<p>Let me tell you that we really appreciate the fact that you are here to answer all our questions and address our concerns. I think UChicago is a place that really cares about the students who apply. I love receiving mail from you and over the past few months, reading that material has really made me want to join UChicago and it has become the first choice in my mind. But my parents made me apply ED to another ivy, and I was rejected from it. Secretly I was very happy that I don’t have to go there on one hand. But on the other hand, the rejection has really shaken my confidence. I keep wondering what is wrong with me as I see so many people with lower stats and lesser essays being accepted or deferred. I cannot work on my other essays with the same enthusiasm as I could before the rejection. I really wish I would have been deferred. I have applied EA to UChicago, and I’m waiting eagerly for the results. But I’m scared to face another rejection. Could you please let me know the policy that Uchicago normally follows? Are there more rejections than deferrals and acceptances? On what basis do you deny?</p>
<p>Hi bbear12, you’re welcome to e-mail your regional counselor that update; although at this point I can’t guarantee it would be something that could affect our decision-making as we’re so close to decision release, I’m sure your regional counselor will be happy to hear about it regardless.</p>
<p>Hi shiver555, thanks! And sorry to hear about your rough time with the other school We do all three-- accept, defer, and reject students in Early Action. While I can’t give out the percentage of students we expect to see in each group, I can talk a little about the decisions you may receive. An acceptance is as it seems; we’d love to have you here and want to invite you to join us right away! Deferred students are definitely students we could see contributing to UChicago, but about whom we might like to see a little more information-- we’re just waiting to see how you fall in the context of the rest of our applicant pool. A defer is certainly not a “no”, more of a “wait and see”; while we do not eventually accept every deferred applicant, we do accept some. And a deny from us, or any top school, while maddening and crazy and hard to handle (fact: I was denied by three of the ten schools I applied to and got waitlisted at two of them! It’s hard, but it gets better, trust me), should never be taken as a sign that you aren’t “worth it” as a student. Although a denied student is one we aren’t able to accept to UChicago, we know that we’re dealing with some of the top students in the country–some of whom, unfortunately, we will be unable to accept. Students denied from UChicago (or any top school, for that matter) are people who will go on to do great things in college and beyond. We know for a fact there are other FANTASTIC schools out there and you’ll find one that’s right for you, whether or not that place is UChicago.</p>
<p>Grace, I am having a sort of moral conflict. You see, someone from my school already got in ED to another school but he refuses to withdraw his application from the University of Chicago. Apparently, he just wants to see if he gets in. His ED contract explicitly states that he must withdraw the rest of his applications. I am very upset by this because I believe he could be taking the spot of someone who really likes UChicago and really wants to go there. Besides, he said that his parents forced him to apply to UChicago. As a concerned student, what, if anything, do you think is the right course of action?</p>
<p>grimalkin, we expect that students admitted ED to another school will honor that commitment by withdrawing their application from UChicago. However, it us ultimately up to the admitted student to contact us and do so themselves. If you find this situation especially troubling, you may consider discussing the situation with your guidance or college counselor.</p>
<p>Hello test101, sorry I can’t be of more assistance here-- it’s difficult to say exactly how any of these would affect you when not viewed in the context of your whole application. We will, of course, always be happy to receive “reflective, clean” essays and see students committed to extracurricular activities (whatever they may be), though!</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to Uchicago even though most of my family went there and wanted me to continue the legacy, but I was curious about how the admission works. I know it goes through a various amount of people, but do you ever have indifferent ideas on a candidate? If so, any examples?</p>
<p>Thanks for answering all the questions!
