【聚焦】芝加哥大学新essay出炉！你能想到几种破解法？-新东方前途出国

　　从essay的撰写到人设的挖掘，从过往经历的整理到清晰未来的目标，从入门到精通，从遇到的挑战到获得的成就，从词汇的积累到文字的表达。各种关于申请时essay涉及到的相关问题我们都会有所涉及！  

　　在回答申请中的问题前，我们先来通过芝加哥大学近期公布的烧脑essay题目来感受一下，essay的多元性与想象力。  

　　| 芝加哥大学essay题目更新  

　　每年芝加哥大学会要求学生写两篇附加essay，一篇几乎常年不变的“Why School”，另一篇就是几乎常年都有所不同的，脑洞大开的几选一。  

　　近期，芝加哥大学放出了他们今年七选一的附加essay题目，一如既往的烧脑，让我们来看看都是些什么内容，和往年相比又有什么区别吧！  

　　· 问题1  

　　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  

　　译文：指数和平方根，铅笔和橡皮，β衰变和电子捕获。说出两件相互抵消的事情，并解释为什么两者都是必要的。  

　　· 问题2  

　　“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  

　　译文：《Where Have All The Flowers Gone》是皮特·西格演唱的一首歌曲。选择一个来自歌名或是歌词的问题，并给出你认为更好的解答。  

　　· 问题3  

　　“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  

　　译文："Vlog”"Labradoodle"和"Fauxmage"语言中充满了混合词(由另外两词的结尾连接而成)。创造一个新的混合词，并解释为什么这两个词能完美匹配。  

　　· 问题4  

　　A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.  

　　-Inspired by Sonia Chang, Class of 2025, and Mirabella Blair, Class of 2027  

　　译文：水母不是鱼。飞贼不会偷猫。罗德岛不是一个岛。写一篇关于其他一些误称的文章，要么为它想出一个新名字并为之辩护，要么解释为什么应该保留它不准确的名字。  

　　· 问题5  

　　Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?  

　　– Inspired by Adam Heiba, Class of 2027  

　　译文：尽管它们起源于印度笈多帝国或古埃及，但象棋或保龄球等游戏至今仍厂受欢迎。你认为哪款现代游戏能够经受住时间的考验？为什么？  

　　· 问题6  

　　There are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. But of course, some rules should be broken or updated. What is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist? (Our custom is to have five new prompts each year, but this year we decided to break with tradition. Enjoy!)  

　　– Inspired by Maryam Abdella, Class of 2026  

　　译文：每个人一生中都遵循或至少听过一次不成文的规则。当然，有些规则应该被打破或更新。什么是你希望不存在的不成文规则？（我们的习惯是每年有五个新的essay题目，但今年我们决定打破传统。请享受！）  

　　· 问题7  

　　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!  

　　译文：接下来，是经典的冒险题目。以勇敢探究的精神，从我们过往的题目里选择一个，或者自拟一个题目，要具有原创性和创造力，引人思考。展现你作为作家，思想家，畅想家，社会评论家，贤哲，世界公民或芝加哥大学未来成员的特质;冒冒险，祝你玩得开心！  

　　| 当地学生如何评价？  

　　在不熟悉芝加哥大学essay的情况下，看到这些essay题目的瞬间是不是会觉得：  

　　“这是在说什么？”  

　　“我要从何说起？如何才能言之有理？”  

　　“这可真烧脑哇！”  

