<p>Junior- you’re marginally correct, although the “Weeding Out” stage is different- every application is read by two different admissions counselors, one of whom is familiar with your area and one of whom may not be. The holistic process happens at all stages- there is no automatic GPA cutoff or score cutoff or number of listed ECs or anything. If you send in a complete application, even if you have a 1.0 GPA and an SAT of 2, it will be read in its entirety by at least two people before a decision is made.</p>
<p>does being a DeMolay help with admission?
i mean i have the rest of the stuff, heavy leadership in ec and 2130 SATs/31 ACT but idk if admissions people even know what demolay is? (youth freemasonic organization)</p>
<p>Wait…can a supplement substantially help an applicant? Or can it only minimally help him/her?</p>
<p>do you treat internationals very differently from American students? if an international student and an American student is equally strong in all aspects(ask for no FA), will the admission committee prefer the american student?</p>
<p>many many thanks.</p>
<p>Greetings! I apologize if this has been asked already (I searched the thread and found nothing), but does legacy play a role at all in admissions decisions?</p>
<p>Hey,</p>
<p>My interview didn’t go very well and I didn’t get to talk about myself hardly at all.</p>
<p>Will this negatively impact my admissions?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Three questions. Just want to get them out of the way. :)</p>
<p>How many of your students receive grants and scholarships? Finances are the only issue with UChicago at the moment… </p>
<p>Has the introduction of the Common App to your admission system increased the students’ chances of getting in? Or do you maintain a certain amount of acceptances per year?</p>
<p>And lastly, does being a dual citizen help increase my chances of getting in? I’m both an American and Finnish citizen, so I was hoping that that would help somehow…</p>
<p>Thanks for your time. :D</p>
<p>Guys, I can’t speak to the relative increase in your chance of admissions for X or Y factor; please see our website, collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu, for the complete list of things we consider for your admission. No one part of your application is the most important! I’d encourage you to really make sure your essays are written well, and are a good representation of yourself and your creativity- this is the best way we will get to know you. We do take a good look at extracurricular activities, your transcript (in context- we know that some schools don’t offer honors or AP classes, and that it’s easier to get an A in some places than in others), but what is most important is what these things say about you… not just that you wrote them down, but how and why they are important to you. </p>
<p>Interviews, because they are optional, will never hurt your application (in that if you have a bad one, it’s ok, and if you don’t get to have one, you’re still fine). Supplements are also welcome, as long as they are brief (a short writing sample is good; a novel is not good) and really do SUPPLEMENT what we have seen from you so far.</p>
<p>On financial aid and scholarships: a really good overview of the programs we have in financial aid and merit aid can be found here: <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/</a>
We are committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need for all students. If there are outside concerns that don’t turn up on your tax returns- recent parental job loss, divorce, medical bills, etc- you are always welcome to send additional information in to the financial aid office. I don’t wish to speak about my personal experience with financial aid, but suffice to say the University tries to make it work for any qualified applicant, and aid can be quite generous.</p>
<p>And, on the Common App: The switch to the Common App really hasn’t changed much here (I know a lot of you will balk at this, but really, the switch has changed nothing besides application format and the software we use… the content is all the same old University of Chicago from before), except that more people are applying here. Lots more. We’re not sure if this is a function of the Common App or UChicago recognition in general… there are more high schoolers now than there once were because of population flux, and app numbers have been increasing for a number of years now, so every year the size of our applicant pool (and the applicants pool at other universities) has increased. What does this mean? Lower acceptance rates, sometimes larger numbers of EA deferred students, and lower availability of spots to students on the waitlist. This is NOT a statement about this year’s applicant pool, or what you can expect, so please don’t take it there- merely the observation of what we’ve seen over the past several years here.</p>
<p>Uh I just wanted to say thank you for putting up with all of our questions. I know we can be horrible at times (college application stress and all…) but thanks for putting up with it.</p>
<p>Greetings, I have thought of another question. </p>