I know you said you guys wanted to see “reflective, clean” essays. How much would a thoughtfully messy essay affect an applicant? :)</p>
<p>Oh goodness gracious! I just checked my UChicago account and realized that we were supposed to turn in a tax return form and the CSS profile. Is it too late for that?</p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I just reviewed my supplement essays and found two grammar typo’s… I was wondering if that could ruin my application. I am a strong writer, and I did proof read. I have no clue what happened. I know the uchicago values strong writers, and I am terrified these typo’s have killed my chances at admission.</p>
<p>ychinny, thoughtfully messy is fine as well When I’m looking at an essay, I appreciate anything that is well-written, creative, original, and reflective of a student’s thoughts/experiences/mindset. </p>
<p>doctoribach, yes, we do often allow admitted students to take 2 gap years before beginning school, although the student would need to submit a plan for their 2 years (or one year, as many students elect) to their regional counselor and have the plan approved by the dean before being allowed to continue. </p>
<p>furedeikun, don’t worry, it is not too late; if you are an EA applicant who is admitted, you may receive your aid estimate later than your admissions decision, but we guarantee to still meet 100% of demonstrated need for domestic students who submit their materials past the deadline. </p>
<p>mingyec, please don’t worry-- while we would prefer to see no typos in a student’s essay, two small typos will certainly not make or break your admissions decision.</p>
<p>Suppose I go to UChicago, which is significantly harder in the social sciences than say, University of Texas-Austin, or University of Southern California, and get a GPA 3.7-3.8. Suppose also that I want to go to Yale or Harvard Law School, which usually only takes people around the 3.85-4.00 range. Finally, suppose I have the requisite LSAT score for these law schools.</p>
<p>Is it okay to have a lower GPA at a top university for Law School? Or, am I going to be hurt by going to UChicago in terms of educational goals?</p>
<p>Hey Grace!!!
It’s so cool that you post on CC to answer questions!! Thanks tons! I just now realized that there was a chance for an interview… is the fact that I did not do an interview going to be a negative on my app?? (Honestly) And also, will admissions officers be annoyed that my essays are relatively long (3-4 pages)??? The last thing I would want to do is annoy the admissions officers. :)</p>
<p>davismiles, although I cannot comment specifically on what law schools are looking for in an applicant-- that would be a question I’d encourage you to ask pre-law program advisers or a college academic adviser-- UChicago sends many students to top law schools every year. I’d encourage you to check out our Chicago Careers in Law program website, which may answer more of your questions: <a href=“Home | CareerAdv”>Home | CareerAdv;
<p>20047426, we do not require interviews, so it certainly will not be seen as a negative that you have not interviewed when we review your application. While it is OK to submit essays that are slightly longer than normal if you do not feel it is possible to whittle them down to a smaller size, we do strongly encourage students to keep their essays to 1-2 pages (single or double spaced, either is fine-- about 500 words).</p>
<p>That’s a great question, and you should definitely speak to a pre-law program adviser and/or a college adviser, as the UChicago rep suggests.</p>
<p>Besides any advice they may offer, however, I would strongly, STRONGLY encourage you to ask to review Chicago’s hard data on their law school placement. I’m sure the advisers will tell you how Chicago is a wonderful place to prepare for law school (and it is), but you MUST see the actual data for yourself.</p>
<p>For example, here is Yale College’s data on their law school placement during the Fall of 2010:</p>
<p>As you can see, Yale breaks down the avg. GPA and LSAT for yale applicants applying to 32 different schools. UChicago should have a similar data set. Ask for it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, and this disappoints me as a UChicago alum, the U of C does not release this data publicly, unlike many of their peers (such as Yale). Nevertheless, more than any general advice, the hard data set is your key indicator of Chicago’s success in pre-law placement. The general rumor is that the U of C places somewhat less well than some of their peers (e.g. Columbia, Brown, etc.), but again, since the U of C administration isn’t transparent about this, it’s hard to say for sure. The data set will give you a much better picture. </p>
<p>Don’t make a decision before seeing the data first.</p>
We do all three-- accept, defer, and reject students in Early Action. While I can’t give out the percentage of students we expect to see in each group, I can talk a little about the decisions you may receive. An acceptance is as it seems; we’d love to have you here and want to invite you to join us right away! Deferred students are definitely students we could see contributing to UChicago, but about whom we might like to see a little more information-- we’re just waiting to see how you fall in the context of the rest of our applicant pool. A defer is certainly not a “no”, more of a “wait and see”; while we do not eventually accept every deferred applicant, we do accept some. And a deny from us, or any top school, while maddening and crazy and hard to handle (fact: I was denied by three of the ten schools I applied to and got waitlisted at two of them! It’s hard, but it gets better, trust me), should never be taken as a sign that you aren’t “worth it” as a student. Although a denied student is one we aren’t able to accept to UChicago, we know that we’re dealing with some of the top students in the country–some of whom, unfortunately, we will be unable to accept. Students denied from UChicago (or any top school, for that matter) are people who will go on to do great things in college and beyond. We know for a fact there are other FANTASTIC schools out there and you’ll find one that’s right for you, whether or not that place is UChicago.</p>
I, along with the other students whose questions you’ve answered, greatly appreciate this.</p>