<p>If I go to the University of Chicago, it would be for... the MATH!!!
I read somewhere that it's ranked in the top 5 nationwide along with (not in any order i know of) Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>yeah... but i dont think it'd be the most astounding place for applied math... then again, not the most astounding place for applied anything</p>
<p>You mean its not the best for applied pimpology?</p>
<p>Because my hos are going crazy.</p>
<p>I want to go to the U. of C. because Esquared will be attending. ;)</p>
<p>I want to go to the U. of C. in spite of Esquared attending. ;)</p>
<p>I am spiritually and physically connected to Esquared and must attend with him.</p>
<p>because I got dropped from MIT wait...</p>
<p>and because its math is very good</p>
<p>They should allow future hopefuls on that website just so we can drool.</p>
<p>I look and colleges and think. Can I see myself being happy and completely satisfied with my education here? And it sounds really corny I guess, but that's why I cannot WAIT to apply and hopefully attend here.</p>
<p>That was exactly what I was thinking when I was deciding where to apply. To be honest, Chicago was the only school I could find that fit the bill, so Chicago it was.</p>
<p>How romantic of you.</p>
<p>boo boo ya</p>
<p>The Phoenix!
Coolest mascot ever.</p>
<p>Plus, the beautiful campus, the awesome city, the core, the intellectual atmosphere, well-read nerds, Stephen Levitt, Susan Sontag, the coloring contest postcard, the frequent destroying of athletic facilities to build more libraries, the essays, the amazing academics, other people who were not scared off by "where fun comes to die", and on and on. I heart UChicago.</p>
<p>And to add to the discussion about its selectivity, I think the uncommon app would make a lot of people not apply. My sis, though she didn't consider Chicago, had a lot of schools she was interested in and cut out all the ones without Common App.</p>
<p>"the beautiful campus, the awesome city, the core, the intellectual atmosphere, well-read nerds, Stephen Levitt, Susan Sontag, the coloring contest postcard, the frequent destroying of athletic facilities to build more libraries, the essays, the amazing academics, other people who were not scared off by "where fun comes to die", and on and on. I heart UChicago.</p>
<p>And to add to the discussion about its selectivity, I think the uncommon app would make a lot of people not apply. My sis, though she didn't consider Chicago, had a lot of schools she was interested in and cut out all the ones without Common App."</p>
<p>That's exactly what I wanna say. Thanks for speaking that out for me. I think common application would somewhat help the university, considering a whole lot of kids are not only too lazy to do uncommon application but also paying too much attention to USNEWS ranking which gives selectivity a big weight.</p>
<p>I disagree about that, and Ted O'Neill (dean of admissions) seems to be of that opinion as well. All you need to do is consider the things which you have said make you want to go to Chicago. From that list, it is evident that you have researched famous alums (I love Sontag), famous professors (Levitt, despite the fact that academically speaking he is one of the lesser famous professors), school history (the bit about tearing down the tennis courts for the library), culture (where fun comes to die), uniqueness (the different essays), and reputation (amazing acadmemics, best econ dept. in the world, first nuclear reaction was on-campus.....). This all shows u've researched the school really well, and I think that you all fit the profile of the median applicant. Chicago is known for its self-selectivity. Most kids who apply will probably be able to reproduce all, if not part, of that list. I can assure you that kids applying to common app. schools prob. can't do the same for those schools. So, the question becomes: Do we want to allow kids who aren't truly committed to the idea of the University of Chicago to apply, and possibly, attend? I personally don't think so. Many of the things you cited come from the fact that kids at Chicago are kids who came knowing that the school provided the atmosphere they wanted. They are kids who know they'd thrive in that environment. Instituting the common app. would most definitely boost Chicago in USNWR. A step further would be to institute early decision. They are two relatively simple changes in admission policies which would surely put Chicago in the USNWR top 10. But, at what cost? I think that in the long run this costs Chicago its individuality and its character. I personally don't want to turn into HYPS, schools which seem to be interchangible. Chicago is differnt. It has a different culture and a different type of student, and I think this only benefits the school. I am not ready to give that up simply to move up a few positions in USNWR, which, by the way, has no criteria to measure the quality of the education at the colleges. </p>
<p>P.S.: Regarding how selective it is now, I think people should be very careful. Admission percentages don't really mean anything. To say that you've only accepted 10% of your applicants only means that there were tons of people who wanted to go to your school, and you didn't have tons of space. What really matters is the quality of the tons of people who apply to your school. Yes, Chicago has almost a 40% admission rate, and in 1999 I think that figure was as high as 70%. However, despite Chicago's extremely high acceptance rate, the average SAT score for its entering class is higher than half of the ivy league schools. I think this is a much more accurate view on the selectivity of Chicago.</p>
<p>I pointed out the significance of the uncommon app, but I don't agree with biztogo that it should be changed. I love the uncommon app, and its crazy essays, and the fact that the people who apply have to love that too, at least enough to go through with it. I would hate it if it were changed.</p>
<p>i hated the common app. i applied to i think 4 schools from it, and i just felt like i had no chance to really express myself. there was only 1 essay and i wrote a terrible one and it killed me. there shoulda been short answers and more questions that arent about stats. chicago, stanford, and penn were my favorite apps by far cause they were fun to fill out and (in penns case) required actual research into the school.</p>
<p>btw...the U off Chicago admissions rate is down to 36% this year...I really want to go there!</p>
<p>I am going to the U of C because everyone there was what I deem to be a "social nerd"... very smart and in love with learning and stuff but not creepy like caltech kids.</p>
<p>Also, it is in Chicago.</p>
<p>And I needed a big city.</p>
<p>I don't particularly want to be in a city, but everything else about the U of C seems lovely, so I may just have to relinquish my visions of idyllic small towns in breathtaking natural surroundings... not that I've applied yet or anything, but it looks like I'm heading that way.</p>