<p>I know you have mentioned that not everyone will be able to have an alumni interview as alumni are not in every area. I requested an interview on the second of November and, as of today, heard nothing regarding the status of my request other than that it had been processed and to wait to hear from someone in my area. Since I have heard nothing and it is almost December, should I just assume I will not be receiving one, or is there a possibility I may still hear from an alum?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>So assuming the number of EA acceptances remains the same, does that mean more students are rejected, or deferred? Or both?</p>
<p>You’ve said several times that interviews can’t hurt an applicant. Can they help him? If they can help an applicant, isn’t that a disadvantage for those not offered interviews? If they can’t help an applicant, why do them at all?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>ok so some things really need cleared up…every college that offers interviews (at least the ones that ive seen) have said that since interviews are OPTIONAL, a person’s application will NOT be negatively affected if he/she does NOT choose to do an interview. interviews are primarily for the STUDENT to get to know more about the UNIVERSITY. </p>
<p>just read the college websites.</p>
<p>briguy. I’ve had two interviews so far. Neither were intended to allow me to learn more about the university. One dude was about 80 years old. What’s he going to teach me about the university? </p>
<p>My question was simple. Can the interviews help a candidate? If so, those deprived of an interview are at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>Of course interviews can be helpful-- this is why we do them. It helps us find out more about you outside of your paper application, get to know students who otherwise might not be able to make it to campus (through alumni), and get out more information about what it might be like to be a student here. Alumni interviewers are people connected with the college who enjoy doing interviews with prospective students; while they may not have been a student here for a while, they are definitely people engaged in activities relating to life here through alumni networks, and through this are definitely a source of good information about what one can expect on campus and, sometimes, even 60 years later.
Those deprived of interviews are NOT at a disadvantage. We completely realize that not everyone can have one for a variety of reasons- not enough alumni interviewers in certain locations, no alumni at all in other locations, limited availability and travel difficulties to get to an on-campus interview- and this is why they are optional. Yes, having an interview can help us meet you and learn more about you, but it’s not a situation where a good interview will put an otherwise bad or mediocre candidate over the edge; it helps cement the things we might know about you from your application, and get you some face time with a real, UChicago-connected person. Not having an interview is really not that big of a deal; while it may have helped us learn more about you, it’s never a thing that puts someone from one side of the pile to another. Plenty of people on campus- in fact, even the majority of other students I’ve worked with in the office- didn’t have them; we’re here, and we’re having a great time.</p>
<p>You guys will have to forgive Grace for talking out of both sides of her mouth – it’s her job!</p>
<p>On the one hand, the point being made by students is obvious: If an interview can be helpful, then not having one can be a disadvantage. Arguing otherwise is like saying sometimes gravity makes things fall down, but sometimes it makes them fall up. Unh-unh.</p>
<p>Then why isn’t Admissions flat-out lying when they say it isn’t a problem? If you think about it, you will understand that interviews are a mixed blessing to an admissions staff. Sure, a quality interview ought to confirm stuff on the applications, bad and good, and help the staff feel more secure in their judgments either way. But not every interview is a quality interview, and of course not every applicant can get an interview. Interviews CAN probably be harmful, too. Some people are not great at presenting themselves in one-off interviews, and those people may nonetheless be really valuable members of an academic community. And not all interviewers are perfectly skilled at drawing 17-18 year-olds out of their shells and getting good information, or at communicating the information they get. And the degree of interrater consistency in interviews has to be very, very low.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, interviews probably create nearly as much noise as useful information. In a sense, they are the Admissions Department version of college visiting – they produce a bunch of vivid information that may be completely misleading in random ways. But they ARE a decent sales tool – i.e., students who go through an interview are probably more likely to choose to enroll if admitted – and they DO produce some information that feels useful, so people are not willing to let go of them entirely. But they can’t have a big effect either way, because they just aren’t reliable enough.</p>
<p>Thanks, JHS, for the excellent response as well. I do need to talk a bit out of both sides of my mouth- it is my job, after all- but I just can’t emphasize enough how little a deal it is if you don’t get an interview. If you get one, great, but if you don’t, or you can’t make it to campus for one, it’s really nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>Um…were you guys in committee all day or is my regional counselor too busy to answer me or maybe just ignoring me?</p>
<p>^ Same here (and I’m not in your region)</p>