College Admissions

College Admissions Do not rush your writing process; create space in your schedule to revise your work. Ultimately, it is up to you to polish your essay before you submit. If you select a second-choice major other than the Division of General Studies on your application, write a second essay explaining your interest in this major, too. We want to give you enough time to craft the very best essays you canâ€"and the best way to do that is to tell you what they are now. For example, if you’re fifth in your class of 130, your transcript should report your rank as 5/130. Applicants should submit transcripts indicating rank for the latest completed semester prior to the application deadline. All applicants must submitthree required short answersand may submitone optional short answerresponding to prompts in your admissions application. Answers are limited to no more than 40 lines, or about 250â€"300 words, typically the length of one paragraph. Students may request a fee waiver by indicating their eligibility on the online application. This happens, then this happens, then this happens. Some beginning writers think the present tense makes for more exciting reading. You’ll see this is a fallacy if you pay attention to how many suspenseful novels are written in past tense. We receive several hundred responses, many of which are eloquent, intriguing, or downright wacky. 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. Writing the college application essay is stressful. Here’s how to share your story and set yourself apart. When writing about past events, the present tense doesn’t allow for reflection. THE EPIGRAPH Many essays start with a quote from another writer. When you have a limited amount of space, you don’t want to give precious real estate to someone else’s words. This is an opportunity to show us your potential as an RTF student. The duration of the video should be no more than 5 minutes OR the review/critique should be no more than 500 words. If you have earned any college credit while in high school, request that the college or university send official transcripts to UT Austin. comparable to the average class rank of students from traditional schools who have equivalent SAT or ACT test scores. Rank should be indicated as your numerical position out of the total number of students in the class. A separate request form is not required, however, students may be required to submit documentation in support of a request. If you have any questions about completing your application for admission, please contact the Office of Admissions at to speak with an admissions counselor. Want to see what a successful admission essay looks like, proceed with an application, make sure to follow all steps below. Each year we email newly admitted and current College students and ask them for essay topics. You may submitup to two optional letters of recommendationwith your admission application. These letters may be from teachers, mentors, or people who know you well, either within or outside of your high school. The letter should be able to give additional context or information to support your admission that is not already provided in your application or other submitted documents (résumé, transcripts). Students who wish to have an SAT or ACT score reviewed with their admissions application must submit at least one set of test scores. (We do not require the SAT Essay or ACT Writing scores.) Scores included in transcripts and copies of score reports don’t meet this requirement. If you wish, you may submit either a video/short film or a written review/critique to support your application. This may be something you did for school or on your own.