<p>[Here</a> is a previous topic about this](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/990623-optional-essay-2-a.html]Here”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/990623-optional-essay-2-a.html)</p>
<p>In short…do whatever you want. You can write about a single book and how it affected your life, or choose a lot of books or paintings, etc, and write a short sentence on each.</p>
<p>(My first goal before I start writing any supplemental essays or short answers it to see if there’s any overlap between colleges. For those interested, Caltech asks you to list three books that have influenced you and explain why in a sentence. I’m sure I will at least copy this list and maybe add some music and movies in my optional essay for UChicago.)</p>