Acceptance rate 41 percent. Too high for an elite school?

<p>not true att all! look at their yield - not everyone applies there who actually wants to go there!</p>

<p>BlacknBlue: I am willing to agree with you if you have hard evidence. My reasoning is based on more logic and talking with alumni than anything else</p>

<p>dendankin-</p>

<p>"Many people would think that acceptance rate determines the quality of the university. For most colleges it is true. But what about Chicago? why in such a prestigious school the acceptance rate is so high? why do people refrain from applying here? why should someone go to a school with an acceptance rate of 41 (Chicago) rather then 18 (Amherst) Thanx"</p>

<hr>

<p>Why should someone go to Chicago - they should go if it fits. It's a unique place with an astoundingly low student to faculty ratio and a fabulous faculty (full of Nobel prize winners) (since your interested in stats).</p>

<p>Why someone should go there is such a broad question. Ultimately - it comes down to - what are you looking for? If you're looking for an intellectual education where you have to work yourself to death, are surrounded by people who love discussion, and prefer things little "different" - then you should choose the UofC - high admit rate and all.</p>

<p>If you're looking for a smaller percentage rate and a university that approaches education differently - you may want to look into some other university.</p>

<p>In the end- the numbers mean very little - the experience, how you grow from your education, really matters. The irony - you really will not know until you're there. Have fun mulling over those numbers, and when they start getting stale - start reading about the universities, corresponding with the students, and meeting with some alumni - you'll find more helpful information along those venues.</p>

<p>Whatever you choose - good luck.</p>

<p>For everyone else - stop arguing - it's really not worth it. This hostility is just over numbers. At least debate something of monumental importance - this post does fall under the University of Chicago heading :).</p>

<p>-Andrew D. Anderson</p>

<p>I'm not an expert at all on this subject, but would the fact that chicago isn't a statwhore affect the admissions rate at all? The fact that they are pretty lenient for a top school when it comes to gpa? (like, 3.0's getting in)</p>

<p>Perhaps they look at everything the candidate has to offer, sometimes taking promising, seemingly poorer applicants</p>

<p>I just know I'll regret applying to this thread, BUT...</p>

<p>I think Blacknblue is completely right, both that rankings don't matter, and that Chicago kids and parents seem really defensive. And yes, it is unusual that so few Chicago acceptees attend. </p>

<p>For what it's worth, I'm thrilled to be heading to Chicago next year and it was definitely my top choice. But of all the Chicago acceptees I know, everybody who got into a "real" selective school (Berkeley, UCLA don't count, at least not for CA kids) is going there. I personally would never choose HYP over Chicago (didn't even apply) but you can't deny the fact that the kids who get into the Ivies and Chicago overwhelmingly choose them over Chicago. Their loss. But blacknblue is right.</p>

<p>'Tis True.</p>

<p>I had three tops choices: Brown, Penn and Chicago - I will never know since both brown and penn rejected me, but I might have chosen them over ChiTown or I still might have chosen The Chi over them. Luckily my decision was made quite easily.</p>

<p>As far as HYP go, I would never pick them mover Chicago, wouldnt even think of applying.</p>

<p>Who can resist an Ivy, seriously? It's a strong and rare person. Pton was my top choice and honestly even though Chicago is the school I <em>clicked</em> with, chances are if I'd gotten Pton, I would have gone.
But I think that's the same for any school that isn't an Ivy or doesn't have that Shiny! Brand Name! glow.</p>

<p>stanford was my original top choice since 6th grade.
and i applied to HY for hthe hell of it. both HY interviewers seemed a bit ... snobbish. and Y interview sucked like ****. he kepta sking me scary questions taht i didnt konw how to answer.</p>

<p>acutally after i got rejected by stanford EA i had a tie between rice and uchic as top choice.
had i been admitted to both iono which to choose. but the waitlist at rice made the deicicsion an easy one indeed. </p>

<p>a family friend said ivies are over rated.
quote: </p>

<p>"in my opinon, ivies are over rated. (George W. Bush?!?!?!!?)"</p>

<p>end qoute.</p>

<p>i hold no political views. i am not a bush fan/hater.
but i thought that was just funny. ha ha ha. </p>

<p>anyhows i am extremely happy with the wya college admissions worked out. yay for uchicago.</p>

