Talk to Connor Bloch at UChicago | UChicago Student Advice

See How Connor Used Hustle, Heat, and Unconventional Grit to Get UChicago to Say 'Yes Chef' to his College App

Connor Bloch’s college application came across more like a gripping episode of "The Bear" than your standard admissions blueprint. By the time most students were learning how to format a résumé, Connor was breaking down whole hogs in a butcher shop. By 17, he was juggling two jobs—finance by day, fine dining by night. He wrote a gripping story about the struggles and lessons of a chaotic New Year’s Eve dinner service at a Michelin-tier restaurant that subtly and impactfully told admissions who he is. Fifteen hours of plating, orders, adrenaline. No breaks. No shortcuts.

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accepted at: UChicago

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5.0 rating

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Stats

COLLEGE

uchicagoclass of '26regular decisionecon/stats

HIGH SCHOOL

high school: pinecrestft. lauderdale, fl

TEST SCORES

SAT: 1420ACT: 33GPA: n/aAPs: n/a

Bio

Connor Bloch

Butcher shop by day. Fine dining by night. Finance intern in between. By 17, he was juggling a finance internship and working long shifts in a Michelin-tier kitchen, plating food for New Year’s Eve dinner until 5AM. His essay? It was about that dinner service. Sixteen hours of chaos, sweat, and hustle. No breaks. No fluff. Just him, in his element. He wasn’t trying to be impressive—he was just busy being impressive. Connor cold-attended cycling classes to run into a chef he wanted to work for. (Yes, really.) He gave a TED Talk before turning 18. And somewhere in the middle of it all, he started winning pitch competitions while working under one of the toughest chefs in town. What made him stand out? He didn’t over-polish or play it safe. He lived a life full of motion—jumping between food, finance, and entrepreneurship—and then told those stories exactly how they happened. The result? A raw, unforgettable application that showed UChicago exactly what kind of thinker and doer they’d be getting. Message Connor if you want to talk restaurant life, greek life, finance, storytelling through essays, how to balance three jobs in high school, or why “unconventional” might just be your biggest advantage. He’s proof you don’t have to sound like everyone else to get in—you just have to sound like you.