@UChicago Thank you very much for your responses. It helps alleviate the tension of waiting for decisions for the waitlist. I just wanted to know if I have a higher chance of getting off the waitlist if I submit my decision of taking a gap year? Thank you so much. 
@UChicago Hi! Is the waitlist pool for transfer applicants separate from the regular applicants one? If so, may I enquire how the the spot availability works (do spots only open if accepted transfers drop, or can they open up for other reasons)? Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!
@UChicago I had previously sent my LOCI (two actually) to my admissions rep but did not get a response. However, I had uploaded them to the portal. Should I call the office to confirm if it was received?
@UChicago Is class of 2021 full? I hear from others contradictory responses. It will help us move on (now that there is little hope that there will be an email today/tomorrow/next week regarding waitlist)
@ChocoBananos123, A gap year will not increase a waitlisted student’s chances of admission. You should only “check” this option on the waitlist form if you are truly interested in taking a gap year.
@luke520, The waitlist pool for transfer applicants is separate from the first-year applicant waitlist pool. Throughout the next month, waitlist decisions will be made. Please note that only a small number of transfer applicants receive waitlist decisions but typically very few spots from the waitlist become available.
@dreamstocollege, Please feel free to call the office or reach out to your admissions counselor again
@sprintahead, Most students were sent waitlist decisions yesterday, but there are a few students still on the waitlist.
Hello,
I attended a UChicago Summer Session last year and fell in love with the school. I got As in my classes. Does success taking college level classes at the school increase my chances (my stats are at the lower end of your admission spectrum)? Does attending the Summer Session help show real interest in attending UChicago?
Thanks for the information.
@kythan So sorry for the delay! Since we have a holistic review process, every part of the application is important. We value when students complete rigorous courses, whether those college, AP, IB, or Honors level, but every aspect aside from academics in the application is important as well. The Summer Session provides an inside look on what it is like to be a UChicago student, but it does not increase chances of being admitted. We do not track demonstrated interest.
My D got ACT 33, Gpa 3.93/4.0. She also swim varsity team at school and make state level. She has been swimming for 10years. She attend several club at school, a lot of service hours, NHS, Rotary leadership award. Does she need to retake her ACT to reach 35? Uchicago is her dream school, she will apply Ed1.
Wingjuer: I am not on the admissions staff but my opinion is that a 33 is very competitive–at or close to the average. At this point I’d weigh the relative value of time spent studying for another point on the ACT versus time spent in attaining really good performance in challenging classes and in writing the best possible essays.
Kaukauna: thanks for your comments.
@UChicago Hi! At the information session, Dean Nondorf said that having 2 teachers that have taught the student in a class really helps the application. He also said to avoid putting extra information in my application. I am usually a pretty outgoing person, but due to personal circumstances, I became pretty closed off last year. For that reason, I don’t feel that I personally connected with those 2 teachers. I know that they like me well enough, but I doubt they’ll be raving. On the other hand, I have a writing tutor who I’ve known for a long time who thinks really highly of me. He told me that he has only agreed to write recs for 5 people, and many of those 5 have told him that admissions people mentioned his rec as a factor in their acceptance. And he said that he’d love to write me a rec. I have my advisor as a 3rd rec, which is pretty much required because I go to a weird school, and she needs to explain it. I know she likes me, too, so I want her writing a rec.
So, should I have only 1 in class teacher rec? Should I submit 4 recs? Any insight would be appreciated.
@wingjuer Because UChicago reviews applications holistically, meaning that every part of the application is important, the ACT/SAT and GPA do not solely determine admission. We have admitted students with scores from 20-36, and the middle 50% of admitted students received a 32-35.
@natakwali Please feel free to have three letters of recommendation submitted on top of the counselor letter. While the letter from the writing tutor would not count as a teacher recommendation, you should feel free to have it submitted as a supplemental recommendation.
@UChicago Can you comment on this year’s essay prompts? When they first came out we noticed there were three required including Why Chicago, Favorite Things, and Extended Prompt (pick one). Looking at the site tonight, there are now only two essays listed, the favorite things essay is no longer mentioned. Is this a change or is this a website error? We are really confused as my child has been working on that essay and not sure if he should proceed on it or not. Thanks so much!
@begosgas I’m sorry about the confusion! We no longer ask for the Favorites essay; it is not an error on the website.
@UChicago hello! Are applications reviewed by school (EX. reviewing Student A and B’s applications from the same school together), or rather are all applications considered only within their broader region? Furthermore, if submitting supplemental materials (such as a music portfolio), are these portfolios sent to the respective UChicago department for review first, or are they reviewed by adcoms?
Hi! So, I really love the fact that UChicago is genuinely holistic- the students I’ve seen go there have grown into such powerful people. I was wondering what the ‘best’ way to make-up for GPA would be. It’s low (<3.5 UW) and I know assuming UChic is a reach to anyone, it’s a really big reach for me haha. I come from a hard school but my is SAT pretty good (1520/1600) and I am President of 3 clubs each of which I have been doing for over 4 years. So, any advice/success stories? Thanks!
@UChicago I am a prospective undergraduate interested in the Molecular Engineering department’s Biology track. I am doing an overnight on campus in October, and I also have an interview with a student scheduled for which I put molecular engineering down as my first choice of major, followed by biology.
Would it put appropriate to meet with any IME faculty while on campus to ask about research opportunities or would I learn enough from talking to students? All the undergraduate primary contacts are professors who I know are busy, so I don’t want to take up too much of their time.
@UChicago Say you have a parent cautious about UChicago on grounds of safety. If you could tell them one thing, what would it be?
Son has been in HP for 4 years; nearly 4 as a student, and now continuing as an employee of a firm downtown. Loves HP; very convenient to mass transit; never had a problem nor any of his friends.
OMPursuit: I’m violating your request by noting two things but here goes. I hope this makes sense.
Hyde Park is an urban setting. When you go there and you walk around you notice that it is a truly integrated place: racially, ethnically, religiously, even financially (though not as much as the others because it is fairly middle class and above). For example, in HP you’ll find a Jewish Temple, a Catholic seminary, a LDS building, a Mosque, etc. In the past when I went there I felt hopeful. I couldn’t help but think that Hyde Park is a neighborhood that works. People who are not all alike more or less getting along well. I believe that to go to school in a place like this is a good thing for a young person. In my opinion, it is preferable to a rural or wealthy suburban location because you get first hand closeout experience with so many different people and the related issues that are important to these people. This has to make the overall educational experience better, even if at times it takes the student (or parents!) a little out of the comfort zone.