Title: Untuned Twang. My heart dropped as a sour note escaped the instrument and broke through the silence. The note rang throughout the auditorium, screeching like a bat into the upper balcony where a panel of judges scribbled furiously. “No,” I thought. “This can’t be happening, not to me.” My eyes darted from the baffled conductor to my fingers that trembled in the air as they hovered over the strings, too scared to play another note. The tension in...

Prompt: How do you feel about Wednesday? Title: To Kill a Mock Trial “My name is Dr. Louden Clear,” I announced, breaking through the silence of the courtroom. “That’s C-L-E-A-R,” I clarified, carefully articulating each letter. Satisfied, I leaned back in my chair, folded my hands in my lap, and waited for the interrogation to begin. Every Wednesday, I became someone else. Like Dr. Jekyll, I routinely changed my identity, transforming into Dr. Louden Clear, a world-renowned Certified Consulting...

This past summer, I received a small, maroon book in the mail that verified the University of Chicago’s position at the top of my list. The powerful title “The Life of the Mind” intrigued me. Eager to explore the UChicago’s Core system, I began to interact with the professors and students on the pages. In particular, I was surprised to be captivated by a conversation on capitalism in Professor Moishe Postone’s course on “Self, Culture, and Society.” ...

If you are ever deferred, don't lose hope! I applied early action to the University of Chicago and was deferred before finally being admitted in the regular decision round. After receiving my deferral update, I sent a letter back to the university explaining that this was my first...

I interviewed with the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, and Princeton University. Some advice I would give about interviews are: 1. Always dress nicely for your interviews! You want to be presented to these colleges as professional and mature, so make sure to dress that way. 2. Prepare some questions in advance. Most interviews will conclude with "Do you have any questions you...