　　仔细想想是不是又会觉得“好像挺有意思的”？  

　　就芝加哥大学而言，他们非常鼓励学生充分发挥创意和想象，喜欢打破传统，“thinking out of the box”的同时并不直言“我正在打破传统”。  

　　“Intellectual and Quirky”（聪明的怪咖）基本上是芝加哥大学的学生们想到母校时第一时间就能想到的词汇。  

　　“益智厚生” （Crescat scientia; vita excolatur）也是几乎每个学生都非常符合的校训。  

*截图来自Niche官网

　　在Niche上，在被问到“你觉得芝加哥大学的学生最典型的特点”时，“每个人都有自己非常有趣的特征”以及“大家都从不掩饰对于学习的热情”是收到最多的答案。  

　　这很清晰地让我们发现芝加哥大学的学生画像：思维怪咖！  

　　此外，我们还可以从往年的essay题目中发现学校非常鼓励学生多阅读，充分发挥创意的特点。让我们来一起看看吧。  

　　| 往年芝加哥大学essay题目汇总  

　　在放出今年附加essay题目的同时，我们也看到在官网上放出的往年题目，这里我们经过分类，发现有以下非常典型的几种essay题目类型：  

　　创造某个新事物、解释某个存在的事物、情景想象、制作非文字作品；脑洞大开等等......  

　　来一起围观以下三类烧脑essay题，开发脑洞吧！  

　　· 第一类：给出例子及定义，根据定义“创造”出一个新的事物，并且解释创造它的原因：  

　　创造一个新的学科：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`+  

　　创造一个结合历史人物和现代事物的组合：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  

　　创造一个新的“三人组”：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  

　　创造一个新的俚语：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.)  

　　给你过去收到过的礼物创造它的背景故事：“…I [was] eager to escape backward again, to be off to invent a past for the present.” —The Rose Rabbi by Daniel Stern  

　　Present: present  

　　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  

　　创造一个结合任意语言的新词：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  

　　创造一个新的咒语：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  

　　· 第二类：给出例子及定义，根据定义从生活中选择出能够符合定义的事物，并且给出合理的解释：  

　　解决绕口令中的难题：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  

　　解释自己认为最重要的三艺或四艺（传统的博雅教育）：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  

　　错误引用的名言："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  

　　阴差阳错解决了问题的方法：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  

　　“神奇的入口”：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  

　　正在退化的东西：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  

　　很难翻译出的表达方式：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  

　　用各种方式来比较苹果和橘子：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  

　　讲述自己和宿敌间的故事：“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  

　　世界上的两种人：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  

　　你怎么被抓住了：How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.)  

　　—Inspired by Kelly Kennedy, AB’10  

　　给出设定好的场景，充分发挥想象：  

　　和火星人分享人类的故事：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  

　　螳螂虾看到的世界是什么样的：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  

　　· 第三类：根据要求制作一个非文字的“作品”，如果不好理解的话需附带文字解释：  

　　重新制作一个地图：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  

　　制作一个属于自己的“One-Pager”：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  

　　找到X：Find x.  

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

　　什么能被0整除：What can actually be divided by zero?  

　　—Inspired by Mai Vu, Class of 2024  

　　奇数有什么奇怪的？（双关）：What’s so odd about odd numbers?  

　　—Inspired by Mario Rosasco, AB’09  

　　沉默是如何振聋发聩的：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  

　　Waldo在哪？：So where is Waldo, really?  

　　—Inspired by Robin Ye  

　　*以上内容参考材料：芝加哥大学官网/Niche官网。  

　　通过上述这些essay题目的例子，我们可以感觉到，芝加哥大学非常期待看到学生们的创意，同时还会期待学生利用统计、物理等多个角度来解释问题。  

　　这里有一个小提示：我们可以看到有的问题相对能让人想到头绪，有的则相反。这意味着相对好想的题目回答的人也会更多。  

　　不止今年，也不止芝加哥大学，美国闻名大学非常期待看到学生用文字来表述他们的想法打破常规的各种方式！  

　　如果同学们还想了解更多相关内容，欢迎在线咨询北京新东方前途出国老师，在留学申请过程中遇到任何问题，欢迎进入答疑中心留言，会有留学导师为大家解答。

　　想了解更多关于美国留学资讯的同学，可以点击“美国本科留学”首页查看，免费领取留学资料可以点击《2023中国留学白皮书》，如果对自己是否适合出国留学还有疑虑，欢迎参与前途出国免费评估，以便给大家进行定位。