<p>@JHS
I would probably agree with intparent. Chicago’s switch to the common app has almost certainly been the major factor that has led to Chicago’s precipitous increase in applications, for the simple reason that the switch has given Chicago room to grow. To those people who knew about “American education’s best kept secret”, the uncommon app was no obstacle at all, but to all those “hicks, poor uncouth inner city folks, Californians, and liberals”, those very people Chicago has so successfully reached out to with its marketing in the last few years, the uncommon application would have been an almost insurmountable obstacle. As such, it is only because of the switch that Chicago’s marketing has culminated in meaningful improvements in its applicant tally. And I’d wager that if they removed their essay in favor of a more Harvard-esque approach, they’re applicant tally would rise even further, faster! (And I pray to god that they never go down that road)</p>