University of Chicago ED rejection?

[Anonymous]

13:56 here adding that my kid got in RD and chose Chicago over Columbia and two top-ranked state schools. Did not apply to other Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP, heard that many times too, don’t know if true. Supposedly they call college counselor or kid directly, forget which, and ask if they are 100% sure they’d attend if taken off waitlist. If they say yes, then offered a spot.

Yes, a lot of conjecture on this forum. Either way, doesn’t sound like forcing…sounds like an opportunity.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/1chckza/uchicago_waitlist/

not a rumor at all. well documented. forced as in they won't admit you until you commit before acceptance. lolz.

Yes. I personally know 2 that had this happened to them. Were called within days of RD decision. One was like, no thanks. I'm good going to HYP. The other was state school bound (rejected from all other T20 schools) so happily committed to get the offer, but also had to do a gap year (z list)...

[Anonymous]

Sounds like my kid, now a 3rd year. He loves it. It’s intense, a lot of reading, a lot of hard math. The required Common Core takes nearly 2 full years, so everyone is doing 2-3 incredibly rigorous math, bio, physics, sociology, humanities courses. No escaping the rigor outside your comfort zone.

But the community is so wonderful. Not competitive. Very supportive RAs, RHs, RDs. My kid feels like he is getting a fantastic education that will serve him well his whole life. He turned down Brown, UVA scholarship.

[Anonymous]

My son turned down Cornell!!
Chicago is a beautiful city. Hyde park is a cute neighborhood and definitely you should
Avoid south side of Chicago, which is south of the campus after Woodlawn dorms.
Obama presidential library will open hopefully by next year in Jackson park and will create lots of opportunities for jobs and other businesses to grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I visited U. Chicago with current junior DC last spring and we loved it - it was beautiful, students seemed happy, etc. But we don't know Chicago that well. Then, we learned about these news stories about crime in the area:

https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/3-university-of-chicago-students-robbed-at-gunpoint-near-campus-in-hyde-park/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/university-of-chicago-student-fights-off-armed-robber/3414685/

Does this not scare you as a parent? I don't think my kid is as tough of the girl who fought off the armed robber, but I'm sure that I would not have done that myself and my kid has lived in a leafy suburb her whole life.

I'm genuinely wondering whether I'm the only parent who has real concerns about allowing their child to attend UChicago.

So you think this happens only at UChicago? and it doesn't happen at U Penn, Columbia or urban universities? And how about your kids? Do they not hang out with friends in DC or ride the Metro, maybe even the bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand to look at another thread full of BS on my kid’s school, but I’m posting to say that my kid is having a fantastic experience, and almost nothing I’ve seen here in the many, many threads on UChicago accurately represents what the school is actually like. (The exception: the neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park are rough, and most kids avoid them. And no, my kid doesn’t feel less safe in Hyde Park than near say, Logan Circle, U St., or H St. here. If your kid isn’t comfortable in those neighborhoods, then he or she can apply elsewhere!)

Here’s what she has experienced: Fantastic and small core classes with tons of required reading and writing. (My kid loves it! If yours doesn’t, there are many other schools!) Engaging professors. Insanely smart and motivated classmates. Excellent academic advising and career advising. Nice dorms and dining halls. Beautiful campus. Lovely libraries. Very challenging academic standards. Cold weather.

I don’t care what type of admissions her classmates used. I don’t care how many pieces of mail you all have received. (Or why so many complainers are checking their kid’s email, which is so bizarre.) And I frankly don’t care what percentage of whatever form of applicants got in, and I think it’s bizarre that so many people (or a few obsessives?) do.

Hope your kids who might like the vibe at UChicago visit and/or apply.

Happy for you and your kid but still not happy with UChicago’s secretive push for ED

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand to look at another thread full of BS on my kid’s school, but I’m posting to say that my kid is having a fantastic experience, and almost nothing I’ve seen here in the many, many threads on UChicago accurately represents what the school is actually like. (The exception: the neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park are rough, and most kids avoid them. And no, my kid doesn’t feel less safe in Hyde Park than near say, Logan Circle, U St., or H St. here. If your kid isn’t comfortable in those neighborhoods, then he or she can apply elsewhere!)

Here’s what she has experienced: Fantastic and small core classes with tons of required reading and writing. (My kid loves it! If yours doesn’t, there are many other schools!) Engaging professors. Insanely smart and motivated classmates. Excellent academic advising and career advising. Nice dorms and dining halls. Beautiful campus. Lovely libraries. Very challenging academic standards. Cold weather.

