Ask away- it's UChicago Prospective Students Advisory Committee

<p>^ yes i asked that b4 and got no reply LOL</p>

<p>i completely forgot about the final transcript–what am i supposed to do now?</p>

<p>I was told (or at least given the impression) by my English teacher that the essays I write for UofC cannot be submitted to any other place other than the UofC. </p>

<p>Is this true or is this major BS? Because I’m getting the impression currently that this policy isn’t the case.</p>

<p>There’s no policy that says this is the case, but we do have very specific, highly recognizable “uncommon” essay prompts associated with the UChicago supplement to the Common App that you probably won’t want to use for other schools. Firstly, you’ll be writing something along the lines of “Find X” or “How do you feel about Wednesdays” (a past prompt), which may not be suitable to send to another school. Secondly, admissions counselors know what’s up at other colleges, and unless you decide to pick your own prompt, will likely notice that you’re re-using a Chicago essay for their school. So, while you’re in no way forbidden from using a UChicago-specific prompt for another school, it’s probably not the wisest choice unless they ask a similar question (which I doubt) or you choose the create your own essay prompt (which you should do only if you have a prompt that you’re dying to write about or that inspires you, not so you can “creatively re-purpose” an essay you’re writing for another school).</p>

<p>When is a good time for an admitted student to send AP scores to UChicago?
ASAP? Or will I be asked by the University to order a score report by a certain time?
I’m thinking it should probably be done before orientation, so I know which classes I have credit for and which I still need to take…</p>

<p>Yes, you should send AP scores soon (though don’t panic and have them overnighted). It will be helpful for you to have the scores already at UChicago when you arrive for Orientation Week.</p>

<p>Hi Grace, thanks for taking so much time to answer our questions!</p>

<p>For my letters of recommendation, I feel as if the person that could give the greatest insight into who I am as a person does not teach me, but he is a teacher at the school. He is my adviser for my CAS project in IB (related to ECs… I’m doing donations earthquake relief in Haiti), is my Extended Essay adviser, and, most importantly, is my MUN adviser. So since I’m the secretary-general of the school’s MUN conference and I’ve been on several school trips with him, he knows me much more than my teachers do. Do you recommend me submitting a letter of recommendation from him in place of another, as extra material, or not at all? Thanks!</p>

<p>LyndonB, you are welcome to submit one additional recommendation from someone who knows you well, and this adviser seems like a good candidate. Your two academic references should be from teachers who have taught you in an academic subject (math, English, etc)- this person does not seem to fit that bill, but certainly seems like an excellent person to write a third (optional) recommendation.</p>

<p>Our family is planning a midwest tour in a couple of weeks to prospective colleges for my senior daughter (ACT 34; SAT 2210). She’s interested in Archaeology/Anthro so is interested in U of C. However with the $50,000 price tag, we’d need substantial merit aid. We’d likely not qualify for financial aid. Our research shows that it will be tough to receive adequate merit aid to bring the COA down to our manageable $25,000-$30,000 price range. Anyone with experience with Chicago’s merit aid program have any input/guidance?
We’ll also be visiting Michigan, Pitt, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky. Any other reasonably priced archaeology schools that we should consider?</p>

<p>Hey I had a question about the AP exams. I am an international, and I took 4 of them. But my scores weren’t great. Do you think it’ll still be a good idea to send the scores to UChicago?
My school doesn’t offer AP classes( though some of the material may be simillar in Chem and Phy)
Calculus BC-3(3)
Chemistry-3
Physics C(Mech)-4
Eng Lang and composition-3</p>

<p>Ummm…the price tag at UChicago is well over $50k this fall. Virtually all of the top privates are in that range. </p>

<p>There were Presidential Scholarships at Chicago two years ago when my older S applied which were full tuition (~$36k/yr), but I am not sure if those are still around in the Nondorf era. I didn’t see anyone mention receiving one this spring. There were folks who got the University Scholar ($10k/yr) and some who got $5k/yr merit. </p>

<p>In the past, ~20 accepted students got the Presidential and ~100 got the University Scholar awards. Not everyone chooses to matriculate, so not that many people are actually getting money. (Our flagship does the same thing; offers X number of scholarships, knowing that they will generally yield YY% of those students.)</p>

<p>S1 got a University Scholarship. Works for us. Not many top schools offer big merit awards these days, focusing instead on improving their need-based FA.</p>

<p>Pitt is generous with merit money among the schools on your list; OOS residents getting the big merit rides at UNC, UVA or UMich are as rare as hen’s teeth. The kids who get them are usually turning down spots at Ivies. </p>

<p>Perhaps the PSAC folks can update us.</p>

<p>You should definitely still send your scores. Out of the exams you listed, you would get credit for the Physics test, so you wouldn’t want to waste that. Especially since your school doesn’t have AP classes, taking the tests shows some initiative and hard work.</p>

<p>There are two merit scholarships offered by the University.</p>

<p>First, the College Honor Scholarship provides full tuition awards to 30 entering freshmen.
Second, about 100 University Scholarships are given out each year, and they cover around 1/3 of tuition.</p>

<p>MidwestPop, your D’s admission counselor at UChicago is the most reliable source of information when it comes to merit scholarships.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your merit aid responses. The info is greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>A quick note on changes in our merit-aid program.</p>

<p>First, things are always changing in Financial Aid. Through fundraising efforts and generous gifts from alumni, each year the University has been able to provide more substantial financial and merit-based aid. </p>

<p>As UChicagoPSAC mentions, our program includes honors scholarships. However, as CountingDown mentions, we have been able to offer more scholarships in the 5k and 10k realms. We have discontinued the strict “30” and “100” student model and now consult with a faculty committee to provide more substantive aid to a greater number of students. </p>

<p>Please continue to check our merit scholarship website for updated information: <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/scholarships.shtml[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/scholarships.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>how is the sailing team?
& are students allowed to triple major?</p>

<p>^ Do you have a compelling reason to triple major?</p>

<p>just wondering</p>

<p>Do you award scholarships in the area of ~30k?</p>

<p>Reason I am asking is that 10k will not cover my need, and full tuition may be too rare.</p>