Doing the right thing isn't always easy. Many times, it's excruciating. But someone has to do it. Read Part 1 of a multipart series to follow Benji, a mysterious man who lends a hand to those who need it, though they don't always ask for it.…
This is "Essay Option 1" of the University of Chicago admissions essays for the 2019-2020 school year. The full text of the question is "Cats have nine lives, Pac-Man has 3 lives, and radioactive isotopes have half-lives. How many lives does something else-conceptual or actual-have, and why?". The question was inspired by Kendrick Shin, Class of 2019. This is the first of a series dedicated to writing out the U-Chicago admissions essay prompts. I didn't apply to UChicago as an undergrad(somehow, it's unofficial nickname "where fun goes to die" deterred me), but their creative, off-beat essays always intrigued me. And now, 2 years after I graduated undergrad from not UChicago, here I am, a miserable quarantiner, trying to make use of the sudden inundation of free time I have. In a spirit of solidarity with the high schoolers, to whom a 650 word-count is recommended by the university, I will be adhering to a soft 650 word limit. Since the admissions committee does not set this as a hard limit, I won't either(so don't crucify me if one of my essays creeps into the low 700s!). It will be a challenge, but I think ultimately beneficial. When I don't limit myself, I tend to get carried away and write a book.This particular essay is adapted from the legend of Hippasus. Hope you enjoy!…