Just received my likely letter for UChicago class of 2020! Anyone else get theirs today as well?
What exactly did it say?
Are you an athlete by any chance?
That’s awesome! Do you mind sharing your stats?
Does everyone receive them at the same time?
I’m unfamiliar with likely letters. What are they? And who receives them and why?
OP is very likely recruited athletic for swimming. Congratulations!
There are several threads about LL’s here. Or you can google it. But basically, they send letters telling an applicant that they are in so don’t mess up. Sent mostly by Ivies although other schools have started this too. Sent mainly to athletes but also very high stats kids that the school really want. Showing the love early is a strategy- the student will start becoming fond of a school that demonstrated acceptance and begin to imagine themselves there more and more.
Good luck to all!
@goingnutsmom Yes, I am a recruited athlete for swimming. 2180 SAT w/o superscore and am in a number of business clubs at school. I am international, so no GPA, but it would be pretty bad if it was calculated. Class rank n/a, but probably about top 15% of class. I have some strong math ECs and some entrepreneurial experiences but other than that nothing that I would consider a “hook” other than swimming.
@gearsstudio I think athletes get different likely letters from regular students; I saw one from the previous year and it differs from mine. Mine contains a paragraph specifically about being a student athlete at UChicago. Good luck to everyone else who applied!
Likely letters are issued case by case, so not at the same time @tutututututuru
Many likely letters to athletes are issued around now (and earlier). This is the end of the NCAA Division I early National Letter of Intent signing period for most sports, and if a recruited athlete is on the fence between College A that does not do NLIs (like Chicago, other Division III schools, or any of the Ivies) and College B that does, it’s in the interest of College A to reassure the recruit that he will be admitted if he passes on the chance to commit to College B.
A similar dynamic applied around the ED deadline for many colleges. Since many non-NLI schools with ED ask their recruited athletes to apply ED, including a commitment to enroll if accepted, a school like Chicago will issue a likely letter so that a recruit does not feel he has to take the ED offer at another college. I would be surprised if Chicago did not issue a bunch of likely letters in October. I know one crew recruit at an Ivy who received a likely letter in September.
Likely letters are also sent to students who are extremely strong relative to the overall applicant pool. The practice began with athletes but now some colleges send likely letters to on-athletes. Do got likely letters from GW and William & Mary last year. Not exactly show how many colleges send them but I believe the practice is growing. They would normally be sent out after the admissions officer has had a chance to review your file which for RD would be sometime between January and early March
Just a quick question: I also applied to UC and am a recruited athlete for football, but I have not received a likely letter. I applied EA, so my question is if you applied RD?
I am not an athlete (not by a long shot) and I received my likely letter today (I applied Regular Decision). I am super excited!
@Goozar ,Congrats…
Was it via mail or email
Both! Mail came first
Just curious if Chicago swim coach gave you a pre-read and offered an over-night visit as some D3 colleges do.
@Ted45211 You might get a better answer if you repost here:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/
Entitle your post “UChicago swim recruiting questions” or something similar. Hopefully, you’ll get families whose kids have considered it that program.
@tutututututuru (I know this has no relation to this thread) is your icon name a reference to the “tuturu” phrase in the steins;gate anime? If so, you’re my new idol no joke.