<p>For clarification: the reason we do not announce a firm admissions notification date is for our own convenience, really: so we don’t have to worry about missing it (which, trust me, would be more stressful on you or our staff than not knowing ahead of time). We send out decisions as soon as we are able to, but part of decision sending involves a lot of human checking and re-checking on our part to ensure that everything is correct: it can take, sometimes, 3 days to go through everything, stuff envelopes with decisions, ensure correct names are getting correct decisions going to correct addresses, and re-check everything again just to be sure. If something is incorrect? We search through everything to make it right. If the mail-man or our delivery man accidentally drops all of the admissions letters in a mud puddle outside our office? We do it all again. It’s a lot of work from our side, and it really sucks for us if we wind up not being able to make a deadline. It’s also very important to us to make sure that all paper decisions go out at the same time, and that e-mail decisions are appropriately staggered. The lack of deadline isn’t out there to bother you- we’ve spent all year deciding who we want for next year’s class, and we want you to know as soon as possible, so that you can make your final decision (and hopefully, choose us!). But, most of the time, it’s just not realistic for us to let you know when you will know ahead of time, because often we really don’t know when everything is going to be ready to send out, and won’t be able to account for our own quibbles if we run in to difficulty.
Also, for this reason, please please do not call our office or e-mail your regional admissions counselor to ask when decisions will be released. For all of the reasons listed above, we will not be able to give you a date, so the call is unnecessary. If you have questions other than that relating to admissions, overnight visits, and the like, you may still feel free to contact us.</p>
<p>Can you answer this: Is it possible that decisions could be this week? While you can’t pinpoint a date, I’m sure you know enough to tell us whether or not it is possible that they will be released this week.</p>
<p>heinochus: I wasn’t talking about how the e-mails were staggered. I was watching CC when that happened, and agree that it looked like when people got their decisions was systematically biased based on the content of the decision, not where they lived. If that did happen, I’m sure great effort has been expended to make certain that it doesn’t happen again. I was talking about setting a date in advance for the release of decisions, something many colleges do. Chicago doubtless has an internal target for when that is going to happen, but I’ll bet in the past they have missed that target by a day from time to time trying to make certain everything is right, and so they don’t want to create an expectation and then fail to meet it.</p>
<p>@UChicagoPSAC: Thanks for laying out an official response to my question. At this point it’s quite a bit clearer why Chicago dances around a decision date as it does; I can understand the desire to protect against anything that might go wrong. At the same time, I’d point out that many other schools of Chicago’s caliber nail down a decision date [and time, on occasion], so it’s not unprecedented. However, I can also understand why a school would not do this. Thanks again!</p>
<p>@JHS: Basically a similar response as the one above. At this point, I’m going to go ahead and show myself out of this thread/forum for a while, since I feel I’ve gotten too CC/neurotic-about-decisions, and probably need to relax for a while. </p>
<p>Peace!</p>
<p>During the EA cycle, my regional admissions officer sent me an email on the rumored release day telling me that the office was still working its way through the apps. Three hours later, EA decisions were out. An almost identical incident occurred last year with a Class of 2013 EA applicant. This either means that:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>decisions are made up to the very last moment (and that the 3 days of checking mentioned by UChicagoPSAC is done in 3 hours or less)</p></li>
<li><p>the admissions committee intentionally misleads students</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In both cases, this is inappropriate and irresponsible behavior on the admissions office’s part, even if the intention might be good. As a deferred EA applicant and a hopeful RD-er, I hope the office will avoid such gimmickry during the upcoming release of RD decisions.</p>
<p>Last year, there was a blog post on Uncommon Blog at around 10:30 am on March 25th telling students to be patient, that decisions will be posted on or before April 1st, etc etc. Decisions were released on March 25th at 5pm. </p>
<p><a href=“https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2009/03/when_will_decisions_be_release.html[/url]”>https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2009/03/when_will_decisions_be_release.html</a>
