Essay Topic for Upcoming Application Cycle

[Guest Jazzey]

Hi,

I'm just curious to know if anyone knows if the essay topic for the application changes year to year? This year it was : describe your greatest challenge in life. Is that what it has been in previous years as well?

Thanks!

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

The above topic that you mention has been the application essay topic for the past couple of application cycles, at least.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest Jazzey]

Thanks, Kirsteen!

[Guest CHUBBY]

any ideas guys on how this question can be approached for those of you who have previously applied to U of C??

 

thanks

 

chubby

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

any ideas guys on how this question can be approached for those of you who have previously applied to U of C??

I'm sure there are plenty of threads from last year and the year before that address this. Essentially, think of something that happened to you that is not school-related and ruminate on how it affected you and how you responded to the challenge of that situation. That is, what skills did you use to address the situation, etc.

 

If you're having a tough time coming up with challenges, take an hour or so and just sit in front of a notepad or computer and brainstorm issues or occurrances that you've found tough over the years. You might be surprised what comes to you if you don't allow yourself to move until you've listed a good few. As an example, the challenge that I described in my essay this year was different from that which I wrote about last year. This past year's essay topic occurred a few years ago, but it didn't strike me until I decided to take a fresh approach to the task and list all of my challenges. I was very happy that I discovered this one as the resulting essay was a lot stronger.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest CHUBBY]

thanks kirsteen

 

chubby

[Guest Jerika81]

Another approach (for those who can't think of a good enough challenge they've already had) is to think of something you find challenging and never had the courage to do so far, and do it this summer. Then write your essay about it. I doubt many people do this, but I came up pretty empty handed at the time I started to think about this essay 2 years ago, so I spent the summer training for and then competing in a triathlon, and this is what I wrote my essay about. (Of course essay material wasn't the only reason I did the triathlon, but you get the idea)

[Guest bananacreampie]

Hey Jerika

 

It was before I had thought about applying, but my essay was also about doing a triathlon

 

cheers, bcp

[Guest Jerika81]

Hey BCP,

Were you ever in UCTC? I joined it for a year after I competed in that triathlon 2 years ago since I'd really enjoyed it and wanted to continue with the sport. It was pretty intense training though and I decided I didn't have time for it this year (as well as the patience, I hate running!).

[Guest bananacreampie]

Hey Jerika,

 

I never joined UCTC, but it is the tri that I did. I happen to hate running as well. I just trained with some friends, it wasn't till after that I realized there was actually a club. I have been so lazy this spring, I am going to have to start doing more this fall.

 

cheers, bcp

[Guest walkorbike]

Hi, all,

 

I wanted to give an example of what I did, and what you might wish to avoid doing in your U Cal app essay. I decided to write about something very personal, even private.

 

So off it went and then later, when I received an interview, I began to worry about my essay topic and the fact that my interviewers had access to it. I did not want to have to discuss it with my panel because it was so personal (something I should have thought of before sending it in). Anyway, this added to the pre-interview stress for me.

 

During the interview, I wasn't asked once about my essay, which was a big relief. I will just finish by saying as you write your essay (and good luck with it), do bear in mind that you may be sitting across from two people and having to answer questions about it in the spring.

-walkorbike

[Guest avisee]

I think I'd like to talk about personal problems I've overcome (maturity etc), but I think it could be difficult to write that without sounding whiny or incompetent. On the one hand I'd like to talk about something that is incredibly meaningful to me, but I don't want to rant in my admissions essay.

 

There must be some fine balance between elaborating on how devastating the challenges were that you overcame (adding depth but potentially writing a depressing essay) and emphasizing the positives in how you succeeded in overcoming them (showcasing your talents but minimizing the mountains you climbed). How do you find that balance?