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<p>Chicago did a NUMBER of things, including dropping the offputting “uncommon” image and claims of superiority from the “intellectual” register, making changes in a staff that was clinging to yesteryear’s policies, actively “negotiating” with the USNews and presenting different numbers (or presenting the same numbers differently) that resulted in a drastic rise in the ranklngs, massively increase their reach-out budget, adopt the Common Application, and most importantly maintain the “free EA admission” at the same time that Harvard and Princeton sought to have a one time RD admission cycle and presenting a much higher admission rate that its “new peers.” </p>
<p>All those factors contributed to students who had little interest in subjecting themselves to the quirky (I call it moronic) application and to that insufferable “pseudo-intellectualism-uber-alles” environment did look at Chicago as a “why not” alternative to most sought after schools. The result has been plenty more applications. And based on the posts in the College Confidential, not much change in enrolling plenty of insecure and insufferable HYPS rejects. </p>
<p>In Chicago, the game of admissions went from the worst implementation to its finest version. Except for the remaining lack of transparency and the omnipresence of smoke and mirrors.</p>