芝加哥大学官方更新了26 Fall的文书题目！
以严谨学术与烧脑文书闻名的芝加哥大学，再次交出了一份充满想象力与思辨性的文书题目清单。每年，芝大的补充文书都因其趣味性和独特性成为申请季的“话题王”——这些脑洞大开的题目，不仅令学生兴奋不已，也让人忍不住抓头挠腮，陷入深思。
这些题目的灵感，来自于芝大学子天马行空的想象力。每年，招生办公室都会邀请新生和在读学生投稿，分享他们心中的“理想文书题”。今年共收到数百份回应，其中不乏妙语连珠、充满哲思的精彩构想。最终入选的题目，也正是从这些投稿中脱颖而出，展现了芝加哥大学一贯的批判性思维和创造力精神。
文书题目共两篇，一篇经典的“Why UChicago”必写Essay，另一篇7选1的形式的“Extended Essay”。
以下，就是2025-2026申请季的文书题目——灵感来源，正是芝大的学生与校友。准备好迎接挑战了吗？
01、Why UChicago
In an ideal world where inter-species telepathic communication exists, which species would you choose to have a conversation with, and what would you want to learn from them? Would you ask beavers for architectural advice? Octopuses about cognition? Pigeons about navigation? Ants about governance? Make your case—both for the species and the question.Inspired by Yvan Sugira, Class of 2029
中文翻译：在一个理想的世界中，物种之间可以进行心灵感应式的沟通。你会选择和哪种生物对话？你希望从它们身上学到什么？你会向河狸请教建筑学？向章鱼探讨认知？向鸽子学习导航？向蚂蚁了解治理？请阐述你选择这个物种的原因，以及你提出的问题背后的逻辑。
02、Extended Essay
Extended Essay: Option 1
In an ideal world where inter-species telepathic communication exists, which species would you choose to have a conversation with, and what would you want to learn from them? Would you ask beavers for architectural advice? Octopuses about cognition? Pigeons about navigation? Ants about governance? Make your case—both for the species and the question.
Inspired by Eitan Fischer, Class of 2027
译：在一个理想世界中，不同物种之间可以进行心灵感应式的交流。你会选择与哪个物种对话？你希望从它们那里学到什么？你会向海狸请教建筑设计？向章鱼请教认知能力？向鸽子请教导航？还是向蚂蚁请教治理结构？请为你选择的物种和你的提问立场辩护。
Extended Essay: Option 2
If you could uninvent one thing, what would it be — and what would unravel as a result?
Inspired by Eitan Fischer, Class of 2027
译：如果你可以“取消发明”某个东西，你会选择什么？这项发明被“逆转”后，世界会发生什么连锁反应？
Extended Essay: Option 3
"Left" can mean remaining or departed. "Dust" can mean to add fine particles or to remove them. "Fast" can mean moving quickly or fixed firmly in place. These contronyms—words that are their own antonyms—somehow hold opposing meanings in perfect tension. Explore a contronym: a role, identity, or experience in your life that has contained its own opposite.
Inspired by Kristin Yi, Class of 2029
译：“Left” 可以指“留下”也可以指“离开”；“Dust” 可以表示“撒灰尘”也可以表示“除尘”；“Fast” 可以是“快速的”，也可以是“牢固不动的”。这些自反义词奇妙地同时拥有相反的含义，彼此张力中保持平衡。请探索一个“contronym”式的角色、身份或生活经历——一个同时包含“自身对立面”的经历。
Extended Essay: Option 4
The penny is on its way out—too small to matter, too costly to keep. But not everything small should disappear. What’s one object the world is phasing out that you think we can’t afford to lose, and why?
Ella Somaiya, Class of 2028
译：一分钱硬币正逐渐退出流通——面值太小、造价太高。但并非所有微小之物都应被淘汰。请谈谈一个正在被世界逐渐淘汰的“小物件”，你认为我们绝对不能失去它，为什么？
Extended Essay: Option 5
From Michelin Tires creating the Michelin Guide, to the audio equipment company Audio-Technica becoming one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sushi robots, brand identity can turn out to be a lot more flexible than we think. Choose an existing brand, company, or institution and propose an unexpected but strangely logical new product or service for them to launch. Why is this unlikely extension exactly what the world (or the brand) needs right now?
Inspired by Julia Nieberg, Class of 2029
译：从米其林轮胎公司推出《米其林指南》，到音响设备公司Audio-Technica转型为全球最大的寿司机器人制造商之一，品牌身份比我们想象的更加灵活。请选择一个现有品牌、公司或机构，为它设想一个出人意料但又逻辑合理的新产品或服务。为什么这种“不可能的扩展”，正是品牌或世界当下所需要的？
Extended Essay: Option 6
Statistically speaking, ice cream doesn’t cause shark attacks, pet spending doesn’t drive the number of lawyers in California, and margarine consumption isn’t responsible for Maine’s divorce rate—at least, not according to conventional wisdom. But what if the statisticians got it wrong? Choose your favorite spurious correlation and make the case for why it might actually reveal a deeper, causative truth.
Inspired by Adam DiMascio, Class of 2025
译：从统计学角度看，冰淇淋的销售并不会导致鲨鱼袭击，宠物开销也不会推高加州的律师数量，人造黄油的摄入也不会导致缅因州离婚率上升。但假如统计学错了呢？请选择一个你最喜欢的“伪相关”现象，试着为它背后的“潜在因果关系”辩护。
Extended Essay: Option 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：和往年一样——你可以选择过去任一题目，也可以自拟一个问题！本着勇敢探索的精神，写一篇原创、有创意、引发思考的文书。展示你最出色的写作、思考、远见、社会观察、智慧和世界公民意识。承担一点风险，尽情享受写作的乐趣吧！
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