<p>eeps! Interview with uchicago this sunday, if possible, because I got an email from an alumni. Should I bring my research paper so he can take it home or something? and should i bring anything else?
meh. I'm not so sure if uchicago is a right school for me, since it's so heavy on class discussions which requires a lot of listening, lip-reading, and talking.</p>
<p>This thread is a few days old, but I hadn't read it before. From my limited vantage point, at least, I have never had the sense that Chicago did strategic, yield-oriented admissions -- "Oh, Harvard's going to accept this kid, so we shouldn't". Although the character of its student body is somewhat unique, Chicago accepts a lot of students who also get accepted at other top-notch institutions; the things that make a student a good candidate for Chicago tend to make him or her a good candidate elsewhere, too. I believe Chicago takes the position, more or less, that they will accept whom they want to accept, and try to convince the acceptees to enroll. Overall, only a little more than a third of the students Chicago accepts ultimately enroll. Some of those decisions are financial, or I-don't-wanna-leave-my-boyfriend, or fun-goes-to-die, but lots are people who get to choose Yale or Stanford instead.</p>
<p>They know perfectly well that x% of their EA applicants have an ED application in at Columbia, because (a) the two universities have tremendous overlap in the qualities that appeal to students (core, urban, size, research focus, prestige), and (b) it's completely logical for some of those students to apply early to both. So Chicago may lose .2x% or so of its EA acceptees to a Columbia ED acceptance. So what? Columbia accepts about 400 students ED, maybe Chicago accepted 100 of them, too. (That's way overestimated, by the way -- if I were guessing, I'd guess 30 or so.) So that's 100 people they don't get out of their EA acceptance pool of 1,200+, only 40-50 of whom would actually have enrolled in any event. And they find out right away that those students won't be coming; every Columbia ED person frees up 3-4 slots in the RD round that they can use to accept more people they like. It's just not a big deal.</p>
<p>If Chicago really cared, it could adopt the Georgetown no-ED-apps rule. But what it cares about is doing the right thing by students, not maximizing its USNWR ranking.</p>
<p>Can we bring some of our art samples to interview? (on printed paper or website?)</p>
<p>Most colleges don't want anyone to attach extra info (resume, portfolio) if its not required. But I feel art is really important for me so is it okay to bring a portfolio to an interview?</p>
<p>Did you take the guided tour of Chicago? If so, utilize the experience of the post-tour information session as a guide for your interview. At least in my interview, students were encouraged to lead the discussion, asking questions, and, in one instance for me, at least, answering the questions of others. Chicago's style seems to value discussion leadership. Talk and listen. </p>
<p>Don't worry so much about the coffee. A cheap drink could imply low income or high income (wealthy people become wealthy by being very conservative with their money). An expensive drink could imply that you're rich, or that you're just trying to impress. Drink what you want!</p>
<p>fivewinks--</p>
<p>Your question is generalizable to all sorts of tokens-- high school newspapers, research abstracts, write-ups about athletic accomplishments, etc.</p>
<p>I think they're good to bring along, but you have to be careful.</p>
<p>They give you a sense of confidence and security, that you HAVE things to show for yourself and you HAVE things to talk about. If there's ever a lull or your interviewer asks, "Oh, volleyball, eh? What do you do on your volleyball team?" that would be a neat opportunity to hand them a clip from you in the local news. Or "Oh, mitochondria, what about them?" in which case-- boom-- your research abstract.</p>
<p>At the same time, I could see how bringing along these extras to an interview could be seen as pushy. They're commonplace-- and sometimes even expected-- in the work world, where prospective employers want to see writing samples, proof of jobs done in the past, reference letters, etc.-- but hey, you're still in high school. Because of that, I could see how an overload of supplementals to an interview could be seen as too much playing up to the interviewer, and while people like to be thanked and complimented, they don't like to be patronized.</p>
<p>During my interviews I've done I brought along one resume and one token. Nothing overwhelming and something I could easily hand to the interviewer if they were curious. I did not bring along a paper trail of accomplishments-- I kept my token small. Some interviews it came out, others it stayed with me. The interviews where the token didn't come out were not less successful, in my opinion, than the interviews where it did.</p>
<p>I continue the pattern to this day. This is an extremely helpful tactic for me because a lot of what I do is more easily seen than explained.</p>
<p>I agree with lasermouse about the drinking bit, but a few tactical suggestions:</p>
<p>1) Assuming you're at a Starbucks or Starbucks-like place, don't order coffee unless you're a pro at drinking it (which I hope none of you are... yet). Nerves+ not being used to the effects of caffeine= more nerves.</p>
<p>2) Maybe this is just me, but overly sweet drinks at Starbucks (like the way they make their hot chocolate) dry out my mouth and make it harder for me to talk. If you get something sweet, bring water to your table, too. Or just don't order something too too sweet.</p>
<p>3) I know that doesn't leave you with much menu flexibility... but I always find sipping on a cappucino, latte , or chai delightful, and those milky drinks would put me in interview mode in a snap. Another great idea is tea. Or if you hate hot drinks and want to buy something, go for one of their orange juices they keep in the refrigerated section.</p>
<p>And if your interview is taking place at a Starbucks, spending 4 dollars on a drink is not out of reason. If you don't want to spend that kind of money, I don't think that speaks to you in any way. Chicago is proud of its socioeconomic diversity and I know plenty of students here who would never go to a Starbucks on their own accord because of its prices. I also know plenty of people who would walk into a place like Starbucks and not find anything they'd like to eat or drink. That doesn't mean they don't make for fantastic college applicants.</p>
<p>S1 did chai. Always brought his resume; never pulled it out for any of his interviews. Did not bring research paper. Almost every interviewed centered on his non-major-related EC. Boy, was he glad he quit taking Spanish to get involved in that one!</p>
<p>Thank you, unalove :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
no, I think Chicago would turn you away if you wanted a sports-oriented school with no academic restrictions in the middle of a cornfield that offered engineering.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Ha ha ha ha. :D</p>