<p>I just finished my sophomore year in high school, in which I took the PSAT and said I was interested in hearing from colleges that fit my scores. Apparently the University of Chicago is one of them, because I got a postcard encouraging me to mail my information and start receiving their post card series.</p>
<p>Being that I love the University of Chicago and its philosophy, I sent in my information. I would be thrilled to gain admission to it as a senior. On Saturday, I received my first post card from them and enthusiastically opened it to see what interesting statistics or info it would contain. (Not that I expected something different from the website, but that's beside the point.) I was faced by a picture of the Chicago crew team, and a perforated post card to send back. On the post card was room to put your name, high school, email, and other contact info, and the following message:</p>
<p>"You can learn a lot about people from their bookshelves. Browsing titles and peeking at marginalia is one thing, but shelves can be home to photos or CDs or ticket stubs or dying plants or any number of telling artifacts. Share with us briefly what's on your bookshelves."</p>
<p>There is some blank space to write. Does the University of Chicago actually use these cards in the admissions process both to see changes in your writing ability and document your interest throughout high school? I'm definitely going to send it in, being that I love the school, but I've never heard of a school collecting information like this in essays before you even submit an application. (Though if any school were to do this, it would be the University of Chicago!) Thoughts?</p>
<p>I don't know anything for sure, as I don't work in admissions, but I imagine they cross-check their applicant pool with their mailing lists/ students they've interviewed/ students they've heard from.</p>
<p>It can't hurt you, that's for sure.</p>
<p>I have to add: a lot of students end up coming here because they were enamored with the correspondence that the University sent out. These are the same kids who think they had shameful amounts of fun working on the uncommon questions while their friends were torturing themselves.</p>
<p>That's a great question. I don't know the answer. I have a lot of trouble believing that they use the postcards to evaluate you in any way, either based on what you say or on "changes in your writing ability". I don't have trouble at all believing that the cards document your interest throughout high school, but I doubt that's a really significant factor in Chicago admissions. (It could be something of a factor, though.) Mainly, I suspect, they are just trying to engage you with the college. Just putting your name and numbers on a postcard is already some level of emotional engagement, but doing that and answering a question that requires a modicum of thought probably makes candidates feel more involved with the institution. Plus, Chicago wants to communicate that it's a great place for people who like to engage in a vast, continuous conversation about ideas, and what better way to do that than to incorporate a sliver of that conversation into even trivial administrative matters for prospective students.</p>
<p>It got your attention, right?</p>
<p>(By the way, my older child got progressively more enthusiastic about Chicago because every mailing seemed designed for someone like her, while her reaction to most of the college mail she received was more on the order of "How lame is this?" I wouldn't say that was the critical factor in her decision to attend Chicago, but it certainly had an effect on her attitude over time.)</p>
<p>Ya, I remember sending that in too and look, I got in! So, it can't hurt, I think it probably helped. They won't scrutinize your choice of titles, put whatever, even if it's really wacky and not characteristically intellectual. I think I might have put the Princeton Review down or something...haha...hope you get your wish in two years!</p>
<p>i don't think it's going to have that big of an affect on my admissions, but it is kind of fun. I always like getting something in the mail from colleges that i like.</p>