<p>hi everyone! me is newcomer to this board. gap year now, eyeing for uchicago next year. advice, tips, etc? :D</p>
<p>Glad to see you on this board!</p>
<p>One of the things that you will notice here is that some of the admitted students are spending more time arguing about a variety of subjects than patting themselves on the back for being accepted. Once these students hit Chicago, and find themselves in small classes with brilliant professors, the arguements will ultimately tranform into true debate and discussions. Discussion for the sake of understanding and coming to the heart of the matter, not just for winning an argument.</p>
<p>Part of the 'life of the mind' at Chicago is discussion - in class, over coffee, at four in the morning. This is true at many colleges, of course. But its pretty vital at UChicago. This is why it is so important to visit if you can manage it. Spend an overnight, attend a couple of classes. Then, you'll <em>know</em>.</p>
<p>Tips - the essay is very important. Look at the new prompts as soon as they are available - late summer, early fall. That way, you will be able to apply early action.</p>
<p>Yes, and MAKE SURE TO SHOW INTEREST!</p>
<p>It will go a long way--I was deferred EA with average stats, and I emailed my admissions officer 2-3 times afterwards, to subtly remind her (without being irritating; I made sure I had a relevant "question" to hide my motives) that Chicago was still my number one choice.</p>
<p>Potential (the university wants you to spread their glory of course), Interest and Essays. Remember PIE! It will taste sweet if you bake it well. It will suck if you don't.</p>
<p>can i ask how selective uchicago is? i am not too sure whether to put it in my 'reach' or 'good match' list...</p>
<p>As an international, I think the category will depend on whether you need financial aid or not. If you don't need aid, I would say reachy match, but then I'm pretty conservative. Other schools you might want to look at: Brandeis, Macalester, Smith, Grinnell. These are all pretty intellectual schools with decent admit rates.</p>
<p>nope, i am not requesting aid from the uni. i get it from somewhere else.:D</p>
<p>you were right, debating and intellectual arguments reign supreme even here on a public board. personally that's what i like about the american way of education. over here, if you tend to argue or disagree over anything, teachers label you as troublemakers and friends see you as weird, freak, those stuffs.</p>
<p>but i feel awkward because i do not have my own views to add to the discussions, mainly because studying in the US is not something familiar to counselors in malaysian schools. we are all more comfortable with the British system. contrary to US students, many of us know next to nothing about the universities in US, other than "ooh i've heard of that name before" or "my cousin/brother/granduncle" went there before. that's why when we apply most of the time we are accused of brand-name chasing. Great colleges like Grinnell, Vassar are unheard of.</p>
<p>Interest. How do i show it other than early action? Through my essays, and interviews i presume. But really, is there other way to show interest? Visiting the States is abit of a costly option for me, unless I am sponsored. And the early action, is it single-choice?</p>
<p>Good. Not having to apply for aid is going to help. </p>
<p>The GC's in my son's public HS were pretty clueless - we had to do the research ourselves. </p>
<p>Showing interest - this summer (once this year's admissions nonense has died down), start e-mailing the admissions officers at schools you are interested in: you want to start a dialogue. You want to determine if the school is a good fit for you, and you for the school. One of the ways of doing so is by an interview. Request an interview; mention that you probably can't fly over to visit, ask if an alum is in your area, or might be at some time. Update your resume and have it ready to send. </p>
<p>Research the faculty at your schools of interest. If someone is doing work that appeals to you, e-mail and ask an intelligent question or two. Not everyone will respond - but some will. Don't be afried to contact prof's. </p>
<p>Many college websites have a link to ask students questions. Make use of these. Talk, chat, learn, network. </p>
<p>If you apply to schools that don't have such a hellish admit rate, and you are a good fit for them and vice versa, and you're not asking for aid - you really are going to have better results next year.</p>
<p>i almost feel guilty that i overlooked uchicago last year. it sounds like a great school, with all the discussions and so-called 'nerd' environment (i thrive in a nerdy atmosphere) :). </p>
<p>jpps1, have you visited uchicago? i read somewhere that you did, so if you did, can you tell me a little about the classes there? workload, level of interaction...</p>
<p>Wasn't me; I didn't get a chance to visit the University itself...I have been to Chicago though, so maybe that's what you caught.</p>
<p>On my visit we were told that the classes are very small--18 is the usual and sometimes 25. The largest class is chem 101 which is 100 ppl, but had small labs groups. This is one of the amazing things about Chicago. Another is that the graduate school is very famed and has extremely strong research rep. Undergrads are usually welcome to do research with grad school profs.</p>
<p>The workload is said to be extremely demanding. There is a heavy core requirement, so you need to be capable in all areas.</p>
<p>The campus is fantastic. Very impressive.</p>
<p>The school is beautiful, the bulidings are old and covered in ivy. Our tour guide was awesome. She was quirky and passionate. I think UChi is one of the schools were one attends the library to "be seen"... or so our guide was saying. The book store was great (I was absolutely in love). Also humourous was the fact that the one thing she forgot to mention amongst the chornicopia of activities available at UChi was sports..hhehe...The area though slightly rough was friendly. Good pizza :) And frankly said I just think it was the best place in the world... I am however a bit obsessive and my opinion openly partisan...</p>
<p>I'll be applying next year too... Is UChi anywhere on the top of your list?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think UChi is one of the schools were one attends the library to "be seen"...
[/quote]
cool. that's what i do in MY library now. a place to hit the books and to socialise. :D</p>
<p>i've seen uchicago photos before, my friend's cousin's friend (or something) showed it to her who showed it to me. they're beautiful. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I'll be applying next year too... Is UChi anywhere on the top of your list?
[/quote]
it's at teh top together with NYU. let's hope we'll see each other than! =)</p>
<p>...we can hang out at the library... hehe</p>