Why do U Want to go to UChicago?

<p>Kurt Vonnegut.</p>

<p>AndiOrz,
What class did you take at UofC, if I may ask? My son has been looking at the summer program at UofC. Any help/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.</p>

<p>Go for Research in the Biological Sciences. That's what I took. Anything he takes will be top-notch because it's the University of Chicago, but RIBS a one-of-a-kind class. That kind of lab exposure is really hard to come by, and it's a great topic for interviews and essays. I know one student talked about RIBS at his Stanford interview and got in. </p>

<p>I'll let you know if it helped me get into UChicago hopefully tomorrow. ^_^</p>

<p>Andi....</p>

<p>My son did RIBS last summer and is also waiting by his mailbox to hear about his EA application. Good luck!</p>

<p>enrico fermi.</p>

<p>Just wondering...how exactly was Vonnegut affiliated with the university?</p>

<p>i AM going to university of chicago next year because of the amazing academics (obviously), the fact that there will be atleast some classical liberal economics, and the general approach to learning.
as ted o'neill said, "you have been selected by our faculty and admissions counselors because you recognize the pleasure - the absolute joy - to be found in active, creative learning."</p>

<p>oh i love uchicago :D</p>

<p>Kurt Vonnegut AM '71</p>

<p>You know what is funny about Vonnegut and U of C. He enrolled at the university's ma program in anthropology in 1945. His thesis "On the Fluctuation Between Good and Evil in Simple Tales" was rejected by the faculty. In 1947 he takes a job at GE and goes on to a career of fame and fortune as the author we know and love. Then in 1971 the University decides to award him his degree in cultural anthropology for cat's cradle, which was published in 1963. A little late, don't you think?</p>

<p>the Common Core / Development of a versatile mind</p>

<p>The city. I'm a Chicago girl, born and bred. Plus it's an amazing institution with really high academic values and it will always be challenging; after U of C, you are prepared for anything.</p>

<p>There's also the Indiana Jones factor. He went to the University of Chicago. I mean he's not real, but I still consider him an alum.</p>

<p>The U of C is great because it has gone against the grain of our academic times: against grade inflation, against trivial fun, and against the decline of core curriculums present everywhere. It is a maverick university, comparable only to Columbia.
And it's academic programs are fabulous! It offers what may be the best economics degree in the world. Its contributions to sociology have been so significant that there is actually a school of thought in the subject named for the university. Its science programs are great too. Few, if any, schools can compare to the academic experience offered there.</p>

<p>The real question is: why isn't the U of Chicago more selective? I don't really understand how a school can be so strong academically, and have a 40% admit rate. The general thinking of most high school top students is that selectivity=greatness. If a lot of people wish to attend a college, than it must be a better college. But the fact is that a lot of people want to attend the college just because it's selective. Selectivity perpetuates itself. I want to attend a selective college, because highly selective colleges attract a better student body. I do imagine that Harvard does attract more talented, accompished, and
overachieving students than the U of C. However, selectivity is still way too much of a factor in college admissions. It's not just about how incredible one's classmates are, but how incredible one's university is. And I think that the U of C is an incredible university.</p>

<p>Chicago does not attract as many applicants per available entering spots as do most of the other top tier schools. If it attracted double the applicants, its selectivity would increase to 20% admitted. But it is doubtful this would result in a better student population. Though it has a higher acceptance rate than most, if not all of the Ivy's, the profile of its students, numbers wise, is about the same (actually slightly better than 4 of them). Further, it does not have an ED or SCEA policy used by many schools to boost yield and perceived selectivity. It believes in student choice.</p>

<p>The students it does attract are typically not frivolously applying either. But, once accepted, Chicago students often have a couple of considerations to face; frequently, students have been accepted to other, often more well-known, schools, or to schools that provide more generous need based aid or merit aid. When faced with the rugged U of C curriculum and these alternatives, only a very self-selecting bunch choose Chicago. Survey's indicate that the #1 reason is financial or merit aid considerations combined with facing the rigorous curriculum that governs student choices. There is a current alumni scholarship fund drive to raise $100 million to augment financial aid so that this will be less of a factor in the future. Students who eventually attend Chicago have embraced the curriculum and the idea of "The University" in-spite of these considerations, making for a uniquely talented group of individuals.</p>

<p>I think it would be extremely easy for U Chicago to increase its selectivity. All they would have to do is change to the Common Ap and adopt an ED policy. Thankfully, they are unlikely to do either of these things. </p>

<p>I do wish Chicago had more merit scholarships available and better financial aid. I think this is the most positive step that could be taken to push up the yield (which is a determining factor in selectivity).</p>

<p>U of C says that the school is self-selective and I can sort of see why due to the ant-grade inflation, and the uncommon app. Many kids don't want to go through teh trouble of writing an unusual essay about something that has mroe to do with life than many of the other essay questions.</p>

<p>The U of C financial aid formula is a bit lacking. A friend of my S was offered $31,000 by Chicago, but $42,000 by Yale. Though the friend wanted very much to go to Chicago and promised to attend if they met Yale's offer, they would not, so Yale it was.</p>

<p>Yes, how unfortunate....Hmm, Chicago or Yale, oh I'm just crushed with such impossible decisions.</p>

<p>I'm just trying to get in some place for Christ's sake. It's hard too, because I offer so little.</p>

<p>psh, if your essays are good, then they'll like you and take you. You have at least one thing that's different about you.</p>

<p>Oh, I want to go to Chicago for the weather.</p>

<p>is that difference the fact that i have three nipples?</p>