I don’t care what type of admissions her classmates used. I don’t care how many pieces of mail you all have received. (Or why so many complainers are checking their kid’s email, which is so bizarre.) And I frankly don’t care what percentage of whatever form of applicants got in, and I think it’s bizarre that so many people (or a few obsessives?) do.

Hope your kids who might like the vibe at UChicago visit and/or apply.

Happy for you and your kid but still not happy with UChicago’s secretive push for ED

We heard you the first 3,000 times. Talk about spamming the audience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand to look at another thread full of BS on my kid’s school, but I’m posting to say that my kid is having a fantastic experience, and almost nothing I’ve seen here in the many, many threads on UChicago accurately represents what the school is actually like. (The exception: the neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park are rough, and most kids avoid them. And no, my kid doesn’t feel less safe in Hyde Park than near say, Logan Circle, U St., or H St. here. If your kid isn’t comfortable in those neighborhoods, then he or she can apply elsewhere!)

Here’s what she has experienced: Fantastic and small core classes with tons of required reading and writing. (My kid loves it! If yours doesn’t, there are many other schools!) Engaging professors. Insanely smart and motivated classmates. Excellent academic advising and career advising. Nice dorms and dining halls. Beautiful campus. Lovely libraries. Very challenging academic standards. Cold weather.

I don’t care what type of admissions her classmates used. I don’t care how many pieces of mail you all have received. (Or why so many complainers are checking their kid’s email, which is so bizarre.) And I frankly don’t care what percentage of whatever form of applicants got in, and I think it’s bizarre that so many people (or a few obsessives?) do.

Hope your kids who might like the vibe at UChicago visit and/or apply.

Happy for you and your kid but still not happy with UChicago’s secretive push for ED

We heard you the first 3,000 times. Talk about spamming the audience.

Your rebuttals are not spamming the audience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand to look at another thread full of BS on my kid’s school, but I’m posting to say that my kid is having a fantastic experience, and almost nothing I’ve seen here in the many, many threads on UChicago accurately represents what the school is actually like. (The exception: the neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park are rough, and most kids avoid them. And no, my kid doesn’t feel less safe in Hyde Park than near say, Logan Circle, U St., or H St. here. If your kid isn’t comfortable in those neighborhoods, then he or she can apply elsewhere!)

Here’s what she has experienced: Fantastic and small core classes with tons of required reading and writing. (My kid loves it! If yours doesn’t, there are many other schools!) Engaging professors. Insanely smart and motivated classmates. Excellent academic advising and career advising. Nice dorms and dining halls. Beautiful campus. Lovely libraries. Very challenging academic standards. Cold weather.

I don’t care what type of admissions her classmates used. I don’t care how many pieces of mail you all have received. (Or why so many complainers are checking their kid’s email, which is so bizarre.) And I frankly don’t care what percentage of whatever form of applicants got in, and I think it’s bizarre that so many people (or a few obsessives?) do.

Hope your kids who might like the vibe at UChicago visit and/or apply.

Happy for you and your kid but still not happy with UChicago’s secretive push for ED

We heard you the first 3,000 times. Talk about spamming the audience.

LOL 🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand to look at another thread full of BS on my kid’s school, but I’m posting to say that my kid is having a fantastic experience, and almost nothing I’ve seen here in the many, many threads on UChicago accurately represents what the school is actually like. (The exception: the neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park are rough, and most kids avoid them. And no, my kid doesn’t feel less safe in Hyde Park than near say, Logan Circle, U St., or H St. here. If your kid isn’t comfortable in those neighborhoods, then he or she can apply elsewhere!)

Here’s what she has experienced: Fantastic and small core classes with tons of required reading and writing. (My kid loves it! If yours doesn’t, there are many other schools!) Engaging professors. Insanely smart and motivated classmates. Excellent academic advising and career advising. Nice dorms and dining halls. Beautiful campus. Lovely libraries. Very challenging academic standards. Cold weather.

I don’t care what type of admissions her classmates used. I don’t care how many pieces of mail you all have received. (Or why so many complainers are checking their kid’s email, which is so bizarre.) And I frankly don’t care what percentage of whatever form of applicants got in, and I think it’s bizarre that so many people (or a few obsessives?) do.

Hope your kids who might like the vibe at UChicago visit and/or apply.

Thank you for posting! Our junior DC is so excited to apply to UChicago, more than his ivy legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t care how many pieces of mail you all have received. (Or why so many complainers are checking their kid’s email, which is so bizarre.) And I frankly don’t care what percentage of whatever form of applicants got in, and I think it’s bizarre that so many people (or a few obsessives?) do.

Hope your kids who might like the vibe at UChicago visit and/or apply.

