When people ask me what kind of college I’m looking for, my answer usually isn’t a single school’s name; it’s a vision.
I want to study in an environment that blends research with creativity, science with art, and rigor with compassion. I want a place where biology and philosophy don’t just coexist, but spark conversations with one another. A place where I can spend the afternoon studying the cardiovascular system and, that same evening, sit in a South Side jazz club listening to the rhythms that have carried both resistance and healing across generations.
The University of Chicago is one of the few places I’ve seen where that vision feels possible. My week at the Woodson Summer Scholars Program gave me a taste of its intellectual intensity, but what surprised me most was the depth of community I encountered. At Nella Pizza & Pasta, Vice Provost Waldo Johnson didn’t just share a meal, he shared stories and encouragement that made me feel seen, even as a visitor. Admissions officers and TAs met my mistakes with patience rather than judgment, reminding me that grace has a place even in the most rigorous settings. Those moments mattered as much as the Gothic architecture or the world-class academics. They showed me that UChicago is not just a university of ideas, but a community of people who extend kindness.
I can imagine myself there: moving between disciplines, weaving together biology, economics, and theology. I see myself exploring health inequities in Black communities in one class, then walking into a Booth lecture about entrepreneurship and imagining how a new medical device might change access to care. I see myself in the Green Mill, letting jazz guide me into questions of history and culture, while also carrying the rhythm of faith and community into my daily work.
That said, I want to be realistic. UChicago is one of many schools I’m considering, and I know it would come with challenges. Its quarter system is famously fast-paced, the intellectual pressure is real, and Chicago winters don’t exactly sound like paradise. I also know that prestige alone isn’t enough; I need a university where I can belong both academically and culturally, where there’s a strong Black presence in the city and on campus.
My ultimate goal has never been just “getting into UChicago.” It’s to attend a top-tier university (ideally top 20) that offers excellent research opportunities, an urban environment, and a cross-disciplinary network that prepares me for medicine, music, and beyond. Most importantly, it’s to do this without taking on debt. For me, financial freedom is not optional; it’s the foundation that will allow me to serve others and pursue the long journey to medicine without the burden of loans.
So when I say that UChicago feels like a strong fit, it’s not because I’ve stopped searching. It’s because, for now, it represents many of the things I hope to find in my college journey: rigor paired with grace, scholarship woven with creativity, and a community where people don’t just chase knowledge but build each other up along the way.