<p>je<em>ne</em>sais_quoi </p>
<p>"It's rumored they didn't even have time to completely read applications, and simply deferred applicants in droves."</p>
<p>is that true? where did you hear that?</p>
<p>"It's rumored they didn't even have time to completely read applications, and simply deferred applicants in droves."</p>
<p>Not likely. If they didn't have time to read applications, why would they release results two days early?</p>
<p>i got in EA and I honestly don't think it was that hard. My essay weren't the usual quircky that i thought uchicago was looking for, but good nonetheless. Also looking at the stats of some who were accepted, I really don't think its really as selective as other comparable schools. Regardless, I think the class that ultimately ends up at chicago is still just as good as any at the ivies or other top schools</p>
<p>chicago, has been and probably will continue to move up in the rankings. it may not accept all the 2300 and aboves, but ultimately it ends up with what every college looks for, the best fits. it is selective, it just uses different criteria: it wants people with personalities and not robots.</p>
<p>That's why they were able to release decisions early. They had the time because they didn't read everything, or at least take us much time with each application as usual. Of course this is all sheer conjecture.</p>
<p>To beefs: a robot (well really a lard lump) was accepted from my high school. My friends, even teachers at the same HS, are puzzled as to why he was admitted but I wasn't unless it was a sheer numbers game. His PSAT score was higher than mine. His GPA was lower. I know he could barely pass Spanish freshman year, and dropped it after getting a C. He was also getting getting a C in our World History Honors class. I, on the other hand, got A's in both classes. Anyway, he is lazy, arrogant and has the personality of a shoe. I like to think I'm fairly dynamic, a lover of languages, literature, science and world cultures. UC would be perfect for me! Or should I say, WILL be!</p>
<p>Every year, all over the country (or at least in my neck of the woods) at almost every elite schools, there are surprising admissions decisions made. Rather than catalog ever admissions surprise I know of from the past five years, I think it's better to say that admissions officers are human and are as prone to making mistakes as anybody else.</p>
<p>Additionally, the ad coms might see the value in an applicant that you as a peer might not. I know a harsh, anti-social, mean-spirited person who was admitted to Yale this year, and many are gabbering about how mean he is and conjecturing on about why he was admitted. What they totally forget is that he's a smart kid and will contribute to intellectual and political life at the school, and is no less "deserving" of admission than anybody else.</p>
<p>Anti-social and mean-spirited. Hmmm....I bet ad coms would avoid that type now, what with Virginia Tech and all, be it right or wrong. </p>
<p>Re my peer: mean is one thing. Lazy and arrogant, as in "I am superior to you all so I don't have to anything. I breathe ergo I am wonderful. Appreciate my wonderfulness though I do nothing to contribute" is another. Who needs that? How is that deserving? I thought UC wanted folks who engaged in the learning process, and found joy in sharing, collaborating, etc.</p>
<p>je<em>ne</em>sais_quoi</p>
<p>"a robot (well really a lard lump)"</p>
<p>What's that you were saying about mean-spirited?</p>
<p>Have a sense of humor! It was just meant to be a funny description of him. I thought it might give someone out there a chuckle especially if they have had a similar "lump" in their class. I mean really, can lard be arrogant?!</p>
<p>yea seriously je_ne...you dot know what other things that person may have done outside of school and if the adcoms relaly see that person as a chicago fit...as for whether the admissions officers deffered in droves,,,i highly highly doubt it, because if they didnt have time i think they wouldve extended the decision date like cornell did till a few days later...just speculation</p>
<p>Probably the wrong website to post to but her it goes. If Chicago is the right school for you what difference does it make if they admit 90 percent of applicants. My son would stand a good chance of being admitted to Harvard but after a visit decided it was not the place for him. I guess it is good to stroke the ego by listing an impressive group of colleges you have been admitted to. Makes the parents happy too. Where my son goes be it Chicago, Pomona, or Podunk U is less important than what he does with his time there. You can make a difference during your college years no matter where you go. Good luck to all who read this board and try to use the gifts you have been given to make the world a better place for all, including the majority of kids your age who will never see the inside of any college.</p>
<p>je<em>ne</em>sais_quoi,</p>
<p>Yes, you're right, I am lacking in humor about that sort of name-calling. </p>
<p>There are all sorts of people in this world. If we perceive them as unworthy in some externality, it makes it more difficult to see their worth in some other respect. While it is certainly possible that the admissions officers were 'fooled' by this application, it may also be that you have missed something significant about your classmate, as beefs points out. Or, perhaps, they see the <em>potential</em> that may emerge when this person is no longer in their high school environment. </p>
<p>The concept of not judging a person until you have walked a few miles in their moccasins is a cliche at this point - but maybe its still a valid thought-experiment.</p>
<p>Oy vey. This is ridiculous! UC just made a mistake. Plain and simple. We live in a small town. Everyone knows (and has known) everyone else for years. It's been a universal reaction: "X got into the UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO and you didn't? NO way." That's it. Nothing more. If you knew who you were defending you would be embarrassed, well maybe you wouldn't, though I really do respect the sentiment you express. And I do agree with not judging someone until you've walked in their moccasins a few miles, and maybe not even then. You know, I really do like lard, too. My mom makes the best cookies with it. I shouldn't have insulted lard, either, now that I think about it. And I hope my classmate's heretofore well-hidden potential emerges at UC to my surprise, and proves me wrong about their decision. How a couple of complete strangers could know more than folks who have known him for over a decade seems illogical, but you never know. They are quite bright over there in Hyde Park. Sorry if I offended anyone. Truthfully, that was not my intention.</p>
<p>Sometimes a mistake might actually be just taking a chance or giving a chance.</p>
<p>sometimes a mistake might actually be just taking a chance or giving a chance.</p>
<p>Do you mean sometimes a mistake is NOT taking a chance or giving someone a chance? Or do you mean what I view as a mistake might actually be reframed as taking a chance/giving a chance? Just wondering.</p>
<p>im sure he means the latter, though theres probably thousands of examples of both at top colleges.</p>
<p>In my daughter's cohort, there was a boy who everyone knew had good grades and test scores, but none of the kids saw him as especially brilliant or admirable in the way they regarded the "top" students in their class. He was not a leader, that much was clear. He was accepted at Harvard, much to everyone's surprise, over some much more "deserving" candidates. Except . . . he was also accepted at Yale, Stanford, and every other college to which he applied. The only conclusions one could draw were: (a) at least a couple teachers saw him as very special (and he knew which ones they were) and (b) he wrote some great applications.</p>
<p>If it had been just one school, one might have thought "mistake". With a whole bunch of schools, one had to conclude that there was probably some objective merit involved, albeit merit of the sort that was not reflected in reputation or community acclamation. (There wasn't millions of dollars of objective merit, by the way.)</p>
<p>Yes -- I meant that what one person views as a mistake may have been admissions attempt to give someone a chance or take a chance on a person. Throwing risk into a situation can yield interesting results.</p>