Watch out, it's an admissions counselor! - Page 4

brand_182 · 07-29-2006, 01:17 PM

lol good idea

this type of student is encouraged to interview but it will not necessarily impact the decision made on his/her applicant and sometimes there are alumni interviews set up in his/her area....

question: what is a transfer student?

I hope I got it right.

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:29 AM

Whoa... I actually didn't notice this thread until this morning! Alright, I'm going to buckle down and try to answer questions.

Ok. Why are we so generous with our admission rate.

I think that sometimes applicants forget that we have a class to fill, not just rankings to manipulate. For us, that is a class of 1,200. For the last five or more years, we have had a yield rate of about a third (and I've read tons of CC discussions about why that is so high.) So we have to admit 3,600 wonderful people, the majority of whom will not come.

About 9,500 people apply every year (why? no one knows). So, we admit 40% of our applicants. Easy!

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:32 AM

To cameliasinensis, about which pool you will be "compared to" as an international student living in the states.

I want to discourage students from thinking that they are being compared to others in our applicant pool. You aren't. Each application is read based on its own merit. We have no quotas for international students, DC students, blond students, left-handed students, or any other kind of students. We have no designated spaces in our class for children of alumni or athletes. That's the great thing about being able to admit 40% of your applicants. If two people look great on paper, we don't have to choose; we can just admit them both!

The thing about being an international applicant is that the pool becomes very competitive when you apply for financial aid. Otherwise, your odds are the same as anyone else's.

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:35 AM

azsxdc, about being an economics major.

We don't have a place to state what your major will be on our application. Why? Because we don't want you to think that you have to declare your major any time before the end of your first year. We don't want you to think that it matters in the application process. And we know that you'll change it ten times once you get here and start taking Core classes.

That said, we do see a lot of students who are interested in economics. Sometimes it seems that 99% of our international applicants are. So, as an intended economics major, if economics is a big reason why you want to come here, you should make your application appeal to us more broadly. We are reading a LOT of essays about Steven Levitt. What if you switch your major? Will you transfer? Tell us that you also like the Core, that you're excited about the intellectual life, the house system, and that economics is just icing on the cake.

Also, don't tell us on the application that you like finance and business. It's ok to say that on the Basic Information Form.

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:38 AM

waleedk87, about how hard it is to get in as an international student seeking aid.

Very hard. Isabel is happier when we have more international students getting aid, either in the form of the merit scholarships or need-based financial aid. Last year was a good year for international applicants, and we were able to fully fund 43 students. "Fully fund" means that we met their full need. We did not give each one of them $48,000, but we made it so that they were able to come here.

If you need the funds to come here, then you should apply for aid. We will not be able to admit you unless you can document that you are able to pay your way. If you do not need the funds to come here, do not apply for aid. But definitely apply. Things happen.

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:42 AM

yougotjohn, about the biggest misconception in college admissions.

I think it's this extracurriculars hubbub. It makes me uncomfortable to see the way that college applicants are changing their lives so that they will "look better" to college admissions counselors who really only want to see them be happy and healthy. A question we ask ourselves a lot, and that you should probably ask the college counselors you meet, is: are we educators or are we businessmen? I am an educator, and as an educator I want my applicants to be healthy, and as healthy applicants, I'd rather you go on a bike ride than clock that 500th hour at a community service venture you don't really care about.

If your EC list shows that 1) you are interested in something (or two or three or four things) and, 2) you are doing that thing(s) you are interested in, then you've won.

mikenthemaddog66 · 07-30-2006, 09:45 AM

Wow, this is really good stuff! Thanks!

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:45 AM

neverborn, on the transfer process

Andre Phillips does exist, though he doesn't answer his phone or email.

And about the transfer blog, we deserved that. We were irresponsible in getting decisions out and communicating with our applicants. Unfortunately I wasn't in a position to do anything about it, but now that we know what we know about the imaging system and the transfer process, I think it should be better this year.

I think that the blog was good in that it was a place to vent frustrations and to publicly call us out, which we needed. I thought it was bad in that some personal attacks were made on some of our counselors, which was unnecessary.

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:46 AM

brand_182, on interviewing off campus.

We do offer alumni interviews in most of the US. To request one, just go to the online application after September 13 and click "request an alumni interview."

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:48 AM

mvdad, about the financial aid opportunities in the upperclass years.

Provided that the family's financial situation does not change, the financial aid package will not change either. If work/study is granted the first year, it will be granted all four years. It's up to the student to decide if a part-time job will take place in a research facility, in a library, at the gym, in a community-based organization in Hyde Park, or wherever.

We don't particularly grant these positions to upperclassmen... they are usually taken as first-years and then held for all four years. This isn't to say that it is hard to get a job as a second-year. There are more research positions here than there are students to fill them.

I can't comment on other schools, sorry.

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 09:50 AM

brand_182, on what is a transfer student?

A transfer student has enrolled full-time as a degree-seeking student at another college or university. Both factors are important, full-time, and degree-seeking. So, if you are in high school and you have taken many, many credits at community college, you are not a transfer student, because you were enrolled to get a high school diploma as opposed to at the community college.

brand_182 · 07-30-2006, 11:12 AM

oh that last question was just for kicks....thanks for the responses.

I guess the ultimate question is, what kind of cookies do yall like? lol

Libby Pearson · 07-30-2006, 11:31 AM

Chocolate chip with pecans.

brand_182 · 07-30-2006, 11:32 AM

ok well I'll remember that...

yougotjohn · 07-30-2006, 12:50 PM

Wow! Thanks for answering these. Very, very helpful.

How does University of Chicago feel about supplementary material? Extra recommendations, an extra essay, or a portfolio of something we've done, etc. Do admissions counselors just think it takes up more time, or is it often helpful?