I, for one, am so thankful that they spammed my kid's email. He would not have known of UChicago otherwise and he is so happy there. It is the perfect school for him.

He also applied EA and I doubt he is the unicorn that many haters like to think does not exist.

And before they chime in with all the reasons of how he passed through the impossible EA... no, we are not full pay. No, we are not destitute either. We are somewhere in the middle where he receives some aid. Also not URM- just your standard issue Asian American.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you consider U Chicago for a very smart and social boy? Intellectual, but an extrovert that likes sports (playing and watching) and parties.

My very smart, social boy who enjoys sports and parties will be a freshman at Chicago this fall. He's pretty darn academic, and had no interest in a rah-rah party school, but he's not a nerd or grinder. He talked to a bunch of kids who are there now (including friends from his school) and they assured him there's fun to be had. He really wanted a midsize school in or close to a city with strong academics, which left surprisingly few options, and loved the tour and the vibe of Chicago.

The ED-only process didn't really concern me because he was almost certainly going to ED somewhere regardless. IMO it is silly to boycott a school because they take 80% vs 60% (or whatever the actual #'s are) of the class ED, but YMMV. Not applying is an option.

My biggest concerns are: 1. safety - we live in Harlem NYC so my kid is street savvy, but I'm sure I'll still worry. 2. The quarter system seems stressful (my kid seems unphased but he might have a different perspective next February).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you consider U Chicago for a very smart and social boy? Intellectual, but an extrovert that likes sports (playing and watching) and parties.

My very smart, social boy who enjoys sports and parties will be a freshman at Chicago this fall. He's pretty darn academic, and had no interest in a rah-rah party school, but he's not a nerd or grinder. He talked to a bunch of kids who are there now (including friends from his school) and they assured him there's fun to be had. He really wanted a midsize school in or close to a city with strong academics, which left surprisingly few options, and loved the tour and the vibe of Chicago.

The ED-only process didn't really concern me because he was almost certainly going to ED somewhere regardless. IMO it is silly to boycott a school because they take 80% vs 60% (or whatever the actual #'s are) of the class ED, but YMMV. Not applying is an option.

My biggest concerns are: 1. safety - we live in Harlem NYC so my kid is street savvy, but I'm sure I'll still worry. 2. The quarter system seems stressful (my kid seems unphased but he might have a different perspective next February).

I think I would have worried myself anyway whether my kid was in Providence, New Haven, or Hyde Park.
The quarter system was a douse of cold water on mine. He did not come from a prep school so rigor is very new to him. But these kids are fast learners. They wouldn't be at UChicago if they weren't. From my observation, they know when to party and when to buckle down. I've never seen my kid study a day in his life before. I think he's at the library almost every day. More importantly, he is having the time of his life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you consider U Chicago for a very smart and social boy? Intellectual, but an extrovert that likes sports (playing and watching) and parties.

My very smart, social boy who enjoys sports and parties will be a freshman at Chicago this fall. He's pretty darn academic, and had no interest in a rah-rah party school, but he's not a nerd or grinder. He talked to a bunch of kids who are there now (including friends from his school) and they assured him there's fun to be had. He really wanted a midsize school in or close to a city with strong academics, which left surprisingly few options, and loved the tour and the vibe of Chicago.

The ED-only process didn't really concern me because he was almost certainly going to ED somewhere regardless. IMO it is silly to boycott a school because they take 80% vs 60% (or whatever the actual #'s are) of the class ED, but YMMV. Not applying is an option.

My biggest concerns are: 1. safety - we live in Harlem NYC so my kid is street savvy, but I'm sure I'll still worry. 2. The quarter system seems stressful (my kid seems unphased but he might have a different perspective next February).

I think I would have worried myself anyway whether my kid was in Providence, New Haven, or Hyde Park.
The quarter system was a douse of cold water on mine. He did not come from a prep school so rigor is very new to him. But these kids are fast learners. They wouldn't be at UChicago if they weren't. From my observation, they know when to party and when to buckle down. I've never seen my kid study a day in his life before. I think he's at the library almost every day. More importantly, he is having the time of his life.

The only students I know who had an easy time with uchicago rigor or public magnet school kids (Stuyvesant kids especially). The private school kids are struggling just as hard as the normal public school kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP, heard that many times too, don’t know if true. Supposedly they call college counselor or kid directly, forget which, and ask if they are 100% sure they’d attend if taken off waitlist. If they say yes, then offered a spot.

Our public school counselor, who has no reason to lie, told my kid this happens and to be prepared for it. He was deferred EA. Kid didn’t know about it. Counselor wanted him to start thinking about his answer if counselor gets the call, as they do every year, he said. We are at a public magnet that sends a good number each year.