<p>I don’t know about previous years, but I have a feeling that lots of unsolicited and maybe-not-that-brilliant emails(remember, Twelve Reasons to…?) scared people away this year, and hit hard UChicago’s reputation of stand-apart-from-the-crowd, “life of the mind” school.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s terribly obvious that they’ll trying to boost their numbers. On the other hand, it’s somewhat justified that Chicago has finally set a later deadline, as its essays require much more time than those of virtually every other elite school.</p>