University of Chicago ED2

So excited to be a Maroon!!

@JBStillFlying Congratulations, well deserved.

@JBStillFlying Congrats to you and your S!

Daughter got in.

@JBStillFlying Congrats to you and your S! Congrats to all got in! For these got waitlisted and rejected, keep your chin up and hope alive.

My son got in yesterday too, but only was after a big let down from being deferred from ED1. We really thought trying again in ED2 would be a long shoot. At the time of ED1, my daughter commented everything would seem too easy if my son was somehow just got in during ED1 round. Since the deferral, he of course applied a bunch of other schools and put up so much efforts and stayed late night after night, and wrote essays after essays. I now believe sometimes thing happens for a reason. If nothing else, a deferral or reject can be a huge motivation to improve. When you put forth your very best efforts, eventually your path will open up.

Big thanks for everyone helped me on Chicago forum to formulate our UChicago admission strategy. I learned a huge amount of institutional knowledge about UChicago. In the end, the knowledge helped, the planning and hard work has paid off.

@myyuanfen - thank you for sharing that invaluable testimony.

@JBStillFlying Congratulations!!!

Rejected, w/ 1590 SAT and 4.72 GPA, president of a club, awards, and what i thought were strong essays and rec letters

My daughter was rejected with 35 ACT, 3.97 unweighted GPA, and all the other great stuff. I think she is among some great company.

Wow alliblues. Amazing that she was rejected. Best of luck to her with her remaining apps. No doubt she is an incredible young person.

@myyuanfen: Did your son do anything different between the ED1 and ED2 rounds? Would be interested to see how he improved the application. Wondering why he chose to ED2 after deferral instead of trying another school in ED2 round? Would love to learn more about the thinking behind his decision.

BTW - congrats on this amazing achievement!

@sgopal2: He asked a 3rd teacher to write another rec. letter, added a bunch of art works that he was using to apply Brown/RISD dual program to showcase his artistic side, and also write a thoughtful email to his regional AO outlined his progress with NMF and continuing desire to study at Chicago.

As far as why choose to continue ED2 UChicago, it was really not much second thought. I asked him if Chicago is still the top school he wants to attend, he said yes. He doesn’t have a clear second school that has ED2 program. At that time, it was like what more could we lose? If not getting in Chicago, he has put in enough hard work that I am sure there would be one other top school wants him. All being said, I believe ED2 still offer an edge. I don’t know how much, it seems this year so many smart kids from EA deferral were applying ED2 too, there is no data, we will just have to wait and see.

If I were UChicago’s AO, I would say our own deferral kids could be as good as anyone and why don’t give them a second chance? I applaud Chicago admission team’s thinking this year. In the end I think it’s the combination of two factors: somehow he convinced enough of them that he really fits there, and he will definitely go there if given a chance.

Thanks and good luck to everyone in March!

Daughter was accepted ED 2 and received a sizeable grant. I could not be happier.

  • She has 800s in her SATs 35 and 36 in ACTs
  • Straight A Student all of high School (public)
  • Swimming Varsity
  • 2nd chair violin in orchestra
  • Worked at an Epigenetics lab for two summers
  • Outstanding essays about Music, DNA, Home
  • Quite light on the EC because she spent a lot of time on the varsity Team and homework

(p.s. she was deferred by a top Ivy, which was her first choice, hence she ED 2 UChicago)

Incredible resume paxfobiscum. Congratulations to your daughter and to you. Best of luck to her.

@paxfobiscum what will your daughter do if she is now accepted by the Ivy?

@catmomof3 - @paxfobiscum’s daughter will need to withdraw her apps. well before Ivy Day.

@paxfobiscum It’s a very common story for the ED2 crowd and one that UChicago comes out ahead in…

She pulled out her two Ivy applications already, which is fine because I don’t think those schools would have given her a single cent in Scholarship grants anyway. If they wanted too then she would have been accepted there in the first round.

@CU123 you are absolutely correct. This is where Dean Nondorf’s genious comes in. He knows that there are thousands and thousands of very smart, very eligible, very determined Kids that got deferred by the top Ivies. And to those Kids he is offering the ED2 and telling them “Come to us all of you who are tired of the Ivies and we will accept you with open arms.”

I read somewhere that those that applied ED2 at UChicago are Kids that could have easily gotten in the other top Schools but just didn’t fit for some particular reason.

My daughter is in good Company and we are so happy. Congrats to all as well.

@paxfobiscum like I’ve said in previous posts ED is the last bastion for the outstanding but unhooked student. After all the athletes, legacies, first gens, etc. are picked up there leaves very little room for any others except those that have truly unique characteristics that they can bring, which leaves EA/RD for any simply outstanding student out of reach.