UChicago Questions? Ask an admissions counselor!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>Welcome! If you're reading this, I'll assume you're interested in learning more about UChicago-- an excellent choice, if I do say so myself. I'm Grace*, a Senior Admissions Counselor and a member of the Outreach team in the admissions office here, and a college alumna. Over this year, I'll be on hand to answer any questions you might have about UChicago and the opportunities we offer.</p>

<p>Although CC can be a good way to have general questions answered, your best source of information in the application cycle is and still will be your regional admissions counselor and our website, collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu. You can find out who your regional counselor is by looking at the "Contact Us" portion of our website, which should be updated with our new territories soon; if you're from my neighborhood (Virginia and Maryland minus DC and immediate suburbs, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota) I'd love to hear from you, but would appreciate if you'd contact me at the address listed on that page. Further, I'll be checking this account frequently but not constantly, so if you have an urgent question please go ahead and defer to your regional counselor or our general office contact line listed on that page. </p>

<p>If you'd like to get in direct contact with a current student, feel free to do so in a separate post, or by e-mailing <a href="mailto:psac@uchicago.edu">psac@uchicago.edu</a>. </p>

<p>Although I hope this goes without saying, I am not able to "chance" you or to offer you any information about your likelihood of admission or your application status. I'm also not able to offer information about specific financial aid decisions or individual admissions decisions. Again, if you have specific questions about your application, please reach out to your regional counselor.</p>

<p>I am, however, happy to be here, and happy to let you know anything you'd like to know about UChicago. So... ask away!</p>

<p>Best,</p>

<p>Grace Chapin</p>

<p>*Some of you may remember me from my days as a student posting here-- yes, I am "that Grace". I'm full-time counseling staff now, so although you may be tempted, please do go ahead and defer your student life questions to our current students; as I am now officially an old person, I'm sure they'll be able to answer them much more accurately than I could :)</p>

2

<p>Even though it says around 12-15% of total undergraduate students in U of C are international students could you tell me approximately what percentage of students in an entering freshman class are international? And any idea on how many of them receive financial aid?</p>

3

<p>Hi Darth, while it can vary slightly between incoming classes, the percentage of transfer students in the incoming class usually mirrors the overall percentage in the College at about 11 or 12%. And, on the last bit, sorry but no-- it varies from year to year.</p>

4

<p>Yeah I can get it
Thanks</p>

5

<p>Hey Grace I had another question: Is fin aid available for internationals wishing to apply EA?</p>

6

<p>Yes, there is aid available for EA international students. You can find out more info about international student applications and financial aid here: <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/applicants/international/[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/applicants/international/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>Thanks a lot :)</p>

8

<p>What type of merit scholarships are available? What are the typical stats of students that receive them? Thanks.</p>

9

<p>We offer limited merit scholarships in $5k, $10k, and $15k per year denominations, as well as scholarships for students who are National Merit finalists. We also offer separate scholarships to select Chicago Public Schools students, children of active-duty Chicago police and fire personnel, and children of Argonne National Lab employees. </p>

<p>We do not keep separate statistics on our merit scholarship recipients; about 10% of the incoming class receives some form of merit award.</p>

10

<p>How much weight is placed on standardized testing scores for admission?</p>

11

<p>@Rbouwens, we do consider an SAT or ACT score in the admissions process, but as we evaluate applications holistically it is given no more weight than any other portion of the application-- we’re looking at everything the student tells us alongside it, including the high school transcript, essays, rec letters, and extracurricular activities.</p>

12

<p>Is UChicago’s EA restrictive?</p>

13

<p>what do you look for in prospective students? What sets the accepted students apart from the rejected? (other than the fact that they’re either accepted or rejected :p)</p>

14

<p>No, we are unrestricted EA.</p>

15

<p>Is it better to continue to take a variety of classes in your junior and senior years or to pursue advanced (AP or equivalent) studies only in the broad subject area you are interested in going into in college? As an admissions person, would you be more likely to think that the person was lazy and avoiding classes they didn’t like, or that the person was just very interested in a different subject area?</p>

<p>I’ll avoid giving any more information to keep it from getting too individual ;)</p>

16

<p>what qualities does UChicago look for in a transfer applicant?</p>

17

<p>@neiro6, we are interested in seeing both that you’ve challenged yourself with your curriculum but, as our school is built on the foundation of the Core, that you’re interested in taking courses in a broad variety of subjects. There’s no right answer here; I think your high school guidance counselor would be a good resource for what to take specifically.</p>

18

<p>Will UChicago know if I apply to both UChicago and another school EA? If so, will this influence their decision to accept me?</p>

19

<p>Does University of Chicago take into account a reasonable explanation of why grades slipped during a high school academic year when evaluating an applicant? </p>

<p>Also, does the university look over an applicant’s entire academic courses or only place the initial interest on the academic GPA? </p>

<p>Thank you very much!</p>

20

<p>Will taking my AP exams at the end of my senior year hurt my application?</p>