<a href=“https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2009/03/decisions_are_available.html[/url]”>https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2009/03/decisions_are_available.html</a></p>
<p>I mean no disrespect, but it’s very hard for me to believe that circumstances change so drastically between 10:30 and 5.</p>
<p>I mean, honestly, I think it isn’t the nicest thing they can do, but you guys are making too big of a deal about it. Someone will probably pull the “neogop, you clearly don’t remember what it was like the weeks before your EA decision!” But I do. It was literally all I could think about. On Dec 14, the day before decisions came out, I almost failed a Calc test because it was all I could think about. But seriously, it’s not up to you when they release decisions, it’s up to Dean Nondorf. If you trust him enough to know whether you’ll be good for the university, trust him enough to realize when or when not to release decisions. </p>
<p>If I had to put my money on it, those blog posts were put out there so that people would stop calling the admissions office. After all, the day they release decisions must be EXTREMELY busy since they’re trying to coordinate thousands of individual accounts on their websites by time and decision, while trying to keep the University’s servers from exploding (metaphorically). And if in that blog post they had said, “HEY GUYZ, WE GONNA RELEASE DECISIONS AT 5PM TODAY!!!11!!!” then you’d bet your butt that their servers would be PACKED all day, and there would be tons of glitches with getting decisions out. These are the problems with electronic decisions, but at least you don’t have to wait for snail mail. On the other hand, when they say, “we’re no where close to releasing decisions today,” it probably clears out the website and makes the process a bit easier. So while it is deceptive, it’s overall in everyone’s best interest. </p>
<p>And in all reality, they’re just trying to make things fair for everyone. If Nondorf decides to release decisions on Friday, and Joe Shmoe decides to call the admissions office that morning, but Jane Lane doesn’t, would it be fair if the receptionist told Joe Shmoe that decisions would be released later that day? They want everything to be as fair and impartial as possible (except your admissions decision). </p>
<p>Lastly, just cut them some slack. You’ll know when you know. Check your account every few days or so just to make sure. And if not, you’ll AT WORST find out a few measly hours after everyone else. A FEW HOURS. I know it’s hard, but you’ve waited this long already… just chillax. Knowing a little bit after everyone else is not going to a) change the decision you receive nor b) drastically affect the housing availability.</p>
<p>^Good post!</p>
<p>Being patient is the motto but that applies to only a few exceptional ones. Look at the exponential growth of silent viewers for any thread that came up with the word EA, RD, or decision! The anxiety comes from a lack of honest, clear release statement. The Ivies explicitly say Aptil 1st, MIT＆ Caltech explicitly say the date and time, and many others explicitly say the last week. “Before April 1st” not only raise false expectations but deceptive and overly protective of mishaps.</p>
<p>Neogp asks us to put our fate in the hands of the dean and trust him. I did but I can tell you now I don’t. I was once so jolly showing people the witty emails I got but I am glad I have not got one after application, knowing the intended, discriminatory disparity between EAs and RDs. First was the love letter, which contrasted the style of my essays already submitted, already made me many sleepless nights; then was the unexpected big acceptance of EAs, as compared to past real numbers on which many applicants relied, and the corresponding big drop of RDs. (I’d have no strife for a stated policy, i.e. schools like Cornell honestly says that XX% of class comes from EDers or MIT says it will maintain equity between SCEA and RD); and finally the ultimate fear of even lower acceptance chance by the surge of RD applicants due to successful marketing. Worst, all these are planned and done with the intention of intensifying competition among applicants because there’s no planned increase in seats! The extraordinary anxieties are not without cause!</p>
<p>For me, it is better if they don’t announce the day/time days or weeks in advance. It is a lot less stressful.</p>
<p>It’s not about the acceptance, it’s about the education that follows.</p>
<p>LOL @ “The Ivies explicitly say April 1st.” There’s actually quite a bit of confusion about whether it’s March 31st or April 1st. Yale’s site says April 1st, but Columbia’s likely says it’ll be March 31st and Penn’s newspaper is saying March 31st too.</p>
<p>Why would someone who care less about decision dates even bother to check a thread on “decision dates?” </p>
<p>Yes, education is not about acceptance to any one school or merely getting accepted. For me, the college education process has already begun with the application, and a valuable one.</p>
