UChicago Class of 2023 Applicants

They might be super swamped and you are likely not missing anything or else they would have contacted you. Try the following link and hit the “sign in” button (the “create” link looks like it no longer works), type in the e-mail listed your application, then hit “forgot your password”. If that doesn’t work, give them a call tomorrow and ask for the access credentials (PIN or temporary password).

https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/account

If you were deferred ED1 and switched to the ED2 round what are your chances of getting accepted? - Also given you are a legacy and shown demonstrated interest.

@KigaliLuanda Not enough information to give you an assessment. I can tell you that your personal chances of acceptance are greater than an RD non-legacy, but that is about it. I suspect that UChicago considers the entire ED2 pool as showing demonstrated interest.

@BrianBoiler Thanks! If i’m not mistaken, there weren’t that many deferrals this year right? Predominantly rejections? Thus would there be a higher chance of deferred applicants being accepted?

@KigaliLuanda I don’t know and not sure anyone outside of the Admissions Office knows that answer. I do know that my oldest was deferred and waitlisted 3 years ago at highly competetive universities and got into both. He however, chose to go elsewhere. You’re not out of it until you’re rejected, so keep up hope.

@BrianBoiler I feel like the landscape of college applications is changing so drastically over a short amount of time. Do you find it similar this year to what your child experienced three years ago?

@alliblues Yes, I think it is changing. But, I don’t think the changes have changed drastically over the past 3 years, vs. say last 30 years, to a point where applicants should change their game plan going into the process.

If you are doing an application to a holistic application process at a competitive university, do your homework on what is important. I think that AOs can tell who is shotgunning their application process (my son calls it spray and pray) in that many of the essays might not be written with the university in mind, but a essay that is modified to fit a purpose. It points to someone who believes that if acceptance rate at 10 schools are all 10%, if I apply to all 10, I have an 100% chance of getting into one. So they put little time into customizing their application to 1 or 2 schools that they feel are a great fit for them, instead they submit essays that “kind of” relate to the question.

Here is my theory, and I need to preface this with I am no expert, I have never worked in admissions (though I think I’d like to), this is based on what my two sons did and what I’ve heard in admissions presentations and picked up here anecdotally.

Universities have guidelines of what they are looking for as far as quantitative measures when it comes to a student. Higher GPAs and test scores are better than lower. So lets assume you are in the middle of the range of what was accepted last year in test scores (forget about test optional as I think that is a special case), a quick transcript review of your HS work shows you took a rigorous schedule and your GPA is also in the middle of the range. Middle or high doesn’t really matter at this point, the important thing is getting past gate #1. Almost everyone who applies to schools understand this part of the process and I don’t think many will dispute this (of course some will say you need high without a hook, etc., but I don’t think so to make it past the first gate).

The large number of applications that make it past gate number 1 will get a detailed evaluation to see if that student is a match for the university. Colleges give you vehicles to show them who you are and that you are a match. How well you use this to show them is what will win or lose the game for you. Are your essays written specifically to the University with the intent of showing them that you are genuinely a match? I really don’t think this is a time to show off your creative writing skill without a purpose. UChicago values open and honest evaluation of ideas and the pursuit of knowledge for the betterment of society. How do you tell them that You + UChicago = World a Better Place by applying their mission? How do you do that in an essay titled “What’s odd about odd numbers?” Don’t fake it either, be cautious of peppering your essay with catch phrases to where it looks like you forced it.

When you go to get your letters of recommendations, do you ask a favorite teacher to write some LORs for you college application process and then tell him/her you are going to need 15 of them? Or do you go to them and say, “I am really interested in going to UChicago and they value intellectual curiosity and honest evaluation of ideas, could you include examples of how I’ve done that in my LOR?” Of course it is much easier to do that if you only apply to a few schools and not all of them. When students apply to all of them, it does give your references permission to be generic in your LORs which will not be a plus and maybe a minus (my oldest found out his favorite teacher in HS sent an LOR that didn’t mention my son by name, it was very very form letter generic).

If you are offered an optional video, how do you use that to show you are a UChicago student? I think if I were applying, I would use every allowed vehicle to show I wanted to get in.