<p>ithink though, it also helped that i got to konw alot of ppl througohout the admisson process thru cc and uchic blogspot. it would have been sad to breka off my bonds with future friends and soul mates in order to attend a different school.</p>

<p>Look, if you really want to compare success, look at Who's Who. I chose Chicago because I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my heroes. And the only hero of mine who went to an Ivy is Jodie Foster, whereas Chicago has Ahmed Chalabi, John Ashcroft, Antonin Scalia, Paul Wolfowitz, and Jesse Jackson.</p>

<p>respeck</p>

<p>check it</p>

<p>wow, look at all the love. finally everyone is digging into their souls and realizing that had they gotten into a 20% or less, they would have attended, thus making uchi....thier second choice. that is what the yield and acceptance numbers are saying. dendan, does that answer your original posting?</p>

<p>a note to myself, well, not really myself, myself, but rather the poster named myself who can't handle the truth and want to censor this board: you cannot censor the thoughts and will of the people. this is america, where discourse is what makes us great even if the ideas don't correlate with your mistaken beliefs. just because you don't agree with what i believe, you want to shut down this thread. how sad that uchi will have to count you among them.</p>

<p>bnb/myself - zyprexa has had wonderful outcomes for people(s) - ask your doctor... Obviously I don't wish u bodily harm - just a riff off ur sn. and I am out.</p>

<p>Esquared -
"Perhaps they look at everything the candidate has to offer, sometimes taking promising, seemingly poorer applicants"</p>

<p>Chicago is not alone - Yale did that with Bush, after all. To Yale's credit, they seem to be admitting more scholars this year.</p>

<p>indydukie: i'm not a drug addict, so i really have no clue what zyprexa is, but since you do, i must assume it's something found in your medicine cabinet. nevertheless, i don't need controlled substances, i get high on life (did i actually write something cheesy like that?). also, i don't wish you or anyone bodily harm either, nor do i advocate same in my postings.</p>

<p>ohio_mom: On the scholars topic, have you heard of the Taliban member who is attending Yale right now?</p>

<p>felipecocco -
I heard about it - just now read up on it now that you reminded me. I guess geographic diversity really counts at the under - 20%'s - have to have their one of each. </p>

<p>From the WSJ John Fund column(<a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008127):%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008127):&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Former Yale president Benno Schmidt says admitting Mr. Hashemi is an exercise in "amorality and cynicism."

[/quote]
</p>

<p>
[quote]
Richard Shaw, Yale's dean of undergraduate admissions until he took the same post at Stanford last year, told the New York Times that Yale had another foreigner of Mr. Hashemi's caliber apply but "we lost him to Harvard" and "I didn't want that to happen again." Mr. Shaw won't return phone calls now, but emails he's exchanged with others offer insights into his thinking.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Blackand blue, I don't underrstand why ppeople got so offended by your posts...I think they are not dissing chicago, but are rather true, and I don't think people should get mad at truth. Yes, chicago is for those select few, and theses kids my be very different from those that attend HYP and other ivies, but their credentials academically are not below those who made it to their first choice...I think you said that 9 out of 10 ppl would attend a school with 20 % or less admit rate...maybe; but I will be the one out of 10 who would attend CHicago, and I am damn proud of it!</p>

<p>dendankin: whatever choice you make, i am certain came about from careful reflection and is the best choice for you. that is great. your original post asked why one would or should choose uchi with its high admit rate over a school that is more exclusive admittance wise. there is an indication as reflected by the admit rate and yields of uchi that seem to indicate that a preponderance of uchi's admits may and does choose to attend an amherst over uchi. why? who knows? in fact, most of the posters on this thread alone, state that they would have attended hyp or stanford or whatever over uchi. yet, it is my statement of what appears obvious to me, that makes all the uchi people insecure. know that these will be the type of students you will be attending class with. this could be a good thing and a bad thing. good in that they will always strive to prove that they are just as good as the kids that went to hyp, stanford mit amherst etc, but bad in that they will always carry the bitterness and insecurity that they didn't make that particular cut. there is noone who should not be proud that they attend uchi. uchi is a wonderful institution (its denizens a little thin skinned, but what the heck), just know that the very elite students at your, and most high schools, are not aiming for uchi when they start applying, but rather put in an application to to uchi to supplement their ed apps because uchi is ea. remember this also, if and when you ever drop an aside that you chose uchi over amherst, be ready for one of these two responses: "yeah, sure," or "cool, how much money did you get from uchi?"</p>