<p>This is my first post on CC... Exciting! I wanted some advice on what to do with my U of C app. I really really want to get in, and I submitted my app on the second(of Jan.). I want to share with them some of writing samples to try to give them more insight into how I think. I asked my counselor and she said that they probably would have wanted it by the deadline and that if I were to submit anything it would seem desperate and would look bad because I'm doing it late. I don't really know if I should just let it ride or try to do more. I am a low-end applicant in the first place so I'm trying to make things as perfect as possible. Clearly, some time has elapsed since the deadline and much of what I am really starting to realize should have been dealt with sooner. Would it be risky to try to talk to anyone? There are some minor flaws in my App that I really wish I could fix, and one or two things I wish I would of said in retrospect... I wanted to add more by sending them an additional sample about how I would be involved with U of C, what other things I like, etc. OR a sample of an essay for a class or something.... Maybe even another letter of Rec.</p>
<p>I did an on campus interview and tried to make up for anything I may have lacked, but I do not know what the person who interviewed will say... I think it went good overall. I'm not sure if I should reach out to my interviewer and ask if there's anything else I could do.</p>
<p>I know these seem like pointless things to say because they are already done, but I'm worried.</p>
<p>Thank you for the help you give me, and I encourage you to ask questions for more info.</p>
<p>I would love someone to write me who has gotten into U of C, is familiar with the app process or is knowledgeable… It would really help me out. Time is of the essence :(</p>
<p>Call the admissions office and ask if they will accept supplemental materials.</p>
<p>In general, though, I heavily advise against sending unsolicited materials. It is typically considered bad form, but there’s no harm in asking; they’ll probably forget your name as soon as they put the phone down, and it’s not like they’ll red flag your application.</p>
<p>Students often worry whether their application will be frowned upon if they do this, do that, or don’t do this or that, but truth is as long as you don’t do something egregious (like calling and insulting an admissions counselor), it won’t have an impact in the end. Short answer is such elements of the application won’t make a difference that is more than negligible. If you rank the factors that contribute toward an acceptance, with transcript and essays being numbers one and two, supplemental materials and interviews will be ranked in the umpteenth range to the point they rarely have an impact that is substantial.<br>
When I was applying to UChicago, there were so many things about admissions I was not aware of. Now looking back and after having graduated from UChicago, working with alumni relations as a student, and talking to friends who are currently admissions counselors, it is surely interesting to understand truly what goes on behind-the-scenes in college admissions.</p>
<p>I deeply want to get in, and was wondering if you could shed more light into what goes on when they evaluate people. I can’t change anything at this point, but I can still supplement materials etc. But are you saying that showing them more of my work would be insignificant overall? I would absolutely love it if you could private message me or add me (I’d love a Uchicago alum’s insight)… I’m new to cc so I don’t know how it works. Is there anything fleeting I could do to help my chances or is it mostly over?</p>
<p>If you would be willing I can tell you more about specific stats I have, like GPA, etc in a private message.</p>
<p>Again thanks for your reply, and actually caring!</p>
<p>Hi ccnewb, I guess that you have not get much response here to your question only because people either don’t know the answer or honestly feel at this point, there is no much an applicant can do to have an meaningful impact in the admission decision. I am not a student, but my kid was in last year’s application cycle. She thought about submitting an art supplemental with her application but ultimately decided against it. Then came to a big surprise that she got a national level award with her art portfolio around this time last year. Same as your school counselor, Her counselor advised against to send in the actual portfolio after deadline, saying an update email would be more appropriate. Now looking back, we really don’t feel it would have make any substantial difference either way in the end-like others already said earlier. She got some acceptances, some rejects, some waitlists. She is a very happy 1st year in Uchicago now. But I honestly think she would have been happy in some of her other choices also. At this level of selective, there is some degree of randomness on the end results. Believe me, Uchicago or not, you will have places you are happy to go in the end. Good luck and best wishes.</p>
<p>ccnewb,
Think about what would happen if every student who had second thoughts about their application sent more material after the deadline. Everyone had the same deadline, and IMO trying to send in something now would demonstrate both a failure to plan adequately and the expectation of special treatment. If the admissions office did consider it, it would be unfair to other students. The only exception would be updating the admissions office with something significant that was not possible to include in the application when you submitted it–like if you just received a major award. </p>
<p>My recommendation is to consider yourself DONE with your applications. You’ll soon have an important decision to make. In the meantime, relax.</p>
<p>I don’t think sending in additional materials will hurt nor help you. A little “birdie” once told me that alumni interviews and supplemental materials don’t really make a difference in the decision (when I was applying, I sent in samples of my artwork and thought it might give me an edge. In hindsight, the decision was already determined).</p>
<p>If it gives you peace of mind to do so, then by all means do so. But from my knowledge, it takes on average 12-15 minutes for an experienced admissions counselor to read through an applicant’s ENTIRE application file, that is enough for him/her to make a decision on whether he/she thinks that applicant should be considered for acceptance. From that, I think you can get a sense of how an admissions counselor would receive a supplemental material. Although it’s to be noted that an admissions counselor doesn’t have to spend a lot of time reading an application to understand the significance or brilliance of a good application. I hope this helps. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Don’t send anything else, period. (Unless you get waitlisted or something, but that comes later.)</p>
<p>Admissions officers are just people – they’re not perfect. It’s the dead of winter, cold in Chicago, they have 20,000+ applications to get through, and a (very) limited amount of time to get through them. Do they cut corners? Not necessarily. Are they pretty darn good at determining within about 2 minutes of opening the file whether or not they’re going to admit the applicant? Yes. (How long does it take to read scores? 10 seconds. Recommendations? Maybe a minute each. Essays? You have about 50 words to grab their attention – doesn’t mean they don’t read the whole thing, but they can tell whether or not your writing is any good pretty immediately.)</p>
<p>Point is that, by now, almost everyone has probably had their application read once. Some have been accepted, some have been rejected, and a whole mess are going to get a second viewing. It’s wouldn’t be fair to the other applicants if they accepted any additional material from you freakishly late, and it would speak poorly of you if you flat-out sent them an admission that you, for whatever reason, felt that you didn’t send your best work to them in your regular application.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if they encourage you to send midsemester grades (I think they probably should), but do not send them anything that’s meant to “correct” what you did wrong with your regular application. Take a deep breath, and chill out.</p>
what do you think? bad idea to submit a creative writing sample or a small paragraph made specifically for uchicago?</p>