I just heard about wait-listed applicants being admitted to UChicago class of 2021, e.g. with a gap year. Any one know why UChicago would do this? How common is this among (top) universities?
I’ve heard of Harvard’s Z-list, but understand that this mainly serves legacy applicants - different purpose/objective than UChicago I imagine.
Basically turns those students into ED accepts for next year.
Yes, I realize that, but why would they do that?
lowers class of 2021 ED acceptance rate?
Let’s assume they do this with 25 students with effective 100% yield. Next year, assuming 60% yield, they could accept 42 fewer students. This would decrease next years acceptance number, and thereby the acceptance rate. While these 42 less acceptances would only change the data by 0.1%, when you’re dealing in the single digits, there are not many ways to further shave down the acceptance rate.
I assume those 25 students eventually get assigned as acceptances for this year. However, since they already announced a 7.6% accept rate, the 25 students subsequently accepted off the waitlist (with a gap year) did not get counted in the public reckoning. Lather, rinse, repeat every year.
Disclaimer that this is all speculation on my part but certainly would be consistent with Mr. Nondorf further manipulating the system which would be a surprise to no one.
^Well, that’s a rather cynical view. Ergo it’s probably accurate.
I find solace in the fact that this is a way to game the system to increase yield, but there’s no evidence that admission standards are being relaxed. Therein lies the distinction between gap-year admits and Harvard’s Z-list.
Not that I believe UChicago is morally superior to most top-tier schools; I’m sure Dean Nondorf would happily use a Z-list for Malia Obama even if she was a D student with an outside shot at a 1.76 GPA overall and a 2.01 in her major, or if Donald Trump felt the need to send his son Barron to Chicago and pay for a $1 billion construction spree. But, so far, the Z-list demographic has largely stayed on the coasts. If that’s still true in a decade, I won’t share Dean Nondorf’s disappointment.
@NotVerySmart, if you’re suggesting I’m disappointed with Dean Nondorf, quite the contrary. I’m amused by his rather brazen tactics and impressed with his remarkable results.
And I agree that it does not appear they are lowering standards for the gap year admits although I have not seen any data.
I doubt academically unqualified developmental/celebrity admits would have any desire to apply, thus sparing the Dean that particular quandary.
So are the gap year student’s app counted against this year’s number or next?
They’re counted towards this year’s acceptance rate (which has already been reported, and gets far less attention when adjustments like these are made). Normally, this would be reflected in the Common Data Set, but Chicago hasn’t published one for a while. The gap-year students are guaranteed to enroll next year and, as @ihs76 detailed, having a yield of 100% for a subsection of the class of 2021 allows UChicago to accept fewer students overall.
Last year, The Chicago Maroon published an article in mid-April on admission stats for the class of 2019, but has yet to do so this year. I saw the Wash Post article that listed UChicago as having a 7.6% admission rate for class of 2020, but I have not been able to find any university associated article or report. Is such a report out there?
Dean Nondorf gave out the 7.6% number at his presentation during accepted student weekend in early April. That would have been pre waitlist acceptances number.
The University of Chicago is opening a new dorm this year, and reallocating other housing resources from graduate students to undergraduates. Based on projected occupancy and inventory, they may have more first-year housing slots next year than this year. So rather than, say, planning for admission of 60 more first-years in 2017, it may make sense to pre-admit 30 this year and then admit enough extra kids to enroll 30 more next year.
Also – From the Nondorf POV, doing something that Harvard does may make sense for that reason alone, even if for no other reason. (I’ve never understood why it makes sense at Harvard, either. And it’s not just used for legacies, although legacies do seem to represent a higher proportion of Z-list admits than of the regular class.)
While I can’t explain why UChicago has this practice, I can say it’s a great option for kids who do it. My son graduated at 16, agreed to the gap year option when waitlisted, and was subsequently accepted. He benefited from a year of growing up, got first dibs on his favorite dorm because of his super early deposit date, and has just finished a very happy first year. He’s not a legacy and has modest financial resources. It was a terrific fit for him and we have no regrets.