UChicago 2021 Applicant Thread

@olireg02 - not sure how Questbridge works. Do they give you a choice between Early Decision and Early Action? If so, which did you choose?

@JBStillFlying It would be the closest to early decision. With questbridge you can rank up to 12 of their partner colleges in order of where you would most like to go. It’s binding in the aspect that you must go to the highest ranked school that accepts you. So I ranked UChicago 4/5 schools that I ranked. If one of my higher ranked schools accepts me I’ll go there, but if none of them do I’m required to go to UChicago. (tbh I’m pretty sure my chances at the schools I ranked higher are minimal anyway)

OK thanks for the response and for the original post, both of which are very helpful info. Many would love to have UChicago for a backup. Congrats and well done! Look forward to reading your essay!

@olireg02 Congratulations!!! That must feel amazing!! I literally have a countdown going on in my head and on my phone for the early action deadline. This is so nerve-wracking. BTW I look forward to reading your essay!

is this the first year they are posting essays on their website? @olireg02 which prompt did you do?

@NikkuWadde I had my interview about a week ago. It went alright. I’d rate it a 8/10. My tips would be to:

~ try and dress nicely. I put in effort, and so did my twin brother, whose interview was with a different school. His interviewer told him that she appreciated him getting dressed up. It showed that he took it seriously.
~ know as much about the school as you can, meaning about the Core, the Campus and city (Hyde Park) and the overall student body (love of knowledge, open-mindedness etc)
~ try and tell your interviewer things that aren’t already on your application. Throw in some personal facts here and there to get them out there. Don’t be openly trying to impress him/her though. Do it in a “by-the-way” kind of manner.
~ stay up-to-date with current events, both of the country and the school. I can’t speak for anyone else, but my interview had a lot of talk about current events in the school, and the country. One of her questions was “If you had 2 hours in the White House with President Elect Trump, what would you say to him regarding his environmental policies?”
~ try and relate to your interviewer. Ask him/her questions, and then relate their experience to one of yours. I guess it makes for a good conversation and connection.
~ make eye contact, and sound confident and engaged.

I recommend practicing beforehand. A lot of my friends thought I was worrying too much, but I am so glad I prepared. Some of my predicted questions were asked right off the bat and I was like ‘Yessss I got this.’

Other than that, all I can say is just relax. Be on time, if not a it early. Act mature and participate in the conversation. They are just trying to get to know you better, and see if Uchicago is really a good fit for you, and you it.

@AnimeMango Thanks! Mine is a factime interview, so I won’t have to worry about being on time lol! I’ve been in contact a lot with a Chicago alum, and we did a mock interview, and I know for sure what I like about the school, and keep up with current events. I just have to make sure that I look into the camera, and not at the screen lol. And you’re a multiple? So am I!

Also, does anyone know when EA decisions come out?

@jasonfan1234 I think this might be the first year… I chose one of their older prompts:

Dog and Cat. Coffee and Tea. Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. Everyone knows there are two types of people in the world. What are they?

Around what time do you guys think the decisions will come out?

@NikkuWadde I hope it goes well for you! Oh, do you have a twin too? Also, I think the decisions for EA come out around Dec 19th or so. That’s what I heard at least.

@NikkuWadde I just checked your posts and I saw that you are a quadruplet!! That is so cool!!

@AnimeMango sorry to slide into the convo, but I’m a twin too!!! @NikkuWadde that is beyond cool!!!

Ughhh I wish interviews mattered more at Chicago. I loved my interviewer so much. I just finished my skype interview and she said to “You are the most personable, intelligent and fun interviewee I’ve ever had. Chicago would be more than lucky to have you” Like honestly talking with her made me all warm and fuzzy inside. It just made me more excited about Chicago! I wonder if it will be filed in time for EA. It seemed kinda late for me to be getting one.

Hey my dudes, they just posted sample essays! https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/sample-essays

…yeah I definitely took the wrong approach to all my UChicago essays…

@malvernvarna LOL same…

@olireg02 Are you added to the QuestBridge Finalists page on Facebook?

@olireg02 you’re essay was fantastic! I can see why it was chosen!!

Thanks!!

Great essay! I was raised in a pristine household (though we still read in bathtubs and at meals!), but college converted me to well-wornness. A friend who was a used bookseller tried to push me toward a middle ground (pencil marks only) with the argument that I’d maximize the resale value of my library. That plan backfired – I figured that, my way, if I ever did go broke, at least I could keep my books, LOL.