“But I feel like they are being a little coy with their stats…just the fact alone that you remember Nondorf boasting about being able to fill the class three times…obviously their stats are important to them, and I feel like it’s a bit at the expense of the applicants, and it’s just adding to the college admissions craziness that seems to be at an all time high.”
Never heard this one from his mouth but when I first read it I thought he was reiterating something that the College has mentioned many times - that plenty of students who don’t get in would do fine academically at UChicago (ie they weren’t dinged because stats weren’t high enough etc.). Admissions is pulling back on reporting that SAT because they don’t want it to be perceived as “too high”. Yesterday, Nondorf did a quick hem and haw before saying that the average SAT was “hmm, around 1519, I think that’s right?” Is it even possible for an average SAT to end in a 19? This is the third “average” I’ve heard this year. They are clearly hiding the #'s. Not very boasty.
I agree, but whatever they report has to be truthful by law. These no.s go to the US Government.
@scholar999 Agreed. Be on the WL’s that matter…and keep the best of the W at hand, filling in the deposit and being ready to go there. If u get off the WL that matters to u the most, or more than the best W u’ve saved, the only thing u gotta lose is the deposit. Just forfeit ur spot, and write a few letters. It almost always works if that’s done.
@BrianBoiler Agreed here too, but definitely about 10-25% for all the early rounds at UChic. ED I is close to the upper end, then ED II and then EA, but ED II and EA’s position may switch depending. RD is about 5% or 4-5%…
Admissions to any college, be it top or reach is getting more and more insane. Especially for top schools, for example UChic, with a 4-5% RD admit rate, dropping by 0.25-0.5 yearly, i can imagine when they’ll theoretically start taking no one in RD.
Sad thought indeed, and there are many, some preventable, some unchangeable, reasons for this.
“I agree, but whatever they report has to be truthful by law. These no.s go to the US Government.”
University of Chicago hasn't updated its NCES/College Navigator page beyond Fall 2017 and I don't believe anyone else has either. Perhaps that reporting was to comply with old DOE rules that no longer enforced under the Trump Administration? Not sure.
When it comes to announcements at admitted student receptions, I’d go with what the Director of Admissions says . . . unless it conflicts with what the Associate Director of Admissions says . . .in which case taking an average of the two might make more sense LOL.
But I think that gathering admissions data (as much as they can) and reporting it to US Gov. or US Dept. of Ed. is a yearly thing?
Also, I get if some info is shrouded from the public eye (like avg. gpa, and exact measures of standardized testing), but yet, all of it goes to the legal authorities. I believe and hope so.
^ Um, I don’t know if that’s required in this country the way that you are thinking. There will be some reporting protocols in order to be able to offer federal loans or receive some federal funds, of course, but private universities typically are not otherwise required to turn their data over to the feds unless there’s an underlying civil or criminal matter.
There is the Common Data Set, but when I tried to find it on U Chicago, I couldn’t.
I don’t mean to pick on them…it just seems to me that they are one of the more extreme examples of the game playing that is going on at all of the top schools…and not just the tippy top. Lots of non-top 20 schools are adding ED I, ED II, etc.
I do think the U Chicago has done some genuine outreach to lower SES students and they have been increasing their economic and ethnic/racial diversity which is a great thing. I am just wondering though, if any of those students are getting in without scores, are their scores eventually reported and included in that 1519?
UChicago does not provide a CDS. They have statistical booklets with things like enrollments by quarter and by major, etc. Can’t recall the link but just use the tool that rhymes with “frugal” and search using “UChicago statistical report booklets” or something like that and you’ll get a hit.
I certainly don’t want to turn this into a debate about the benefits of Affirmative Action, but ANY suggestion that the admissions process is designed to yield the most academically qualified class at ANY competitive school is hollow and unfounded. Better to just roll the dice and hope things turn out for the best.
Papa2boyz, if you re-frame the task facing the admissions office to be one of assembling applicants with the greatest POTENTIAL, then it does make sense.
“I am just wondering though, if any of those students are getting in without scores, are their scores eventually reported and included in that 1519?”
No. That has to be based on scores actually submitted. It’s a stat for the admitted class, not the enrolled class. (also, haven’t heard anything about TO kids having to submit scores once enrolled).
Potential is an interesting word. Potential to do what exactly? Lower grades, lower test scores, less compelling personal experiences. A) how is the community enriched by first generation candidates? Or any other “hook”? How exactly does legacy admits enrich the community? I’m a cynic because more than most I really understand how this process works.
I agree with what you say, and although it may seem thats statistically true, there are other motives for admitting them.
I’d argue to use the exact term: “motives”, but a decent bit of the time they are quite talented (but at a heightened advantage to other more talented kids).
So, as long as colleges gotta choose, they choose as they please behind the ‘iron curtain’ of admissions and the Office, answerable to no one.
I have a good friend whose son is at U Chicago. He is an unhooked boy who had outstanding stats inline with the stats U Chicago publishes. He has a lot of friends that are URMs that didn’t have the stats he had and they definitely struggle more than him.
With that said, based on what I have heard, U Chicago really does what they can to help all students succeed. There was an unfortunate situation with one boy I heard of who was forced to leave temporarily because he wasn’t meeting some sort of academic minimum. I don’t remember all of the details but U Chicago spelled out for him what he had to do in order to come back after a few quarters. I believe he did return and despite the renewed motivation to succeed, I’m not sure it worked out. But the college really tried to help this boy succeed. I was impressed with their commitment to try to help him succeed. In the end I think it just wasn’t a match. (For the record, I don’t think any other of my friend’s son’s friends had any issues, it was just this one boy).
^ It happens. For instance, once upon a time Amy Carter was kicked out of Brown for the same reason. And who’s to say that Brown was a bad fit for Amy Carter?
Still happens, someone in my DD House got the boot for a year, and had to fulfill some requirements before being allowed to return. A few people still need a little maturing before returning as in this case.
Wow. Read what you are writing. Prestigious universities now have the obligation of offering remedial classes to justify “hooked” admits? Imagine how that makes extraordinarily qualified unhooked rejects feel?