<p>hsmom - I’d suggest that this summer your son e-mail three to five faculty members at U. of Chicago who are closest to his area of interest. He should try to strike up some enthusiastic responses, and then go to Chicago in the fall to visit those faculty members and talk through their program and departmental resources. If he has a very positive experience with them, he needs to follow up with thank-you notes and e-mail them once he submits his EA application, indicating how interested he is in their program and suggesting that if they have an opportunity to put in a good word, he’d appreciate it. This is a great way for an applicant to distinguish himself from the large number of others with similar stats, but it only works when the applicant is unique enough in some way to be memorable.</p>