<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>Wanted to debunk some frequently asked questions (or frequently freaked-out freakouts!) that have been coming en masse in to our e-mail accounts and phone line here in the UChicago admissions office.</p>
<p>First, and most important: Please DO NOT call or e-mail us to see if we have received your application materials. You can check your Chicago Account to see which materials we have received once you receive login information for the account by submitting your Common Application or your UChicago Supplement electronically; it usually takes about 48 hours for us to set up an account login for you after you have submitted your application. It can take a while (up to the 3rd week of November) for us to process materials, even if sent electronically, and especially if sent by paper mail, so many of the things we receive will not appear immediately in your Chicago account-- please don't freak out! Please rest assured that WE will reach out to YOU if we are missing a required document before we begin to read your application. See here for further information: <a href="https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2011/10/phoenix_tip_4_relax.html%5B/url%5D">https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2011/10/phoenix_tip_4_relax.html</a></p>
<p>If you are submitting an arts or research supplement, you will be able to upload it directly in to your UChicago account, in the "Portfolio" section. Also, see here for a further discussion of whether or not to submit a supplement: <a href="https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2011/10/phoenix_tip_3_submitting_suppl.html%5B/url%5D">https://blogs.uchicago.edu/collegeadmissions/2011/10/phoenix_tip_3_submitting_suppl.html</a></p>
<p>Essay length: we suggest that you keep your extended supplement essay at around 500 words, and your Why Chicago and Favorite Things essays at 250-500 words. It is not the end of the world if you are shorter or longer than these suggestions; we will certainly read your 504th word with as much excitement and vigor as your 499th, but do consider cutting things down once you get to your third page or thousandth word or wherever you may find yourself getting simply too wordy. We do not require a word count printed on the page, nor do we have a preference between single or double spacing.</p>
<p>If you are electing to add a diagram or a picture to any of your essays, please embed these in the document, and make sure through print-previewing the essay that the item appears properly in the document. </p>
<p>I know this is a stressful time, but please be mindful of the fact that we have designed our website to be very helpful to you during the application process, and that we hope you go through our online resources before deciding to contact us directly. I strongly suggest visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page (here: <a href="https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/contact/faqs.shtml%5B/url%5D">https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/contact/faqs.shtml</a> ), Apply (<a href="https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/%5B/url%5D">https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/</a> ), and Financial Aid sections of our website (<a href="https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/contact/%5B/url%5D">https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/contact/</a> ). You should certainly feel free to be in touch with your counselor or <a href="mailto:collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu">collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu</a> if you have questions that cannot be resolved by visiting any of these sources.</p>