100% All In
on UChicago.
Since submitting my application, my desire to be a part of this community has only grown. I wanted to reaffirm that if accepted, I will 100% attend, committing on the spot. Here's why I believe UChicago is the place for me.
Some of What I've Been
Doing Since I Applied
Since submitting my application, I've been doing something that feels distinctly UChicago: addressing “unsolvable issues” on a local scale. I recently engineered and built a rain garden for a Chesapeake Bay elementary school to mitigate stormwater pollution. This project sparked a deeper inquiry into the intersection of emerging tech and ecology. While I leveraged AI to bridge technical gaps in plumbing and landscape architecture, I've become increasingly preoccupied with the environmental cost of the data centers powering these tools.
I want to leverage these tools to better the environment, not worsen it. At UChicago, I am eager to research how to make Artificial Intelligence a carbon negative process — one that does not deplete the environment — and make environmental monitoring more accessible through opportunities like the UChicago Human AI Lab (CHAI).
Instead of merely succumbing to the ‘refresh button’ anxiety of the waitlist, I chose to audit it. I developed a WaitWatch widget: a dashboard that measures the aggregate energy footprint of the ~500,000 waitlisted students in the U.S., to transform a stressful ritual into a study of Digital Ecology.
This project highlights my commitment to the dual nature of AI in environmental science: leveraging it for high-fidelity research while addressing the staggering energy costs of the models themselves. I am particularly drawn to the CERES Center’s approach to computational sustainability, as I want to ensure that the next generation of breakthroughs — whether used for climate modeling at CEGU or urban planning — is as environmentally responsible as it is powerful. I am eager to explore how AI can be designed as a partner in fighting climate change, rather than a contributor to it. The numbers are more alarming than you’d expect.
A University and
Community Like No Other
This school is my first choice. This is not a fallback. Not one of several options I'm weighing equally. First choice.
If offered admission, I will enroll and immediately withdraw any other deposits or waitlist positions. I will show up ready to work hard, contribute to the program, and build something meaningful with the education UChicago makes possible.
Lack of Administrative Barriers
I am drawn to the lack of administrative barriers to exploration and a culture that is simultaneously intellectually serious and delightfully eccentric.
The UChicago Community
I want to be a part of this community of people whose idea of fun is also debating fun and academic topics, like what the world's borders would look like if humans could fly, or if trees were sentient. I want to compete with my peers to see who can come up with the best prompt for the next generation of UChicago applicants.
Quirky, Nerdy and Respected
I have never had more fun writing an essay than I did yours. I want nothing more than to join this wonderfully quirky and nerdy community: submitting ideas to the Uncommon Fund, debating the physics of Harry Potter spells, participating in the countless amazing traditions, bonding with my house over the tough but rewarding academics, and so much more.
I Am Still
Your Candidate
I am committed to UChicago and believe I am a perfect fit for you, so I respectfully ask the admissions committee to give my application continued consideration.
Crescat Scientia.
Thank you for your time and for the work the admissions committee does to build the next generation of University of Chicago scholars.