Important Information for Class of 2014 Applicants

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
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<p>Hello Class of 2014! </p>

<p>It is that time of the year again. The Class of 2013 admissions cycle just ended. This signals the beginning of a whole new admissions cycle! As an admitted student, I absolutely sympathize with the amount of pain you guys are about to endure. I just want to take this opportunity to alleviate your anxiety and make a couple of recommendations. </p>

<p>The essay section of this thread is extremely important. If you guys do not want to read my babbling, just scroll down to that section and skim through it. Comments and feedback would be sincerely appreciated.</p>

<p>** Early Action/Early Decision/Regular Decision [ul]
[li] UChicago uses the Early Action (EA) system. UChicago’s EA is non-binding, meaning that you do not need to reply your offer of admissions until May. In addition, you may apply for other universities that offer non-binding EA (such as MIT).[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p> SAT/ACT Information [ul]
[<em>] It is important to know that the UChicago does not pay attention to the SAT Writing Score.
[</em>] UChicago also does not require applicants to take the ACT exam with writing. The ACT exam without writing will suffice.
[li] SAT Subject tests are not required. This however, means that the University still looks at the scores if you choose to submit them. You are strongly recommended to submit SAT Subject tests if you are home-schooled.[/li][li] Many counselors have said that standardized test scores are probably one of the least important factors in the admissions process. However, this does not mean you should disregard the tests completely.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p> Deadlines [ul]
[li] It is important to keep track of first-year application deadlines. The deadline for Early Action (EA) is November 1st. The deadline for Regular Decision (RD) is January 2nd. Take your time to fully develop your essays. Do not rush, and also, do not leave all the essays until the Christmas break. My colleagues who did that did not produce satisfactory results when the admissions decisions came out.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p> Essays **[ul]
[<em>] UChicago can confidently disregard your SAT Writing component because its application contains numerous essays and paragraphs. In addition to essays on the Common Application, applicants are required to write about why they are interested in the university. During an information session, a counselor stated that the admission committee is not looking for a “right answer”, but it is trying to weed out those who do not express genuine interests in the school. It can easily decipher applicants who apply just for the heck of it. (UChicago receives plenty of these applicants each year.)
[</em>] The prominent UChicago extended essay is perhaps the most important part of the application. Putting a lot of energy on the extended essay may not produce desirable results. The key to writing this essay is to think outside-the-box, to approach the topic in a unique way. For example, one of the topics on the Class of 2013 application is </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>A wrong way to approach this topic would be to simply agree with the speaker and outline reasons for doing so. A correct way to approach this would be to question the question. What does “to live the question” mean? Why not “ask the question”? Why “live”?
[<em>] This of course, is just one way. Be creative! Try to engage yourself in the essay.
[</em>] UChicago supplement also has an optional essay. It is truly optional. Class of 2013 has the option of writing about their favorite music, books, etc. It is, again, truly optional.[/ul]</p>

<p>** Information for International Students **[ul]
International student admissions is highly competitive. Only 17% of the international students were accepted during the admission process of Class of 2012. Very few were offered financial aid; only the best and the brightest received financial aid that met full demonstrated need. International admissions is not need-blind. International students may not apply through QuestBridge through Early Actions, or through the College Match Program.
You may contact international student ambassadors of your country for more information. They offer a wealth of information.</p>

<p>[International</a> Student Ambassadors Contact Information](<a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/admissions/international/ambassadors.shtml]International”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/admissions/international/ambassadors.shtml)
[/ul]</p>

<p>** Join the Facebook Group [ul]
[li][Join</a> the Facebook Group](<a href=“Redirecting...”>Redirecting...)[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p> Contact Your Admissions Counselors **[ul]
[li][Contact</a> your counselors](<a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/php/contact/]Contact”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/php/contact/)[/li][/ul]</p>

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<p>Here’s the PSAC official facebook group for those interested in applying for the class of 2014: [UChicago</a> Applicants: Class of 2014 | Facebook](<a href=“Redirecting...”>Redirecting...)
It’s a great way to meet other applicants, get reminders about looming deadlines, ask current students a quick question, and especially to find out about our Live Chat program (which will be greatly expanded next year) through which you’ll be able to talk one-on-one online with a current UChicago student to ask him/her questions about their experiences.</p>

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<p>Quick question- is it easier to get in EA or RD?
I know that less people apply EA, but I’m guessing that the pool of applicants is probably a little tougher…</p>

