Hello, so I was hoping someone who was a bit more knowledgeable on the subject could provide some insight and hopefully help me to a conclusion as to whether or not i should apply EDII to UoC.
Two questions:
1: does EDII make that much of a difference in comparison to RD?
2: I have spent quite a lot of time on the UoC campus and I find it a bit secluded and noisy (plus, crime…), which wouldnt be that big of a deal if it werent for other circumstances. First, my best shot at getting into a Ivy/Ivy-level university is probably in applying to the UoC (I have LoR from department head and have done well in courses taken there). However, I have not yet visited any other colleges on my list, save my safety, because of financial reasons. I would hate to apply EDII to UoC and then regret it if I were to be accepted and find more appropriate a different university. I know this is a very subjective question and one i probably have to answer on my own, but any advice or anecdotes you can provide would be great.
Additional info (if needed):
In general, my app is weak on tests and GPA. But I have a 4.0 over the course of 6 university courses (2 at UoC, 4 at UW Madison – all except 2 UW are 200+ level), an upward trend in GPA, strong LoRs and essays and extracurriculars, and its clear that my failings are all in mathematics – which is more acceptable because im not a STEM major.
This isn’t meant to be a chance thread, just trying to anticipate some questions that might arise.
If last year is any indication of how things will happen going forward, EDI and EDII have a notably higher admit rate than either EA or RD. Binding Early decision is really for those who intend to enroll if admitted which, of course, means you theoretically give up the chance to be admitted elsewhere. That’s the trade-off. In reality, you won’t know how that would have turned out, since you agree to withdraw your apps. elsewhere if accepted. While both ED and EDII are given a few weeks to get that deposit in, that’s really in order to receive and review their fin. aid. packages. It’s not to see what else you could have gotten into or to re-evaluate your choices. Anyway, you’d want to commit quickly in order to get the best placement in the housing queue (determined by date of enrollment deposit).
Be very careful when considering ED2. Sure, it may help your chances. And maybe the acceptance rate is much higher than RD. That’s what went through my head when I originally chose ED over EA.
However, if it’s not your first choice, don’t bother applying ED2. For me, I really thought that it was my number one. But I guess I didn’t really consider the seriousness of a binding admissions plan. I pressured myself into Early Decision in order to maximize my chances. But I had doubts the entire time, even before I applied. At a certain point I kinda wished for a deferral, just to see what other schools I could get into. I would’ve continued with ED, if it wasn’t that I skipped my SAT Subject Tests and went to a competition at UPenn just a few days ago. I wasn’t supposed to go there, and I was supposed to keep my ED application and hope for the best in a few weeks. But something about being there made me realize that U of C wasn’t the only and not necessarily the best choice for me. That led to me just yesterday switching from ED to EA.
The point is that you need to seriously consider everything involved with ED2. I didn’t, and I probably destroyed my chances at UChicago by switching to EA. But that’s okay, because I’d rather go to a school that’s a good fit for me than a school that I forced myself to attend. You say that you haven’t visited many schools. Neither have I, and that’s why I decided not to apply ED. I need options, and I can’t make a final decision without all the details. Maybe one of my other schools is a better fit. Maybe U of C is the best. I guess I’ll find out soon.
It’s up to you ultimately, but I suggest not applying EDII. Too risky, and you don’t seem that interested in it. Apply RD and hope you get in.
Yeah, the new dormitory is right across from a fire station. You get used to it after awhile, but still noisy. Plus, its a city so by nature its rather noisy.
I can confirm that EDII is a big advantage in admissions–I was deferred EA and then accepted EDII last year. Big qualifier of which you are already aware: make sure you want to go there. The rumors are true in that there is a lot of work and it’s relatively hard material, but I love it here nonetheless. If you go to Lab school (I’m guessing so because of your coursework), the college won’t be much of a change. My suite mate is from Hyde Park and went to Lab his whole life, and he says it feels about the same. If that doesn’t sound too fun for you, then you should probably go elsewhere, but also keep in mind that you’re probably jaded at this point relative to the unique atmosphere and classical academic culture of the school because you’ve been here for so long.
And Hyde Park–it’s not ideal compared to some of the amazing areas near downtown and on the north side, but you’ll find that you don’t leave campus much, and probably only go around Hyde Park as often as you leave the neighborhood entirely. The 55 bus takes you to the CTA in like 10 minutes, and from there, you can go anywhere.
Point is, EDII is dope if you want it. I took the chance, and I keep the documentation I signed to switch my app to EDII for the purpose of commemorating a moment that changed my life. Best of luck.
@18YearsASlav My first choice was Penn but that didn’t go over too well during EDI. By the time EDII came around, the only schools I would have chosen over Chicago at the time would’ve been Harvard/Princeton, but I wasn’t willing to make any bets about my chances at either of them relative to the chance I would’ve had doing EDII at UChi.
It’s important to recognize that this is only Year 2 of what is essentially an unprecedented admissions scheme for a highly selective college. No other college like Chicago has ED-I, EA, and ED-II, and Chicago didn’t either until last year. So while ED-II seems to have offered a lot of advantages over RD last year, there’s no guarantee that it will this year. It may, and it may not.
The other thing to recognize is that ED-II at Chicago may be an especially strong, competitive pool. It can be attractive to some percentage of people who reasonably took a shot at SCEA at HYPS, or ED at another peer college, but were deferred, and who see Chicago as a close and desirable alternative. (I am pretty certain that’s what I, or my kids, would have done if we were applying this year.)