Finally, even after the first gate and the second gate there will be more applicants than the university has room for (past admin events at UChicago seem to hint at 3x as many). So what do you do to separate yourself from the rest? That is where an expert might be needed and not me. But if you don’t get to past the second gate your chances are very low to none.

So, if I were to apply to school today, I’d first identify at most six schools (maybe seven) to apply to. But, I’d make sure I put everything into the top two (three) choices, including specific LORs and essays tailored to the schools, I’d call these reach applications. The other four would be two matches and two safeties. I’d spend less time on the custom essay work and the LORs on the last four. If I were playing the game today, that’s how I’d do it. This is assuming you’ve been doing ECs smartly (not doing for the sake of doing) and you’ve tried some leadership roles in those ECs. Not a must have, but almost a must have.

@BrianBoiler This was my first and only kid applying this year and she’s at a public STEM boarding school so I’ve felt removed from the process as far as the school’s part is concerned. You talked a lot about getting LOR aimed at each school. I’m assuming in those situations the teachers would send them directly to the schools? The process for my daughter’s application was for the teachers to upload them in Naviance and they then got sent from there to her Common App.

I feel like I’ve learned so much this year that I kinda hate that I won’t have the chance to do it with another child and fix some of my mistakes. Have you ever considered being a substitute college application parent to a kid who’s parents might not have the capacity to know all this and follow their child through the process? I’m wondering about offering myself up for that next year to our local high schools’ counselors. I know I don’t know it all, but if a kid doesn’t have a parent who can help, surely I’d be a little help.

IMHO, a good parent - or parent substitute - beats the typical high school GC any day of the week. Hands down.

@alliblues I’ve thought about it. But the one or two who have reached out to me on here kind of drove the idea away. They didn’t like the “tough advice” I gave them and “knew more about it than I did.”

I also learned a ton from #1 to #2. Of course, that happened throughout #1’s and #2’s lives. I definitely was a more practiced dad for #2. #3 is a daughter and I’m totally in left field.

@JBStillFlying Yeah, my daughter’s counselor has given us very, very little help.

@BrianBoiler You might consider looking at kids who are local to you. The kids who wouldn’t even know that this site exists.

@alliblues I feel the same way about wanting to use the knowledge I gained last year (although I do have another one coming down the road in 7 years). I had twins who had pretty polar opposite preferences in terms of school - one went to huge state school with great football, one ended up at UChicago - so I feel I have a range of experience. I have had some parents come ask me to “have coffee” and discuss the college admissions process. These are moms I either know or are “friends of friends” with kids who are now Seniors at my kids’ old high school. It has been really fun for me - I feel like I’ve helped (at least somewhat) and I get to relive the excitement vicariously without the stress of it being my own kid’s future on the line. Good luck!

I was deferred EA and now doing ED2. I wrote a deferral letter mentioning why i didnt do ED1 and my current medical experiences. Hopefully I hear something good next week or im off to community college bc no other good place gives financial aid like chicago. P.S. I did test optional

Does the University of Chicago send likely letters to those who apply ED II.

My mid-year grades were sent in, and I do not see the update in the portal. Does this mean anything?

Well that begs the question…what happened at the Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County admitted student event that the Maroon would be interested in it?

^^This

ED2 release this friday?

College Confidential

duke university regular decision 2023
powerbangpowerbang
02-04-2019 at 7:39 am in Duke University
can anyone accumulate my chances of getting in duke, Dartmouth, Yale, university of Chicago regular decision
intended major- computer science
sat 1 score - 1230
extracurricular
1 helping a phd student in his research
2 playing badminton won amazing award at state level
3 internship as a journalist at India news as well as at a tech company
4 leader of local coding club
5 opened a ngo with my aunt and we teach children 15 out of 27 placed in good colleges
major awards
1 science Olympiad gold medal for excellence at national level
2 math Olympiad gold medal for excellence at national level
3 cyber Olympiad gold medal for excellence at national level
4 badminton state level awards
additional information
i am Asian particularly Indian male requiring a hell lot financial aid
I chose test optional

I am literally freaking out because not received acceptance letter till now I applied RD

@powerbang I think RD decisions are released Mid-march? That what I got as an email update back in mid-jan