The hate is because UChicago rejects a lot of kids. Same reason the haters hate NEU. Or call Cornell a second-tier college. The elitism on this board is mind-boggling. It's almost like a college football playoff where you have to be number 1 or you suck.

Anonymous wrote:UChicago, because of its location, cannot compete with HYPSM for the extremely top undergraduate students (e.g., junior marathon world record holder who is also a math whiz, gold medal at international math Olympia, etc.) who are shoo-in for a top 5 school.

ED2 helps UChicago get some of the very top students who are just below the extreme level. Thus, the self deprecating phrase “land of Harvard and Stanford rejects.” Some of these students could get into another top 5 (a Harvard reject, if applying to the other top 4 schools during the regular round, could get into one of them), but they can choose to apply ED2 to get into UChicago for sure.

You can't be rejected by Harvard or Stanford if you ED to Duke, MIT, Hopkins, Chicago 😆

But can you hair splitters get serious? Each one of these places is a dream destination.

Anonymous wrote:UChicago, because of its location, cannot compete with HYPSM for the extremely top undergraduate students (e.g., junior marathon world record holder who is also a math whiz, gold medal at international math Olympia, etc.) who are shoo-in for a top 5 school.

ED2 helps UChicago get some of the very top students who are just below the extreme level. Thus, the self deprecating phrase “land of Harvard and Stanford rejects.” Some of these students could get into another top 5 (a Harvard reject, if applying to the other top 4 schools during the regular round, could get into one of them), but they can choose to apply ED2 to get into UChicago for sure.

I dont think location is an issue, Chicago is still a great city. They also have less financial resources than many other top schools. But of course that isnt the end all be all (look at Notre Dame)

UChicago, because of its location, cannot compete with HYPSM for the extremely top undergraduate students (e.g., junior marathon world record holder who is also a math whiz, gold medal at international math Olympia, etc.) who are shoo-in for a top 5 school.

ED2 helps UChicago get some of the very top students who are just below the extreme level. Thus, the self deprecating phrase “land of Harvard and Stanford rejects.” Some of these students could get into another top 5 (a Harvard reject, if applying to the other top 4 schools during the regular round, could get into one of them), but they can choose to apply ED2 to get into UChicago for sure.

U Chicago law school is currently number 3 !!
Business school number 1.
I think the challenge for u Chicago ‘s undergraduate program is to pick kids that they can handle the work load and don’t care about big sport events and school spirits and be happy with other attractions at the school.
My son is getting an amazing education, very interesting classes but he never goes to see a football game. He misses that part of college life. That’s the sacrifice going to school like Hopkins or UC.
They have to be more aggressive in their ED admissions and it is a brilliant strategy to find the balance in their admission

Anonymous wrote:elite

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who say UChicago is a second tier university do not know what they are talking about. UChicago is top 5 in graduate programs in Math, Statistics, Physics, Economics, MBA, etc.

But those are not high-prestige, important fields.

Try ethnic studies, political science, journalism, law, those are the fields of the elite.

You must be joking. Ethnic studies? WOW! That is an important academic field that requires extremely high intelligence, integrity, and incredible hard work.

By the way, UChicago’s law school is also top 5. UChicago is about #10 for political science and journalism.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who say UChicago is a second tier university do not know what they are talking about. UChicago is top 5 in graduate programs in Math, Statistics, Physics, Economics, MBA, etc.

I really wish it weren’t trying to compete with the top tier schools and just did its own thing. Its own thing is pretty special. No reason for them to try to copy a different school.

UChicago kids are incredibly bright and the classes are no joke. My kid is getting an amazing education, second to none. She will be well prepared for whatever comes next - right now the plan is grad school. She selected this school (RD admit) over an ivy (she wants to study physics at the home of Fermi). I just don’t understand the hate for this school on this board. Don’t apply or go there if it annoys you. It’s totally not for everyone and that is fine.

