thrive at UC. If you’re passionate about environmental activism, share how you can’t wait to join UC’s sustainability initiatives and continue making an impact.
• You’ve always been shy, but working at a local bookstore over the summer pushed you out of your shell. Now, you’re more confident in speaking up and taking initiative — skills that will help you thrive in UC’s collaborative environment.
• Growing up in a bilingual household, you’ve developed a deep appreciation for different cultures and languages. This has sparked a passion for global studies an

Common Mistakes to Avoid in UC Essays

Here are some common mistakes students often make when answering the personal insight questions (PIQ prompts) for the University of California. 

1. Mistake: Being too vague

Why it’s a Problem: General statements like “I’m a hard worker” don’t give admissions officers much to go on.

How to Avoid It: Be specific! Instead of saying you worked hard, describe a time you overcame a challenge or pushed through something difficult.

2. Mistake: Rehashing your resume

Why it’s a Problem: Simply listing your activities won’t show who you are beyond the numbers.

How to Avoid It: Use the PIQ prompts to tell a story. Instead of saying you volunteered, talk about a meaningful experience you had while volunteering and how it shaped you.

3. Mistake: Lack of reflection

Why it’s a Problem: Describing what happened without reflecting on what you learned misses the point.

How to Avoid It: Focus on how the experience changed you. Did it make you more empathetic, resourceful, or confident? Admissions officers want to see how you’ve grown.

4. Mistake: Choosing the wrong prompts

Why it’s a Problem: Picking prompts that don’t resonate with your experiences can make your essays feel forced.

How to Avoid It: Choose PIQ prompts that allow you to show different sides of yourself. Think about which moments in your life best illustrate your values, strengths, and growth.

5. Mistake: Trying to impress instead of being real

Why it’s a Problem: Writing what you think the admissions team wants to hear can come across as inauthentic.

How to Avoid It: Be yourself. Authenticity shines through. Share real stories and moments that genuinely matter to you, even if they seem small. They’ll resonate much more.

The UC essay prompts give you the chance to show the real you — beyond your grades and test scores. Don’t stress too much, just be yourself and tell your story. With a bit of thought and reflection, these essays can help you stand out and show the admissions team what makes you unique. 

You’ve got this!

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Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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1. Check our  deadlines.  Applications are considered on a rolling basis and are reviewed on a space-available basis. For scholarship consideration, please submit your application by June 1 for fall semester and December 1 for spring semester. You can view a list of transfer scholarships here .

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Letters of recommendation, resumes, personal statements, writing samples, and essays are not required for the transfer application. If provided though, these items will be accepted as supplemental information and added to your application file.

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