My Choice of College Anonymous

Why do you want to go to the University of Chicago?

Going to college is like marriage: I choose you, and you choose me. Just as you regard each candidate as an individual, I view colleges not by their statistics and ratings but by the extent to which they meet my particular needs. After my extensive research on many colleges, I have decided that the University of Chicago meets every criterion that constitutes my own definition of “Dream College”.

To me, suitability is the most important criterion in choosing a college. Through a conversation with a current Chicago student who graduated from my school, I learned that students of this university study hard not for high scores or ranks, but for the sake of learning itself. Chicago does not have the cutthroat competitiveness that permeates so many other top colleges. I learn that Chicago students sometimes debate over lunch about political issues, and that the conversations taking place in dorms can be the same as those that began in class a few hours before. The students really work hard to create a cooperative learning environment for each other, with acquisition of knowledge as the goal. This is the environment I desire most and in which I will thrive.

I am also impressed by the...