Chicago Personal Statement

To the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Chicago,

While I originally waitlisted for admission into the Class of 2021, I am still firmly committed to attending the University of Chicago as my first choice for next fall and would happily matriculate immediately, should I be accepted off of the wait list.

When I first began applying to colleges late last year, nearly everyone warned me to apply to a sufficient number of “safety schools,” schools at which I would safely and almost certainly be admitted. I thought of “safety” in a different way, however.

To me, the University of Chicago was my “safety school”—certainly not in the sense that I would be guaranteed admission, but in that I would be safe to do many of

Far from being an introvert, I intend to join the University’s College Council and serve as a vocal advocate for students on campus. Given my background as a community leader through my seven years of service to the Henrico County Public Library system and my personal experiences attending a low-income school (where 55% of the student body is on free or reduced-price lunch), I am especially interested in giving a voice to underrepresented students both on campus through student government and off campus through the University Community Service Center. Similarly, I intend to contribute to the Chicago Debate Society, through which I hope not only to share the slightly unorthodox debating strategies we’ve developed in the Henrico High School debate team but also to propagate a culture of inclusion in debate which I’ve personally sought to foster over my three-year tenure as

Whether it’s getting coffee together at Harper Cafe in the morning, talking in the Quad after lunch, or grabbing dinner in my House dining hall, I know that my classmates and their bona fide passion for whatever they're studying—government, economics, or theology—will fuel me to drive for excellence and impact both during and long after my four arduous years at the University.

In brief, I hope that this letter finds the committee well and that I will be able to call UChicago home this August.