Ask away- it's UChicago Prospective Students Advisory Committee

<p>@developed- while there’s a lot of snow in Chicago at times, there’s very little hill. I’d say the closest you’re going to get to snowboard conditions is if you make the journey to one of the “mountains” in Wisconsin on a house trip, which <em>might</em> happen once a year (unless you figure out a way to get up there by yourself). If you’re lucky. So, it will probably just gather dust- don’t bring it.</p>

<p>^^ The closest and the best ski resort in Ill. is Chestnut Mountain, Galena Ill, 500’ VD 160 miles away from Chicago. There are many resorts in the UP areas of Michigan(Boyne, Shanty, Indianhead etc.), mostly more than 350 miles away.</p>

<p>[The</a> Best of Michigan’s Ski Resorts: Ski Resorts in Michigan Offer a Range of Prices and Programs](<a href=“Suite 101 - How-tos, Inspiration and Other Ideas to Try”>Suite 101 - How-tos, Inspiration and Other Ideas to Try)</p>

<p>Perhaps its better to take a flight to UT or CO for a skiing vacation during the winter break.</p>

<p>If you have the room, I’d say bring it… :)</p>

<p>Are there wired connections in the Dorm? Or they are all wireless?</p>

<p>Roderick-- I’m a skier (so perhaps you’ll discount my opinion!) but I’d recommend not bringing it. If you go on your House ski/snowboarding trip, that’ll only be one time you will use it all year. Would you bring a shirt that you know you’d only wear once?</p>

<p>@roderick: I’d recommend just renting a board when you need to.</p>

<p>Grace,</p>

<p>I know you’ve explicitly stated that there is no maximum length for a supplement essay. But be honest here…Is 1699 words too long?</p>

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<p>For what it’s worth, Google was on campus last year recruiting, so . . .</p>

<p>I’ve been talking to a 4th year doing Econ/CS, and he says it’s a solid curriculum, definitely lower key, very theoretical, but very valuable stuff.</p>

<p>Why should a science/premed major choose the University of Chicago over each and every other college?</p>

<p>Because it’s important that students in hard science/ technical fields (our future science leaders) still have a grounding in the social sciences and humanities.</p>

<p>^ Great answer. And from what I’ve read in this forum, undergrad research opportunities are plentiful.</p>

<p>I believe there was an essay included among the O-week materials this year (Nussbaum?) concerning the important of a well-rounded education for future technicians and scientists. I’m sure I can pull it up if anyone’s interested.</p>

<p>As Grace has stated, there really is no maximum length for the essay. However, this does not mean that longer=better. If your essay is 1699 words and it is as concise and coherent as you can get, then that is great.</p>

<p>Regarding premed at UChicago: we have an excellent group called Chicago Careers in Health Professions (CCIHP). This group is led by people with a lot of experience in the medical/med school world, and they help ensure that everyone is getting research experience, volunteering, and succeeding in their premed classes. They coordinate study groups for general and organic chemistry, do practice MCAT sessions, hold seminars with students and faculty at the Pritzker Med School, and set you up with a premed adviser as well. What makes this all different from many other universities is that they pledge to support every student interested in the health professions, and not just the people with the highest grades or test scores.</p>

<p>I’m going to ask this again:
How likely is it that I, as an international applicant, could be admitted without financial aid, although I did apply for financial aid?
Or if I apply for financial aid, is it only possible to be accepted with financial aid or rejected?</p>

<p>@Stars, just to let you know, the UChicago volunteers who staff this thread aren’t able to comment on likelihood of your (or anyone’s) admission given a certain circumstance. You’ll be able to find more general information about international issues, including financial aid discussion for international students, here: <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/admissions/international/[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/admissions/international/&lt;/a&gt;
You can also contact the international admissions representative for your area of the world with questions about how international financial aid works, but they will also not be able to comment on the specific likelihood of your admission.</p>

<p>I think Stars has asked a fair question that isn’t related to his or her specific circumstances. I thought I knew the answer, but it turns out I don’t.</p>

<p>The web page Grace linked says this, which is what I thought the policy was:</p>

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</p>

<p>What I thought that meant was that the University would not admit an international student requesting financial aid unless the University was prepared to grant aid that met the student’s “demonstrated need” (as determined by the University, not the student). If that is true, then there would be a clear answer to Star’s question: If you apply for financial aid, and are admitted, you will receive financial aid for your demonstrated need. Applying for financial aid certainly affects your chances for admission. The University has a budget for international financial aid and will only accept applicants it can accommodate within that budget, which is not adequate to handle all otherwise-admissible international applicants. So the pool of international applicants requesting aid is very, very competitive. But a decision to accept an applicant is also a decision to commit to give him or her adequate financial aid, at least as the University calculates it. (The applicant and the family may disagree.)</p>

<p>But the web page also says this:</p>

<p>

Emphasis added. What does that “in most cases” mean? Are there situations where a student will be accepted without aid, even if he or she has demonstrated need? Does that happen to one applicant every few years, or to 49% (i.e., the maximum number that is less than “most”) of accepted international applicants who apply for aid? Or is that only a fudge factor to describe the (common) situation where an applicant’s view of need is greater than the Financial Aid Office’s view?</p>

<p>As I said, I think those are fair questions, not related to any particular applicant’s circumstances, and the web page obviously doesn’t answer them.</p>

<p>For optional supplement question 2 regarding our favorite things, is it fine if we elaborate on why or how two or three things are our favorite things? Or are we supposed to just hardcore list down our favorite things in sentence format? The adcom at UChic said questions 1 and 2 are not trick questions, but I don’t know if elaborating for question 2 is a trick or not. :)</p>

<p>101060, take a deep breathe. The adcon’s are <em>seriously</em> not trying to trick you with this one ;). Just tell them about what music/movies/books/etc. you enjoy. I don’t think elaboration would be a problem, although I might steer clear of ‘just’ a list.</p>

<p>I wrote a terrible essay on the Dead Kennedys (band) and Anarchism in America (movie) in an elaborated manner, and got in anyways. No worries :)</p>

<p>Hey, I guess this would be the best place to ask when the common app is going to be released officially, for '15 admissions ?</p>

<p>@JHS & @StarsAligned</p>

<p>Apologies for the ambiguity in this language. As some of you know, UChicago has experienced many changes in the past year. One of our ongoing goals is to provide additional funding for International Applicants. </p>

<p>That being said, the following applies: Though we will meet every admitted student’s demonstrated need, we advise you to apply for financial aid only if you do not have the resources to fund your education and to complete the financial aid form as accurately as possible. </p>

<p>The language “in most cases” JHS mentions has been a result of evolving policy and will be removed. </p>

<p>A new Admissions Website, complete with a more in-depth module for International Students, will launch next month.</p>

<p>Are teachers required to use the Common App forms for recommendations, or are general letters of recommendation sufficient enough?</p>