<p>Beefs</p>
<p>It's hard to digest the fact that you're so negative about college admissions even though most colleges are need blind for you.</p>
<p>As for "confidence", it hardly shows that UChicago is easy to get into (which quite obviously isn't the case).</p>
<p>gouchicago, one thing is being hopeful of admission, and one thing is being too overconfident that you're gonna be admitted into a school.
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I am a recruited athlete, extraordinary ECs, disadvantaged background, great essays (submitted three essays), regular job, straight A and all that jazz. Only, I'm an international in need of aid, but I'm confident I'll make it despite that.
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<p>To be honest, it almost sounds like you think you deserve a spot at uchicago, which is unfortunately not the case with anybody.</p>
<p>beefs</p>
<p>You're misinterpreting me. My "confidence" isn't to impose that I believe I "deserve" a place at UChicago. I might have sounded like I'm overconfident about this whole admissions processs, but that's not the case.</p>
<p>I should have framed my post in a better manner.</p>
<p>If not UChicago, it'd be...UChicago. If not that, still UChicago. </p>
<p>I have so many backups in my mind, you see. :O) As a complete Chicago fanatic, it kills me that I had to apply to two other schools...</p>
<p>
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I just wish people would become a little more optimistic about this whole admissions thing, the 2400 Straight A kid saying he isn't confident of making it to his "reach" school doesn't work anymore. I know stats aren't everything, but they do give you consideration by the admissions committee and once you have that, if you truly love the school, I'm sure you can carry of off well. =)
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<p>It's MISS Silvestris, and may I ask where are you from abroad? Just out of curiousity. </p>
<p>Listen, I don't hang around here and try to cut people down to make my chances better or anything but this is probably the msot stressful time in our entire lives. I have an even better chance then a lot of people here and I'm not prancing around saying how sure it is that I'll get in. What happens if you don't? The admissions process IS a lot of luck. There is no few things they're looking for that will automatically make you go into the 'accept' pile. </p>
<p>IF come April, I get a rejection letter then at least I'll be prepared and I won't collapse into a pile of misery like some people. I'm going to stand back, reevaluate what I need to change, and then go make those changes, so I'm quite sorry is we all don't share your astounding optimism.</p>
<p>Well I got in EA, but like many others the FA wasn't so hot. My other schools are CMU (although their FA doesn't look hopeful), Yale (yeah right), Emory, Swarthmore, and UPenn.</p>
<p>I also got in EA with no financial aid. It looks like I'll probably be going somewhere in Colorado, though I love the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>For me, my financial and admission alternative to Chicago was SUNY-Binghamton. I liked the school for a whole lot of reasons, and I had a better campus visit there than many of the other elites I visited.</p>
<p>Reasons I liked Bing:
-- students ran the gamut from being very well dressed to just-rolled-out-of-bed. Considering that I tend to be of the latter, seeing that a lot of people on campus looked like me was comforting.
-- I met up with a random student who took me on a tour of the dorms. Everybody I ran into seemed relaxed, smart, and cool on their own terms. Somebody even did an intellectual tapdance about 18th century literature for me when I asked him about the courses he was taking, proceeding to show me his syllabus, his readings, and talked about how great his professor was.
-- There was no "status" or "money" hierarchy, something I felt was apparent at the elites. Some kids at Bing are rich and some aren't, but when you're in a town like Binghamton, it's nearly impossible to assert your wealth. What are you going to do, buy three hamburgers at Wendy's?
-- Bing had an intellectual, quirky underbelly. Maybe not as much as Chicago's, but certainly there are groups of kids running around in the woods, building fires, and reciting Goethe. Okay, maybe not the last part, but I know a bunch of kids there who are more than a tad wacky and have found their niche.
-- Two of the smartest people I know are Bing graduates, and both feel they received great educations and had great social opportunities.</p>
<p>I mean, that's just my own state school. Your state school might have a similar feel to it, especially if you are looking for a school where, like Chicago, the atmosphere is not quite as status or money-driven and students are not as professionally geared. </p>
<p>Another quick thing: two of my best friends at Chicago had to work hard to convince their parents that Chicago was a better option than the honors program at Average State. These parents know what they're talking about-- one of them is a professor at Average State, the other is an alumni.</p>
<p>"It will certainly mean years of debt, but my education usurps monetary wealth in my mind."</p>
<p>I totally agree. I got accepted EA, and I have no financial need according to FAFSA and will most likely attend UChicago. I also applied to Yale, Princeton, and Columbia RD but those schools are so random in admissions that I have no idea if I will get in or not. If I do get in to one of those three., the decision would be really hard lol.</p>
<p>as of right now, with what i'm hearing about chicago's finaid, i'm not too optimistic that even if i am accepted my parents will agree to let me go. So that would leave me with UMich, MSU, Wheaton (IL) or Calvin College at this point. Have to wait till april to hear from the others.</p>
<p>Second choice is probably Reed, with Macalester College after that.</p>
<p>My friend who is at UChicago now really wanted to go to Reed and St. Johns (MD). That's weird.</p>
<p>wow it doesnt hurt to be optimistic, people.</p>
<p>most people know the field they play in, and know their chances to some extent. if he feels confident that he'll get in, he's probably right.</p>
<p>no,he's not.</p>
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wow it doesnt hurt to be optimistic, people.</p>
<p>most people know the field they play in, and know their chances to some extent. if he feels confident that he'll get in, he's probably right.
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<p>Oh please. All we know is what other people have, not what the AdCom is looking for. And I dont think everyone who says 'Yeah I have a great chance of getting in' would have a great chance by my standards.</p>
<p>Who gives a damn what random people on a forum say anyways? it's not like UChicago scouts around here and looks for things to influence decisions.</p>
<p>EDIT: Damn you beefs, it looked like I was posting a rebuttal to your comment instead of y7bbb6's :P</p>
<p>I figured that's why you quoted his comment in your own :)</p>
<p>Wow... I can't believe you guys haven't had enough of that post even now.</p>
<p>Obviously I'm not a sureshot candidate (who is?), but I'm not a sureshot reject either, as beefs seems to be suggesting. </p>
<p>Would it kill you to be optimistic?</p>
<p>The stupidity in this thread is just going on and on and on. I'm out!</p>
<p>gochicago,
you certainly have do have a shot! And if your personality is optimistic, that's great. What the others are concerned by is that your admissions cohort (internationals requiring aid) is not need-blind, and therefore very much more selective than that of US students + internationals not requiring aid. Chicago's website indicates this. If you go searching in the CC archives, either last year or the year before, someone made a stab at guestimating the admissions rate for internations needing financial aid ... and it was looking more like HYP than Chicago.</p>
<p>One of the things about increase competition is that the more selective a school, the more likely a match is to be a reach (quoting some CC parent). What this means is that you can be a fabulous student, have great essays and so on ... and we still can't really predict the outcome. </p>
<p>There is a fine line to walk between being optimistic (great chance!) and realistic (pointing out that the subjective chance of admissions) and negative. My own feeling is that being truly supportive involves a bit of the first two. Best wishes for you this spring - if your sunny attitude comes thru on your application, I do believe it will help you.</p>
<p>I am glad to see names like Reed and Mac and (yes) UF (where its warm) come up on this thread. If not Chicago for undergrad, then some other wonderful school will be lucky to have you.</p>