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<p>@ Chitown: if you have a decently strong application and can get it done on time, I’d suggest applying EA. You find out more quickly, plus I believe quite a number of people get deferred to RD, so unless you’re outright not good for the school and are likely to be rejected, the worst that will happen is that you’ll have to continue waiting until late March. I applied EA and was fortunately accepted right there in December for 2013, so I have some experience with EA at Chicago.</p>

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<p>(That said, don’t rush the essays or anything just to get them done for EA…if it’s going to take you too long to put together a good application, just give yourself the extra time to do so and never mind about EA. I think the general advice is that where there is EA or SCEA, and no binding early programs, submit the best possible application as early as possible in the cycle.)</p>

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<p>Another question (and the hope that y’all don’t mind that we’re turning this into a q&a thread):</p>

<p>How will the new dean of admissions (Nondorf, or whoever he appoints to replace Ted O’Neill) be affecting admissions expectations/goals/policies for the Class of 2014? Will the traditional essay-focused application remain?</p>

<p>I’ve been thinking of getting in contact with the Admissions office to directly inquire of possible changes. Go for it, or Overkill?</p>

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<p>Overkill. Nondorf may be making changes, but not all at once, and I would be shocked if the unique essays (which are an important and successful marketing device) were messed with.</p>

<p>EA vs. RD – This year, the admissions percentages were very close. I don’t remember exactly, and I’m not going to go back and figure it out again, but something like 28% EA and 23% RD (taking into account deferred EAs). It’s not enough of a difference to make a big difference in your plans. (That’s basically true of all the EA schools, by the way. Because EA isn’t binding on the applicant, it’s a lot more student-friendly, and many more people apply EA than apply to the equivalent colleges ED.)</p>

<p>That said, if you know you want to apply, and you’re not applying SCEA to Stanford or Yale (or ED to Brown, which has a dopey rule about this), then there’s no reason NOT to apply EA. It’s nice to know in December, if you can.</p>

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<p>MilesandEvans and JHS- thanks!
I think I’ll definitely apply EA, I would love to know in December.</p>

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<p>No problem. It’s definitely good to hear earlier…if you get in EA, that’s just one more school you don’t have to worry about in the madness of late March/early April. :]</p>

<p>Good luck with your apps; I’m a confirmed Chicago '13er, starting there in the fall, so if you have any more questions about Chicago or about applying there/Chicago EA, feel free to let me know. In general, there are several current students/parents of current students on the Chicago CC board, so there’s lots of good advice going around. Gracello and unalove are two current students, and JHS is very knowledgeable.</p>

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<p>I’m debating EA at Chicago or Yale. I’m still hesitant of the CORE at Chicago… but otherwise, I definitely want to go there more than I want to go to Yale.</p>

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<p>My $0.02, having just gone through the insanity that was the c/o 2013 admissions cycle and ending up as UChic '13:</p>

<p>The ESSAYS are the most important part of your app. As long as you have decently passable (and I use this term quite loosely) GPA/standardized test scores/ECs, and relatively decent recs that talk about you being a good student in the classroom with a passion for learning (this is actually pretty important, they want to sustain the whole UChic “Life of the Mind” thing, though if you’re genuinely interested in UChic you probably have these recs anyway), you have as much a chance as most of the rest of the applicant pool for getting in.</p>

<p>What separates the admits from the rest is essays, at least in my experience. Take me, for example. I ED’d to Columbia and EA’d here. And I’ll admit that I definitely played the whole admissions game, but lost; I applied to 13 schools, 5 of which were Ivies, and got rejected from all 5 of those lol (it was probably my horrendous senior year GPA). However, at the same time, I know of someone who was accepted at Princeton and Stanford, but was flat-out rejected at UChic. I know of people who were accepted at Harvard, Yale, MIT (there, now I’ve covered the top 5, and there are more but these are all that matter/would get your attention), but flat-out rejected by UChic.</p>

<p>Why did I get in but these people (who were clearly far superior applicants to me) didn’t? The only explanation is essays. Like me, they all played the college admissions game as well, but unlike me, they probably thought of the UChic essays as just another college essay to trudge through. I, on the other hand, loved the UChic essays (all of them, and I especially loved the optional as well as the short answers) and spent a lot of time on them, and think that my UChic essays were the best out of the dozens I must’ve written.</p>

<p>Also, to those debating between UChic EA and Some Other U SCEA: In my personal experience, UChic tends to either accept or reject right in December, with very few deferrals. Top 5/Ivies/etc tend to accept a few and defer the rest, rejecting very few.</p>

