<p>I’ve been eyeing U of Chicago as a reach school for a while now. full IB program, 3 AP, Florida, 2000 SAT (600CR,640M,760W), 3.4UW/4.3W gpa, hundreds of volunteer hours and some EC’s.</p>
<p>anyways, i’m curious as to whether i should fly up to chicago for an interview. i’ve only got about 5 weeks of summer left, so if i’m going to go, it’s gotta be now. </p>
<p>i’m not <em>entirely sure</em> i would go there for undergraduate school even if i were accepted, as i would want to go there more for graduate school. (e.g. graduate University of Florida undergraduate, then go to U of Chicago)</p>
<p>how many applicants usually do the interview?</p>
<p>You can request an alum interview, so you don’t have to fly to Chicago for an interview alone. However, visiting UChigago - sitting in on a class or two - may well be worth it, especially if you can pick up a cheap flight. I think that a visit would also help you with the ‘why Chicago’ part of the essay, and to decide if you really want to apply undergrad.</p>
<p>I just got back from Chicago. I took my son up to interview and also to do a four-week program in biology research. He’s still there now. Seeing the campus and having the interview really solidified things in his mind. He had spent a lot of time pouring over the UC website and came poised with lots of questions. He’s interested in a joint program in Bio and HIPS (History of Science) He was nervous going in to the interview but came out with a big smile on his face. We went to NW as well but felt no real attachment there.</p>
<p>It’s a reach for him. His stats are not all that different than yours. But he is a great writer and we are hoping that the essays will help him. He is getting a good look at the school in the four weeks that he’s there. He loves the atmosphere on campus and the old buildings but it is a heavy workload. He’s in the lab 8-10 hours a day plus some homework after that. He says the food is lousy. Don’t know if that’s the summer or all the time, or he’s just being too picky. But, all in all, he loves the school. There’s something about the atmosphere and the kids that’s very different. He went to Brown last summer and enjoyed but it didn’t capture his imagination like this.</p>
<p>Go for it! Do the interview and apply early action. Maybe you can both end up in the class of '10!</p>
<p>can your S eat at a different dorm. We were there in spring, and the food was decent-to-pretty good - don’t remember the dorm name, but it was across the esplanade, next to law school</p>
<p>Since this is the summer program for high school students, they only have one choice. It’s the dining hall one block north of Palevsky (I forget the name.) But if he got into the regular program, there would apparently be other choices. </p>
<p>All in all, though, he’s definitely willing to overlook the food in favor of other things! I was just curious if other people at Chicago had any comments on the food so thanks for the feedback.</p>
<p>Bartlett! Well…at least I hear its good and partially made my dorm choice in an effort to eat there.</p>
<p>I must confess that the only University-controlled place I have eaten on campus is somewhere I wont be eating again anytime soon (it was the quadrangle club which while very nice, does not serve students).</p>
<p>The thing that is bugging me is that I won’t qualify for financial aid for Chicago, but my family is not overly wealthy either. So, $170,000 for undergraduate school seems ridiculous to my parents. They would much rather pay that for graduate school for me (e.g. the business graduate school at Chicago).</p>
<p>I’m not sure what to do about the undergraduate interview, or U of Chicago as a whole for that matter. I will definitely apply to Chicago, though. However, if I do get accepted…I honestly won’t know what to do. What would you all do?</p>
<p>hmmm, we’re a lot alike eeepiyk. i live in FL and i’m also in the IB program. and thinking about buisness. but to answer your question, maybe it comes down to how much you really want to attend u chicago. right now, i really want to go to u chicago (or at least i think i do), so i would do everything just to get in- regardless of cost. but… could you take out loans? scholarships, maybe??</p>
<p>I’m in about the same situation, eeepiyk. I really, really, really want to go to Chicago, but don’t know if my parents will be willing to pay for it, considering we don’t quite qualify for financial aid. They do give out a few merit scholarships though, so i think i will apply EA and just hope.</p>