<p>The “started” to annoy applicants is quite the misnomer. Chicago was annoying in 2003-2004 in my admissions’ cycle. Was super annoying three years later when my sister applied, and has simply increased the pace. The tipping point was reached a loooooong time ago. The only change is that the school has dropped “some” of its obnoxious uncommon pretentiousness! </p>
<p>Chicago, like it or not, is one special group of mass-marketers. There was no real admit for an admission dean to … admit they do and will continue to do so. And obviously, it had worked very well for them.</p>
<p>My daughter, also, has gotten mail from U of Chicago. Remember, the more people who apply and don’t get in, the better the college looks as far as stats. go. It’s a game.</p>
<p>Wow I’m in the minority I guess. I’m a parent and I enjoyed their mail. My daughter was accepted but matriculated to another school. (Please know it had nothing to do with Chicago not being an insanely awesome University). I still wear the t-shirt we got. We use the pizza cutter too. Daughter loved the coffe shop postcard. We didn’t mind the mail its better than getting none, was how we saw it.</p>
<p>Another vote for the coffee shop post card. They have been sending that for several years, I think my D1 got it five years ago. It was still the best mailing last year, IMHO, of the “paper” items U of C sent out – so the increased volume has not increased the quality or creativity of the written materials, I guess.</p>
<p>I loved it…I would hang all the posters they sent me on my walls. I talked about their emails in my Why UChicago essay.</p>
<p>I really have no idea what everyone’s complaining about. I got just as much mail from Northwestern and Duke. I’m sorry for the kids/parents who feel offended, but get your bruised egos together and move on. UChi’s doing it to up their admissions game, just like everyone else. They used to be a much smaller research school, but now they’re trying to compete on Ivy League levels so they have to bring their stats up. </p>
<p>If a kid’s insecure about his/her chances of getting into the school and that’s why she/he’s irritated about the mail, that’s another issue entirely.</p>
<p>^ Chicago has sent my sister more mail than either NU or Duke. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that though. I just question how effective this strategy is going to be in the long run.</p>
<p>I don’t blame Chicago for marketing the school, especially since, as others have noted, number of applications and selectivity are important to a school’s reputation. And Chicago and other schools do actually admit some kids with test scores and grades that are well below their norms, due to other attributes the schools value . . . hopefully they aren’t sending mail to kids with academics such that they have no chance, but some of those kids who never would have thought of the school otherwise will decide to apply and will get in.</p>
It’s always a “buyer beware” world. But, gosh, loved that coffee post card, D1 still wears the UChicago tee-shirt, has the die-cut card with her name in UChicago gothic type on her desk, and was p-o’d that someone swiped her scarf.
They sent me a bunch of stuff but I just thought it was because I was also pursuing them very aggressively. I visited campus 3 times and it was by far my first choice. And the free stuff doesn’t stop after acceptance come out. In fact today as a student admitted to the class of 2019 I got a nifty Uchicago scarf and a book called “The Insiders Guide to The University Of Chicago” All of the posters and booklets and stuff that the school sent me before getting my acceptance only made me more sure that I wanted to go to the school that looks exactly like Hogwarts in the middle of a large city.
Well the barrage of advertising has its negative side and positive side. My D weren’t even interested in Chicago when we started searching. We flew to New York and did the college round as many others, NYU was high on the list. However the advertising from Chicago enticed her curiosity and finally she got interest in the school and applied.
She had graduated last year, it was a very happy and fruitful experience.
They never use to send so much marketing material. Now they do because they are in a race with Columbia. It’s been reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Should I be offended? I am going and never got a T Shirt or the insiders guide? Not sure about the pizza cutter either. Should I call and complain? I did get plenty of mail but honestly the absolute worst was Columbia. My favorite part was after Columbia sent so many books of uselessness in the mail, they put everyone into a panic the week before decisions came out telling them that “most” students would not get a written decision except through email in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. Seriously ridiculous.
They bury you in marketing material. I got over 25 letters last year, and countless emails. They also pressed me to apply since they don’t charge an application fee if you are applying for financial aid. It was initially nice but then became really unimpressive. I read that they do it to drive up application numbers.
My D received some mailings from UChicago but not a lot. She received more from some other schools- both selective and less selective. Initially she was just not interested and had no intention of applying. She went to a presentation that included UChicago but actually went to hear another school rep talk about their school. That’s what piqued her interest. She then started looking into the materials that UChicago sent her. She applied, got accepted as a University Scholar ($30,000 merit award a year). Very grateful and if not for the presentation outreach and mailings would not have applied.