I am worried about yield protection for my S25. It feels like he should get in to all but one of the schools on his list, just based on numbers. He’s looking for programs and vibe and the schools that call to him aren’t academic reaches. But my older S22 got into every school EXCEPT the one that seemed obvious. I just don’t want that to happen to S25. And with one exception, the schools he really likes don’t have supplemental essays to really talk about why that school is right for him. We’re really working on doing demonstrated interest, whether his top few choice schools say they count that or not, just in case.
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I want to say “don’t worry” but I get why you do. Here’s the counterfactual I’m tucking away in my head, in case it helps: if my son doesn’t get into the schools he wants to go to, he doesn’t have to go right away. He can do an AmeriCorps year, or be an exchange student, or do some combo of jobs and travel that expand his horizons and help him learn how to adult faster.
Your son has an interesting set of interests and is (if memory serves) more of a kinesthetic/movement-oriented guy. I’m absolutely sure there’s something wildly cool and interesting that he could do for a year (forest service, park ranger-y type stuff, for example) if the right school doesn’t materialize in this admissions cycle. He may want to do that anyway! And then…he can try again, with new insights into what he wants to do with his life and probably a couple more stories under his belt.
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Agree. My MIT grad was “devastated” by their 4 in AP Chem, but still reported it & was admitted everywhere they applied (which included Ivy, Ivy+ type schools.). They also had a 800 subject test in chem to submit but those aren’t a thing anymore.
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Anyone here applying to U Chicago? They’ve added a new pre-ED binding option. What a can of worms!
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S25 finally got his scores from the June 8th ACT. He’s not the best test taker but was able to bring his English score up 5 points!
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What is pre-ED?
It’s a new binding admissions plan only for students who have attended a summer session at U Chicago. App deadline is Oct 15.
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And @Mwfan1921 posted the link above
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Oh to be a fly on the wall for the conversations at Chicago that led to this.
- We need more full pay students! (those who do summer sessions tend to more affluent, see summer session costs below, although FA is available)
- We need higher yield! (their yield is already high)
- We need more students to enroll in our summer sessions!
Regardless, this plan mostly advantages the already advantaged. Of course U Chicago can do what they want, and this is not dissimilar from Wake’s rolling ED offering. I doubt U Chicago sees Wake as a peer of theirs, so it is a curious decision from that aspect too.
I assume applicants can be deferred from this round, and we know Chicago uses the deferral choice liberally in the ED rounds.
Summer session cost:
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As I mentioned on the other thread, UChicago’s willingness to work the system is endless. I absolutely love the school but glad that D25, unlike her siblings, is too laid back to find it appealing.
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All of the above!
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Oh I shoudlve scrolled more disregard
Half of my social media existence, right there!
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Applied to first school, quick easy free app. Mercyhurst.
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S25 got 3s on APChem and AB Calc. So, I feel like that reach school on their list is even more of a reach now. But, who knows, it’s still worth an application, probably. Just for the possibility of a lottery win. 
I’m glad our school district & state have come to an understanding and there is a “guaranteed acceptance” in pocket – just have to wait for the forms to become available, fill them out, and then figure out what else we want to do with the rest of the application season.
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An assured admission certainly takes some stress off. Our state has an assured admission path to its flagship, but according to D25 going to the state flagship would not be the end of the world, but its close. That said, I strongly suspect that if we lived in a different state the same school would likely be exotic and a great option.
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Yes, this! We’ve been getting mail from them forever, and I am pretty certain it’s because we’ve got a certain zip code that is rural and underserved. To me, the school looks pretty cool, and I was intrigued by their special programs for rural students, but kiddo had already done his research and deemed it not the right fit because he likes a balance between fun and academics.
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Well, the assured admission isn’t to the flagship (U-Wash Seattle). And C25 isn’t interested in the school (now assured admission) that S22 ended up at (U-Wash Tacoma). But, a different one, where other folks we know have gone, seems like a reasonable option (WWU). C25 still has a glimmer of hope about the reach school (Northwestern U), but after the SAT scores and AP scores, I’m thinking there’s no way they’re getting in there as an otherwise unhooked suburban white non-binary kid…
UChicago is part of the STARS program - https://starscollegenetwork.org/ - to recruit Small Town and Rural students and make those students aware of and demystify schools like UChicago and others (Brown, Caltech, Northwestern, etc.). So it is likely that they are indeed targeting your kid because of your zip code.
D25 has done a summer program at UChicago and enjoyed both the program and the school. I do see this pre-ED program as a ploy to generate more business for its summer programs. What I fail to see is, what is the segment of the population that they are targeting with this pre-ED program. Meaning, what segment of the population that attended a summer program is NOW going to apply that was not going to apply without the pre-ED program. It seems like they would just be cannibalizing applicants from later rounds that would have applied then. Curious.
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I don’t think its really about this year. A small number of kids on the fence between UChicago and somewhere else will think they have a better chance early on and take a shot. After all, if it doesn’t work out you can ED somewhere else.