<p>By reading UChicagoPSAC#41, there seems to be a chaotic and disoragnized scene in the office now. While I can understand the rush etc., isn’t that all these checking and stuff are already factored in, and to those who have been in admissions for some time a breeze already? As for not having a deadline will release stress and for convenience, don’t we all have some kind of deadline to meet, all the time? That said, I just hope the perception of chaos does not apply to the review of our apps.</p>
<p>Guys, cut them a little slack. I’m sure the admissions office is a very stressful place right now, and the reason they’re taking their time and putting in so much effort is so that our decisions are made in the right way and reach us safetly. Furthermore, UChicagoPSAC is going out of her way to help us out with understanding why Chicago makes the decisions it does and does things in a certain manner. I think we should respect that, try and distract ourselves with other matters and try not to swallow our nails when we bite them off waiting.</p>
<p>In my opinion, everyone on this thread already had the ability to know whether or not they were accepted and that is called EA. Since UC is one of the few schools in it’s league to offer non-binding EA then anyone who is so anxious to know their decision should have taken advantage of that opportunity. Is it really going to change ANYTHING to know on March 25th or April 1st? Either way, “it is what it is.” Anticipation can be half the fun…just enjoy it.</p>
<p>^Completely ridiculous. I would argue that a large percentage of posters on this forum are deferred EA-ers.</p>
<p>If that’s the case, their likelihood of getting in is even slimmer…ougt to start looking at their back-ups! Either way fretting over a couple of days isn’t going to change a thing at this point.</p>
<p>I don’t know about everyone else, but I decided to apply after the EA deadline had passed. So I’m VERY anxious.</p>
<p>First - flyboy is right, fretting over days or hours is really of no use. Do things to keep yourself busy so you don’t think about it. All of us EA’ers went through it last December, so I know exactly where you’re coming from. It sucks, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Speculating as to when decisions will come out accomplishes absolutely bumpkis. They’ll be out when they’re out.</p>
<p>Second - If you don’t like how UChicago’s Admissions Office is handling this whole situation, then tough s**t. Pardon my french, but they ARE a private university. They can do, within the law, whatever they want. Remember, all of us applicants are the ones who want to go there, they don’t have to want us (and in most cases, they DON’T want us). If you don’t like that process, you shouldn’t have applied. Period. In my above post (#47) I outlined multiple reasons why the university might choose to act this way, in the process of handing out decisions. </p>
<p>Third - @ colant, I completely understand your frustration. However, if UChicago was/is your number one, then you really ought to have applied EA. There are very, very few legitimate excuses for not doing that (at least in my mind). If you had applied somewhere else ED, and that school wouldn’t let you apply EA to Chicago, then clearly Chicago is not your first choice and you have nothing to complain about. If you were just flat-out too lazy to the application that early, then, again, you have absolutely nothing to complain about. But, you are right about one thing. No one knew about Nondorf’s strategy (and if you read some posts from October-November, you will find a lot of us did A LOT of speculating about what his strategy would be). Nondorf is new, it’s a brand new regime, and you can’t blame him for his strategy. He was brought to Chicago to do one thing and one thing only: make Chicago admissions vastly more competitive and comparable to the Ivy League. In his opinion, this strategy laid the ground for producing the best results. Is that to your disadvantage because you applied RD? Of course it is. But as written above, that is entirely your decision that you applied RD and not EA, unless you had some crazy ridiculous circumstances. Is this strategy necessarily fair? No, not even in the slightest. But, like I said, UChicago is a private school, they can do whatever they want. You want them, they don’t necessarily want you… which is exactly why you apply. And if you don’t like the way that they’re operating, you don’t have to apply. Period. </p>
<p>Lastly (just a side note) - while most people are considering UChicago’s 2009-2010 admissions strategy unfair, consider these two things:
- Any person who is accepted to any college deserves to be admitted to that college. After all, it is that college itself who makes the decision to admit said person, and that college almost always knows if said person will succeed and be a good fit.
- Considering point #1, perhaps in the EA round this year UChicago was not planning to accept ~1,600 students, but fell in love with them and decided that they would in fact be successful and a good fit at the University. Is that their fault? No. That’s just the way it works.</p>