No one actually hates UChicago, people are just annoyed by its admissions practices. Youre right that its a great school, and as such it shouldnt be afraid to compete for students with top/mid ivies, Stanford, Duke, MIT, etc.

A recruiter came to my kid's high school and (as I've been told) asked to meet the top students. This is ~not~ a good high school. The number of 99th percentile scorers can be counted on one hand. But Chicago sent somebody to our neck of the woods to find them and make a presentation.

Doesn't sound like they are afraid to compete at all. Sounds like they go the extra mile to win.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who say UChicago is a second tier university do not know what they are talking about. UChicago is top 5 in graduate programs in Math, Statistics, Physics, Economics, MBA, etc.

I really wish it weren’t trying to compete with the top tier schools and just did its own thing. Its own thing is pretty special. No reason for them to try to copy a different school.

UChicago kids are incredibly bright and the classes are no joke. My kid is getting an amazing education, second to none. She will be well prepared for whatever comes next - right now the plan is grad school. She selected this school (RD admit) over an ivy (she wants to study physics at the home of Fermi). I just don’t understand the hate for this school on this board. Don’t apply or go there if it annoys you. It’s totally not for everyone and that is fine.

No one actually hates UChicago, people are just annoyed by its admissions practices. Youre right that its a great school, and as such it shouldnt be afraid to compete for students with top/mid ivies, Stanford, Duke, MIT, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Those who say UChicago is a second tier university do not know what they are talking about. UChicago is top 5 in graduate programs in Math, Statistics, Physics, Economics, MBA, etc.

I really wish it weren’t trying to compete with the top tier schools and just did its own thing. Its own thing is pretty special. No reason for them to try to copy a different school.

UChicago kids are incredibly bright and the classes are no joke. My kid is getting an amazing education, second to none. She will be well prepared for whatever comes next - right now the plan is grad school. She selected this school (RD admit) over an ivy (she wants to study physics at the home of Fermi). I just don’t understand the hate for this school on this board. Don’t apply or go there if it annoys you. It’s totally not for everyone and that is fine.

Anonymous wrote:Those who say UChicago is a second tier university do not know what they are talking about. UChicago is top 5 in graduate programs in Math, Statistics, Physics, Economics, MBA, etc.

But those are not high-prestige, important fields.

Try ethnic studies, political science, journalism, law, those are the fields of the elite.

Anonymous wrote:Actually my son got in to Cornell and u Chicago.
He picked u Chicago. Not every kid picks ivy’s over other schools.
Another kid I know picked UNC honors program over Dartmouth.
Another one got in years ago to Yale and Jefferson scholarship at UVA. Picked UVA.
So many factors to consider before a family can make a decision.

Cornell is the worst ivy so thats pretty reasonable. But generally more kids prefer 6 of the ivies (not Dartmouth or Cornell), Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Caltech to UChicago. UChicago is essentially willfully avoiding competing with those schools with its current strategy, but by doing so they’re also missing out on some potential superstars who have a lot of choices to pick from. Look at Columbia and Duke for example: they only take ~40% of their class in ED (compared to UChicago taking ~70% of their class in ED) and aren’t afraid of losing hundreds and hundreds of cross-admits to HPSM each year for the chance at enrolling the students who have personal preference for their school over HPSM.

Those who say UChicago is a second tier university do not know what they are talking about. UChicago is top 5 in graduate programs in Math, Statistics, Physics, Economics, MBA, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone discussed the new, shadow pre-ED round? Top couple kids at some privates are invited to an all-expenses paid week where they are wined and dined, then all are invited to apply very early decision and accepted before the normal ED round. A nice way to lock up top students who then, if rejected, can then ED somewhere else.

I'm surprised that more so-called top schools don't engage in this type of recruiting.

They do. It’s called a fly-in program. Used for recruiting URM, rural, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is wealth related to ED?

They are committed to a school before knowing what their financial aid is, if any.

They do get their financial aid from their ED school. And can turn it down if not enough. What is different is that they can’t compare financial aid among schools.