How To Begin Your Essay
Brainstorming Ideas
Do you have a specific habit, like eating the same breakfast every day or running the same route? What does it mean to you? Has it remained the same or changed as your life has evolved? Maybe it opens the door to an essay topic...
Think of your favorite activity. What do you love most about it? If you play guitar, is it experimenting with sound, being in a band, etc.? Lots of people play guitar, so think of how it fits uniquely into your life. Maybe there's an essay topic there...
Think of your family gatherings. Do they connect you to a deep tradition? Or make you cringe a little? Perhaps some of both. How you see yourself as part of and/or distinct from family says a lot about you. Maybe there's an essay topic there...
Essay prompts
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U. of Chicago 2021-2 supplemental essay option, inspired by Arjun Kalia, Class of 2025: “What’s so easy about pie?”
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Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