<p>Good luck to c/o 2014!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the quick answer, JHS! I’m relieved that there won’t be too many changes to admissions criteria; I’ve always felt the Chicago essays are a joy.</p>

<p>I’ll be applying EA this year as well, and, if I’m accepted, I’ll be saving a nifty sum of application fees.</p>

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<p>I completely agree with spazzity. Many other universities, especially institutions in the Ivy League, tend to put more emphasis on numbers, despite rumors claiming how important ECs and essays are. As long as you have great numbers, you ought to get into one of the Ivy League university. Having good numbers does not even come close to gaining acceptance from UChicago. Definitely feel the force of UChicago essays before you begin writing them!</p>

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<p>I know you originally said that optional essay really is optional. But I want to know just how many you actually sent one in?</p>

<p>It might be optional, but putting in the extra effort would show the admissions office that you’re serious about U of C, right?</p>

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<p>Of course. Writing an optional essay well would only help your chance of getting accepted. I discovered that I forgot to write the optional essay after I sent my essay in. I would have done the essay if I had known.</p>

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<p>Everybody says U Chicago does not pay that much attention to SAT. However, I am not sure whether this is one of the myths floating around like an urban legend. Of course, NO self respecting admission officer will ever say officially that they consider SAT to be a sacrosanct component - that’s not PC, right? </p>

<p>My son was accepted at the EA round. To be perfectly honest, I don’t see how he could have gotten into it without his perfect SAT score (2400). Even his GPA is not drop-dead-perfect. He went to an extremely selective public magnet school (rated within top 5 in the nation among the public schools), and he did well enough, given he never really studied for exams (I never saw him studying), but not 4.0. He spent first two years of HS becoming one of the best and youngest elites in the on-line game world, and the last two years studying econ/finances on his own without any meaningfully “demonstrable” awards and official recognition to boast about. No volunteer activities to speak of to show what a goody goody two shoe he is (other than some Obama campaign work). Never held a job either. I thought it was a minor miracle that he was accepted, having read so often how important the ECs were at the top colleges. Another student from his school with SAT 2350 without any meaningful ECs to speak of also was accepted during the RD round. </p>

<p>That said, he did write an essay about how he is a product of his making without any external pressure and how he discovered his passion for international finance through extensive international travels and aimless intellectual meandering. Maybe it’s the essay that did it for him. But then again, it did not work with HYP. So, if anything, the magic of SAT 2400 worked better for Chicago. Oh, by the way, I thought his “Why Chicago” essay was pretty lame - he applied to Chicago because of the econ reputation, and did not, at that time, know anything about this mantra of “life of a mind” that sets Chicago apart from the other elite schools.</p>

<p>Well, I know nothing can be generalized based on this case, but I am seriously wondering whether the mantra of “SAT is not that important for Chicago” is really all that it is cracked out to be.</p>

<p>That said, I think Chicago is a perfect fit for him, and he stumbled upon the best possible school for him by accident!</p>

<p>Just my two cents as data points to consider.</p>

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<p>I would also strongly recommend the interview, if possible. I was on the fence about applying EA (3 of my friends had already), but the deadline for EA interviews had passed. So I decided just to wait for RD, and do the interview and spend some more time on my essays. After it was all said and done, 2 of my friends were rejected (neither had done the interview), and I got in. Now there were probably several reasons they didn’t make the cut, but especially for those living in the Chicago suburbs and the surrounding region, not going to an interview seems to show a lack of real desire to attend UChicago.
I feel that the interview could add a lot to your application, especially if your transcript isn’t that stellar.</p>

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<p>The interview is extremely important. I think I got accepted primarily because of my interview. The interview was supposed to be one hour, but I talked for almost two hours with a board member of the WWF. It was extremely important!</p>

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<p>hyeonjlee, I completely agree with you on the importance of SAT. Although SAT, for UChicago, is not as important as the essay, it should not be taken lightly. SAT is still very important. After all, the essay can heal the wounded, but cannot revive the dead.</p>

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<p>I concur with those who strongly recommend the interview, particularly an on campus interview. My child had reasonable SATs and average/lower grades for applicants to U of Chicago. At the interview she was told that her numbers were a bit low, but that they loved her character, potential, interest, uniqueness and ability to contribute to the school, particularly her extreme interest and involvement in a couple of interesting ECs. She was able to convey her exuberance and passion in the interview. The admissions interviewer kept in touch with her as did her local admissions officer and she was ultimately admitted. I truly believe that the interview was what tipped the decision in her favor.</p>